One Piece: Starting in God Valley as a Slave

Just as Sugar finished speaking, Jona's face changed suddenly. She turned sharply and signaled to Monet, who quickly reached over to cover Sugar's mouth.

However, despite Sugar's soft voice, both Garling and Carl had hearing far above the average person, and their attention turned towards them upon hearing her voice.

It was also the first time Monet got a clear look at Carl's face. He was even more handsome than she had imagined, exuding a unique, noble aura. This aura didn't come from any external decoration but was something he naturally radiated.

The Figarland family genes were already extraordinary, and on top of that, Carl had undergone various genetic experiments and was a Vampire Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit user, making his appearance nearly flawless.

Even after a thousand or ten thousand years, Monet would remember the impression she had when she first saw Carl, and she could only describe it with one word: breathtaking!

While Monet was lost in thought, Jona's forehead was already beaded with cold sweat. To her, Sugar's behavior just now was a grave disrespect.

The Figarland family servants all knew that Garling was someone who valued rules very highly. If any servant dared to interrupt him while he was speaking, they would be executed on the spot.

And indeed, this was true. However, what they didn't know was that with Carl around, Garling's demeanor would soften significantly.

Garling merely glanced briefly at the Monet sisters before looking away, while Carl chuckled softly and beckoned them over with a raised hand.

Jona quickly stepped behind the Monet sisters, giving Monet a slight push.

It was as if Monet awoke from a dream. She hurriedly took Sugar by the hand and led her to stand before Carl.

The aura of Garling and Carl, uncle and nephew, was overpowering. When they drew closer, the feeling became even more intense. Monet instinctively held her breath, while Sugar hid behind Monet, clutching her sister's clothing tightly.

Carl smiled gently, picked up a bunch of grapes from the fruit platter on the table, and offered them to her.

The fruits served to people like them were, of course, of the highest quality. Each grape was nearly identical in size, gleaming like purple pearls and enticing just by appearance.

Sugar, who loved grapes, couldn't help but gulp, making a cute "gulp" sound as her wide, grape-like eyes sparkled with anticipation.

Resisting the urge to reach out, she looked up at Monet. But before Monet could respond, Carl had already placed the grapes in Sugar's arms, saying softly,

"Go ahead, eat."

Unable to hold back any longer, Sugar eagerly prepared to eat the grapes. However, even though she wanted to eat them quickly, she first plucked one from the bunch and placed it delicately on her fingertip before putting it in her mouth.

The sweet grape burst in her mouth, and Sugar felt she had never tasted grapes so delicious. Her face lit up in delight, and her eyes squinted in pure happiness.

Seeing her adorable expression made Carl's smile deepen, making his already handsome face even more captivating and warm.

Monet, watching from the side, rubbed her eyes, feeling a sense of unreality. She couldn't reconcile this kind, gentle Carl with the ruthless man she had seen before in front of Rosward.

Once Sugar had swallowed her grape, Carl turned his gaze towards Monet. Under his heterochromatic eyes, Monet couldn't bring herself to look directly at him and instinctively lowered her head.

Carl reached out, gently lifting her chin with a finger, making her face him.

Just as Monet felt she might faint, Carl finally released her, and Garling teased,

"Carl, did you buy her just because she's a Logia?"

Carl chuckled, replying, "Well, since this is the first person I've ever purchased, I had to have a good look, right?"

Monet felt a sudden surge of inexplicable joy at his words, while Sugar asked in a sweet, innocent voice,

"Young Master, what about Lady Lucia?"

Monet was startled by this question, and even Carl paused momentarily before laughing. "You know Lady Lucia, too?"

Sugar nodded, "Yes, Jona told us about her. Lady Lucia is our role model!"

"Is that so? Then you'll have to work hard," Carl said with a smile as he lifted Sugar onto his knee and pinched her chubby, baby-soft cheek. "Lucia was a gift from Uncle Garling, not someone I bought myself."

Upon hearing this, Sugar glanced cautiously at Garling, but his stern face made her shrink back into Carl's arms without saying a word.

Garling, entirely unaware that he had scared the child, took a sip of tea, completely indifferent to the impact of his presence, while Carl continued to amuse his newly acquired little slave.

Carl picked another grape, placing it on Sugar's fingertip as she ate, then looked towards Monet.

"Monet, do you know what your current status is?"

Smart as ever, Monet quickly knelt down, declaring loudly, "I am the Young Master's servant!"

She spoke from the heart—not only because of the brilliant aura Carl carried but also because of his attitude towards Sugar, which was the most important factor.

Seeing her sister's sincere gesture, Sugar followed suit with a sweet, childish voice, even causing Garling's lips to twitch slightly as he took another sip of tea.

A smile played on Carl's lips as he glanced at Sugar in his arms.

He had already confirmed that Sugar hadn't eaten a Devil Fruit yet. That was perfect, as he didn't want her to consume the Hobby-Hobby Fruit as she had in the original story, though she would certainly eat a Devil Fruit.

As for which fruit, Carl had already decided.

For now, he needed to focus on training the sisters in martial arts, as they couldn't remain like their original counterparts, without mastery of Haki.

Improving their martial arts abilities would ensure they could make better use of their Devil Fruits in the future.

To Carl, every Logia fruit except the Smoke Fruit had potential to be developed. Even the Flame-Flame Fruit, which was often dismissed, had its unique strength.

Just then, Carlos entered the hall, coming to a halt beside Jona before kneeling on one knee and saying in a solemn voice,

"Saint Garling, Saint Saturn is waiting in the reception hall. He says he has urgent matters to discuss with the Young Master."

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+185 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg