In the Giant Race's banquet hall, after a day and night of deep sleep, the giants with better physical constitutions and relatively lower alcohol consumption had already begun to wake up one after another.
"This is bad! This is bad! King Harald!"
The warrior responsible for guarding the gate, after sobering up, immediately discovered that conspicuous note nailed to the door frame and rushed into the hall, stumbling and crawling.
"Ugh... what's wrong?" On the throne, Harald rubbed his forehead, which was throbbing from a hangover, his voice raspy.
"Is someone coming to attack? Harald!"
Rocks, who was slumped on the opposite table, was also woken up by the noise. He raised his head, his eyes filled with excitement.
"As long as you nod and join my Pirate Crew, even if the World Government comes, I'll settle it for you!"
"Impossible! Rocks, I will never associate with a villain like you!"
Harald flatly refused, forcing himself to look at the panicked guard.
"Speak, what exactly happened?"
"King! It's, it's that Charlotte Linlin! She kidnapped Ripley!!"
The guard hurriedly handed over the note.
Harald snatched it away, only to see written in bold, flamboyant handwriting:
Harald, I'm taking Ripley, the biology teacher from your national school! This old lady wants her! — Charlotte Linlin.
"What?!!" Harald was instantly wide awake, standing up abruptly. His massive roar made the hall's dome hum and vibrate.
"When did this happen?! Where is Ripley?!"
"A-about a day ago... We, we were all drunk... Teacher Ripley's home has been completely emptied out now..."
The guard lowered his head in shame. Although they were drinking with the King's permission, neglecting their duties was still a fact.
"Rocks! Look at the 'good deed' your Crew member has done!!"
Harald was beyond furious, slamming a palm onto the wooden table in front of him. The table, made of the adam tree, shook violently, waking the rest of the Rocks Pirates' Crew members who were still asleep.
"Wuhahahahaha!!!" Instead of getting angry, Rocks burst into hearty laughter.
"Linlin did a great job! She actually managed to kidnap... no, invite a Giant Race partner before I did!"
"How about it, Harald! This is what you call fate! Become my partner! Together, we will go and seize the throne of the 'king of the world'!"
"Get out!! Rocks! I don't want to see you right now! Take your people and get out of Elbaf immediately!!"
Harald's roar almost blew the roof off the entire banquet hall.
Meanwhile, Rocks' bold and somewhat gloating laughter continued to echo through the hall:
"Wuhahahahaha—!!!"
...Hachinosu Island, Heavenly Calamity Pirates headquarters.
The familiar scene of "bodies strewn everywhere" was playing out again—this was the aftermath of the banquet held to celebrate Ripley officially joining the Heavenly Calamity Pirates.
The morning sunlight spilled into the hall through the window. Charlotte Linlin slowly opened her eyes, feeling a heavy Warmth on her belly.
"This pillow... is quite comfortable. I really want to sleep a bit longer..."
She thought groggily, her head couldn't help but nuzzle against it to find a comfortable position, and she fell back into a deep sleep.
After some time, Charlotte Linlin opened her eyes again. She carefully picked up Gloriosa, who was clinging to her belly like an octopus while sleeping soundly, and gently placed her on a soft cushion nearby. She then stretched comfortably, feeling like lying down for a bit longer.
She looked back at the "large bed" that made her feel exceptionally comfortable and warm—well, it was Gölz.
Ah... this... then the "pillow" just now... Charlotte Linlin glanced up at Gölz's massive bosom... It seemed there was no chance of going back to sleep there.
She guessed that Gölz probably treated her like her own toy doll.
Charlotte Linlin got off Gölz without a hint of embarrassment. Her movements were light, for fear of waking this subordinate who was sleeping soundly.
Walking out of the banquet hall and breathing in the fresh air, she began to organize her plans for the future.
With Ripley joining, the framework of her Pirate Crew was basically formed.
For Emperor-level combat power, there was herself; Gloriosa, who had awakened Conqueror's Haki and was steadily improving in strength, had roughly reached the level of an Emperor's Vice Captain;
Gölz, who had overcome her psychological fears and could skillfully use the Soul-Soul Fruit ability, had strength comparable to a Shichibukai;
Plus Ripley, who was already an elite Vice Admiral-level warrior. If she could find a suitable Devil Fruit for Ripley, her Pirate Crew's "Three Calamities"... or should they be called the "Three Disasters"? They would be fully assembled.
Thinking of this, a satisfied smile couldn't help but curl at the corners of Charlotte Linlin's mouth.
However, as for Devil Fruits... currently, Kurozumi Mushi hadn't sent back any valuable information.
This was normal. Except for those who were not thinking clearly or didn't know the value of the goods, who would keep a powerful Devil Fruit without using it?
Unless they were like the Celestial Dragons, holding the world's power and disdaining to rely on the power of a fruit. Otherwise, most fruits fell into the hands of powerful Pirate Crews.
Moreover, top-tier Devil Fruits seemed to have a consciousness of their own and would choose their users. Looking at it this way, finding a fruit particularly suitable for Ripley would be even more difficult.
Devil Fruits could only be left to fate. She turned her attention to the additional manpower needed for long-term sailing.
"Now there's a Navigator, a Chef, and a Ship Doctor on board. To sail for a long time at sea, a shipwright is still missing... well, it seems we're not lacking one either."
She thought of the new ship Rocks had given her, which was made almost entirely of the adam tree. Because this ship was constructed entirely from the adam tree, it was incredibly sturdy, and the need for daily maintenance was inherently very low.
If she then had Gölz use her ability to bestow a "soul" upon the hull for self-repair and fine-tuning, the necessity for a shipwright would be even smaller.
"However... having a professional shipwright on board would ultimately be more convenient and secure. But the most important thing is the need for sailors! Especially Fishman sailors who are familiar with the water and are ideally a sea-dwelling race themselves!"
Charlotte Linlin's gaze swept over the Crew members still sleeping below, her heart alert. The top brass of the Heavenly Calamity Pirates were either giants or Devil Fruit users. If someone fell into the sea during a battle, they wouldn't even be able to find anyone to fish them out for rescue.
"No wonder basically every famous Pirate Crew has a Fishman member. So that's how it is."
At this moment, she finally had an epiphany. She understood the irreplaceable strategic value of Fishman Crew members in a Pirate Crew—they were the maritime insurance for all the Devil Fruit users on the ship!
The Rocks Pirates have Baobeier... no, it's Babel. The Roger Pirates have Sunbell. It turns out Fishmen also double as "professional salvage teams"!
A thought then arose: Could she use the Soul-Soul Fruit's ability to attach souls to the crew's clothing, so they would automatically turn into life jackets and float up when their owners fell into the water? After all, the creations of the Devil Fruit itself were not afraid of seawater.
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