In the current state of pirate forces, with the Four Emperors no longer around, Logia users like Sugar and Monet could already sweep through most pirate crews on the seas.
Besides their innate Logia abilities, their physical power and Haki had also been thoroughly honed under Lucia's guidance. Even among the Seven Warlords of the Sea, their strength could be considered top-tier.
The only thing they lacked was real combat experience.
Now that the world order was set, the entire world was essentially Carl's playground. He could play however he liked, and with whomever he wanted—everything was subject to his whims.
Just then, Carl suddenly reached back and pinched the air behind him. Sugar and the others focused their gaze and spotted a fair ear poking out from the edge of the pool behind Carl—no one had noticed when it had appeared.
There was no need to guess. Sugar immediately knew who it belonged to. She snapped her head toward the nearby lounge chair, where Robin was sunbathing with one hand clutched over her ear, quietly muttering:
"It hurts, it hurts…"
Sugar grinned wickedly, jumped up, put one hand on her hip, and pointed at Robin with the other.
"Well, well, Robin! Eavesdropping, are we? Young Master, Robin's being naughty—you really should teach her a lesson!"
Carl let go of Robin's ear and beckoned her over.
Pouting, Robin shuffled over in small steps, knelt behind Carl, and rested her hands on his fair thighs.
"I'm sorry, Young Master… I shouldn't have eavesdropped…"
Carl chuckled and said,
"There's no such thing as secrets here. I think you were just looking for a little thrill, weren't you?"
Robin blushed. Carl was spot on—she did enjoy a bit of mischief from time to time.
Wearing a pure white swimsuit, Ohara's Olvia twisted her snake-like waist and walked over. Glancing at Robin's pitiful expression on the ground, she sighed helplessly.
"And you're always calling Sugar childish. I don't think you're any better yourself."
From the side, Sugar let out a goose-like cackle.
"Geh geh geh geh…"
Robin could brush off a lecture from her mom easily, but Sugar's taunting stung for real. She glared at Sugar in frustration.
Sugar smugly made a silly face in return.
Robin, still in her apologetic pose, couldn't retaliate. Stifling her irritation, she could only cast a pitiful glance at Carl.
Carl flicked her on the forehead.
"Get up. What's with all the kneeling?"
As he spoke, Carl let his gaze drift over Robin's figure in her swimsuit. Robin noticed his eyes and secretly rejoiced, boldly pushing out her ample chest to better show off her figure.
Sugar noticed and scoffed.
"What's the big deal… it's like you're carrying two cannonballs…"
She clearly lacked confidence in her words. Hers weren't small either, but they just didn't compare to Robin's—a disadvantage she often suffered in their daily spats.
Robin shot her a disdainful look, but before she could say anything, Carl's next words struck her like lightning.
He glanced at Robin's slightly bronzed skin and shook his head.
"Robin, are you tanning on purpose? This skin tone doesn't really suit you."
Robin froze in place like a statue.
Olvia giggled and said,
"Silly girl, I've been telling you that black doesn't suit you. You wouldn't listen. But now that Carl-sama said it, are you finally going to believe it?"
Sugar got even more excited and stuck out her tongue.
"Robin, you big dummy!"
Robin's face alternated between green and white. After a moment, she stared at Carl and asked,
"Young Master, does tanned skin really look bad on me?"
Carl waved a hand.
"I wouldn't say 'bad.' You've got a great foundation—even if you got as dark as charcoal, you wouldn't be ugly. But your hair and eyes are already black. If your skin's black too, it'll look a bit… rustic. In my opinion, it doesn't add points—it actually subtracts. But it's your body. If tanning makes you happy, go ahead."
Robin immediately shook her head like a rattle-drum.
You must be kidding! There's a saying: a woman beautifies herself for the one she loves. She didn't tan to please herself. Who else would she be trying to please?
Now that the object of her affection had made it clear, what's the point in sticking to tanning?
With that, she quickly turned to Sugar and said,
"Hey, where's that sunscreen you were using earlier? Gimme! I need it now!"
Sugar grinned smugly, crossed her arms, and declared:
"That's not how you ask someone. You need to say, 'Sugar-san~'"
Robin raised an eyebrow. She'd been holding back against Sugar all this time. Now she couldn't be bothered to mind Carl's presence. She suddenly lunged at Sugar, aiming straight for her chest.
Sugar shrieked and clutched her chest.
"Eek! Pervert! Young Master, help me!!"
She dove into Carl's arms like an octopus, wrapping herself around him tightly. But Robin had already anticipated this move. Her lips curled into a wicked smile.
She then threw Carl a sultry glance. Under his shocked eyes, Robin hooked a finger—and the strap of Sugar's swimsuit snapped.
With a twitch, the light green swimsuit slipped down Sugar's smooth body and floated on the water's surface.
Robin clicked her tongue twice and shook her head.
"How shameless. A girl baring her chest like a man!"
Sugar stared wide-eyed in a daze. Unexpectedly, instead of panicking or blushing and fleeing, she quickly calmed down. She even cast Robin a mocking look.
Then she did something that stunned everyone.
Sugar leapt off Carl's lap, planted her hands on her hips, and proudly puffed out her chest. Sunlight bathed her torso, casting a glow on her chest like twin halos—she looked like a proud peacock.
The other girls were dumbfounded by Sugar's brazen display. Even Monet pointed a trembling finger at her.
"S-Sugar! What the hell are you doing?!"
Sugar wiggled her waist and tossed Carl a flirtatious glance.
"I'm not doing anything. Honestly, I've always thought swimsuits were annoying. We're all women here, and the only man is the Young Master. What's the point of hiding anything, right?"
Even Carl was stunned by her boldness. He coughed lightly and raised a hand.
"Hmm… as long as you're happy."
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+140 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg