The Growth of the First Core Team

"It seems we are going to have a real father."

Perospero lay outside the door, listening intently to their conversation.

"This is a good thing, isn't it?"

Compote felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. In their careful observation, although Carl could not be considered a good person, he was certainly not a malicious one either.

"Yes, that way we will be children with a father."

As the one responsible for protecting his younger siblings since he was small, Katakuri felt that once they had a father, no one would call them bastards anymore.

Ever since they were born, there had been various pirates throughout the pirate crew who called them bastards—children without a father.

They didn't want it to be this way.

But they could not change the facts, and their strength was not enough to defeat those pirates, so they could only silently endure the cold stares and mockery of others.

Just as Carl and Charlotte Linlin were engaged in deep communication, on the other side.

"Ugh!"

"My head hurts."

Clay stood up from the ground, dazed and confused.

"Where is Lord Carl?"

"He couldn't have gone back already, could he?"

Clay only remembered helping Lord Carl walk to this spot; the next second, his memory ceased to exist.

He hurriedly shook his groggy head and ran quickly toward the camp. In his view, failing to personally escort Lord Carl back to his room was already a grave mistake.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

"Lord Carl, are you in there?"

"Bang!"

Hearing no response from within, Clay broke the door down immediately. Upon looking inside, it was empty; there was no sign that anyone had returned at all.

"Did I lose Lord Carl?"

Clay scratched his head. However, on this island, even if Lord Carl had drunk too much, he shouldn't be in any life-threatening danger.

But since Lord Carl had been lost while under his care, his top priority was to find him.

He rushed to the adjacent room to wake up Long Yi and Long Er.

"You two, did you see Lord Carl return yesterday?"

Clay asked them with an anxious expression.

Long Er was the first to get up and rub his eyes.

"No, we didn't see him."

"That's right, Brother Clay, aren't you just getting back yourself?"

Long Yi also stood up, looking at Clay with a puzzled expression.

After all, in their view, Clay should have been with Lord Carl.

"It can't be, right?"

Long Yi furrowed his brows tightly, thinking of something unpleasant.

"Has Lord Carl gone missing?"

Long Yi was now somewhat awake. Seeing the anxious look on Clay's face and hearing the nature of his inquiry, he realized that Lord Carl's whereabouts were currently unknown.

"We shouldn't need to worry. Given Lord Carl's strength, there shouldn't be any danger on this island."

Long Yi's small face was tense.

"That's right, maybe he went to Uncle Newgate's room."

"After all, they have a very good relationship."

Long Er said, now a bit more clear-headed. In his opinion, there was no one on this island who would dare to lay a hand on Lord Carl.

"Maybe so. But at least Lord Carl is not in any life-threatening danger, so let's just wait for him to return on his own."

The anxious expression on Clay's face eased slightly. He knew that even if Lord Carl were in Newgate's room, he wouldn't dare to go over there.

After all, waking up Lord Carl and disturbing Newgate were two very different things.

He carried Lord Carl's Vivre Card on his person, and since the card showed no abnormalities, it meant that Lord Carl was not in any danger.

Little did he know that Carl was currently engaged in a fierce hand-to-hand battle with Charlotte Linlin, with no time to spare for them.

The next morning, Carl emerged from Charlotte Linlin's room.

"Remember our relationship; you must not tell anyone else, okay?"

Carl's expression remained uneasy as he cautioned her while stepping out the door.

"Rest assured, Carl, I won't say a word."

Charlotte Linlin felt that dealing with Carl alone was already more than she could handle, let alone anyone else.

She also understood Carl's intention; since the Rocks Pirates would inevitably disband sooner or later, there was no need to disclose their relationship.

Instead, it would serve better as a hidden trump card.

"Little bastard! You've got stamina."

Watching Carl walk out the door, she couldn't help but mutter to herself. She hadn't expected this kid to have the stamina of an ox, going non-stop for an entire day and night.

"Perospero, bring in some food."

"No desserts."

As Charlotte Linlin ordered Perospero to bring in the meal, she felt a bit hungry after not eating for a day and night, but she also remembered Carl's instructions and refrained from asking for sweets this time.

"Understood, Mama."

Although Perospero was somewhat surprised that Mama wasn't eating sweets today, he still hurriedly arranged for the kitchen to prepare a meal.

During his conversation with Charlotte Linlin, Carl had already learned that it was Golden Lion's interference that caused last night's events, but he no longer cared. Since it had already happened, he couldn't just ignore the consequences.

"Yo, morning, Clay!"

Those who know, know; finishing that business really leaves one feeling refreshed. Right now, Carl felt his mental state had never been better.

"Lord Carl, you've returned."

"Lord Carl, where did you go yesterday?"

"I was worried sick about you."

Clay wanted to know where Carl had gone the previous day, and on the other hand, he felt deeply guilty for failing to ensure Carl's safe return to his quarters.

"Yesterday? There was a matter I had to handle personally."

"Don't worry, it wasn't a big deal."

Hearing Clay's inquiry, he realized he had been missing for a day and night, causing Clay and the others to worry.

However, he also recalled that wonderful day and night, which left him somewhat lingering in the memory.

After all, back on Blue Star, he had just been a poor loser who had never been with a woman like that; he hadn't expected the experience to be so extraordinary.

"Take me to see how their training is coming along."

"No problem, Lord Carl. It will definitely be an eye-opener for you."

Clay led Carl directly to the dense forest at the back of the island. The forest wasn't particularly large or small, but the sounds echoing from within made it clear that it was filled with wild beasts.

Numerous buildings had been constructed within the forest, one of which was exceptionally tall, standing like a massive fortress in the center of the woods.

At a single glance, Carl knew that was Heir Joseph's room.

"Lord Carl, you're back!"

As soon as they reached the front of the building, over a hundred boys and girls gathered around, greeting Carl happily.

They knew that if not for Carl, they might have been sold off to who knows where, so they were deeply grateful to him.

"You should all know the purpose of my training for you."

"I am going to build my own force, and you will be my first core members."

"I hope every one of you can make it to the end."

Carl spoke to them with great passion and sincerity.

"Yes!"

The youths answered firmly. Despite their young age, they had already endured the pain of war and the bitterness of being slaves chosen at the whim of others. With these experiences, they understood the meaning of freedom better than anyone.

They knew how precious freedom was, and for the sake of that freedom, they would surely give their all.

"Good, now let me see how well you've mastered your fist techniques!"