Chapter 61: Landing on Cake Island

Krell and his team set out ahead of schedule. After about ten days on the road, they finally located Cake Island, deep in the latter half of the New World.

They traveled in a straight line underwater, but it took so long because they had to constantly confirm their position in the Sweets Sea.

Cake Island sits in the Sweets Sea, dividing the latter half into four sections. It occupies the upper right corner.

In the Sweets Sea, the massive Cake Island sits at the center, surrounded by fifty-six smaller islands of various sweets. It’s enough to make anyone wonder if there was once a fierce battle involving Devil Fruit users with awakened powers, turning the geography into what it is now.

After all, in the original story, when Akainu and Aokiji fought for the position of Navy Admiral, they could turn an ordinary island into a place of half magma, half snow-capped mountains—the infamous Punk Hazard.

“Finally, we’ve arrived.”

“Hurry, find out which route is safe!”

No one had come to the Sweets Sea before because of the countless underwater currents beneath these waters. Most pirate ships couldn’t even find a way in.

But they’re different—they’re Fishmen. Moving underwater is their specialty. Soon, they found a safe route.

“Krell, this route looks safe. No signs of undercurrents right now, but it seems it’s only open for a day every month.”

“It’s alright. Check the other routes, too.”

“Let’s record this route first.”

While directing others to chart the routes, Krell led most of the Fishmen straight for Cake Island.

Though there were natives living on Cake Island, the terrifying presence of the Fishmen forced them to move to neighboring islands within just a few hours. Some Fishmen stayed behind to keep watch.

…

“One thousand and one, one thousand and two…”

“Blup, blup!”

“Alright, that’s it for today.”

“Long Yi, Long Er, you two keep an eye on their training. I have something to take care of.”

Back on Beehive Island, Karl spent most of his time either training a horde of children or growing closer with Charlotte Linlin.

He was starting to get restless from this laid-back routine. Hours spent training the children left him no time for his own practice.

Since he never set a limit on how many kids Dragon One and Dragon Two should recruit, more than three thousand children between the ages of five and ten now filled the forest behind the outpost.

So when the Den Den Mushi rang, it felt like salvation.

“Hello? Krell?”

Karl waited quietly for Krell’s response. If Krell was calling first, it meant he’d already handled things—otherwise, knowing his personality, he wouldn’t be calling Karl at all.

“Lord Karl, we’ve found Cake Island and scouted a safe route.”

Krell paused for a moment, then said with some embarrassment,

“There’s one thing I need to tell you, Lord Karl. The number of Fishmen I recruited from Fishman Island this time might far exceed your expectations.”

Karl heard the awkwardness in Krell’s voice over the line.

“Don’t worry. I can support as many as you bring. The most important thing now is to make sure the route is really safe.”

Krell’s worries faded at Karl’s casual tone, and he let out a heavy breath.

“Rest assured, Lord Karl.”

“I’ve assigned Fishmen to monitor and record the route at all times. If anything changes, we’ll update you immediately.”

Karl knew Krell was always reliable.

“Good. I’ll head over soon. Wait for me there.”

“Understood, Lord Karl. We eagerly await your arrival.”

“Click!”

“Next, I’ll head over first. After that, I’ll bring these kids along—any more of them and it’ll get hard to hide what we’re doing.”

First, Karl went to find Charlotte Linlin.

“Linlin, I need to head out to sea. We’ve found Cake Island, so I’m going to scout our future base.”

“It’s a pity we can’t go together, though—we have to avoid catching Rocks’ attention.”

Charlotte Linlin agreed, feeling a bit disappointed she couldn’t go out to sea, but it really wasn’t the right moment to let Rocks in on their plans.

“I understand. You go first.”

Currently, it was their period of rest. As a division captain, he didn’t need Rocks’ approval to go to sea.

This time, Karl brought along the same group of pirates who had been the first to visit him after he was badly injured.

But he didn’t mention the exact destination—just gave a rough direction. Once his ship reached the nearby waters, he’d go the rest of the way alone. It was the only way to prevent any potential spies from alerting Rocks.

“So, what did Lord Karl say?”

As soon as Krell hung up, Zack rushed over anxiously, shaking Krell’s shoulder.

Krell didn’t answer immediately, instead glancing at everyone around him.

Watching the anticipation on their faces, he smiled slowly and spoke.

“Lord Karl said he’ll come in person.”

“We need to be at our absolute best to greet Lord Karl when he gets here.”

Brynn, who had landed not long ago with the second group of Fishmen, spoke up with his deep voice.

“That’s great!”

“Let’s get the island ready. We can’t wait for Lord Karl to arrive.”

“Alright, let’s start setting things up.”

With Krell’s order, everyone started bustling with preparations.

…

“Don’t worry, Linlin. I’ll let you know as soon as I get there.”

“Once I finish up here, I’ll head right back to Beehive Island.”

“Later on, we can send some of the family’s children over. This place will be our stronghold.”

Karl had been sailing for about five or six days.

As usual, he spent most days chatting endlessly with Charlotte Linlin through the Den Den Mushi.

“Knock, knock, knock!”

“Captain Karl, we’ve reached the target area.”

Yor, who used to be just a lookout, was now a squad leader. When he saw they had reached Ral Island, he rushed to tell Captain Karl.

Ral Island sits on the edge of the Sweets Sea, facing off with Ailan Island across the waters.

“Alright, Linlin, I’ll talk to you later.”

Karl gently hung up the call and looked at Yor.

He remembered that when he was in a coma, Yor had been the first to check on him.

Karl couldn’t be sure Yor wasn’t planted by Rocks, but with so few trustworthy people under his command, taking him along this time carried its risks.

All things considered, Yor still seemed loyal, which is why Karl brought him on this trip. Even so, he never revealed his real intentions; there was no room for mistakes.

“Alright. You all rest here for now on this island.”

“I have something else to do. If there’s an emergency, contact me through the Den Den Mushi.”

He didn’t want anyone suspicious knowing where he was headed.

So once all the orders were given, Karl handed Yor the transponder snail’s number, then slipped out of the cabin into the busy crowd.

“Alright, Lord Karl.”

Looking at the transponder snail’s number in his hand, Yor let out a quiet sigh. He knew he still hadn’t earned Lord Karl’s full trust.

But what Yor wanted most was Karl’s trust. If not for Karl, who knows how much longer he’d have been bullied? He might have died someday in some nameless corner, and no one would have cared.

Feeling a little down, he glanced in the direction Karl disappeared and muttered softly,

“I hope I can earn your trust one day, Lord Karl.”

Then he returned to the cabin, ordered everyone to buy supplies on the island, and waited for Lord Karl’s return.

…