Banquet

He walked straight toward the pirate hall.

Carl's lips curled into a faint smile. He believed that such problems shouldn't arise again; although he didn't fear them, constant probing would interfere with his plans, and that would be more trouble than it was worth.

Pushing open the doors, he found the pirate hall brightly lit. Rocks was sitting in the main seat, the only person in the entire hall, clearly waiting for him.

The other division commanders were at their respective stations; Rocks wouldn't summon them unless there was an urgent matter.

"Captain Rocks, regarding the Phil Kingdom..."

Carl walked forward, sat in a chair, and spoke with a relaxed expression.

Rocks didn't wait for him to finish, instead erupting into a boisterous laugh.

"Jiehahahaha!"

A terrifying aura radiated from Rocks.

"Well done, Carl."

Rocks patted the armrest of his chair, stood up straight, and walked toward him.

"I've already heard about your business. You completed the mission brilliantly; you've worked hard! For now, just get some rest here on Hachinosu. There will be new missions soon."

His informants on the ship had long since reported the situation via Den Den Mushi, and he even knew that Carl had taken out the thirteenth son of the Giant Warrior Pirates along the way.

But in his eyes, that was no big deal; the Giant Warrior Pirates wouldn't dare to confront their crew head-on.

If it weren't for the X Pirates and the Giant Warrior Pirates joining forces, he would have wiped them out long ago.

Even when he heard that Krulu had been casually dealt with by Carl, he immediately spread word that Rocks had left Hachinosu to confuse Yorulu, though he wasn't sure if it would work.

He was now at ease regarding Carl. After all, if he were a mole sent by the Navy, he wouldn't have gone through with destroying the Phil Kingdom. One had to remember that it was a World Government affiliate; the Navy's influence in the New World was already weak, and losing another affiliate would surely make them ache.

Carl might have fled halfway through or tipped off the Navy; in any case, things wouldn't have gone so smoothly.

Since Carl had executed his orders unconditionally, his suspicions had dissipated. From this moment on, Carl was truly his 6th Division commander.

He could now include Carl in his upcoming grand plan; after all, having one more powerhouse would significantly increase the chances of success.

"There will be a grand banquet tonight to celebrate your joining. Don't forget to attend."

"Rest assured, Captain, I won't be absent."

Carl knew this was to welcome him, so he certainly wouldn't miss it!

"Jiehahahaha!"

Rocks was delighted by the addition of a powerhouse.

"Good!"

"I shall take my leave, Captain."

Seeing that Rocks had no further business, Carl turned and walked away.

After sitting in the hall for a while, Rocks walked toward the plaza with an imposing air.

Once Carl emerged, he found Edward Newgate and began drinking with him.

"Newgate!"

"Gurararara! Carl!"

Meanwhile, Charlotte Linlin nearby was already plotting how to get her hands on Carl!

After all, she could clearly sense that Carl's strength was progressing rapidly; if she didn't act quickly, she might lose her chance.

She especially hoped to have a strong child with Carl.

By now, the plaza was already bustling with noise, the ground covered in tables and chairs laden with delicious food!

The pirates took their seats. At the front, there was a massive table where Edward Newgate, Golden Lion, Charlotte Linlin, John, Wang Zhi, and other division commanders like Carl were seated.

As Rocks walked toward the front stage of the plaza, the scene fell into absolute silence.

Carl naturally sat among them.

Rocks's gaze was stern, and suddenly, his eyes became incredibly resolute, revealing an unquestionable power.

In an instant, an invisible force surged from within Rocks, sweeping across the area like a monstrous tidal wave.

The surrounding pirates felt a powerful sense of intimidation, as if they were being stared down by an ancient beast, and they trembled uncontrollably.

This was Rocks's Haoshoku Haki—domineering and forcing one to submit against their will.

"Little ones, welcome our 6th Division commander, Carl, to the Rocks Pirates."

Rocks gestured toward Carl, who stood up and greeted everyone present!

"I, Carl, now officially join the Rocks Pirates as the 6th Division commander!"

"Cheer to your heart's content! The banquet begins!"

Following Rocks's command, the pirates below immediately became lively, drinking and eating in a scene of great commotion.

"Oh!"

"The banquet has started!"

"Don't you dare snatch it, this meat is mine."

"How did you turn into such a big shot just from going out with Captain Carl once? Give it here."

His name was Grace, a tall, burly man with arms covered in tattoos.

"What, you got a problem with that?"

Yor replied. He was a dark-skinned, sturdy man standing two meters tall; usually, Grace bullied him quite often.

"Hmph!"

Grace only dared to grunt under his breath now, because he hadn't joined any division yet and had no one to look out for him.

In the Rocks Pirates, if you didn't have a division captain backing you, your life wasn't always in your own hands; you could be killed by a powerhouse at any moment.

Yor glanced at Grace, and seeing that he didn't say anything more, he wore a smug expression.

After all, Yor could now be considered someone with backing, and Grace didn't dare provoke him at all.

"You guys don't know yet, do you? On this trip to the Phil Kingdom, Captain Carl gave us fifty percent of the treasure."

Yor sounded both happy and proud.

"What? Really? Tell us more."

"Yeah, hurry up and tell us, I want to join you guys too."

"Listen, I'll tell you slowly!"

Yor took a leisurely sip of his drink.

"We are heading to the Tyr Kingdom next. It's said that the Tyr Kingdom has prepared a massive amount of treasure to offer to the Celestial Dragons."

"The entire crew will be mobilized for this, and our target is the Tyr Kingdom. We might even run into an Admiral."

Rocks said unhurriedly. This was what he had been busy with lately; after all, he had to keep it hidden from the Giant Warriors and the X Pirates.

He had to prevent them from coming to interfere!

"Wahahahaha!"

"I love treasure."

John was the first to get excited, as he was the one who loved treasure the most among everyone present.

"John, look at you."

"Are there any powerhouses in that kingdom?"

Newgate wasn't interested in the treasure; he was more hoping for a good fight. After all, Newgate's strength was currently at its peak, unlike the aging version at the start of the anime, so he possessed the hot-bloodedness of a youth and craved more battles.

Because Newgate didn't like slaughtering civilians at this time, even though he hadn't yet started sending the plundered treasure back to his hometown.

"Mama, mama!"

"I wonder what kind of delicious pastries the Tyr Kingdom has!"

Charlotte Linlin was still a great beauty at this time, although her eating disorder wasn't quite as severe yet.

However, it would still flare up occasionally, and that was when they had to rely on Streusen's skills.

"Gyahahaha!"

"Alright, then it's settled. Everyone go back and prepare. In one month, the Tyr Kingdom will have the offerings for the Celestial Dragons ready, and everyone will set out together then."

Rocks scanned the crowd and made the final decision.

Rocks was merely notifying them, not requesting, so he didn't need any input from his crew; after all, his method of ruling his crew relied on force.