Carl

Carl (sometimes alternatively spelled as Karl) is a minor antagonist in the 07-Ghost manga series. He is a military-recognised slave trader who is first seen when Teito Klein and Frau flee the Barsburg Church whilst being pursued by soldiers of the Barsburg Armed Forces who are seeking the vessel for the Eye of Mikhail.

He was the former owner of Capella, until Frau and Teito took him, and has since pursued them around the Districts in an effort to kidnap Teito so he can sell him as payment for his cart, which Teito and Frau destroyed.

Etymology
Carl's name originates from the Old German name Charles, which ironically means "free man". This could allude to his status as a slave trader.

Physical appearance
Carl is a man of average height, estimated to stand at five foot six, with a rather wiry frame. He appears somewhere in his thirties. He has pale skin, with a prominent, pointy nose, with a ring through his left nostril, and a large mouth. His eyes are light-coloured, and quite large, and his eye-brows are small and thick. He is almost completely bald, save for a large, light-coloured, mohawk-style tuft of hair at the centre of his scalp- suggesting he shaves his head. Both his ears are pierced twice, but with different earrings on each: his left lobe is pierced with two studs, and his right with a stud and a hoop.

Clothing
Carl is first seen in an ankle-length, light-coloured trench coat with circular buttons, partly opened- showing his chest and a necklace made of animal teeth. The collar, sleeve-cuffs and bottom of the coat are lined with black fur. He wears two criss-crossing belts. Like many sklave-traders, he carries a whip.

Personality
"In this world the most sublime, and clever, and beautiful slave trader is who? Carl-sama! That's right!"

- Carl

He first appears to be very cruel, as in his first appearance he whipped 5-year old Capella whilst calling him "slave trash". He was also shown to be sneaky, as he tricked Frau and Teito into his cart, under the assumption that he was helping them to get to their destination, when his true intention was to sell them both to the military.

He also appears to be very arrogant, referring to himself as 'Carl-sama', and flamboyant, with loud speech and dramatic movements. He was stubborn, unwilling to admit defeat, and often bluffed to his subordinates even in situations when it was clear he did not know what he was doing.

Carl is very greedy and money-motivated, and he has demonstrated a penchant for very risky behaviour in order to obtain more. He was willing to hide a wanted criminal (Teito) from the authorities because he thought selling him would be more profitable than turning him in.

However, Carl is capable of being very charming when he thinks it will serve him. He maintains a good relationship with the guards at passage gates so they conduct less than thorough checks on his cart.

Subordinates
Carl appears to have a very good relationship with his subordinates, as he has their utmost respect and admiration. His subordinates frequently praise him as being "clever" and "cool" and respectfully refer to him as "boss".

Barsburg Armed Forces
As a military-certified sklave trader, Carl is held in high esteem by the military. The guards at the District 6 passage gates appear familiar with him, as they chat politely with him and refer to him as "Carl-dono". They respect his word, shown when they believe him when he says he hasn't seen Teito or Frau (despite him hiding them in his truck at the time) and fail to properly inspect his cart.

Parl
Carl and Parl appear to get along well, possibly due to their similar personalities and ways of thinking. The two brothers had no problem cooperating with each other and working together during the Hawkzile race.

Frau and Teito Klein
Carl disliked Frau and Teito from their first meeting, though neither Frau nor Teito take him seriously and both treat him as a mere annoyance. Frau enjoyed using his height to intimidate Carl. However, by the end of the series, Carl seems to have forgotten about them.

Early childhood
Little is known about Carl's early years. He presumably grew up alongside his brother Parl.

Adulthood
At some point in his adult life, he began working as a slave trader.

Teito's escape from the Church
Carl is first seen as Teito Klein and Frau flee the Barsburg Church whilst being pursued by soldiers of the Barsburg Armed Forces who are seeking the vessel for the Eye of Mikhail.

"You'll regret making a fool of the great Carl-sama!"

- Carl

He is shown one of the back-alleys in District 7, where he abuses Capella by whipping him. This infuriates Teito, and he (Teito) attacks Carl and steals Capella, destroying Carl's cart in the process. Carl then swears vengeance on Teito and Frau.

Confronting Teito and Frau
Carl continues to watch them from one of the buildings, and has one of his men fire an anti-armour vehicle weapon at them. Teito senses the approaching blast and uses his Zaiphon to shield them. Carl then appears from the smoke, commanding a unit of slaver-traders and trolls, and dramatically introduces himself to them.

"Hey bro, looks like you're a little out of your league. You aren't going to say you forgot the money for my cart?"

- Carl

Carl addresses Frau, whilst standing on a box so he is able to look him in the eye, and demands he repay him for the destruction of his cart. One of his men notices Teito's green eyes (rare, so slaves that possess them are expensive), and Carl says he will ignore the debt Frau owes him if Teito agrees to become a sklave he can sell. His men see Teito's tattoo and recognise him as a battle sklave, and Teito and Frau then proceed to beat his men into submission.

Carl relents and extends an offer of friendship: agreeing to give Capella to Teito and Frau, and offering to give them a ride past the guards to District 6: since Carl is a military-recognised slave trader he doesn't need identification papers to cross Districts.

However, Carl, having earlier informed the Barsburg Armed Forces of Frau's whereabouts- assuming him to be a wanted criminal, secretly intended to stick to his original plan of selling both Frau and Teito to the military.

Journey to the 6th District
Carl reaches the passage gate of District 6 where he chats with the guards as they verify his pass. They allow him to pass but not before showing him a photo of Teito and asking if he had seen the "deserter". Carl is shocked that Teito is the criminal, and not Frau as he had originally thought. "Shut up! That brat is top class goods! More than selling him to the military, If I sell him myself I'll definitely get more money."

- Carl

Carl informs the guards he has not seen Teito or Frau, despite hiding them in the back of his cart, and they believe him. Carl tells his subordinate that he has changed his plan, and now intends to hide Teito from the military in order to sell him to a rich noble, as he expects he will receive more money this way.

As Teito and Frau are in deep conversation, Carl slips a gas bomb, containing a sleeping gas, in the back of his cart. Once they reach District 6, Carl opens the back doors, expecting to find those inside sleeping but Teito, Frau and Capella suddenly bolt on a Hawkzile that was inside with them, the sleeping gas having no effect as Burupya had eaten the bomb. Carl and his subordinates watch them get away, and Carl angrily shouts that this was part of the plan.

"Shut up! Letting them escape was all part of the plan!"

- Carl

Leaving for Dals
As Frau, Teito Klein, and Capella leave for Dals in the 5th District, Carl and his subordinates watch them. Carl laughs that he can predict their every move, but becomes frightened when Frau and Teito spot him- leading one of his subordinates to say they (Frau and Teito) can predict their movements.

Dals
"Eehh? Shut up! That's why I came to Dals! To set a trap before they can move their feet and in no time change their location! That's how a pro does it!"

- Carl

Carl and his subordinates in their aircraft follow Teito Klein and Frau to the city of Dals, and when his subordinates question his plans, he tells them he can 'smell' their presence. The driver of his plane shouts that he can see Teito, and Carl orders him to fire the 'tear gas bomb' and then the net. However, Teito manages to evade the capture attempts and make his way onto the ship, and he asks Carl where Capella's mother is.

Carl, at first, says he doesn't know, but buckles after Teito begins to damage his ship and tells Teito he keeps records of Sklaves in his 'hideout' in the 5th District. Carl asks of Frau, but is pleased with his (Frau's) absence, as he believes Teito will be easier to subdue and sell when on his own. However, his happiness is short lived, as Frau appears on his ship immediately after he asks of him. Frau realises that, as a slave barge, Carl's ship has free passage through the Districts, and invites himself and Teito onto the aircraft. Carl objects, but has little choice in the matter.

Hawkzile Race
Frau and Teito met with Carl again in the Hawkzile race, where they took the team names that Carl and his brother,  Parl, originally intended to use for themselves.

Both Carl and Parl briefly reappeared in Kapitel 93, along with Carl's subordinates, and also in Kapitel 99, where the two brothers were seen at a Barsburg airport. Carl comments that slavery will soon be abolished in the Empire, and declares that he will start a new business venture.

Trivia

 * While Carl and Parl call each other brothers, it is unknown if they truly are brothers. They bear very little resemblance to each other.
 * Carl is implied to be considered unattractive within the series universe. Velne, a Wars woman who only fed on attractive men to preserve her beauty, said "Out of the question." upon seeing a photo of him and Parl.
 * Carl can be considered a source of comic relief, as Teito and Frau do not take him seriously as an opponent, and most of his appearances in the series are more comical than frightening.

Quotes

 * 'You can always expect to find Carl-sama when money is involved!'