The Beginning of an Underground Romance

Night fell, and countless stars twinkled in the sky above.

The pirates of the Rocks Pirates appeared one after another in the plaza; tonight would be the most important banquet in the history of the Rocks Pirates.

After all, they had already dealt with the Giant Warrior Pirates and the X Pirates.

The second half of the Grand Line now belonged to the Rocks Pirates in every sense of the word.

"Cheers to the Rocks Pirates!"

"Cheers!"

"Haha, this is a great day."

The banquet did not drag on; it began the moment the time arrived, with no preamble or opening ceremony—it simply started.

At the central round table, Rocks was the first to raise his glass to Carl.

"Carl, your contribution was the greatest this time. Cheers!"

Rocks' face was slightly flushed, and it was easy to see how happy he was; never before had he drunk so much alcohol.

It was because Carl had been the one to locate the treasure vault first.

"You are too kind, Captain Rocks."

"It was everyone's contribution. If you hadn't been holding them back at the front, I wouldn't have been able to find the vault so quickly."

Regardless of whether Rocks was elevating him, Carl distanced himself from the praise, not exaggerating his own role but concisely stating that this was everyone's achievement.

"Gahahahaha!"

Golden Lion's expression was full of excitement, his laughter domineering and unrestrained.

"Come, come, drink up."

Golden Lion didn't care about all that; he still remembered his agreement with Charlotte Linlin to get Carl drunk today.

"Mamamama!"

If it weren't for Captain Carl, Baroque might have already made off with the most important treasures, and they might not have had such a haul.

Charlotte Linlin sat to the side, blushing as she spoke to Carl, her heart racing like a deer in a thicket; she had never felt this way about any man before.

Just thinking about what had happened tonight made her unable to stop herself from feeling a secret joy.

Carl, however, remained unaware of their schemes. Although Golden Lion and Charlotte Linlin kept plying him with drinks, he did not refuse.

"Gurararara!"

"It looks like your strength has improved quite a bit."

Newgate's expression was relatively relaxed; after all, this was a moment for them to unwind, and he could tell at a glance that Carl's strength had progressed significantly compared to last time.

"Not that much. Perhaps my potential was triggered during the life-and-death battle."

"I'm still far behind you all."

Carl said with a wry smile. Although his strength appeared similar to that of Golden Lion, Newgate, and the others, in reality, it was as if an bottomless abyss lay between them.

His Armament Haki and Observation Haki were only just at the entry level, and he still had no idea how to utilize Conqueror's Haki.

"You must practice your Armament Haki more; there are no shortcuts to be taken there."

Newgate, as always, taught Carl not to be arrogant or impatient. After all, they, as top-tier powerhouses, had all walked the difficult path step by step; there was no such thing as a shortcut.

"I know, Brother Newgate."

The banquet passed quickly amidst their idle chatter.

"Hic!"

"Alright, Brother Newgate, I'm heading back. I've had a bit too much to drink, so I'm going to rest."

"Stay safe, go on then."

The pirates present were already sprawled all over the ground, with drunken men everywhere.

Carl, supported by Clay, began to walk toward their quarters.

"Gahahahaha!"

"You might as well just sleep."

Golden Lion unleashed his Conqueror's Haki, and a wave of immense, oppressive pressure erupted instantly.

The Haki did not spread out but was instead focused entirely on Clay.

The overwhelming pressure bore down on Clay, causing him to instantly lose consciousness. Because the Conqueror's Haki was directed solely at Clay, it did not draw Carl's attention.

"Thud!"

Clay's body slumped gently to the ground.

"Linlin, I'll leave the rest to you."

"Gahahahaha!"

After his arrogant laughter, Golden Lion strode away from the scene with a swaggering gait.

"Mamamama!"

Charlotte Linlin didn't delay either; she immediately scooped Carl up by the waist, hoisted him onto her shoulder, and walked briskly toward her room.

On this quiet morning, sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, quietly spilling into Charlotte Linlin's bedroom.

Birds sang cheerfully outside the window, and the morning breeze stirred the curtains. As the warmth of the sun gradually enveloped the room, Carl slowly stirred from his deep slumber. He rubbed his sleepy eyes and stretched his limbs, his muscles emitting a low, resonant hum.

The next second, his tactile senses signaled that something was wrong—there was someone else in the bed. He quickly turned his head to look.

He discovered he was lying in Charlotte Linlin's arms. Although Carl's height was now approaching four meters, he still looked somewhat petite and delicate in front of her.

The two of them were lying bare in bed, covered only by a thin blanket. It would have been stranger if nothing had happened.

Wait, what did I do last night?

I was drinking, and Clay sent me back. What happened after that?

Why can't I remember? Good heavens.

"Ngh."

He realized Charlotte Linlin was waking up.

"Carl, you're awake."

"Don't worry, I will take responsibility for you."

"Mamamama!"

Charlotte Linlin sounded almost shy as she spoke; after all, Carl's stamina was truly formidable, and he had worn her out yesterday.

She had never imagined a man could have such stamina, and this was the first time she had ever felt such happiness.

"Uh, you... I... yesterday... sigh..."

Carl stammered for a long time, unable to form a complete sentence.

He truly didn't know what he should say right now.

Since the deed was already done, anything he said seemed somewhat redundant.

Yet, saying nothing felt wrong, too.

Charlotte Linlin watched Carl's bitter smile and couldn't help but want to tease him.

"My body has been taken by you, so what else do you want?"

"You can't just abandon this concubine, can you?"

Charlotte Linlin looked at Carl with her big, sparkling eyes, as if anticipating his answer.

Carl quickly ran through his thoughts. Since it had already happened, and given his somewhat chauvinistic nature, he couldn't just let this slide.

However, he needed to think carefully about how to handle his relationship with Charlotte Linlin.

Since it was his own fault, he would try to make amends on one hand, while on the other, he had to put a stop to her future behavior.

"Fine. I have three conditions for you."

"First, from today on, I am your only man. You are not allowed to flirt with any others."

"Second, eat fewer sweets. Don't let yourself get out of shape."

"Third, until the Rocks Pirates disband, do not expose our relationship."

Carl looked somewhat awkward. On the surface, he was the one who had been "taken," but in reality, women usually suffered more in these situations.

Setting these terms was a matter of necessity.

If he didn't do this, he would feel as though he were wearing dozens of green hats.

"Mamamama!"

"No problem, I agree."

Charlotte Linlin sat up in bed the next second. As the thin blanket slid off her, her fair skin was revealed to Carl, and a nosebleed instantly trickled down his face.

He had never seen anything so massive; she must have been raised on milk and papayas since she was a child.

In the next moment, Charlotte Linlin pulled Carl directly into her embrace, letting him feel the two soft mounds against his face.

"But, how did you know the Rocks Pirates would disband?"

"Don't ask about that. It's still early—let's go again. I haven't even properly experienced it yet."

At that moment, Carl felt his body reacting. Thinking that things were already this way, he decided to just go with the flow.

"Right now...? Mmph."

Before Charlotte Linlin could finish her sentence, she was tackled by Carl.

The bed creaked and groaned for the rest of the day.