Chapter 50: A New Name for the Family
by xennovelInside Charlotte Linlin’s room, the two of them watched the distant sun slowly rise.
“Alright, let’s call it a morning,”
Karl was the first to speak. He planned to announce his full name to everyone today and have Charlotte Linlin’s children take his surname.
To be honest, Karl had never told anyone his real name before.
“Okay, time to get up.”
Even though Charlotte Linlin looked like she wanted more, she understood how important today was. With a big voyage ahead, she didn’t push the matter and got up right away.
Karl was the first out of bed. He’d decided to head to the sea and hunt a Sea King to serve at today’s gathering.
“Once you’re up, round up the kids and get them to the dining hall. I’ll go out and bring back a Sea King so you can get your strength back.”
“Got it, Karl.”
Charlotte Linlin’s cheeks flushed a bit shyly. After all, she was standing right in front of him getting dressed. Karl’s body reacted instantly, but he reminded himself there was more important business today. He mentally scolded himself, muttering, Just hold it together for now.
He hurriedly opened the door and left—if he stayed much longer, there was no telling how long his self-control would last.
“Mama mama!”
Charlotte Linlin saw Karl bolt from the room and couldn’t help but smile sweetly.
Hunting a Sea King wasn’t exactly a challenge for Karl now.
He walked to the shore, dove straight into the sea and quickly found a Sea King several hundred meters long. One pulse of his Conqueror’s Haki was all it took to leave the beast unconscious and floating on the surface. Karl dragged it straight to Charlotte Linlin’s kitchen.
“Chef, make something special today. This is our main ingredient.”
Karl hauled the Sea King into the kitchen and gave the chef his instructions.
“Thank you, Lord Karl!”
“Well, don’t just stand there. Get started!”
The head chef, Longbread, thanked Karl before barking orders at his crew to start dismantling the Sea King.
Satisfied that the chefs were busy, Karl turned and made his way to the family gathering hall.
When he entered, he found a huge round table at the center of the room. At the head sat Charlotte Linlin, and to her left was an empty seat—clearly reserved for him.
The other seats were already filled with children. Some little ones sat in baby carriages with maids standing by their sides.
“Mama mama!”
“Karl!”
Charlotte Linlin stood as soon as Karl entered, grabbed his hand, and brought him over to the seat beside her.
“There’s something important to announce today.”
“From now on, Karl will be your father.”
After having Karl sit at her side, Charlotte Linlin swept her gaze over everyone, a small smile on her lips.
“Father!”
Perospero was the first to stand and call out to Karl.
“Father!”
“Father!”
…
One after another, the children who could speak stood up and greeted Karl in unison.
“Alright, alright—everyone, sit down!”
Karl beamed, his hands gently motioning for everyone to take their seats.
“It doesn’t matter who your father was before. Starting today, your father is me—Lux D. Karl.”
Charlotte Linlin looked completely stunned. She hadn’t expected Karl to be one of the D. clan.
Her shock came from knowing certain rumors about the D. clan, but the next second she grinned with pride—after all, Karl was her husband now.
And besides, she was a pirate. She didn’t care much about bloodlines.
The children, of course, had no idea what a D. actually meant.
They were just happy to finally have a real father.
“Starting today, your surname will be Rocks.”
“But the D. stays secret. No telling anyone about that part of your name.”
Karl shared his full name, letting everyone take on his surname, but kept the D. portion hidden for now. The secret might need to be kept for decades.
“So, from now on I’ll be Rocks Perospero!”
Perospero immediately caught on—no surprise, since he’d later be the brains of the Big Mom Pirates.
He really does have the smarts.
The younger siblings all quickly started thinking about their new names.
They went around the table, introducing themselves with their new names. The energy was lively.
“Rocks Katakuri! Rocks Daifuku! Rocks Compote!” And so on.
While the kids exchanged names, the kitchen brought out plate after plate of delicious food.
“Let’s eat!”
With the dishes finally served, Karl smiled and invited everyone to begin.
“Alright, time to dig in!”
Katakuri was the first to start devouring the food. One by one, the others joined in.
As Karl watched those innocent smiles, he thought about how none of them looked especially good in the original story.
He decided to teach them the Five Elements Fist—not only to build a solid foundation, but in hopes they’d grow up stronger and maybe better-looking than they did in the original timeline.
Mealtime flew by in the blink of an eye.
Afterward, Karl called Krell over.
“Lord Karl, what do you need from me?”
Krell arrived at Charlotte Linlin’s residence, straight to the point about why Karl had summoned him.
“Now that I’m with Charlotte Linlin, her children are my children too. Teach them the Five Elements Fist in secret.”
Krell was stunned by the first half of that sentence.
He couldn’t believe that Lord Karl was together with Charlotte Linlin…
Once the shock wore off, he couldn’t help feeling thrilled. This was a powerhouse alliance.
The more he thought about it, the better it sounded.
“But don’t tell anyone else about our relationship. We’re keeping it a secret for now.”
Krell didn’t know why Karl wanted their romance kept quiet, but he agreed.
“Rest assured, Lord Karl. I won’t breathe a word to anyone.”
He figured there must be a good reason Karl wanted to keep things under wraps and didn’t ask further.
He didn’t let it bother him.
“Good, I’m glad you understand.”
Karl was genuinely relieved—Krell was the only one he could really count on right now.
“I’ll leave it to you from here.”
“I’m setting sail soon.”
“Take care of the household while I’m gone. I trust you.”
Seeing Krell’s loyalty, Karl started thinking about what he could bring back for him on this trip.
With that, Karl headed down to the port.
Charlotte Linlin and Newgate were already there, looking ready for departure.
“Newgate, take care of yourself out there.”
“Gurara!”
“Relax, Karl! You be careful too.”
Newgate wasn’t worried at all. With his strength, unless two or more marine admirals came after him at once, he could always be the first to leave the battlefield.
Newgate’s ship was the first to set sail.
“Stay safe.”
“You too!”
At the harbor, Karl hugged Charlotte Linlin tightly and looked at her with concern.
Maybe they weren’t that worried about danger—maybe it was just that they’d have to be apart for a while.
Love really does make people act different.
Everyone set off for their respective destinations.
As his ship pulled away, Karl wondered if joining the Rocks Pirates had made him too impatient—he never seemed to have time to rest.
Or maybe the original Rocks Pirates really were in the middle of a huge expansion right now?
Watching the harbor disappear in the distance, Karl shook off those thoughts and headed back inside the ship.