Hearing Rocks's words, the captains present went straight toward the people they had their eyes on without any hesitation.
Clearly, the pirates who had made it all the way to Hachinosu knew where they stood. Recruitment went smoothly for all the captains, and not a single pirate dared turn down their offers.
Lind was delighted to have recruited five subordinates. He immediately appointed them as squad leaders, making them the first core members of his crew.
The young Oni joined Newgate's division instead. The strong and talented certainly enjoyed special privileges: the young Oni was allowed to choose whichever captain he wanted to serve.
Whitebeard clearly held greater appeal for most pirates, and the young Oni chose him without much hesitation.
As for why he had never appeared later in the story, Lind figured he might have been specifically targeted and killed during the battle at God Valley.
After all, Cipher Pol had plenty of twisted individuals who enjoyed killing talented people with tremendous potential before they grew strong enough.
Once the officers had been chosen, it was time to recruit ordinary subordinates. There was little need to be selective here; they could simply let the pirates choose whichever division they wanted to join.
Since Lind had only just established his division and had no subordinates, many pirates wanted to try their luck with him.
With the other captains looking out for him as well, Lind recruited the most subordinates this time.
Nearly a hundred of the three hundred pirates joined Lind. Together with the officers he had recruited earlier, his division was essentially complete. All that remained was training, learning to work together, and making a name for themselves!
"Wahahaha! Now that the captains have finished choosing, today's selection is over!"
"Flame Flower, have some people clean up. Then we'll start the banquet and welcome our new comrades!"
Seeing that all the newly selected pirates had joined their respective divisions, Rocks waved a hand and decided to welcome the new members with a banquet!
"Woohoo! A banquet!"
Amid wave after wave of cheers, another banquet began!
Off to the side, Lind kept grumbling to himself. They really were pirates-all they did was throw banquets every day!
Still, he was only complaining inwardly. In truth, Lind quite enjoyed banquets and the like!
Laughing heartily, he went off to bond with his new crew members!
The next morning, Lind woke up in bed with his head feeling groggy.
Feeling his naked body and seeing the pink hair beside him only made his head ache worse!
"Sure enough, even if alcohol can't get you drunk, it can still go to your head and make you act on impulse!"
Recalling last night's madness, Lind still found it somewhat unbelievable.
It's over. My first time, gone just like that-and with Charlotte Linlin, of all people.
Lind rubbed his temples again. Look on the bright side. At least I don't have to take responsibility. Just treat it as a one-night stand!
With someone like Charlotte Linlin, even if Lind wanted to be responsible, there probably wasn't much he could do.
All he could say was that if he had hit the jackpot and gotten her pregnant, he would try to be a good father-the kind who was divorced from his wife, with custody of the child going to the mother.
For some reason, Lind suddenly remembered Qiao Weidong's classic line from A Little Reunion: "Yingzi, open the door! It's Daddy!"
After all, judging by Charlotte Linlin's personality in the original story, any child she gave birth to would surely lead a stifling life and need a father's warmth.
"Lind, you're awake?"
A clear voice brought Lind back to reality after his thoughts had wandered far afield.
"Ah, Linlin. You're awake too!"
A long silence followed. With no experience in such matters, Lind was at a loss as to how to handle the situation.
Really, it wasn't such a big deal. Charlotte Linlin currently had both a stunning figure and a beautiful face, and she hadn't even been with that many men.
After all, Charlotte Linlin simply liked having children. Most likely, she had only been intimate with her previous husbands, and she had driven them away as soon as she became pregnant!
Come to think of it, he had never really heard any rumors about Charlotte Linlin being promiscuous. Unsure what to say, Lind began letting his thoughts run wild again.
Having lived in the modern world, Lind only needed to think of the current Charlotte Linlin as a woman from his previous life who had been through a few relationships. There wasn't much difference.
As his thoughts wandered, Lind soon talked himself around and accepted reality.
"Well? Did you like my thank-you gift?"
Seeing Lind sitting there in a daze, Charlotte Linlin hooked her right hand under his chin and whispered into his ear.
"Heh, of course I did."
Lind gave her a stiff smile, a perfect example of someone getting a bargain and still acting coy.
Looking at Charlotte Linlin's face, Lind recalled what had happened last night.
As the banquet neared its end, Lind had drunk all his crew members under the table with his formidable "drinking prowess" and was quietly enjoying the food alone.
Seeing that no one else was around Lind, Charlotte Linlin had come over to ask about her signature verse.
Without thinking much of it, Lind had written the verse down for her.
Charlotte Linlin had been delighted to receive it.
In a lavish gesture, she had given Lind a Devil Fruit and said she had more gifts at home, inviting him back with her to collect them.
Although Lind had guessed what those "gifts" were, the alcohol had left him quite willing to accept them.
Instead, he had used telekinesis to retrieve a fruit from his treasury-a fruit that could change his body size.
The last time Lind had eaten one, his height had shot past six meters. Though he still fell short of Charlotte Linlin, he was about as tall as Newgate, and the effect had lasted twelve hours.
Everything afterward had followed naturally. Faced with Charlotte Linlin's invitation, Lind had eaten the fruit, and everything else had followed.
"That felt wonderful, Lind. Come find me again whenever you feel like it!"
Beside him, Charlotte Linlin licked her lips and nibbled his ear as she spoke.
Before Lind could do anything else, she got up and dressed.
"You probably can't fit into your clothes right now, can you? How long until that fruit wears off? Stay here with me until then!"
Charlotte Linlin gave Lind a flirtatious look and left the room, reciting the signature verse he had written for her as she walked.
"The queen's sword dances, stirring ocean tides; dreams chase the sails where towering waves divide."
"Thunder and flame overturn earth and sky; Hakai cleaves countless waves without a cry."
"Though peril lies ahead, I know no fear; let all the world oppose me-I stand here."
"When Totto Land rises from empty air, who dares deny the royal path lies there?"
After finishing the verse, Charlotte Linlin murmured so softly it was barely audible:
"Thank you, Lind!"
Then she strode out of the room, leaving Lind alone to quietly contemplate his life.
Charlotte Linlin's final words left Lind wondering whether she wanted his genes or had genuinely meant to "thank" him this way.
"What a mess. I have a feeling this probably won't be the last time. I'll take things as they come. Right now, the most important thing is to build up my strength and my forces."
"Once I'm strong enough and have enough power behind me, none of these problems will be problems anymore."
Lind lay in bed, waiting for the fruit's effects to slowly fade while quietly considering his future plans.
Charlotte Linlin never came back after leaving the room. Perhaps she wanted to give Lind some time alone.
A few more hours passed before the effect finally wore off, and Lind returned to his original size.
"When I get back, I need to find a way to get some suitable clothes. Otherwise, transforming again is going to be pretty awkward."
Muttering to himself, Lind quickly dressed, then used telekinesis to avoid everyone and return to his villa.
Once back at the villa, Lind gulped down two large glasses of water to settle himself, then sat at his desk and began writing and sketching.
"The next two months will be devoted to training my crew and refitting the Wanderer! I wonder how skilled the shipwrights on Hachinosu are."
"I'll make do for now. First, I'll turn it into a proper seagoing ship. If necessary, I can go somewhere like Water 7 later and have it properly refitted."
Before you continue