Chapter 39: A Night of Revelry and New Bonds

Night fell, and countless stars glittered in the sky.

The pirates of the Rocks Pirates gathered in the plaza. Tonight would be the most important feast in their history.

After all, they’d just defeated both the Giant Pirates and the X Pirates.

Now, the second half of the Grand Line truly belonged to the Rocks Pirates.

“A toast to the Rocks Pirates!”

“Cheers!”

“Haha, what a glorious day.”

…

No pomp or drawn-out announcements—the moment arrived, and the feast began. No speeches or introductions. Just celebration.

At the center table, Rocks was the first to raise his glass to Karl.

“Karl, you deserve the most credit for this one! Cheers!”

Rocks’ cheeks were tinged red, a clear sign of his happiness. He’d never drunk so much before.

That was because Karl had been the one who first found the treasure vault.

“Captain Rocks, you give me too much credit.”

“It was a team effort. If you all hadn’t held them off up front, I wouldn’t have found the stash so quickly.”

Karl didn’t bask in the praise. He quickly credited the entire crew, keeping his words simple and honest.

“Jiehahaha!”

Golden Lion looked positively ecstatic, his laugh wild and proud.

“Come on, let’s drink!”

Golden Lion didn’t care about modesty. He was still thinking about the deal he made with Charlotte Linlin—tonight, he had to get Karl drunk.

“Mama-mama-mama!”

Without Captain Karl, Baroque might’ve run off with the most precious loot. Who knows if we’d have this much to celebrate.

Charlotte Linlin, face glowing red, shyly turned to Karl. Her heart pounded like a drum—she’d never felt this way about any man before.

Just thinking about what happened tonight made her secretly giddy.

Meanwhile, Karl had no idea what schemes were afoot. Even as Golden Lion and Charlotte Linlin kept plying him with drinks, he didn’t refuse.

“Gurarara!”

“Your strength’s gone up again, hasn’t it?”

Newgate looked relaxed—it was finally a time to let loose. One glance, and he could tell Karl had improved a lot since they last met.

“Not by much. I guess life-or-death battles squeeze out a little more potential.”

“I’m still far behind you guys, though.”

Karl gave a wry smile. He might look on par with Golden Lion and Newgate, but a deep abyss still separated their real strengths.

He’d only just started to grasp Armament Haki and Observation Haki, and as for Conqueror’s Haki—he didn’t even know where to begin.

“You’ve got to keep training your Armament Haki. There are no shortcuts here.”

Newgate kept up his usual advice: Karl could only progress by taking it one step at a time, just as all the top fighters once had. There were no easy routes.

“I know, big bro Newgate.”

The feast flew by as they chatted away.

…

“Hic!”

“Alright, big bro Newgate, I’m calling it a night—had a bit too much. I’ll go rest.”

“Take care. Get some sleep.”

The ground was littered with pirates, sprawled and snoring—drunk out of their minds.

With Krell’s help, Karl started heading back to his quarters.

“Jiehahaha!”

“Come on, you need some sleep.”

Golden Lion unleashed his Conqueror’s Haki, a wave of oppressive force filling the air.

The pressure didn’t spread; it focused squarely on Krell.

Krell was instantly knocked out cold by the overwhelming force—since the Conqueror’s Haki was aimed only at him, Karl didn’t notice a thing.

“Whump!”

Krell’s body slumped gently to the floor.

“Linlin, you take care of the next bit.”

“Jiehahaha!”

Golden Lion left with a swagger, laughing boldly as he strode away.

“Mama-mama-mama!”

Charlotte Linlin didn’t waste a second. She scooped Karl up around the waist, hoisted him onto her shoulder, and hurried towards her room.

…

In the calm of early morning, sunlight crept through the gap in Charlotte Linlin’s bedroom curtains.

Birds sang cheerfully outside. The morning breeze fluttered the curtains. As sunlight gradually filled the room, Karl slowly woke from his deep sleep. He rubbed his tired eyes and stretched, his body letting out a gentle crack as his muscles loosened.

The next moment, something felt off—he could feel someone in bed with him. He quickly turned his head.

He saw that he was lying in Charlotte Linlin’s arms. By now, Karl was nearly four meters tall himself, but against Linlin, he still seemed almost petite.

The two of them were stark naked under a thin blanket. If anyone doubted something had happened, they’d be the weird ones.

Wait—what did I do last night?

We drank… Krell was walking me home. What happened after that?

Why can’t I remember? Oh no.

“Mm!”

He noticed Charlotte Linlin was waking up.

“Karl, you’re awake.”

“Don’t worry—I’ll take responsibility.”

“Mama-mama-mama!”

Linlin looked embarrassed as she spoke—Karl’s stamina had been unbelievable, and he’d worn her out last night.

She’d never imagined a man could be so strong. For the first time, she truly felt happiness.

“Uh, well, this… yesterday… uh…”

Karl fumbled for words, unable to get out a full sentence.

He had no idea what he was even supposed to say.

Everything had already happened, so anything he said seemed pointless.

But staying silent felt just as wrong.

Seeing Karl’s awkward grin, Charlotte Linlin couldn’t help but tease him.

“So you’ve had your way with me—what more could you want?”

“Surely you won’t toss me aside now?”

She gazed at Karl with her sparkling, expectant eyes.

Karl’s mind raced. Since it had come to this—and being a bit of a traditionalist—he couldn’t just shrug things off.

But he needed to figure out how to get along with Charlotte Linlin from now on.

Since he was responsible, he’d have to make it right—and make sure Linlin didn’t get too carried away in the future.

“Alright? But I’ve got three conditions.”

“First, from today on, I’m the only man in your life. No flirting with anyone else.”

“Second, cut back on sweets. Don’t let yourself get unhealthy.”

“Third, until the Rocks Pirates disband, keep our relationship a secret.”

Karl looked a bit embarrassed. Technically, he’d been the one ‘taken advantage of,’ but honestly, women always seemed to get the worst side of things in these situations.

Setting down these ground rules felt like his only option.

If he didn’t, he’d feel like he was wearing a dozen green hats.

“Mama-mama-mama!”

“No problem—I promise.”

And with that, Linlin sat up in bed, the thin blanket sliding away to reveal her flawless skin. Karl’s nose instantly started bleeding at the sight.

He’d never seen anyone like her before—must’ve grown up on milk and papaya.

An instant later, Linlin pulled Karl into her arms, pressing him against her softness.

“But how do you know the Rocks Pirates will break up?”

“Best not to ask. It’s still early—how about another round? I didn’t get to really enjoy myself last night.”

Karl’s body reacted at her words, and, figuring things had already gone this far, he decided not to fight it.

“Right now? Mmph—”

Before she could finish, Karl toppled her back onto the bed.

The bed creaked and groaned all day long.

…