Galette's expression drastically changed as she quickly covered Carl's masked mouth with her hand, whispering nervously,
"Are you crazy?! What nonsense are you spouting?"
As she spoke, Galette glanced around anxiously. Fortunately, everyone's attention was focused on Perospero, who was delivering the wedding opening speech on stage. It seemed no one had heard Carl's earlier words.
Carl gently took hold of Galette's fair wrist, moved her hand aside, and said,
"I'm just stating the truth. Why are you so nervous?"
Galette was so exasperated by Carl that she chuckled sarcastically, replying,
"I knew it was a good idea to stay here. Haven't I already told you who Monkey D. Dragon is?! He's—"
Carl tilted his head slightly and said,
"Just the leader of some rebellious group, isn't he?"
"..."
Galette turned to Stussy, who had a faint smile on her face, and said,
"Miss Stussy, can you control your bodyguard? Doesn't he know that careless words can bring trouble?"
Stussy shrugged helplessly and replied,
"My apologies, Miss Galette. I'm afraid I can't control him."
Galette's pretty face turned red with anger. Just as she was about to retort, Pudding and Poire suddenly appeared behind her.
Pudding slapped Galette's shoulder and said,
"Galette!"
Startled, Galette turned and exclaimed when she saw the two,
"What are you two doing here?"
While speaking, Galette discreetly withdrew her hand from Carl's grip.
Pudding, noticing Galette's small gesture, didn't say anything but grinned mischievously. She dragged Poire to sit to Galette's right, her eyes darting between Galette and Carl.
Propping her chin with one hand, Pudding teased,
"It seemed boring over there, and you looked like you were having a good time chatting, so we decided to join you!"
Poire nodded enthusiastically, her face displaying a "me too" expression.
After a polite greeting to both Stussy and Carl, Galette looked down nervously at the white porcelain plate in front of her and said irritably,
"There's nothing fun here. Shouldn't you be busy in the kitchen?"
Pudding stretched lazily and replied,
"The head chef, Streusen, has taken over everything. There's nothing for me to do now!"
Galette frowned and asked,
"Is the head chef's health up to it?"
"He seems fine to me. He said this wedding is a major event for the Charlotte family, and he wouldn't feel at ease unless he handled the cooking himself. Right now, he's baking the giant wedding cake!"
Carl suddenly asked,
"Is the head chef in poor health?"
Galette replied,
"Yes. Haven't you heard about the battle where Fleet Admiral Carl fought both Roger and Whirebeard here? The head chef was seriously injured in that fight and almost lost his combat abilities. He hasn't fully recovered even now."
Stussy added,
"That was a monumental event at the time. They say Carl came here alone, yet he managed to escape unscathed between two Emperor-level pirate crews."
Galette sighed and said,
"I was just a child back then. I had to hide in my room. Katakuri said the battle was extremely fierce. The head chef was gravely injured in that fight."
Poire shivered, recalling the thunderous sounds and terrifying earthquakes she heard while hiding with Galette. When they finally stepped out, the sight of devastation greeted them.
Unlike them, Pudding was unfazed, as she hadn't been born yet. Curious, she asked,
"Sister Galette, was Carl really that strong? I've seen his photos in the newspapers—he looks young. Even Whirebeard and the Pirate King couldn't deal with him?"
Galette took a deep breath and replied solemnly,
"You have to understand—he was the man who ended an era."
Carl chuckled lightly and said,
"Miss Galette, I'm surprised someone like you would speak so highly of a Marine."
Galette glanced at Carl and said flatly,
"There's nothing strange about it. The world says the same. After all, the scene of him slaying Pirate King Roger was broadcasted worldwide."
Carl smirked and said,
"That broadcast was indeed intense... By the way, Miss Galette, have you ever imagined what it would be like to encounter Fleet Admiral Carl yourself?"
Galette froze, then gave a bitter smile and said,
"What else could it be? With his methods, I doubt I'd even leave a complete corpse behind. They say he enjoys using people's heads as cannonballs..."
This remark made Pudding shiver and lean closer to Galette.
Carl tilted his head and said,
"You're so beautiful, he probably wouldn't do that to you."
"Don't joke about that. I've heard that Whitebeard Pirates had a member, Whitey Bay, who was also beautiful. She ended up decapitated, and he used her head to kill Vista, another member of their crew. Just thinking about it gives me chills!"
Pudding clung tightly to Galette's arm and whispered,
"Galette, stop! You're scaring me!"
Even Galette herself felt a chill as she spoke, her body trembling slightly.
Seeing this, Carl patted her shoulder and said,
"Don't worry. I'll protect you."
"Pfft!"
Before Galette could respond, Pudding, who had been the most frightened, suddenly burst into laughter. Looking at Carl, she said,
"Zero, are you sure you're not just bragging?"
Galette pinched Pudding's leg discreetly. Although she also found Carl's words audacious, she couldn't help but feel happy hearing them. She didn't want Carl to be mocked.
Stussy chimed in,
"My Zero isn't bragging. His strength is remarkable!"
Pudding raised her eyebrows and thought,
"Your Zero, huh? Judging by Big Sister Galette's reaction, you're not taking him back after this wedding."
At that moment, a loud announcement echoed from the wedding entrance:
"The bride and groom have arrived!"
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+255 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg