"Add exactly two million in bounty, one point eight million worth of weapons and ammunition, and the treasure from those two ships... on this run, I made about four point eight million Beli."
Leaving the Navy branch they had worked with for years, Carina carried a black case and nodded in satisfaction. "Same as always. I’m keeping four million, and the remaining eight hundred thousand gets sent back to the orphanage."
After speaking, Carina fixed Karl with a sharp look and said sternly, "I’m warning you. You are not allowed to steal money again to order strange custom gear."
"Strange gear? What are you talking about? My armor was modeled on the King of Knights. Doesn’t it look cool?" Karl, mid-yawn, sounded indignant.
Carina rolled her eyes. "Don’t think I didn’t check. There isn’t any so-called King of Knights in this world. That title of yours is something you made up."
"Whatever. You wouldn’t understand anyway."
Karl didn’t argue. He just wore an infuriating look that said he didn’t understand at all.
A vein popped on Carina’s forehead as her eyes flared. "Fine. Then for the next month at sea, you’re doing the cooking."
"I was wrong. I promise I won’t steal money again." Karl surrendered instantly before the head chef.
With his appetite, Carina had to spend hours every day just on three meals.
Without Carina, Karl’s awful cooking could barely manage food that wasn’t raw.
Satisfying his taste buds would be impossible.
Holding Karl’s fatal weakness in her hand, Carina let out a cold snort.
But in her heart she couldn’t help a wry smile. No matter how many times, she still had zero resistance to this side of Karl.
Soon, the two quarrelsome sweethearts returned to the pier, took the sloop, and set out for the island where Waldingburg was located.
"All these years you’ve been looking for the legendary treasure of the seas. Is it to become an ability user?"
After fixing the helm to a steady course, Carina leaned on the rail and asked as she watched Karl munching fruit.
Karl chomped another piece of fruit and mumbled, "I was preparing it for you."
"For me?" Carina pointed at herself in surprise.
Swallowing the not-quite-chewed pulp, Karl’s lips curled. "Of course. After seeing the power of my spear, do you really think I need to become an ability user?"
As if recalling a scene, Carina nodded, her lips lifting slightly. On the surface she said with pride, "I heard ability users turn into landlubbers. My goal is to save up for a big ship with a swimming pool. I’m not giving up swimming."
"No worries. I can take you along."
His gaze slid over Carina’s softly budding figure, hinting at future curves, and Karl suddenly gave a wicked grin. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩⚫𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢⚫𝔫𝔢𝔱
Carina shot Karl a glare and scoffed. "Those people who gave you the title knight must all be blind. Which of the eight knightly virtues do you even have?"
"Of course I have one. Honesty." Karl straightened his chest, proud.
"Hopeless," Carina said, covering her face.
"Tch. It’s not like you haven’t bathed with me before. You dragged me in to wash and now you’re playing shy. I’m only taking you for a swim. What’s going on in that head of yours?"
Waldingburg was located on Kadenas Island in the East Blue.
It was a very ordinary island, with a town that was neither big nor small.
But the nearby islands had no kingdoms, and this area did not belong to any member nation, so it wasn’t under Navy protection. It was one of the East Blue’s lawless zones.
Even so, no pirates had occupied or plundered the town, because here stood one of the East Blue’s few dark marketplaces, commonly called the black market.
"Looking for Waldingburg? See that mountain? Go through town and reach the summit, and you’ll find a castle. That’s where you’re headed."
After anchoring, Carina bought a map at a dockside stall as usual, only to find no Waldingburg section on the town map.
Instinctively, Karl and Carina thought the gang boss had lied.
So Carina asked the stall owner and learned Waldingburg really did exist.
"So it’s on the mountaintop." Carina nodded in faint realization.
Karl slid an arm around Carina’s shoulders, and the two walked toward town like a young couple.
"Can your sensing cover that place?"
Nestled against Karl, Carina asked in a low voice.
Karl nodded, a rare spark of excitement on his face. "I can feel two strong auras. Looks like the intel was real."
"Rein in your aura. Don’t alert the snake by beating the grass."
Sensing the rising, oppressive pressure from Karl, Carina hurriedly reminded him.
"Sorry. Body’s instinct," Karl said helplessly.
Like a young man brimming with energy and nowhere to put it.
His terrifying physique not only gave him an appetite no less than Charlotte Linlin’s as a child, it also gave him stamina countless times stronger than ordinary people.
Now the boy Karl vented his energy through battle.
If he wasn’t hunting pirates, he was diving to fight sea beasts.
After so many years, at some point Karl had acquired a battle maniac’s streak.
That fearless urge to cross fists with the strong also drove his Haki to improve at breakneck speed.
If destiny existed, then perhaps one day Karl could awaken the one-in-a-million Conqueror’s Haki.