Lux D Carl

Inside Charlotte Linlin's room, the two watched the sun slowly rise in the distance.

"Alright, I won't be coming over this morning."

Carl spoke up immediately; today was the day he would reveal his name to everyone and have Charlotte Linlin's children take his surname.

To be honest, Carl had never told anyone his real name before.

"Fine, let's get up."

Although Charlotte Linlin was still a bit reluctant, she knew today's matters were important and that they would be setting sail soon, so she didn't push back and rose from the bed immediately.

Carl stood up first, deciding to head out to the sea to hunt a Sea King for today's gathering.

"After you get up, go gather the children in the dining hall. I'm going out to catch a Sea King to help build up your strength."

"Got it, Carl."

Charlotte Linlin showed a hint of shyness. Knowing that she was standing right in front of him getting dressed, Carl's body reacted instantly. However, he knew there were important things to do today, so he quickly scolded his little Carl in his heart: Pull yourself together, just for today.

Carl hurriedly pushed open the door and stepped out, afraid that if he stayed any longer, he would lose control and turn into a wolf.

"Ma-ma-ma-ma!"

Seeing Carl flee in such a panic, a beautiful smile bloomed on Charlotte Linlin's face.

Hunting a Sea King was not a particularly difficult task for Carl at his current level.

He walked to the shore and dove into the water. He soon found a Sea King several hundred meters long; a mere burst of Conqueror's Haki was enough to knock the beast unconscious, causing it to float to the surface. Carl then dragged it back to the kitchen area.

"Chef, make the meal extra hearty today. Use this as the ingredient."

After dragging the Sea King to the kitchen, Carl spoke to the cook.

"Thank you, Lord Carl."

"Don't just stand there, get to work."

Streusen, the head chef, thanked Carl before ordering the other cooks to begin butchering the Sea King.

Seeing the chefs busy at work, Carl turned and walked toward the family banquet hall.

When he entered the hall, he saw a massive circular table in the center. Charlotte Linlin sat at the head, with a seat to her left clearly reserved for Carl.

The other seats around the round table were already filled with children, while some of the younger ones were in strollers, attended to by maids.

"Ma-ma-ma-ma!"

"Carl!"

Seeing Carl walk in, Charlotte Linlin stood up, walked over, and pulled him to the seat on her left.

"I have an announcement to make today."

"From now on, Carl is your father."

After seating Carl to her left, Charlotte Linlin scanned the room with a smile on her face.

"Father!"

Perospero was the first to stand up and call out to Carl.

"Father!"

"Father!"

The children who could speak followed suit, standing up to call out to Carl.

"Alright, alright, everyone sit down, sit down."

Carl wore a doting smile, pressing his hands down to signal them to take their seats.

Regardless of who your fathers were before, from this day on, your father is I, Rocks D. Carl.

Charlotte Linlin was stunned; she hadn't expected Carl to be a member of the D. clan.

Her shock stemmed from the fact that she knew a thing or two about the D. clan, but a second later, she smiled with pride—after all, Carl was her husband now.

Besides, she was a pirate; she didn't care about such things.

The children present had no idea what the D. clan represented.

They were simply happy to finally have a real father.

"From today on, your names will be changed to Rocks."

"Of course, you are not to tell anyone about the 'D.' in the name."

Although Carl had revealed his name to everyone and had them take his surname, the time wasn't right yet, so they would have to keep the 'D.' in their surname hidden for a while—a period that might last for decades.

"Then I shall be called Rocks Perospero from now on."

Perospero understood Carl's meaning immediately; he was, after all, the future strategist of the Big Mom Pirates.

His intelligence was truly no joke.

The younger brothers and sisters present also began to think about their new names.

The next part was quite lively as they introduced themselves to one another.

Lux Katakuri, Lux Daifuku, Lux Comport, and so on...

While they were conversing, the kitchen staff brought out delicious dishes.

"Let's start eating!"

As the dishes were laid out one by one, Carl said to everyone with a smile.

"Alright, I'm digging in!"

Katakuri was the first to start eating ravenously, and the others soon followed suit.

Carl looked at their youthful, smiling faces, though he couldn't help but think that, at the start of the original story, none of them had been particularly handsome.

After giving it some thought, Carl decided to teach them the Five Elements Fist; it would build a solid foundation for them and hopefully prevent them from growing up into the crooked, ugly figures seen in the original work.

Mealtime passed by in the blink of an eye.

After the meal, Carl summoned Clay.

"Lord Carl, what did you call me for?"

Upon arriving at Charlotte Linlin's base, Clay's first instinct was to ask the purpose of being summoned by Lord Carl.

"I am currently in a relationship with Charlotte Linlin, so her children are my children. You are to teach them the Five Elements Fist in secret."

Clay was stunned the moment he heard the first half of the sentence.

He was shocked; he hadn't expected Lord Carl to be with Charlotte Linlin...

After the shock subsided, he felt a sense of joy. After all, if Lord Carl could be with Charlotte Linlin, it could be considered a union of the strong.

Thinking about it this way, he actually felt this was a tremendous piece of good news.

"However, do not tell anyone about our relationship. It is currently being kept confidential."

Although Clay didn't know why Lord Carl didn't want to make this romance public, he chose to keep it a secret.

"Please rest assured, Lord Carl, I will not speak of this to a third person."

Clay knew that since Lord Carl had said so, there must be reasons he wasn't meant to know.

He didn't dwell on it.

"Mm, it's good that you understand what I mean!"

Carl felt a sense of relief; currently, Clay was the only one by his side who could truly get things done for him.

"Then I'll leave the rest to you."

"I will be heading out to sea soon."

"I trust you with the matters at home."

Seeing how loyal Clay was, Carl thought about bringing something back for him from this voyage.

Afterward, Carl arrived at the port.

Charlotte Linlin and Newgate were already prepared by the docks.

"Brother Newgate, take care of yourself on the journey."

"Gurararara!"

"Don't worry, Carl, you're the one who needs to be careful."

Newgate wasn't afraid; with his strength, unless two or more Admirals came to capture him at once, he could choose to leave the battlefield at any time.

Newgate's ship was the first to depart from the port.

"Stay safe."

"You too!"

At the port, Carl shared a deep embrace with Charlotte Linlin, looking at her with concern.

Perhaps they weren't worried about encountering danger, but rather the fact that they wouldn't be able to see each other for a while.

The "love-struck" mind was truly terrifying.

The group parted ways, each sailing toward their own destination.

As the ship gradually left the port, he wondered if he had been too impatient since joining the Rocks Pirates. Why did it always feel like there was no time to stop and rest?

Or was it simply that the Rocks Pirates in the original story were in a period of massive expansion at this time?

Watching the port fade into the distance, he brushed the thoughts from his mind and turned to walk into the cabin.