One piece: Establishing a Pirate Family

Chapter 455: Sea Circle Calendar Year 1500

Carmel Island!

"Dad! Uncle Red was captured!!"

Early in the morning, Robert came running frantically, clutching a stack of newspapers, heading toward the castle at the center of Carmel Island.

Charlotte stepped out wearing a bathrobe.

"So… the Red Count got caught after all?"

Charlotte murmured as he looked at the newspaper in his hand.

"Is the correction of history really unavoidable…?"

He put down the paper and looked into the distance, where the sun was rising slowly over the horizon.

So Red Count still ended up being captured, just like in the original timeline—only a few years later.

"Dad, should we go rescue him?" Robert asked.

Charlotte glanced at Robert, then back at the article mentioning Impel Down.

"Rescue him? Yes. But… not yet."

A glint of light flashed in Charlotte's eyes.

Robert nodded solemnly in response.

"How's the situation out at sea recently?" Charlotte asked.

Robert scratched his head, unsure how to answer.

Welp, no use asking him. Might as well find Carter instead.

Charlotte changed into his clothes and walked out of the castle.

At the same time—

Reactions across the world to the Red Count's capture varied greatly.

Big Mom (Charlotte Linlin) celebrated with three giant cakes and even hosted a tea party upon hearing that the Red Count—the one who once stopped her—had been captured. She even sent an invitation to Rockefeller Charlotte.

As everyone knew, no one dared refuse an invitation to Big Mom's tea parties.

Except one person—

Rockefeller Charlotte himself.

Well… she only ever invited him anyway. She never considered inviting the old man Whitebeard.

Meanwhile, the Whitebeard Pirates continued sailing the seas—clearing out small fry and recruiting more "sons" along the way.

With the Great Age of Piracy well underway and the number of pirates growing by the day, even Whitebeard's overwhelming power wasn't enough to manage all threats immediately.

This led to significant casualties among his main crew.

So, like Big Mom's crew, the Whitebeard Pirates shifted their strategy.

They recruited a large number of outer pirate crews, turning them into affiliated pirate groups—essentially mercenaries.

But unlike Big Mom's crew, who treated people like tools, Whitebeard took a different approach.

He welcomed these captains as sworn sons, had them drink the oath of brotherhood wine, and allowed them to fly his flag and defend territories in his name.

This not only helped defend Whitebeard's islands from pirate invasions, but also massively expanded his power.

The effects of this strategy were immediate and widespread throughout the New World.

Countless pirate captains who admired or respected Whitebeard or the Whitebeard Pirates flocked to join his growing family.

In just half a year, the Whitebeard Pirates had recruited over 20 affiliated crews.

Their total manpower surged past 30,000.

Even Charlotte and Big Mom were left speechless by the development.

Charlotte found it hard to believe so many people were willing to become someone's son.

He couldn't wrap his head around it no matter how hard he tried.

Big Mom, on the other hand, was simply jealous.

After all, she was the one who pioneered this strategy… yet gained very little from it.

With her mind full of cake, she couldn't figure out where she'd gone wrong.

To be fair, the Big Mom Pirates were propped up almost entirely by her children. Big Mom herself did little besides shouting about cake.

Unless, of course, someone provoked her.

But the Whitebeard Pirates' sudden rise in power also created complications.

Originally, the three great pirate crews coexisted in an uneasy peace.

But Whitebeard's surge in numbers—and the arrogant attitudes of his newly affiliated captains—changed everything.

They believed their "pops" was unbeatable, the strongest man in the world, and thus they behaved recklessly.

They began invading peaceful islands across the Calm Belt.

This escalation made tensions between the three great pirate factions unbearable. The New World was thick with the scent of gunpowder.

Some of Whitebeard's original crew tried to defuse the situation.

But Whitebeard's inaction only emboldened the affiliated pirates to act even more lawlessly.

Time passed quietly.

And so, the calendar turned—

Sea Circle Calendar Year 1500.

After a year and a half of chaos, the New World finally began to stabilize.

The three great pirate crews solidified their territories.

Meanwhile, the rookie pirate crews expanded by conquering surrounding pirates and absorbing their forces.

Totto Land, Cake Island – in the New World

BANG!

Big Mom slammed the table hard.

"You're telling me Whitebeard's men stole a whole shipment of cake from me?!"

Her eyes were red with fury as she glared at the trembling underling.

"Y-yes, ma'am! The desserts we bought from Fish-Man Island were intercepted while passing through Whitebeard's territory. The attacking crew flew the Whitebeard Pirates' flag!"

the underling stammered.

"ARGH! That bastard Whitebeard!! I won't let this slide!! Prepare to set sail—I'm going to kill Newgate!!"

Big Mom screamed the moment she heard that her desserts had been taken.

With her brain constantly filled with sweets, she couldn't grasp how strange the whole situation was.

But just because she didn't notice, didn't mean her children didn't.

"Mom! Mom! Calm down!"

"If we start a war with the Whitebeard Pirates now, we'll just benefit the Rockefeller Pirates instead! And this whole thing feels suspicious. We need to investigate before making any rash decisions!"

Perospero rushed forward to speak up.

"What, you think I'm scared of that brat Charlotte?!"

Big Mom immediately flared up at the mention of the name she hated most, her eyes locking angrily onto Perospero.

Beads of sweat rolled down his face.

"Mom, seriously—this whole thing reeks of conspiracy. Not only our cargo was hit, even Rockefeller Charlotte's shipments have been getting looted lately… yet they haven't reacted at all. That alone is suspicious. We shouldn't act without knowing more."

Katakuri stepped forward, calmly adding his support.

Big Mom blinked when she heard that even Charlotte's goods had been looted.

Then she burst into laughter.

"Ma ma ma ma ma! That brat Charlotte got his stuff stolen too? Now that's some good news! Ma ma ma ma ma ma!"

Everyone watching her laugh helplessly couldn't help but sigh.

What on earth was going on in her head?

"Go! Send a message to Rockefeller Charlotte!"

"Tell him I'll let bygones be bygones. As long as our two crews join forces to take down the Whitebeard Pirates, we'll split his territory 50-50 afterward!"

Big Mom suddenly announced.

Her eyes gleamed red, and greed spread across her face.

Everyone around immediately began making preparations.

It was actually a good idea—

But whether the Rockefeller Pirates would agree… that remained to be seen.

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