Carl looked into Garling's eyes and, from his earlier words, vaguely pieced together why Shanks had ended up in the outside world.
With that thought, Carl probed cautiously,
"Uncle Garling, all these years, I don't think I've ever heard about Auntie."
Garling trembled slightly and replied,
"You don't have an aunt."
"I don't mean officially."
Garling fell silent. After a while, he sighed and said,
"She passed away long ago. Almost no one in the family knows about her."
"But Darian knew, didn't he?"
"Yes."
Garling tilted his head back, his mind recalling a scene from 38 years ago.
...
Darian stood before him with a mocking expression and sneered,
"This is incredible news! The Figarland family head, Saint Garling, is about to have a child! The Figarland lineage will finally have an heir!"
Garling responded coldly,
"Shut up! I know what I'm doing. That child will never be the family's successor! Carl is the rightful heir!"
"Oh? My dear younger brother, are you throwing me a bone by letting my son become the heir? How generous of you."
"There's nothing to worry about. Carl's potential surpasses both of ours. His bloodline is… purer. If you stop those damned experiments and leave him to me, I'll ensure he becomes the family's guaranteed successor!"
"Hahaha! Who would've thought my son, Carl, would be on your mind? I'm honored! Should I thank you?"
Clang!
Veins bulged on Garling's forehead as he drew his sword, red and black lightning crackling along the blade.
Yet Darian was unfazed and laughed,
"Well done, Figarland family head! Such authority! Are you going to strike down your elder brother?"
At that, Darian paused, his laughter fading into a cold expression as he said,
"If you want to do it, then go ahead—just like when you killed Father."
The words pierced Garling's heart like a blade. His face turned pale, and his trembling hand gripped the sword tightly.
Darian sneered and said,
"Garling, the most important thing for you right now is to clean up your own mess. Leave Carl to me. As long as his illness isn't cured, the experiments can't stop. He's my son—do you think I'd harm him? But if that scandal gets out, perhaps you won't care, but our Figarland family will become the laughingstock of all Mary Geoise!"
With that, Darian turned and left, leaving Garling standing silently.
Not long after, Garling's child, Shanks, was born, but Shanks' mother took her own life shortly after giving birth.
From the moment she realized she was pregnant, she already knew her fate.
As a mere maid, she was subject to a deeply ingrained rule among the Celestial Dragons: to preserve the purity of their bloodline, both parents of their descendants must be Celestial Dragons.
Male Celestial Dragons could take low-status women as concubines, without limit, but they could not have children with them.
Breaking this rule meant the child's mother would be executed, and the child—who had "tainted" the Celestial Dragon bloodline—would be exiled, left to fend for themselves.
The Figarland family, as a prominent Celestial Dragon lineage, was bound to uphold this principle even more strictly, especially with Garling as the family head.
Garling knew all this but couldn't bring himself to act.
The maid, who had been indoctrinated to serve Garling since childhood, chose to end her life to spare her master from making the decision.
Garling didn't have deep feelings for her. After killing his father, he had been plagued by a heavy sense of guilt. Seeking an outlet, he had relations with his personal maid.
Afterward, she always took medicine to prevent pregnancy. Everything had been fine—until one day, the medicine failed.
By the time her belly began to swell, both she and Garling realized what had happened.
Garling couldn't bear to have the child aborted. Haunted by his father's death, he couldn't bring himself to kill his own blood. He also yearned for something to give him solace.
His plan was to keep the child's existence a secret, allowing the maid to remain hidden in the chambers until the baby was born.
He figured he'd never reveal the child's identity and let him live quietly by his side.
But Darian found out.
Garling knew his brother's character. Ever since their father passed the family headship to Garling, family honor meant little to Darian. There was no guarantee he wouldn't one day go mad and spread the secret.
Yet Garling couldn't bring himself to harm his elder brother.
Even so, Garling was determined to let the child be born. If the secret got out, he'd step down as the family head and let Darian take over.
Despite his misgivings about Darian, he believed in Carl's potential and wished for him to inherit the family's legacy.
Until Carl turned six, Garling often took time to accompany him. Though he didn't say it, he was fond of his nephew.
As for Shanks... When Garling saw the maid's lifeless body, he changed his mind.
Perhaps out of guilt, he decided to acknowledge Shanks' existence.
Shanks' identity as a Celestial Dragon might not be recognized in Mary Geoise, but Garling was determined to make it known: Shanks was his son!
A week later, during the Native Hunting Competition, Garling planned to make the announcement.
Ironically, within that week, tragedy struck.
Carl passed away due to complications from his congenital illness.
Before Garling could recover from the blow, another shocking development occurred.
The World Government had replaced one of the six Devil Fruits originally set as prizes for the hunting competition.
The replacement? The Dark-Dark Fruit—a fruit of special significance to the Figarland family!
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+250 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg