Chapter 205: An Unexpected Proposal for the Rocks Family

“One moment, please.”

“You must be from the Rocks Family of the New World, right?”

Carven Hendy stepped out of the tavern with two guards close behind.

The reason he was so concerned about Rufid borrowing money was that he wanted to build his own faction. He was the right age for it, but the old emperor refused to hand over power, so the princes had already begun their secret competition. And now, members of the legendary Rocks Family were standing before him.

Who in the New World hasn’t heard of the Rocks Family’s formidable reputation?

Not to mention that Lux D. Carl was once the vice-captain of the infamous Rocks Pirates. His strength alone ranked among the very best across the sea.

Even the forces under his command were enormous. He had three fighters at admiral level and dozens more at vice admiral strength. Just looking at their open power, they were the undisputed kings of the New World.

If he could secure ties with the Rocks Family, that would boost his chances in the competition for the throne—a dream he’d had for as long as he could remember.

With his ambition, he wouldn’t let a single opportunity slip by. As it happened, he’d been fretting over how to find a partner for Rufid—and here was the solution dropped right in front of him.

“Lick lick!”

“Yes? What do you want?”

“Don’t tell me you’re planning to back him up?” Perospero spun around, twirling his giant lollipop and fixing a stare on him.

Carven Hendy’s clothes were certainly flashy, but that wasn’t nearly enough to change their minds.

After all, the Rocks Family were at their peak in the New World. Besides Golden Lion and Newgate, there wasn’t a single power they feared or wouldn’t cross.

Katakuri, who’d been heading toward the ship, paused and glanced over when he heard that.

Standing off to the side, Daifuku crossed his arms while Dian Wei and Xu Chu flanked him. Blood still trickled over their weapons.

But even faced with such an intimidating scene, Carven Hendy wasn’t scared. If anything, it fired up his ambition.

“Of course not. I just wanted to ask if the Rocks Family might be interested in making a deal.” Carven Hendy struck his best shrewd-merchant pose.

He knew there was a line all the way back to East Blue of people wanting to marry or work with the Rocks Family. He’d have to show some real sincerity.

“What kind of deal?” Perospero wasn’t in any rush to leave—Rufid had already been caught. No harm in hearing him out.

And, hey, maybe something surprising would come out of it.

Carven Hendy knew that if he wanted to connect with a pirate family like the Rocks, the best path was through a marriage alliance.

Right now, he was just a prince—he didn’t have that much power or status.

“My daughter just turned eighteen this year. Maybe you’d like to meet her?”

He strode forward and slipped a photo from inside his coat, handing it to Perospero.

Given his status, he wasn’t qualified to reach out to Charlotte Linlin or Carl directly. At first, he hadn’t figured out the group’s real identities, but after seeing their signature abilities in action, it clicked.

Such unique powers could only belong to the Charlotte Family’s eldest son, Perospero, and second son, Katakuri.

To be honest, Carven Hendy’s daughter really was beautiful. The moment Perospero saw her, he was smitten.

He took a closer look at the photo—the royal princess was stunning. Her presence sparkled like morning dew in the sunrise—pure and radiant. Her face seemed artfully sculpted, brimming with elegance and nobility. Eyes like a deep star-filled sky: bright and mysterious. It was hard not to get lost gazing at her.

He shot a look at Carven Hendy, then said, “I’ll let Mama know about this.”

With care, Perospero tucked the photo safely inside his coat and strode away without a backward glance.

Carven Hendy watched Perospero stash the photo and couldn’t hold back a small smile. He was sure this was as good as done.

Katakuri and Daifuku gave him a long, searching look, then followed after their big brother.

“Check up on the Carven Family!” Back on the ship, Perospero quickly ordered someone to investigate.

Thud thud thud…

“Big Brother, you’re not actually interested, are you?” Katakuri wore black dress pants, silver gears hanging from his heels, clicking softly with every step.

“Not really. I just want to see what Rufid’s meeting with the Carven Family was all about.”

Perospero hid the photo in his hand as if it were nothing.

But Katakuri, always observant, immediately noticed. “Hey, big bro, what’re you hiding…?”

He didn’t say it out loud but pointed at Perospero’s right hand, which was concealed behind his back.

“Let me see.” Katakuri reached straight for Perospero’s hidden right hand.

“Big bro, news just arrived—uh, what are you guys doing?”

Oven burst in holding a file, confused by whatever the two were up to.

“Hand it over!”

Perospero may have frozen but Katakuri didn’t miss a beat. He grabbed it at once.

“Wow, she’s gorgeous!” Katakuri, at last getting his hands on the photo, let out an involuntary exclamation.

Oven hurriedly crowded in. “Whoa!”

“Who is she?” He hadn’t set foot on the island so he had no idea what’d happened there.

“Give it back!” Perospero snatched the photo back in the middle of their chatter and tucked it away in his coat again.

“Hahaha, looks like you’ve found yourself a sister-in-law.”

Katakuri glanced at Perospero, cheerfully patting Oven on the shoulder.

“Sister-in-law? You mean the one in the photo?”

“Did you forget something?” Perospero’s face was just a little flushed—he was desperate to change the subject.

“Oh right! Big bro, here’s the intel you wanted on the Carven Family.” Oven finally remembered he was supposed to deliver the file.

Perospero strode over, scooped up the file, and shot Katakuri a glare.

“Second brother, fill me in!” Katakuri looked at Oven, his face full of curiosity, whispering for the details.

By now, Perospero was lost in the file.

Carven Family—rulers of the Red Blossom Empire in the New World. The empire was founded 325 years ago. Carven Hendy is the eldest prince of the Red Blossom Empire and the one most likely to take the throne.

Second prince Carvendie is known for his cunning and is called the little strategist. Third prince Carvendia is the youngest, but there’s no useful info on him.

“Seriously?”

Oven’s question abruptly drew Perospero’s attention back to them.

“Huh?”

“It’s nothing, big bro. If that’s all, I’ll head out for now,” Oven said, forcing a smile.

He spun around and dashed from the room. “Big bro, I have something to do too, so I’ll see you later.”

Katakuri quickly followed Oven out the door.