Chapter 268: The Gathering of Flags

“According to what I’ve heard, the World Government is about to make a move on East Blue and West Blue.”

A Batoia native blurted out, “Since when did this happen?”

The Navy in East Blue’s long been riddled with spies, yet not a word of this has reached us.

“Is there any more detailed information?”

“Yeah, exactly!”

“If we had more intel, we could handle this attack a lot more calmly.” Even the Capone Family from West Blue was asking the same thing.

After all, their very lives and fortunes were on the line. Of course they were taking it seriously.

With neither Navy branch in East or West Blue making any moves, it was clear this came as a direct order from Navy Headquarters.

Looks like Headquarters has realized something’s wrong with the Navy in both seas. They’d be forced to switch up their battle plan.

The Batoia people and Capone Fields exchanged glances, both clearly harboring their own agendas.

It seemed no one was willing to give up on the ambition to rule the North and South Blue.

Morgans spread his wings and waved them, saying, “No updates yet. Relax. If I learn anything new, I’ll be in touch.”

“This has to be the work of the World Government.”

“Of course, if anyone among you has the means to get into the World Government, feel free to try.”

Even Karl hadn’t expected the World Government to be scheming like this, but hearing Morgans say there was no solid intel yet, he cut to the chase.

“We’ve never had a proper name until now.”

“From now on, we’ll be called Karl’s Pirate Crew.”

“This is our flag. From today forward, any of our exposed forces can fly this banner.”

With that, Karl unfurled a rolled-up flag. The design was simple: a golden skull with blood-red flames burning in its eyes. The whole thing captured the essence of his Titan Form, standing as a symbol of his unique power.

Pirate flags usually feature something tied to the captain. Like Whitebeard Pirates using a white skull with a white mustache, or the Straw Hat Pirates with a straw hat on a skull.

Karl’s crew carried on that tradition—the golden bones signified titan blood, and the red eyes showed how he looked when he transformed into a giant.

He hung the flag in the center of the room where everyone could see.

“Now then, I’d like to make an appointment.” As he spoke, he pointed his right hand at a man in a crisp red suit.

“Ledfield, you’re now the First Division Captain of Karl’s Pirate Crew.”

“I’m sure most of you know some of Ledfield’s exploits, so I won’t repeat them all here.”

“If you’re still out of the loop, might want to keep up with the papers.”

Laughter rang out.

“That’s right. Lord Ledfield is pretty much a celebrity.”

“Exactly! Who on the whole sea hasn’t heard the name Ledfield by now?”

Ledfield stood and gave a slight bow to the crowd, earning thunderous applause around the hall.

While most only knew Ledfield from what was written about him, and had rarely met him in person, his battle at Hachinosu sent his bounty soaring to 1.5 billion Berries, making him famous from one end of the Grand Line to the other.

He was the one who stood against both Garp and Sengoku—and managed to walk away. If not for Ledfield’s intervention, Charlotte Linlin would have met her end on Hachinosu. None of them wanted to see the chaos that would’ve caused.

Karl hadn’t expected that bringing Ledfield into his crew would end up saving Charlotte Linlin by accident. When Krell told him what had happened, he broke into a cold sweat—but thankfully, things had turned out all right.

Who would’ve guessed that a mythical Zoan fruit and some sincerity could earn him such a huge reward? At least Karl’s efforts weren’t in vain.

“Davis, you’re the Second Division Captain,” Karl continued, pointing next at Davis. Originally, his strength was about Vice Admiral level, but after taking a Great Revitalizing Pill, he shot up to near the top of Vice Admiral—and was the first in the group to break into pseudo-Admiral territory.

When it came to Davis, there wasn’t a soul in the room who didn’t know his name.

Let’s talk about the Four Seas first. Back when Karl was building up his power in the Four Seas with Davis, Notty, and others, he was known simply as the Vice Captain among the various mafia and business groups they’d meet.

Handling all the big and small matters was Davis’ job. Later, in the deeper parts of the New World, he earned himself a new nickname: the Treasure Hunter.

Because, in the far reaches of the New World, his crew rarely attacked others—they just kept searching for things, so people didn’t even see them as real pirates anymore. That’s how the name stuck.

“Philz as Third Division Captain, Halil as Fourth Division Captain, and Notty as Fifth Division Captain.”

Those three had been following Karl from the very beginning. Their strengths were solid. Not quite Admiral level yet, but each was just a step away.

Don’t underestimate that last step. For some, it’s a barrier they never cross their whole lives.

The gap between an Admiral and a pseudo-Admiral really is enormous.

At first, the atmosphere was lively—but then news about Halil came up. Notty, totally covered in bandages, immediately asked, “Hold on, Lord Karl.”

“So you’re saying Halil’s all right now?”

Seeing the others’ curious eyes turning his way, Karl answered in a soft voice, “That’s right. Just got the news—Halil’s been injected with the latest Gene Serum from Dr. Vegapunk, and he’s finally able to get out of bed.”

“He couldn’t make it today because he’s still getting used to his new powers. He might need a few more tests before he’s fully cleared.”

Karl looked to Notty. “You’ll be able to visit him soon. I bet he’s been waiting just as long for you.”

“With a friend like you settling his scores out here, he must really miss you back there.”

Notty, grinning ear to ear, pumped his fist. “That’s awesome! I really thought he was going to become—what do you call it—the kind of guy stuck in bed for the rest of his life.”

“Never expected to turn around and hear such good news!”

Brown, scratching his ear, quipped, “Don’t go showing off your so-called writing skills now.”

“It’s called being a vegetable, you do know what that means, right?”

“It means a person who’s perfectly conscious but can’t move a muscle, has to be fed and taken care of by others. That’s what being a vegetable means.”

The room burst out laughing at that explanation.

Brown hadn’t changed a bit—he loved teasing others, which just showed how close they all were. True friends would roast each other like this, but outside, they all kept up the perfect gentleman act.

Watching everyone still cracking up, Notty’s face flushed as he shouted in embarrassment, “Enough already! So what if I suck at literature? Is it really that funny?”

“Just you wait. I’ll hit the books for a couple of years and let’s see who laughs then!”

Karl raised his hand to calm everyone down. The hall fell silent again as he encouraged, “We’ll look forward to seeing our Notty turn into a true scholar, just like Wu Xia Amon.”