Hearing Rocks' words, the captains present wasted no time and immediately approached the ones they had set their sights on.
It was clear that any pirate who had made it to Hachinosu had a strong sense of self-awareness. The captains' recruitment efforts went smoothly, with no one daring to refuse their invitations.
After successfully recruiting five subordinates, Lind was quite pleased and immediately appointed them as squad leaders, forming the core of his crew.
As for the young Oni, he ultimately joined Newgate's ranks. It was undeniable that the strong and talented always had privileges. The young Oni was given the freedom to choose which captain to follow, and for most pirates, Whitebeard was the more attractive option. Without hesitation, the youth chose him.
As for why he never appeared in the future, Lind suspected he might have been specifically targeted and killed during the God Valley battle.
After all, the Cipher Pol organization had plenty of twisted individuals who took pleasure in eliminating talented but underdeveloped prodigies.
Once the key officers were selected, it was time to recruit ordinary crew members. There wasn't much need to be selective here—pirates could simply choose which division they wanted to join.
Since Lind had just formed his crew and had no subordinates, many pirates were eager to try their luck with him.
With the captains' assistance, Lind ended up recruiting the largest number of men. Out of the 300 surviving pirates, nearly 100 joined him. Combined with his newly appointed officers, his division was now fully formed. All that remained was training, cohesion, and building their reputation.
"Hohohoho! Now that the captains have made their choices, today's selection is over!"
"John, get some men to clean up, and then we'll throw a feast to welcome our new comrades!"
Seeing that the new recruits had joined their respective divisions, Rocks waved his hand and declared a grand feast to celebrate their induction into the crew.
"Wooohoo! A feast!"
With a wave of cheers, another celebration began.
Lind, watching all this, couldn't help but sigh. 'Pirates, huh? All they do is party.'
Of course, that was just an internal complaint. In reality, Lind rather enjoyed the festivities. Laughing heartily, he went to bond with his new subordinates.
The next morning, Lind woke up with a groggy head.
As he became more aware of his surroundings, he felt his bare skin and caught sight of a lock of pink hair beside him. His headache worsened.
'Turns out, even if you don't get drunk, alcohol still makes you reckless.'
Recalling the madness of last night, Lind found it all a bit surreal.
'Damn it. My first time… just gone like that. And the partner was Charlotte Linlin of all people.'
Rubbing his temples, he tried to look on the bright side. At least he didn't have to take responsibility. He'd just treat it as a one-night stand.
Not that responsibility was an option anyway. Even if he wanted to be a stand-up guy, there wasn't much he could do about it.
If, by chance, she got pregnant, well… he'd try to be a good father. Something like those divorced dads who only see their kids occasionally.
For some reason, he suddenly remembered a scene from a show in his past life where the dad knocked on the door, saying, "Honey, open up. It's Daddy!"
Given Charlotte Linlin's personality in the original story, if she had kids, they'd probably grow up in a suffocating environment. They'd need a father's warmth.
"Lind, you're awake?"
A crisp voice pulled him back to reality.
"Ah, Linlin, you're up too."
Then, silence.
Having no experience in such situations, Lind didn't know what to say.
Come to think of it, Charlotte Linlin wasn't lacking in looks or figure at this age. And despite her many children, she probably hadn't had that many partners—most likely only a few ex-husbands before she kicked them out post-conception.
There weren't any rumors about her being promiscuous.
Lost in his thoughts again, Lind quickly convinced himself to accept reality.
"How was my gratitude? Did you like it?"
Charlotte Linlin hooked a finger under his chin and whispered into his ear.
"Heh, of course I liked it."
Lind forced a smile—the kind of smug grin that someone wears after getting the better end of a deal.
As he looked at Linlin's face, memories of the previous night surfaced.
At the tail end of the banquet, after outdrinking all his subordinates, Lind had been enjoying his meal alone.
Charlotte Linlin had noticed that he was by himself and approached to ask about a poetic creed.
Lind, thinking nothing of it, had written one for her on the spot.
She had been delighted and, in return, generously gifted him a Devil Fruit, promising even more gifts at her home.
Lind had a good idea of what the so-called "gift" was, but under the influence of alcohol, he didn't mind accepting it.
Instead, he had used his telekinesis to retrieve a particular fruit from his treasury—one that altered his physique.
The last time he consumed it, his height had exceeded six meters. Though he still wasn't as tall as Charlotte Linlin, he was now comparable to Newgate. The effect lasted a solid twelve hours.
What happened afterward was only natural. When Charlotte Linlin invited him, Lind swallowed the fruit and… well, the rest was history.
"It felt great, Lind. If you ever want to do it again, just come find me."
Charlotte Linlin licked her lips and nibbled on his ear before getting up and dressing.
"You probably can't fit into your clothes right now, can you? How long until that fruit's effect wears off? You might as well stay here until then."
Throwing him a playful wink, she turned and left, reciting the poem Lind had given her as she walked:
(skip if you want, I don't wanna touch it)
"The queen swings her sword, commanding the tides,
Dreams chase the sails, breaking the waves high.
Thunder and fire entwine, shaking the heavens,
Silently reigning, the sea bows before her might.
Peril lies ahead, yet fear is unknown,
Even if the world stands against her, she will not falter.
When Totto Land rises from nothing,
Who dares to say this is not the road of kings?"
After reciting the poem, she murmured softly, barely audible:
"…Thank you, Lind."
Then she strode out, leaving Lind alone in the room, lost in thought.
That last whispered thank you made Lind question if Linlin had truly wanted his genes or if this was genuinely her way of expressing gratitude.
"Sins of the past… I have a feeling this won't be the last time. I'll take it one step at a time. For now, the priority is strengthening myself and my forces."
"When my power and influence are great enough, no problem will be unsolvable."
Lying on the bed, Lind waited for the fruit's effects to subside while contemplating his future plans.
Charlotte Linlin hadn't returned after leaving, likely wanting to give him some space.
A few hours later, the fruit's effects finally wore off, and Lind returned to his original size.
"I really need to get a proper outfit for this. If this happens again, it's going to be embarrassing."
Muttering to himself, he quickly got dressed and, using telekinesis to avoid being seen, slipped back to his villa.
Once inside, he downed two large glasses of water, calmed his mind, and sat down at his desk, scribbling notes.
"The next two months will be for training my crew and modifying the Unfettered… I wonder how skilled Hachinosu's shipwrights are."
"I'll make do for now. At least get it into decent shape. If needed, I can always visit a place like Water 7 for a full upgrade later."