Chapter 301: Simon, Loryn, Ackerman
"Come on up, Gibetta! You're the last one!"
Charlotte turned his gaze to Gibetta, who had been waiting patiently for his turn.
Kakarot stepped back, and Gibetta took his place.
"Go ahead, pick the one you like," Charlotte said.
Gibetta scanned the remaining Devil Fruits, then reached out without hesitation.
"Dad! I want this one—the Obsidian Fruit!"
Obsidian!
Charlotte nodded in approval. That was a great choice. The fruit's defining trait—its hardness—was comparable to diamond. At the very least, Gibetta would be on par with Diamond Jozu from the Whitebeard Pirates.
"Alright! If that's your pick, go ahead and eat it!"
Gibetta stared at the pitch-black fruit covered in crystalline scales, then took a bite.
As he finished, a surge of power erupted from within him. Black crystalline plates began forming across his body, eventually covering him from head to toe in gleaming black obsidian armor.
Charlotte tapped lightly on Gibetta's shoulder, gauging its strength. He smiled.
"This toughness… I'd say only someone at the level of a sword master could break through this!"
Tap tap!
Charlotte rapped his knuckles on Gibetta's obsidian-covered chest.
"Not bad, kid! You're solid! One day you can go head-to-head with that diamond boy from Whitebeard's crew. We'll see which one of you is harder!" Charlotte joked.
"I won't let you down, Dad!" Gibetta replied with conviction.
"Hahaha! Good! I'll be waiting for that day!"
Charlotte laughed heartily, ruffling Gibetta's hair.
Now that all the Devil Fruits had been distributed, their easy days were officially over. From now on, these kids would join their older siblings in training, leaving behind their carefree childhood.
Of course, the training wasn't inhumane.
Charlotte had crafted a regimen based on his past life's military experience—pushing physical limits and steadily improving the body. He wasn't worried about hurting them either. This world's extraordinary nature far surpassed Earth's. Progress might be slow, but it was visible and effective.
Besides, all of Charlotte's children inherited bits of his incredible talent. Just look at his eldest son and daughter—both absolute monsters in terms of talent and combat ability.
In this world, true growth only came through battle. Training alone couldn't create a true powerhouse.
Estes and Caesar were prime examples. Estes went to the battlefield at just eight years old, fighting alongside Barrett amidst bullets and blades. Caesar, too, constantly battled pirates—and was beaten by Charlotte every day.
Being beaten down daily had made Caesar progress even faster than Estes. Coupled with his Azure Dragon Fruit, even Estes might not be able to beat him now.
With that fruit, Caesar could already withstand a Vice Admiral in direct combat—at least a regular one. Against someone like Garp, he'd still be flattened with one punch.
Vice Admiral Darren, for example, had been aging and weak—barely a combatant. His strength was so poor that even a Marine colonel might have defeated him. That's how Caesar scored an easy win.
As for Onigumo, based on his elite camp records, his combat level was between Commodore and Rear Admiral. He might have held the rank of captain, but that was due to insufficient merit. Still, he managed to fight Estes to a standstill.
Their battle had already caught the Navy's attention, but Charlotte expected that. Becoming a pirate meant being wanted—it was inevitable.
From the moment his children were born into the Rockefeller family, they bore the pirate brand.
One day a pirate, a lifetime a pirate. That's something that couldn't be washed away.
Sometimes Charlotte wondered if he had dragged his children into this—forcing them to inherit his identity. Like his own father, who had also been a pirate.
But thinking about it did no good. Fate had already taken its course.
He hadn't chosen to become a pirate—it just happened. Before he knew it, he'd become one.
A great pirate.
And now, there was no turning back.
In this high-powered world, strength was everything.
Pirate or not—it didn't matter.
As long as you're strong, who cares?
---
After setting Judge free and distributing the Devil Fruits to his children, it was finally time to leave the North Blue.
Their next destination: the West Blue.
To get there, they had to pass through Reverse Mountain.
Reverse Mountain was a towering peak located on the Red Line, where the four seas met. It was one of the few gateways into the Grand Line.
Every ship that wanted to enter the Grand Line had to pass through Reverse Mountain.
After more than ten days of sailing, Charlotte finally laid eyes on one of this world's greatest natural wonders:
Reverse Mountain.
A giant river soared skyward, disappearing into the clouds.
"So this is Reverse Mountain… The seawater really flows upward!" gasped the children, running to the bow of the ship, their eyes wide in wonder.
"Be careful! The currents here are extremely violent—don't fall in!" Illyana called out as she followed after them, keeping a watchful eye.
Illyana had grown fond of being around the children, taking responsibility for looking after them.
"Aunt Illyana, are we really going up there?" Trunks pointed at the towering river above.
Illyana glanced at Charlotte before nodding. "Yes, we'll be going up there soon. So no more roughhousing—it's dangerous!"
She patted Trunks' head and led the children back inside.
Nearly two years had passed, and Charlotte's children had grown as well.
In that time, the Rockefeller Family welcomed three new members:
12th son: Rockefeller Simon
9th daughter: Rockefeller Loryn
13th son: Rockefeller Ackerman
These two sons and one daughter were born from Charlotte's maids and Kozuki Toki.
Loryn was the daughter of Toki.
Over the last two years, Charlotte had successfully won over Toki, and she gave birth to their daughter.
The other two women, Wendy and Monica, were Charlotte's personal maids—both Zoan-type Devil Fruit users.
After Charlotte decided to move on from chasing after Illyana and her five sisters, he brought in a few new beauties. Only three of them got pregnant.
But Charlotte wasn't in a rush.
As he stared at Reverse Mountain ahead, he felt a surge of pride and excitement.
"Full speed ahead to Reverse Mountain—set course for the West Blue!"
Charlotte jumped to the ship's highest point and pointed toward the towering peak.
"Yes! Up Reverse Mountain!"
The entire crew echoed his shout.
The unified voices of over a thousand men pierced through the clouds, echoing across the mountain.
On the mountain itself, a lone lighthouse stood—guiding ships through the treacherous waters.
Inside the lighthouse, a man gripping a harpoon frowned as he stared into the distance.
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