Chapter 119: Plans for the Library Pavilion

“Thank you, Lord Karl.”

He wasn’t mistaken—the White Tiger before him bowed respectfully.

“If you hadn’t rescued me from that nameless island, I might not even be alive today.”

“Everything I have now is thanks to your help, Lord Karl.”

Seeing the White Tiger kneeling on one knee, Karl felt his shock start to fade.

“Get up. I honestly didn’t expect this template would allow you to talk.”

He really hadn’t thought it possible—a beast template that let animals speak.

That means the Thunder Tiger template turned out pretty valuable after all.

After all, animals are a lot more loyal than humans.

“So, what did you inherit exactly?”

The System gave the Vajra Demon-Subduing Fist, but he had no idea how much the White Tiger actually received.

“Reporting, Lord Karl. I inherited the body-tempering technique, Vajra Demon-Subduing Fist, but nothing else.”

White Tiger heard Karl’s question and shared everything without hesitation.

After all, even the template and ability to talk were granted by Lord Karl. What could he possibly have to hide?

“Very good. You must train hard. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll become one of my top commanders.”

Watching the White Tiger stand upright, a wave of joy swept over him.

But then he thought—was getting this from a random draw really worth it?

System: …

No, the real prize is the Vajra Demon-Subduing Fist itself.

If this technique could be taught on a large scale…

“Can you write out this technique?”

He wasn’t sure, but it was worth asking.

“Lord Karl, I can write it by hand. There don’t seem to be any restrictions.”

“But reaching mastery might be tough. Without thirty or fifty years of effort, it’s unlikely.”

White Tiger could guess what Karl was thinking, but replied without the slightest change in expression.

“Thirty or fifty years is fine. We’re talking about general-level strength here—we’ve got all the time we need.”

“Right. Copy it down for me first. I’ll set up a library on the island.”

Of course—a library. Why hadn’t he thought of that before?

If he put some simple techniques in the library for everyone on the island to learn,

his subordinates’ strength would shoot up like a rocket.

“Understood, Lord Karl. I’ll get paper and pen and copy it as soon as I get back.”

“Good. Once you finish, give it directly to Krell.”

“Understood, Lord Karl.”

White Tiger bowed again, as if receiving an important mission, and headed off to his small hut.

“Bururu Bururu!”

“Krell, is that you?”

After White Tiger left, Karl pulled out the Den Den Mushi from his coat.

“Is there anything you need, Lord Karl?”

On the other end, Krell knew Karl would never call without a reason.

“Help me build a pavilion near Cake House that can hold at least a thousand people. I want to store techniques and manuals there.”

Karl spoke as he imagined the library’s design in his mind, planning to recreate it exactly.

“Lord Karl, can Fishmen train in those techniques?”

Krell’s first reaction was that Karl was finally allowing the Five Elements Fist and Dragon Tiger Fist manuals to be

officially shared with his own forces. Until now, only a few thousand orphans could train in the Five Elements Fist.

“That’s not urgent. First I’ll set up a contribution system.

Anyone meeting certain requirements can get one book from the library.

If they want more advanced techniques, they’ll need more contribution points.”

Karl borrowed the idea directly from cultivation novels, using contribution points for accessing powerful techniques.

“Understood, Lord Karl.”

After hanging up, Krell immediately assigned a portion of the construction team to build the library.

“That kid picks things up pretty fast.”

“No wonder he could develop his Devil Fruit all the way to awakening in the original story. His talent is the real deal.”

Superhuman-type Devil Fruits are common, but in the original story, only a handful reached Fruit Awakening.

Without real talent, there’s no way to awaken a Devil Fruit.

“Mochi Bullets, Mochi Thrust…”

“Bang bang bang… Boom boom boom…”

Watching Katakuri training and smashing things in the distance, Karl felt a bit nostalgic.

If only Katakuri had awakened Armament Haki by now.

As it was, his attacks were already pretty close to what they could do in the original.

Soon, a whole day slipped by and night settled over the island.

Karl sat there, planning the next three years.

These three years would be his only period of peace before God Valley.

He had to use this time to perfect his plans, so when the God Valley Incident started, he’d reap the greatest benefits.

“These two Devil Fruits also need to find their owners.”

He glanced at the Draw-Draw Fruit and the Morph-Morph Fruit in his hand.

He already had the candidates in mind: Ship’s Doctor Jennifer and Chef Smith.

Jennifer was skillful and loved art—she should be able to develop the Draw-Draw Fruit into a storage ability within three years.

As for Smith?

Though a bit of a flirt, he’d never force himself on any woman.

Plus, he had plenty of free time, making him perfect for Devil Fruit development, too.

“Father, I’ve mastered the control now.”

Katakuri approached from a short distance away.

Karl nodded, noticing the ground under Katakuri’s feet hadn’t turned to mochi.

That proved Katakuri had learned to control the awakened abilities of his Devil Fruit.

“Give me the Rainbow Stone. Let’s see if you can still maintain your awakened state after it’s gone.”

Karl reached out his right hand, wanting to test his theory.

If Katakuri could stay awakened even without the Rainbow Stone,

that would make Rainbow Stones reusable.

“Here you go.”

Katakuri complied, dropping the Rainbow Stone into Karl’s palm.

Karl took the Rainbow Stone, but he was much more interested in how Katakuri would react.

“How do you feel now?”

He watched Katakuri closely, curious for his answer.

“No good, Father. I can’t hold that state anymore.”

The moment the Rainbow Stone left his hand, Katakuri could no longer maintain his awakened state.

He’d gained some insight, but that little spark wasn’t enough to let him awaken on his own yet.

After a moment of focusing, he admitted, “Father, I only have a basic grasp now. I’ll need some time, but it won’t take long.”

Karl frowned, but deep down he wasn’t surprised.

If the Rainbow Stone could provide instant awakening, it would be worth far more than anyone thought.

“Understood. I’ll give the Rainbow Stone back to you for now.”

He hid his disappointment behind a calm face.

Returning the Rainbow Stone, he placed it back in Katakuri’s hand.

“Once you truly master Fruit Awakening, hand the Rainbow Stone to your older brother.”

It was better than nothing, and from the sound of it, Katakuri wouldn’t be stuck for long.

Maybe, years down the line, he’d have an entire army of Devil Fruit Awakened users.

“Alright, I’ll do that, Father.”

Katakuri nodded solemnly.

He was more eager than ever to master his Devil Fruit’s awakened state.

“Come on, that’s enough training for one day. Let’s head back for dinner and recharge.”

Karl patted Katakuri’s head, and together they walked toward the heart of the island.