Chapter 108: A Dangerous Catch Returns to Cake Island

After the battle that day, Halil finally caught up to the sinking Fields and his group.

At the same time, they dialed Karl, who was enjoying himself on Cake Island.

Once the call connected, Davis briefed Karl on everything that had happened.

“Wait, you caught a Celestial Dragon?”

Karl’s voice rang with disbelief. He never imagined Davis’s team would actually do something like this.

“Sorry for the trouble, Lord Karl,” Davis said quietly, fully aware how serious this was.

Davis lowered his voice, knowing just how dire the situation was.

Still, things had happened so fast—there was no time to think it through.

“Don’t worry about it. Head back to Cake Island, all of you—for now just get back as quickly as you can.”

Karl thought for a moment and decided Fields and the others should return before he made any plans.

“Understood, Captain Karl.”

Everyone with Davis breathed a sigh of relief. They were out on assignment, now carrying a huge problem, and if things got out of hand, there’d be no escaping blame.

Once the call ended, Karl started thinking about how he could best make use of the Celestial Dragon.

He knew just how much influence Celestial Dragons held. If he played his cards right, he might get some unexpected benefits from this.

A sly grin spread across his lips.

“A Celestial Dragon, huh… seems I can work with this.”

Good thing Fields and the others weren’t heading to Beehive Island, because Admiral Wenhu was already flying that way—they just missed each other.

If they’d been heading to Beehive Island, they probably would’ve run right into Admiral Wenhu by now.

And then, the world-shaking events that followed might never have happened.

After hanging up, Karl went to find Charlotte Linlin.

“Linlin, Davis and the others caught a Celestial Dragon on their way back.”

“What? A Celestial Dragon?”

“What’s the point of catching one of those?”

Charlotte Linlin’s face was full of confusion as she looked at Karl.

“Here’s my idea. Why don’t we hand the Celestial Dragon over to Captain Rocks?”

Karl lowered his voice and spoke mysteriously.

“It’d weaken the World Government and help us later on when we make our move.”

Charlotte Linlin’s eyes lit up with excitement.

“Mama mama mama.”

“I like it—it just might work.”

“With the World Government weaker, our chances of success just went up.”

They shared a knowing smile, speaking volumes without saying a word.

Just then, Ledfield strolled over, curiosity all over his face.

“What are you two plotting? So secretive.”

Karl and Charlotte Linlin exchanged a glance and only smiled in response.

“It’s still under wraps for now, sorry. I’ll fill you in soon enough,” Karl said.

Ledfield scratched his head. He was just nosy about what the two were whispering about.

“No problem. I just wanted to know what you were up to.”

“Come on, let’s start the banquet!”

Karl raised his glass and stood, artfully changing the subject.

……

After parting ways with Davis’s group, Admiral Wenhu arrived near Beehive Island.

“Fleet Admiral Hill, I’ve reached Beehive Island, but I don’t see any signs of a Celestial Dragon here.”

Admiral Wenhu eyed the pirates on Beehive Island suspiciously.

“Don’t make any rash moves yet,” Fleet Admiral Hill responded evenly.

“It’s possible they haven’t arrived yet. Be patient and keep watching.”

Admiral Wenhu nodded and spoke into his Den Den Mushi, “Understood, Fleet Admiral Hill.”

“Still, I think we should prepare for both options. On one hand, we keep waiting for information here. On the other, we should send more scouts to search the nearby seas for any trace of the Celestial Dragon.”

“If they haven’t made it to Beehive Island yet, intercepting them on the way isn’t a bad move.”

“Good thinking,” Fleet Admiral Hill agreed.

Fleet Admiral Hill gave his approval.

“Go keep watch on the island closest to Beehive Island, just in case.”

“Understood, Fleet Admiral Hill.”

Admiral Wenhu turned away, flying toward an uninhabited island near Beehive Island.

Meanwhile, Davis and his group had finally reached Cake Island.

As soon as they crossed safely into the Sweets Sea, Fishmen leapt out of the water.

They picked up the Den Den Mushi and reported straight to the island’s interior.

“Lord Davis has arrived,” came the respectful voice over the line.

The voice on the other end was filled with deference.

“Received!”

The Fishman on the surface hung up and dove down into the water.

“We finally made it to Cake Island,” Davis and the others said, seeing the harbor grow closer.

Thankfully, there hadn’t been any major danger, and they’d made it home safely to Karl’s territory.

“Right? This trip felt longer than expected,” someone remarked.

Fields looked at the nearing port and let out a soft chuckle.

No sooner had they docked than a Fishman yelled, “Lord Davis, Lord Karl has been waiting for you!”

“Looks like Lord Karl’s been getting impatient,” someone joked.

Davis turned to the others with a smile.

“Let’s go—bring them along.”

Fields nodded. He knew they’d need to report to Karl at once.

Davis led the way, with Vegapunk, Caesar, and Quinn following. Right behind was the unconscious Celestial Dragon, and finally, Fields and Halil brought up the rear.

The Celestial Dragon had caused nonstop trouble on board—every time he woke up, Halil just knocked him out again.

The group made their way quickly toward the center of Cake Island.

When they arrived at the castle gates in the heart of Cake Island, Karl was already waiting for them in the hall.

Karl’s eyes were filled with anticipation as he watched them arrive.

“You’re back, Davis,” he greeted warmly.

Karl smiled as he welcomed Davis and the others, then his gaze landed on Vegapunk.

“You must be Dr. Vegapunk.”

Vegapunk wasn’t just a mad scientist—he kept up with the news. The instant he saw Karl, he recognized him as the notorious vice-captain of the Rocks Pirates!

Ever since Karl was named vice-captain, his bounty had shot up to three billion Berries, and his reputation had spread throughout the entire sea.

Everyone had already heard of him by the time they set out.

“Untie them.”

At Karl’s nod, his men moved up to remove the restraints from Vegapunk and the others.

“Dr. Vegapunk, you’re free to research whatever you wish here. I’ll give you all the funding you need. I won’t restrict your ideas, just share your findings with me when you can.”

Karl extended an honest invitation to Vegapunk.

Vegapunk understood the situation. The balance of power wasn’t in his favor.

He realized that rejecting Karl could lead to much worse consequences, so he decided to accept.

“Alright. I’ll need a laboratory,” Vegapunk said, making his request.

“Of course, Dr. Vegapunk—it’s already been arranged. Take Dr. Vegapunk to his lab,” Karl said, signaling Krell.

Karl motioned for Krell to lead Vegapunk and the others to the laboratory.

Krell stepped forward and took Vegapunk, Caesar, and Quinn to a research facility next to Cake Island.

It was newly built, covering over 50,000 square meters—plenty of room for any experiments.

Vegapunk eyed the massive lab, a spark of curiosity in his heart.

He couldn’t help but wonder how Karl knew about him or managed to prepare such a huge laboratory beforehand.

“Dr. Vegapunk has arrived.”

At the door, Krell turned to look at Vegapunk.

“If you need anything, just call for a guard at the door.”

“And let me warn you, don’t even think about running. You don’t want to know what happens if you’re caught.”

Krell fixed them with a grim stare.

“Got it, got it!”

Vegapunk and the rest nodded quickly.

They’d already written off any thoughts of escape as soon as they found out it was Karl who’d caught them.

In the New World, nobody dared challenge a member of the Rocks Pirates openly.

Especially when it was Karl, the Rocks Pirates’ vice-captain—his power was unfathomable.

Vegapunk took a deep breath. He knew his only choice was to accept this reality. He pushed open the door, stepped inside, and set about exploring his new environment.

“Is this how it ends for us?”

The second they entered, Caesar started grumbling to Quinn.

“What do you want, Caesar?”

Quinn folded his arms and watched the guards by the door.

“What, are you thinking about escaping?”

“Uh… I…”

“Of course not! Let’s just go in already!”

Caesar saw the guards’ stern expressions—and noticed Krell was still lingering nearby.

He immediately forced a nervous smile and shoved Quinn further inside the lab.