Chapter 280: North Blue
Charlotte's sons were as follows:
Caesar (born in 1482, 8 years old)
Tesla (born in 1483, 7 years old)
Robert (born in 1485, 5 years old)
Deidara (born in 1485, 5 years old)
Logan (born in 1487, 3 years old)
Philip (born in 1487, 3 years old)
Trunks (born in 1487, 3 years old)
Kakarot (born in 1487, 3 years old)
Jibeta (born in 1487, 3 years old)
Klein (born in 1490, newborn)
Leonard (born in 1490, newborn)
With 8 daughters and 11 sons, the Rockefeller family now had 19 children.
The eldest daughter, Esdeath, was already 10 years old.
Caesar was 8, Tesla 7, and the others were all younger.
The most recent six—Klein, Slude, Skadi, Leonard, Hilde, and Swifa—were all newborns from this year.
In six years, Irene and the other five women had given him 19 children.
Charlotte felt deep gratitude for them—
But at the same time…
A hint of guilt.
As he looked at Jeanne, pale and weak from childbirth, his mind drifted to the other wives who had also endured this.
Charlotte lowered his head in silent reflection.
"This will be our last child. We won't have any more."
He gently held Jeanne's hand.
She looked at him, her voice weak but smiling.
"Husband… it's okay. If you love children, I don't mind…"
Hearing this—
Charlotte's guilt only deepened.
He held her hand tightly, saying nothing.
A long silence filled the room.
Watching them, Esdeath—
The eldest daughter—quietly left the room.
The Poseidon sailed smoothly across the calm, crystal-clear waters of the North Blue.
The Rockefeller Pirates had entered the North Blue.
Far ahead, several Navy warships were patrolling the sea.
"Commander Doberman! The Maxi Pirates—bounty 25 million—are reportedly in this area. Should we begin a search?"
A Marine Major stood at attention, awaiting orders.
Doberman, chewing on his cigar, frowned.
"Search them out! We must wipe out all criminals. Send word to the local naval bases—be ready for action!"
"Yes, sir!"
The Major saluted and hurried off.
Doberman was only a Major, yet he commanded North Blue's naval forces like an Admiral.
Normally, this would be impossible—since a Major's authority was equal to a local Captain's.
But—
Doberman had trained in the Marine Elite Camp, personally taught by Admiral Zephyr.
Moreover, he had Governor Darren's backing.
In the North Blue, few dared disobey him.
"Pirates… they're nothing but filth."
Doberman exhaled smoke, his scarred face twisting into a look of pure contempt.
Since graduating from the Elite Camp, he had followed Vice Admiral Sakazuki, purging the North Blue of countless pirates.
No pirate had ever escaped him.
His reputation in North Blue was fearsome.
However, even he had to admit—
The real monster in this sea wasn't him.
The North Blue was the most chaotic of the four seas.
Pirates were everywhere.
Unlike the Grand Line, many pirates never left their home sea.
Most of them never even attempted to enter the Grand Line or the New World.
They knew the dangers.
The Grand Line had claimed countless pirates—either destroyed in Paradise or crushed by New World emperors.
The only major pirate to gain infamy from North Blue was World Destroyer Byrnndi World.
Yet even he had been defeated and erased by Rockefeller Charlotte before his legend could truly rise.
Even the Eight Treasures Navy of West Blue had lasted longer than World's crew.
At least Chinjao's fleet had survived in the New World for five years.
No one mocked them for failing.
After all, even the Navy had suffered defeats in the New World.
Pirates feared the unknown—
And so, most remained in their own seas.
This was why the Navy continued deploying forces across the Four Blues.
Most pirates never even reached the Grand Line.
As the fleet sailed, Doberman suddenly felt a sense of unease.
"Something's wrong…"
A foreboding premonition clouded his mind.
He looked up at the horizon and spotted a tiny black dot in the distance.
"What's that? An island?"
As the dot grew larger, his eyes widened.
"No… it's a ship. A pirate ship!"
Grabbing his binoculars, he focused in.
And then he saw it.
A massive vessel with a skull emblem, pierced by a sword.
The flag of the Rockefeller Pirates.
Charlotte hadn't put much thought into his Jolly Roger.
When he first drew it, it was just a random design.
But then, one day, Irene had joked:
"Your flag is quite interesting. It looks like 'Lust leads to the sword'."
That stuck with him.
After that, Charlotte couldn't shake the feeling that his flag might've been a mistake.
But at this point, his name was already known worldwide.
It was too late to change it.
Doberman froze, staring at the monstrous ship before him.
"This… is too big. The North Blue has no pirate ships like this."
He gritted his teeth.
He didn't recognize the flag, but if they were pirates, they had to die.
"Turn the ships! Close in on them!"
Doberman slammed his fist against the railing.
"All pirates must be wiped out!"
His blood boiled with excitement.
For three days, his patrol fleet had found nothing.
They were about to return to base.
Now, they had finally found prey.
Even if these weren't the targets he was hunting, pirates were pirates.
They all deserved to die.
"Prepare for battle!"
The Marine warships altered course, sailing straight toward Charlotte's flagship.
On deck, the sailors rushed to their stations, manning the cannons.
They knew their Captain's reputation.
Doberman was a fanatic.
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