Chapter 40: A True Father’s Arrival

“Looks like we’re finally going to have a real father.”

Perospero lay just outside the door, eavesdropping closely on their conversation.

“Isn’t this a good thing?”

Compote looked visibly relieved. From what they could tell, Karl might not exactly be a saint, but he wasn’t cruel either.

“Yeah, now we can be kids with a dad.”

As the eldest who’d always looked after his younger siblings, Katakuri felt that having a father meant no one could call them wild children anymore.

Ever since they were born, pirates all over the crew had whispered that they were just fatherless strays.

It’s not like they wanted things to be this way.

But they couldn’t change it. They were no match for those pirates, so all they could do was stay quiet and endure the ridicule.

While Karl and Charlotte Linlin were… deeply engaged with each other, things were happening elsewhere.

…

“Ugh!”

“My head… it really hurts.”

Krell staggered up from the ground in a daze.

“Where’s Lord Karl?”

“Don’t tell me he already went back?”

All he remembered was helping Lord Karl over here. After that, his memory was a total blank.

He quickly shook his not-so-clear head and rushed back to the quarters. In his mind, not seeing Lord Karl safely back to his room was a huge mistake.

“Bang, bang, bang!”

“Lord Karl, are you in there?”

“Bang!”

Hearing no answer, Krell wasted no time breaking down the door. One look inside—empty. There wasn’t even a trace that anyone had been back.

“Did I actually lose Lord Karl?”

Krell scratched his head. But on this island, even if Karl was drunk, there shouldn’t be any real danger to his life.

Still, he’d lost track of Lord Karl, so job one was to find him, no matter what.

Without hesitation, he hurried to the next room and woke up Long Yi and Long Er.

“You two, did either of you see Lord Karl come back last night?”

Krell asked them anxiously.

Long Er was the first to sit up and rub his eyes.

“Nope, didn’t see him.”

“Yeah, Krell, you just got back too, didn’t you?”

Long Yi stood as well, looking clueless.

From their point of view, Krell should have been with Lord Karl the whole time.

“Seriously?”

Long Yi frowned. A bad thought crossed his mind.

“Wait, is Lord Karl missing?”

Now that the fog was clearing, Long Yi noticed Krell’s anxious face and the way he asked. It clicked—Karl’s whereabouts were unknown.

“He can handle himself. On this island, nothing’s a real threat to Lord Karl.”

Long Yi’s expression tightened.

“Yeah. Maybe he went to visit Uncle Newgate.”

“Their relationship’s always been good, after all.”

Long Er nodded, sounding more awake. He couldn’t imagine anyone here daring to mess with Karl.

“Yeah, probably. More importantly, Lord Karl’s in no danger, so we just wait for him to come back.”

Krell’s anxious look softened. Even if Karl was with Newgate, he’d never dare barge in.

After all, waking Lord Karl up and disturbing Newgate were two totally different levels of trouble.

And besides, Krell had Karl’s Vivre Card on him. No change in the Vivre Card meant Karl was safe.

What he didn’t know was that Karl was currently locked in an intense… physical battle with Charlotte Linlin. Saving them was the last thing on his mind.

The next morning, Karl stepped out of Charlotte Linlin’s room.

“Remember, don’t tell anyone about us, okay?”

Still a little uneasy, Karl reminded her as he left.

“Don’t worry, Karl. My lips are sealed.”

Charlotte Linlin was still reeling from the experience. She barely managed to handle Karl by herself—let alone bring in anyone else.

She understood what Karl meant, though. With the Rocks Pirates eventually bound to break up, there was no reason to let this relationship out in the open.

Better to keep it as a trump card.

“Brat, you’ve got some stamina.”

Watching Karl leave, she looked down and muttered. She’d never expected his endurance to rival a beast. He kept going all day and night without a break.

“Perospero, bring in the food.”

“No desserts.”

Charlotte Linlin had gone without food for a whole day and night, so hunger was catching up with her. Still, remembering Karl’s reminder, she passed on the sweets this time.

“Yes, Mom.”

Perospero was surprised—Mom never skipped dessert—but he quickly arranged for the kitchen staff to bring a little just in case.

…

While chatting with Charlotte Linlin, Karl had learned it was Golden Lion who’d played a part in last night’s events. But now that it was over, he didn’t care much anymore. What had happened was done.

“Morning, Krell!”

Anyone who’s been there knows—after, well, ‘finishing up,’ you really do feel refreshed. Karl felt more energized than ever.

“Lord Karl, you’re back!”

“Lord Karl, where’d you go yesterday?”

“You had me worried sick.”

Krell wanted to know where Karl had been, but he also felt guilty for not bringing him home safely.

“Yesterday?”

“I had something to handle personally.”

“It’s fine, really. No big deal.”

Hearing Krell recount their worry after he’d been missing all day and night brought a wry smile to Karl’s face.

But recalling the blissful hours made him almost want to go back.

After all, back on Blue Star, he’d just been some broke nobody who’d never even been with a woman. Who would’ve thought the experience would feel this incredible?

“Take me to see how the team is doing with their training.”

“Absolutely, Lord Karl. You’ll be amazed.”

Krell led Karl straight to the forest behind the island. It wasn’t huge or tiny, but you could tell from the sounds there were plenty of beasts inside.

Lots of houses had been built there. One of them was massive, like a huge fortress rising from the center.

With one glance, Karl knew it had to be Heil Joseph’s room.

“Lord Karl, you’re back!”

As soon as they got close, over a hundred boys and girls flocked around Karl, joy clear on their faces.

If it wasn’t for Karl, who knows where they might’ve been sold off to by now. They were genuinely grateful to him.

“You all know why I’m training you.”

“I’m building my own crew, and you will be my very first core members.”

“I hope every one of you makes it to the end.”

Karl spoke to them, voice full of sincere emotion.

“Yes, sir!”

The young trainees answered resolutely. Even as kids, they’d already tasted the pain of warfare and the bitterness of being enslaved. That made them understand the value of freedom even more.

They knew just how precious freedom was. For the sake of it, they’d give everything they had.

“Alright, let’s see how your boxing technique is coming along!”

…