Chapter 23: A Grand Welcome on Beehive Island

He headed straight for the pirates’ hall.

A faint grin tugged at Karl’s lips. He was sure this sort of issue wouldn’t crop up again. He wasn’t afraid of the tests, but if they kept coming, they’d start to mess with his plans—and that just wasn’t worth the trouble.

He pushed open the door. The hall was lit bright as day. Sitting in the main seat was Rocks, alone in the vast room, clearly waiting for him.

The other division commanders stayed at their own posts. Unless there was something important, Rocks wouldn’t call them in.

“Captain Rocks, about the Fill Kingdom—”

Karl walked over and sat down, his attitude easy as he started to speak.

But Rocks didn’t let him finish. Instead, he threw his head back and let out a bold, booming laugh.

“Kyehahaha!”

An intimidating air radiated off Rocks.

“Well done, Karl.”

Rocks patted the armrest before rising to his feet, striding right over to him.

“I already heard how things went. You did a fine job with the mission. Take a well-earned break here on Beehive Island—there’s another job coming soon.”

After all, his spies on the ship had already relayed every detail to him via Den Den Mushi. He even knew Karl took out the Giant Pirates’ thirteenth son on the road.

But in Rocks’ eyes, that was nothing major. The Giant Pirates wouldn’t dare take them head-on anyway.

If the X Pirates and the Giant Pirates hadn’t teamed up, he’d have wiped them out long ago.

The moment he heard Krell got offed by Karl without fuss, he even leaked word that Rocks had left Beehive Island to throw Jorlul off the scent. It was anyone’s guess if it would work.

Now, he’d dropped his guard around Karl. If the guy was a Navy spy, no way would he have wiped out the Fill Kingdom—a member nation of the World Government. The Navy was already stretched thin in the New World. Losing another ally would really hit them where it hurt.

Karl could’ve run at any point, or tipped off the Navy. Nothing about this should’ve gone so smoothly if he was a traitor.

With Karl carrying out his orders without question, the last doubts faded. From this moment on, Karl was truly his Sixth Division Commander.

That meant he could bring Karl in on the next big plan. One more powerhouse on board made the whole thing much more likely to succeed.

“Tonight, we’ll host a grand banquet to celebrate your joining us. Don’t forget to be there.”

“Don’t worry, Captain. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Karl knew this was all for him, so of course he’d show up.

“Kyehahaha!”

Rocks was truly thrilled to welcome another strong ally.

“Good!”

“If there’s nothing else, Captain, I’ll take my leave.”

Seeing that Rocks had nothing more to say, Karl turned and left.

Rocks lingered in the hall for a bit, then strode out to the plaza, exuding authority.

Once outside, Karl tracked down Newgate and started a drinking contest.

“Newgate!”

“Gurarara! Karl!”

Off to the side, Charlotte Linlin was plotting how to win Karl over.

She could feel his strength growing faster by the day. If she didn’t act now, she’d lose her chance.

More than anything, she hoped to have a strong child with Karl.

By now, the plaza was alive with noise and energy. Tables and benches filled the space, piled high with delicious food.

Pirates crowded around, each grabbing a seat. Up on the front stage stood an enormous table with Edward Newgate, Golden Lion, Charlotte Linlin, John, Wang Zhi, Karl, and the other division commanders sitting at it.

As Rocks made his way to the front stage, the rowdy crowd suddenly fell silent.

Karl naturally took his seat at the big table.

Rocks swept them all with a piercing gaze. His eyes hardened, giving off an aura of undeniable might.

In a heartbeat, an invisible force burst from within Rocks, roaring through the plaza like a towering wave.

All the nearby pirates felt a fierce pressure, as if a primordial beast had locked its eyes on them. Many trembled where they sat.

This was Rocks’ Conqueror’s Haki—unmatched and absolute, forcing submission by sheer will.

“Listen up, boys! Welcome our Sixth Division Commander, Karl, to the Rocks Pirates!”

Rocks pointed to Karl, who stood and greeted everyone present.

“I, Karl, now officially join the Rocks Pirates as Sixth Division Commander!”

“Let the celebration begin—raise your voices!”

With that, the whole crowd burst back to life—some went straight for the booze, others piled their plates. In no time, the place was a whirlwind of noise and excitement.

“Awooo!”

“The party’s starting!”

“Hey, hands off! That chunk of meat’s mine!”

“You think you’re such hot stuff after just one mission with Commander Karl? Gimme that!”

The big brute was named Grace. Both arms covered in tattoos, he looked every bit the tough guy.

“What, you got a problem with that?”

That was Yor, dark-skinned, built like a tank, and nearly two meters tall. Grace used to bully him all the time.

“Hmph!”

Now Grace mostly grumbled, not daring to go further. Without a division to back him up, he had nobody watching out for him.

In the Rocks Pirates, if you didn’t have a division commander’s protection, your life was never really your own. Sooner or later, some powerhouse would take you out.

Yor glanced over at Grace. When he saw Grace back down, a smug smile crept over his face.

Now Yor had real backup. Grace knew better than to mess with him.

“Bet you didn’t know—this time out at Fill Kingdom, Commander Karl gave us half the loot!”

Yor couldn’t hide his happiness. He sounded both pleased and proud.

“No way, really? Tell us the details!”

“Yeah, spill it! I want in too!”

“Alright, one step at a time!”

Yor took his time, downing another drink before continuing.

…

“Next we’re heading for the Tyr Kingdom. Word is, the Tyr Kingdom’s set aside a mountain of treasure for the Celestial Dragons.”

“The whole crew is going. Target: Tyr Kingdom. Might even run into an admiral.”

Rocks spoke unhurriedly, as if it were just another day’s work. After all, they needed to keep it quiet to avoid tipping off the Giant and X Pirates.

Wouldn’t want any unwanted guests muscling in.

“Wahaha!”

“Treasure’s what I live for!”

John was the first to get excited—out of everyone here, he loved treasure the most.

“Look at you, John,”

“Any real fighters guarding that kingdom?”

Newgate couldn’t care less about the loot. What he wanted was a good, hard fight. Right now, he was in his prime, not yet the old man he’d become, and ready for anything. The thrill of battle called to him.

He didn’t enjoy slaughtering civilians, even now. He just hadn’t started sending all his plunder home yet—that came later.

“Ma~ma~ma~!”

“I wonder what kind of sweets they have there!”

At this point, Charlotte Linlin was still a stunning beauty. Her hunger pangs weren’t out of control—at least, not most of the time.

Of course, when they did hit, it mostly took Longbread to rein her in.

“Kyehahaha!”

“Alright, that settles it. Go get ready. In one month, the Tyr Kingdom will have all their tribute prepped for the Celestial Dragons. Everyone goes when the time comes.”

Rocks looked around at them all and laid down the law. For him, this wasn’t a suggestion. It was an order, plain and simple. He ruled by strength, not consensus.

After all, when it came to his crew, he didn’t ask for opinions. With power like his, he didn’t need to.