Chapter 56: Dawn After the Storm

Early the next morning—

After a full night of emergency care, Karl’s vital signs had returned to normal and the wounds on his body had completely healed.

The only reason he was still unconscious was because his body was seriously drained of energy, leaving him exhausted and his mind trapped in a state of inner turmoil.

Once the rescue was over yesterday, Newgate, Golden Lion and the rest visited Karl’s hospital room to check on him and offer their wishes, relieved to hear he was out of danger.

Since Karl was still unconscious, they didn’t linger long. After a brief visit, they quietly took their leave.

That night, Charlotte Linlin personally led a crew deep into the sea, hunting down a massive sea king over several hundred meters long.

It took quite a bit of effort!

Right now, Charlotte Linlin sat by Karl’s bedside, quietly thinking of how to get back at Garp and Sengoku.

She glanced over at Karl’s face, his skin so pale, utterly drained of life.

“Thank goodness you’re alright.”

Charlotte Linlin murmured under her breath.

Her fingertips brushed lightly over his cheek, feeling the faint rise and fall of his breath. Scenes of Karl fighting until he collapsed kept replaying in her mind.

She realized she was falling for him. Her emotions seemed tied directly to Karl, which was something she’d never experienced before.

Charlotte Linlin sat at his bedside, watching Karl sleep. He radiated a unique charm she simply couldn’t resist. When she was with him, her usually tough exterior softened.

“You need to get better soon,” she whispered.

Linlin spoke quietly to the sleeping Karl, worry and care clear in her voice—feelings that had no place in her old life.

She was used to being alone and indifferent. She never expected Karl would stir up emotions so complicated inside her.

…

Out at sea, ship after ship was returning to Beehive Island with all the squad captains on their way back.

At this point, it was safe to say that the entire second half of the Grand Line belonged to the Rocks Pirates.

“We’re finally home!”

“Hurry! Report to Lord Rocks—Karl ran into Garp and Sengoku’s ambush in the Kingdom of Sook!”

After two days and nights at sea, the members of the Sixth Division rushed back to Beehive Island. The moment they came ashore, their first words to the pirates at the port were to report to Captain Rocks and ask for backup for Captain Karl.

“You’re behind the times. Captain Karl’s already been brought back by Captain Charlotte Linlin. He’s in the infirmary now.”

The port pirates looked at them with mocking eyes. As pirates, abandoning your captain and fleeing home meant you weren’t worthy of the name.

Even a pirate needed a code. Leaving behind the captain or leader just to escape was simply not done.

“So he’s back?”

The pirates coming ashore didn’t argue or respond to the mockery. They just docked the ship and ran towards the infirmary.

“Captain Karl!”

Some loyal pirates dashed for the infirmary, calling out as they ran.

At the front was Yor, the lookout.

Back with the Rocks Pirates, he’d always been picked on. Since joining Karl’s crew, the bullying had stopped entirely.

He truly felt grateful to Karl. If not for Karl, who knows where he’d be—or who he’d be getting picked on by right now.

“Karl needs to rest for now. All of you, head back to your quarters.”

Just as they reached the infirmary, Long Yi and Long Er blocked the doorway, turning them away.

“How’s Captain Karl doing?”

“Yeah, is he okay?”

Yor asked anxiously.

“Relax, he’s out of danger. He just needs to recover now.”

Long Yi’s face was unreadable as he spoke. He knew Karl didn’t pour much emotion into most of his crew.

“Alright, we’ll head back then.”

Yor felt much better and didn’t want to cause trouble. Even though he was still worried, knowing Karl was out of danger was enough. He led the other pirates back to their quarters.

“Long Er, did you remember all the pirates who just came?”

Watching them leave, Long Yi glanced over at Long Er, who was scribbling furiously at the table.

“Don’t worry, Long Yi, I didn’t miss a single one.”

Long Er looked up with a big grin, flashing white teeth and giving a huge thumbs-up.

Even if Karl didn’t show the crew much affection, anyone who visited him when he was badly hurt was worth keeping an eye on.

Meanwhile, Karl was trapped in his mental world. When he called out to the System, he realized this was just his body’s stress response.

Who knows how long he’d waited there, but finally, a tiny light appeared in the darkness. He gathered his strength and sprinted towards it, and the instant he crossed into the light, his eyes cracked open. His throat felt dry and scratchy.

“Water!”

“I’m so thirsty!”

Just then, a faint voice rang out in the hospital room. As Karl woke, he realized his body was still incredibly weak.

“Karl, you’re awake!”

“Let me get you some water right away.”

Hearing Karl’s voice, Charlotte Linlin jumped to her feet, grabbed the cup on the table and carefully helped support him while tilting water gently to his lips.

“Gulp!”

Karl drained the cup in one go.

Then he turned to Charlotte Linlin and saw her worried expression.

“I’m okay, I’m all better now.”

He couldn’t help feeling touched. Reaching out, he pulled Charlotte Linlin into a gentle hug.

“Bang bang bang!”

“Lord Karl, are you awake yet?”

Just as the mood shifted, Long Er’s loud voice echoed from outside the door, along with urgent knocking.

“Cough, cough!”

“Come in!”

Karl lifted his right hand to his chest, coughed twice to shake off the awkwardness, looking for all the world like a kid caught with his hand in the candy jar.

“Hehehehehe!”

Charlotte Linlin sat up beside him and just laughed at the whole scene.

“Creak!”

“Lord Karl, you’re finally awake! That’s great!”

“Yeah, Captain, you have no idea how worried we were.”

The two of them had gotten the news the night before.

They’d kept watch outside the infirmary for a whole day, and seeing Karl finally awake filled them with joy.

“Sorry for worrying you.”

“But it’s all over now. Don’t worry.”

“This kind of thing won’t happen again.”

Karl squeezed his left hand, feeling power gradually flooding his body. Even without food or water, his body would slowly recover. It would just take a while.

And if his senses were right, once he was fully healed, he’d be stronger than ever.

“Come on, let’s get something to eat.”

Karl tossed aside the blanket, shrugged on his clothes and strode eagerly from the room. He couldn’t wait.

As soon as his feet touched the floor, he could feel strength surging from the ground up into his body. Titan Strength was actively healing his wounds and refilling his stamina.

“Oh, right, Linlin.”

“There’s something I forgot to mention. You’re not mad at me, are you?”

As they made their way to the dining hall, Karl suddenly remembered something and stopped, turning to look at Charlotte Linlin.

“Go on, I doubt you could make me mad.”

Seeing him looking so healthy, Charlotte Linlin sincerely felt she couldn’t be upset, no matter what he said.

“So, about my power—you know, Titan Strength—there’s one side effect I never told you about…”

Karl paused, gauging her reaction.

“Just spit it out. I’m listening.”

Charlotte Linlin’s face stayed relaxed with a gentle smile. She clearly didn’t mind.

“I’m called the Child of the Earth, which means as long as my feet touch solid ground, my stamina is basically unlimited.”

“My bloodline just keeps drawing power from the earth.”

“Plus, I was always conscious the entire time.”

“So…”

A flicker crossed Charlotte Linlin’s face as she pieced it together.

So when Karl was standing on the ground before, he must have been recovering his strength. She realized she’d nearly gotten in his way by trying to help.

“Wait, are you blaming me now?”

Even as she thought that, Charlotte Linlin adopted a mock-angry pout and glared at Karl.

“Haha, no, no, I wouldn’t dare!”

He scratched his head in embarrassment, realizing this wasn’t the right time to pursue the topic.

“Let’s go, let’s go. Time to eat.”

“I’m starving over here! Ahahaha!”

Karl quickly changed the subject and hurried for the kitchen, eager to escape the awkwardness.

“Look at you,”

Charlotte Linlin laughed again and hurried after him.

She could sense Karl’s aura growing stronger by the moment, proving he’d told the truth about his recovery.