Chapter 58: The Gathering Storm on Beehive Island

“We’re here!”

As Karl’s mind raced, their fleet finally made it back to Beehive Island.

“Linlin, there’s something I need to talk to you about.”

The moment they set foot on land, Karl couldn’t hold back. He led Charlotte Linlin straight toward their house.

Inside, the two of them had barely sat down across from each other.

“Linlin, I have something important to discuss with you. Whatever I say, you can’t let it leak out.”

He glanced around warily. Karl knew the whole island was probably blanketed by Rocks’s Observation Haki, so he subtly released a burst of Conqueror’s Haki. That would disrupt anyone trying to spy on them with Observation Haki for a while.

Seeing Karl’s caution, Charlotte Linlin quickly released her own Conqueror’s Haki too.

Their Conqueror’s Haki filled only the room, not leaking beyond. The precision of their control was obvious.

“The Rocks Pirates will disband within the next few years. What we need to do is start building our strength now, so when that happens, we’ll be the first to form a powerful crew.”

“That’s how we’ll seize territory before anyone else can.”

“We need to start cultivating our own loyal forces as soon as possible.”

“So I want to hear what you think.”

Karl looked at Charlotte Linlin with complete seriousness. He knew this would have a massive impact, but with the right preparations they could come out on top.

“Are you serious?”

“Is this information reliable?”

Karl just nodded in response.

At first, Charlotte Linlin looked completely shocked, even a little in disbelief. But when she saw Karl’s resolute expression, she suddenly understood everything.

“Now it makes sense… No wonder you adopted a hundred orphans. You planned this all along.”

Of course, Linlin’s first thought was of Karl’s decision to raise a hundred orphans.

She’d always wondered why Karl would bother with a group of supposedly useless children. In her eyes, kids that young—five to ten years old—would need at least five more years to be useful.

Now she realized Karl had started preparing long ago.

“So, what do you want me to do?”

Charlotte Linlin had never imagined this turn of events. For a moment, she looked a little flustered. The disbandment of the Rocks Pirates was something she’d never considered. But gazing into Karl’s serious eyes…

If Karl was this determined, he must have a plan.

“Here’s what I’m thinking: we keep secretly taking in kids aged five to ten, grooming them for the future. At the same time, we need to gather as much wealth and as many Devil Fruits as we can. That’ll lay the groundwork for our own power base.”

“There’s no rush. Right now, our plan is to keep our defenses strong, build up resources, and wait for the right time to make our move.”

Karl spelled out his ambition, word by word.

“Got it!”

“I’ll start making preparations behind the scenes as soon as possible.”

Charlotte Linlin now knew exactly what she needed to do next.

With that settled, the two of them launched into a long, detailed strategy session about what would follow.

They hashed out every detail, talking deep into the night.

“Alright, let’s wrap things up for now.”

Karl was the first to withdraw his Conqueror’s Haki. Honestly, maintaining it for so long, he felt like his grasp of the power had grown.

“Yeah, I’m feeling pretty tired too.”

Charlotte Linlin looked a bit weary herself. She stood up and stretched.

“Now it’s finally my time.”

She leaned over, bracing her hands on Karl’s armchair, closing the space between them.

“What do you mean, your time?”

Karl looked confused. Wasn’t their conversation finished?

“I mean this.”

Charlotte Linlin giggled shyly. In a flash she scooped Karl into her arms and carried him toward the bed.

“Mmph…”

Karl tried to say something but Linlin’s lips cut him off. Soon, the room filled with the sounds of their closeness.

Even the moon, blushing in the sky, quickly called in a cloud to hide herself.

…

“We’ve got word—Karl isn’t dead.”

Navy Headquarters.

Fleet Admiral Hill held the Transponder Snail, speaking with Sengoku who was all the way at the New World branch.

“Understood, Fleet Admiral Hill.”

“Clack!”

Even after hearing that Karl survived, Sengoku still looked stunned. He couldn’t believe Karl had escaped death yet again. Next time would be even harder.

He looked over at Garp, who was lounging in his room munching on donuts, and flung a stack of papers right at his face.

“Splat…”

The slap of documents broke Garp’s donut-eating rhythm instantly.

Garp immediately shot Sengoku a look of irritation.

“Sengoku, I was just about to break my own record—over two hundred donuts in an hour!”

“All you do is eat. Did you see? Karl isn’t dead.”

Sengoku’s forehead throbbed with veins as he shouted at Garp in anger.

“So what? We’ll just get another chance next time.”

Garp put down his donut, casually stuck his finger in his nose and shrugged.

“Opportunities aren’t so easy to come by. Get out!”

Seeing Sengoku truly angry, Garp quickly got up, grabbing a donut as he headed out.

“Leave the donut. That one’s mine.”

Sengoku was about to explode as Garp tried to walk off with his donut.

“No way!”

Ignoring him, Garp made a beeline for the door.

“Bam!”

With a loud slam of the door, quiet settled over the room again. Only the faint sound of a goat chewing could be heard.

…

Back on Beehive Island, the mood was festive. The whole place was buzzing for a grand banquet tonight.

“Hahaha!”

“Great job, everyone!”

For the first time, Rocks beamed with pride at them. His first major goal had already made solid progress.

Rocks swept his gaze over the crowd. Golden Lion, Newgate and the others all sat up straight, beaming with satisfaction.

“For a while, you’re all free to do your own thing.”

He locked eyes with each of them in turn.

“Wait for my next command.”

Rocks, satisfied by their expressions, rose to his feet and raised his glass to the whole crew.

“Let the feast begin!”

“Awwooo! Cheers!”

“Cheers!”

…

Because there was a traitor among them, word had spread to many kingdoms. Their loot and Devil Fruits were far less than expected.

Still, almost no force remained in the New World capable of resisting them.

“Kehahaha!”

“Charlotte Linlin!”

Golden Lion was in high spirits. He wasn’t just arrogant and reckless; he was a cunning strategist too.

With the situation so clear, and no one in the second half able to stand against them, it was the perfect moment for him to secretly build up his own crew.

And if Charlotte Linlin helped, he’d progress even faster.

But he still hesitated to use the favor he owed her.

Charlotte Linlin sat beside Karl. When Golden Lion called out to her, she caught the meaning in his eyes immediately.

Now that she knew the Rocks Pirates were on the verge of breaking apart, Charlotte Linlin actually hoped the other captains would stir up trouble, drawing Rocks’s attention away from her and Karl.

Golden Lion’s move fit her perfectly.

“Ma ma ma!”

Charlotte Linlin smiled, raised her glass in Golden Lion’s direction.

Message received, Golden Lion gave Rocks a little signal, then went to join his own squad and down drinks with them.

On the dais, Rocks looked out at his thriving pirate crew. He didn’t much care about their lives, but every extra set of hands made them stronger. For now, he wasn’t about to get mad at any of them.

The party flew by. Tonight, Karl didn’t spend time with Charlotte Linlin.

Instead, he returned to his quarters in search of Krell.

When he found Krell, the first thing he did was issue an order.

“Krell, I need you to secretly find Cake Island.”

Krell saw the serious look on Karl’s face and knew it was urgent.

“Do you have any specific leads, sir?”

Immediately, Karl pulled out a map, pointing to a certain area in the back half of the New World.

“Here!”

He placed the map in Krell’s hands, then gave him a second directive.

“You’ll also be going off the grid for a while. Head to Fishman Island, recruit as many Fishmen as you can.”

“Once you’ve got them, head straight to Cake Island and find a safe route there.”

“Return here and report to me once it’s done.”

“This is important. Don’t let a word of it slip, you understand?”

Krell understood the gravity of the situation. If Karl was keeping this secret, it couldn’t be allowed to spread.

“Understood, Lord Karl. I’ll be back as quickly as I can.”

“Good. Then get going.”

With his orders in hand, Krell slipped away into the night.