Pirate Island! Charlotte Linlin and the Rocks Pirates' Officers

More than half a month passed in training.

One day, Kaido suddenly came to see Lin Yuan.

"Lin Yuan, I'm going back to Pirate Island."

Lin Yuan looked up.

"Pirate Island? Hachinosu?"

"Yeah," Kaido said. "When I was captured, I still had some things there. Rocks's ship often docks there, and I left some old belongings at a tavern on the island."

"I'll go with you." Lin Yuan stood up.

Kaido glanced at him.

"You want to meet Rocks?"

"I want to take a look," Lin Yuan said. "See what the strongest pirate crew of this era is like."

"Wororororo..." Kaido laughed. "All right. But Rocks might not be there. Whether he is or not depends on our luck."

Pirate Island, Hachinosu.

There were no civilians on the island, only pirates. Taverns, casinos, slave markets, weapons shops—it had everything. It was a lawless place, beyond the World Government's control and inaccessible to the navy.

Lin Yuan and Kaido stepped through a door and landed at the harbor.

Several pirate ships were docked there. The largest bore the Rocks Pirates' skull flag on its sail—a skull with two crossed bone markings, fierce and imposing.

"Rocks's ship is here." Kaido glanced at it. "He should be here too."

The two headed for the tavern in the middle of the island.

Along the way, people kept greeting Kaido.

"Kaido? You're back, kid?"

"I heard you got captured. How did you get out?"

"Wororororo..." Kaido answered them one by one. "Someone saved me."

Lin Yuan followed behind him, his hands in his pockets and his face expressionless. He could sense that the people on this island all had powerful auras. None of the pirates who survived in the New World were pushovers.

The tavern wasn't big, but it was lively.

Pirates gathered in groups, drinking, gambling, and bragging. In one corner, some were arm wrestling while the onlookers cheered them on.

Kaido pushed the door open and looked around.

"Linlin's over there." He jerked his chin toward a corner.

Lin Yuan followed his gaze. A young woman sat in a booth in the corner, holding a glass of red wine. She had long pink hair, delicate features, and a tall figure. She wore a long red dress that revealed her slender legs.

Charlotte Linlin.

She was nowhere near as fat as she would later become. She looked to be in her early twenties, with a bold, confident gaze and the hint of a smile on her lips.

"Kaido!" Linlin spotted him at once. "Mamamama... I heard someone saved you! Come sit down!"

Kaido walked over and plopped down across from her. Lin Yuan followed and sat beside Kaido.

Linlin's gaze fell on Lin Yuan, and she looked him up and down.

"Mamamama... You're that space brat? The one with a billion-berry bounty?"

"Lin Yuan." Lin Yuan nodded.

"You're pretty handsome." Linlin licked her lips. "Brat, are you interested in..."

"No," Lin Yuan interrupted.

Linlin froze for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"Mamamama... Interesting! Very interesting! Kaido, I like your captain."

Kaido rolled his eyes.

"Don't get any ideas about him."

"What ideas? I was just asking." Linlin waved a hand, picked up her glass, and took a sip. "What did you come to Pirate Island for?"

"To get something," Kaido said. "Something I left here before."

"Oh." Linlin didn't press him. She turned to Lin Yuan. "Brat, you've got guts. You dared to raid a World Government transport ship and rescue someone from Punk Hazard. Even Rocks has taken notice of you."

"So what?"

"He wants to meet you." Linlin put down her glass. "Do you want to meet him?"

Lin Yuan was silent for a while.

"Where is he now?"

"He went out. He'll be back in a couple of days," Linlin said. "If you want to meet him, you can wait on the island."

Lin Yuan glanced at Kaido.

Kaido shrugged. "Up to you."

"Then we'll wait a couple of days," Lin Yuan said.

After several rounds of drinks, the tavern door opened again.

A burly man walked in, carrying a gleaming silver axe. He had a full beard, a fierce gaze, and an air that warned he was not to be trifled with.

"Silver Axe." Linlin raised her chin. "An officer Rocks recently recruited."

Silver Axe surveyed the tavern. His gaze paused on Kaido before settling on Lin Yuan.

"You're that space brat?"

"Lin Yuan." Lin Yuan didn't get up.

"I heard you raided a World Government ship." Silver Axe walked over and set his axe on the table. "You've got guts."

"I do all right."

Silver Axe stared at him for a few seconds, then smiled.

"Interesting. You're a cocky brat."

He sat down beside them and called for the bartender to bring him a drink.

"When's Rocks coming back?" Silver Axe asked Linlin.

"In a couple of days."

"Then I'll wait for him." Silver Axe took a long swig. "I heard he's planning a big job."

Linlin didn't reply. She merely smiled.

That night, Lin Yuan and Kaido checked into an inn on the island.

Kaido lay down on the bed and soon began to snore. Lin Yuan didn't sleep. He sat by the window, gazing out at the sea.

The nights on Pirate Island were anything but quiet. The noise from the tavern carried from afar, and the occasional gunshot rang out before silence returned.

One thing was on Lin Yuan's mind.

Rocks. The strongest pirate of this era. He was planning a big job. What was it?

Golden Lion, Whitebeard, Big Mom, Silver Axe, Captain John... In the original story, these names all belonged to top powerhouses of the early Great Pirate Era. And now they were all gathered aboard Rocks's ship.

"What are you thinking about?" Kaido's voice came from behind him.

Lin Yuan turned around. Kaido had woken up at some point.

"Rocks."

"There's nothing worth thinking about him," Kaido said. "He's just a madman."

"Even madmen have their own ideas."

Kaido sat up, pulled an old photograph from his pocket, and looked at it before putting it away again.

"Was that photograph what you came to get?" Lin Yuan asked.

"Yeah." Kaido lay back down. "It's from when I was a kid. I didn't want to leave it with someone else."

"Family?"

Kaido didn't answer. He closed his eyes.

Lin Yuan asked no more.

Two days later, Rocks returned.

Lin Yuan stood at the harbor, watching the enormous ship approach from a distance. A tall, burly man stood at the bow, wearing a black coat, his eyes deep and cold.

Rocks D. Xebec.

He said nothing. He merely glanced at the people in the harbor, then turned and went into the cabin.

"He's not coming down?" Lin Yuan asked.

"He rarely leaves his ship." Linlin stood beside him. "If you want to meet him, you'll have to go aboard."

Lin Yuan was silent for a while.

"Forget it."

"You're not going?" Kaido asked.

"No." Lin Yuan turned around. "I've seen everyone I needed to see. Let's go."

He raised a hand and opened a door.

Kaido glanced at him but asked no further questions. He followed him through.

Linlin stood at the harbor, watching the door slowly close, a smile curving her lips.

"Mamamama... An interesting brat."

Back on Hachinosu, Bullet and King were sparring in the training ground.

When they saw Lin Yuan and Kaido return, they stopped.

"Did you see him?" Bullet asked.

"I did," Lin Yuan said. "The Rocks Pirates are stronger than I imagined."

"So what?" Bullet wiped the blood from his fists.

Lin Yuan walked to the middle of the training ground and looked at them.

"Nothing. Keep training."

He raised a hand and opened a huge door above the training ground. Beyond it was the Calm Belt, where several Sea Kings were swimming through the sea.

"Starting today, your goal isn't to beat each other. It's to beat them."

Kaido looked up at the Sea Kings and grinned.

"Wororororo... Just what I wanted."

Bullet flexed his wrists and smiled too.

King said nothing, but the flames on his back burned brighter.

Lin Yuan stood to the side, his hands in his pockets, watching them charge into the sea.

"Heh heh heh..."

(End of Chapter 16)