Chapter 235: Karl’s Return to Cake Island

Watching Lord Karl fly toward the island interior, Krell quickly directed the other fishmen to take over his tasks and strode further in.

Karl soared straight to the very top level of Cake Island.

The guards stationed at the top spotted Karl approaching and hurried to salute him. “Lord Karl!”

“Mm.”

Karl gave a nod and walked in through the doorway at the top.

As Karl’s figure vanished behind the door, the guards finally breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Wiping the sweat off his forehead, one whispered, “Good thing I didn’t slack off today.”

He might not understand why Lord Karl was heading up there, but he knew better than to ask questions.

Once Karl reached Charlotte Linlin’s room, he glanced through the window and saw her lying quietly on the bed. He pushed the door open and entered softly.

He took in the arrangement of the room, then sat beside Charlotte Linlin, reaching out to gently stroke her face.

“Linlin, you’ve suffered.” Gazing at her pale expression and sensing the faint signs of two small lives growing inside her, he knew it was time to make a decision.

“Damn you, John. I almost let you off the hook, and this is how you repay me? Pairing up with Wang Zhi and Silver Axe.”

Karl pressed his hand against Charlotte Linlin’s belly, feeling the fragile life force of the two babies within. Their bloodlines already seemed weak—looks like there could be more problems down the line.

Luckily, he still had some bloodline pills on hand. As long as Linlin’s body held up, things would be all right.

Thinking about it made his anger flare again. He wanted to rush out, wipe out the Navy’s outpost, then sweep the seas searching for Wang Zhi and Silver Axe. He didn’t believe they could escape all the way to the moon.

As he pulled his hand away from her face, Charlotte Linlin gripped it tightly.

She’d already woken up a moment ago, lingering in the warmth of his touch.

“Karl, you’re finally back.” Tears welled up in Charlotte Linlin’s eyes as she let out her frustrations.

She’d realized for a while now how much she depended on Karl. With him around, there was nothing she ever had to worry about—he’d solve it all.

But as soon as he was gone, everything suddenly became a hassle. Things kept falling through. Even her unborn children got caught in the mess. She couldn’t help but feel she’d let Karl down.

She missed him badly. Sometimes people can’t help but rely on someone, and it’s hard to adjust when that dependence is suddenly gone.

Seeing her so troubled, Karl assured her, “Don’t worry. Now that I’m back, everything will get better.”

“Just as long as you’re okay.”

Charlotte Linlin nodded gently.

If not for her naturally tough skin, lots of herbal medicine, and those rejuvenation pills, she might’ve really taken damage. The babies could have been lost too.

Now that she thought about it, she still felt a chill. This was the first time she’d lost control in anger since leaving the Rocks Pirates. If Ledfield hadn’t rescued her in time, she might never have seen Karl again.

Karl flipped his right hand open, revealing a white porcelain bottle resting in his palm.

“There are two bloodline pills inside. After the babies are born, give them each one. That’ll prevent any more bloodline weakness.”

Charlotte Linlin took it and nodded, leaning her head gently against Karl’s shoulder. “Am I really so useless? I haven’t managed to handle anything at home.”

“That fishman’s still unconscious, and I couldn’t even take out the Navy outpost.”

While Charlotte Linlin poured her heart out, Karl gently stroked her hair.

“It’s all right. Now that I’m here, let me take care of everything.”

“The most important thing for you is to rest and focus on your pregnancy. I’ll give you answers you’ll be satisfied with.”

Comforted by Karl’s words, Charlotte Linlin drifted right back to sleep. This time her slumber was peaceful, a childlike smile spreading across her face.

As she slept, Karl finally made his way downstairs.

Krell had been waiting there for some time. Spotting Karl, he hurried over holding a file.

Once they reached the sofa, Karl didn’t waste time. “Krell, I need you to take care of a few things for me, fast.”

“First, send plenty of fishmen to the Four Seas. Find Silver Axe and Wang Zhi, quietly. I know they’re hiding somewhere out there.”

Wang Zhi and Silver Axe knew they’d made big enemies, so there was no way they’d stay in the New World. The only option was hiding in the Four Seas.

The Four Seas are huge, many times bigger than the New World. Karl’s forces would have trouble moving around without attracting the Navy’s attention, so those two really could hide for a while.

Wang Zhi and Silver Axe only aimed to repay John and kill Charlotte Linlin. If Karl hadn’t shown up at Cake Island, they would’ve had plenty of time to move their crew to the Four Seas. But things went sideways, so now they’re on their own.

“Second, bring me intel on the Navy’s outpost. Don’t tell me you don’t have it.”

“Third, give me the number for the North Blue fishmen. As soon as I’ve wrapped up things at the outpost, I’ll be heading there.”

Krell nodded, reached into his clothes, and handed Karl a file.

“Sir, this is the Navy outpost’s intel and the contact for the North Blue fishmen.”

“I’ll get people on it right away.”

Karl waved him off. Seeing this, Krell bowed and took his leave.

Karl carefully read through the file, then chuckled under his breath. “Sengoku, Garp—my old rivals. I’m looking forward to meeting you again.”

The file contained yesterday’s news: Sengoku and Garp were still on Hachinosu. As for today, there hadn’t been any updates yet.

He memorized the number for the transponder snail, then spun his right hand. Flames appeared from thin air, burning the file to ash.

Watching the fire dance from nowhere, Karl shook his head. “The Flare-Flare Fruit, huh? Even mutts can create fire. Anyone with a little talent can pull it off.”

He didn’t linger on the island, arriving quietly and leaving just as quietly. Only Krell and Charlotte Linlin knew he’d come back.

Well, and the guard upstairs.

Once off Cake Island, he made his way straight for the Navy outpost.

Too bad—by the time he arrived, Sengoku and Garp had already left the outpost. If they’d stayed just one more day, Karl might have run into them.

As Karl was flying toward Hachinosu at top speed, far away in the South Blue, Silver Axe and Wang Zhi also got word about the situation at sea through a few new recruits.

Those new guys didn’t know who Silver Axe and Wang Zhi really were, so their true identities stayed safe.