Chapter 444: Eight Years, Ten Births

The North Blue, Deil Province.

Since arriving in the North Blue nine years ago, Luffy and Long Bread had settled in a rural church in Deil Province, running it as a church orphanage with three hundred boys.

Long Bread was the bishop; Luffy was the nun.

For years, the two had raised the three hundred boys with their own hands, feeding them, cleaning them, turning them all plump and healthy.

Gazing at the boys sleeping soundly in the church, Luffy wore a smile she hadn’t shown in years.

Raising children was hard and exhausting, but as the boys grew day by day, Luffy truly felt herself drawing closer to becoming the King of the World.

Had the United Kingdom not been so powerful,

Luffy would have bound Vinzomoko Gatz, Vegapunk, and Caesar outright, continuing to breed offspring en masse using genetic factors.

After all, before the United Kingdom, three hundred boys were still too few to be safe.

Had she had three thousand boys, why wait any longer? She could lead them straight into the Holy City of Sky.

Just as Barzab Seven had overthrown the World Government, she would topple the United Kingdom, absorb its land, sea, and air forces, and crown herself Queen of the World.

She could just as well become Charlotte Luffy the Saint.

Unlike Luffy, whose future brimmed with hope,

Long Bread, compared to nine years ago, had shrunk drastically in height and now exuded a weary, defeated air, as if he had lost all his dreams.

Having lived most of his life,

Long Bread had witnessed the Rocks era, the Golden Age of Pirates, and now the New Era, serving as the crew’s chef aboard the Rocks Pirates from the start.

As a veteran chef, Long Bread had dreamed of the mythical All Blue, where all the fish of the four seas converged.

But bound by old loyalty, he was forced to remain trapped in this rural church, accompanying Luffy in feeding children.

In truth, since Barzab Seven severed the Red Line and merged the four seas, the legendary All Blue was no longer a secret.

Many regions of the sea now hosted fish species from all four seas.

Yet even so,

Long Bread had no chance to leave—three hundred ravenous mouths demanded four meals a day, draining every ounce of his energy.

The only silver lining was that Luffy’s food obsession had mysteriously vanished.

Now Long Bread no longer feared her falling ill and needing constant feeding—he could cook without interruption.

That day, Long Bread cooked as usual in the church square, surrounded by several hungry older boys.

“Forty-seven, you’re stealing food again.”

The three hundred boys had no traditional names; all were named Charlotte + a number, like Charlotte Forty-Seven, Charlotte Two-Two-Eight, and so on.

“Dad… Forty-Seven… hungry…”

Long Bread shook his head.

At first, Long Bread had disliked the three hundred boys born from Luffy’s genetic experiments, but over time, he grew increasingly sorrowful for them.

In Luffy’s eyes,

these three hundred children were tools—means to realize her so-called dream, just like the children she once gave to Barzab Seven, disposable and replaceable.

Never blood.

“Be good, dinner’s almost ready…”

Just then, several figures burst in, cutting off Long Bread’s soothing words.

A black, obese figure, bloated like an inflated balloon, strode in boldly, followed by a ragtag group of misfits.

“Auntie Three, it’s me, Auntie Three,

I’m your eldest nephew, Doflamingo, son of Rocks.”

Hearing this, Long Bread finally remembered who this black, obese man was—the ugly son of Captain Rocks.

“Luffy, someone’s here to see you.”

Luffy, rudely awakened from sleep, stormed out gritting her teeth, glaring at the visitor for a long moment before recognizing him.

“How did you get so fat?”

Blackbeard chuckled awkwardly.

“A few years ago, Vegapunk modified me, but the Baccania blood integration was incomplete—I just kept getting fatter.”

Hearing “Baccania,” Luffy recalled Bartholomew Kuma, a core officer of the Morning Star Group.

Blackbeard’s current form was clearly Kuma Version Two: an enormous, pig-like upper body, with thin, unnaturally long lower legs.

“Baccania?”

Luffy grunted: “We couldn’t even gather Luna, Giant, and Baccania bloodlines in Whole Cake Island—you’re lucky.”

Too bad Blackbeard was so dark.

Otherwise, she could’ve bred a few Baccania hybrids with him to make up for past regrets.

“Auntie Three,” Blackbeard confessed.

“I didn’t just integrate Baccania blood—I also fused Luna, Ancient Giant blood…”

As he spoke, his arm swelled, igniting the signature blazing flames of the Luna race.

Luffy’s mouth watered at the sight.

Of course—she, Charlotte Luffy, was truly destined. She’d never found those three bloodlines before, yet now they came to her willingly.

The more she thought about it, the more excited she became.

Imagine: fusing the divine Luna race, the Ancient Giant king, the mysterious Baccania, and her own Charlotte Luffy bloodline—it would surpass Barzab Seven.

Become the most terrifying bloodline in the world.

In that moment, Luffy made her decision—

She must keep Blackbeard here, and while the three hundred boys matured, breed more children.

Ten births in eight years… too much?

Though Blackbeard sensed something off about Luffy, he paid it no mind and pressed on with his proposal.

“Auntie Three, let’s cooperate.”

“Cooperate?” Luffy calmed her inner excitement before replying:

“Cooperate in what? What do you bring to the table? These ragtag losers behind you?”

At this, Lafitte, Lu Bianyi, and other veteran pirates showed no reaction.

After all, this man had once been an Emperor of the New World, a peer of the Marine Admirals—calling his crew misfits was fair enough.

Even the defiant A Long dared not speak up before such a top-tier power.

He chose to submit.

After all, the memory of Kizaru’s lightning-fast kick that nearly killed A Long still burned fresh—once was enough.

Only Kid stepped forward to defend him.

“Captain, let me handle this fat bitch.”

Hearing “fat bitch,” Blackbeard’s eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Kid.

You’re seriously brave.

Before Blackbeard could respond, Luffy swung a fist wrapped in two-colored Haki and smashed Kid into the square’s ground.

“Fat bitch?” Luffy sneered. “Compared to your captain, I’m already skinny.”

Then she narrowed her eyes at Blackbeard.

“Spit it out—I’m busy.”

It was almost time for the three hundred boys’ lunch; she had no time to chat with Blackbeard.

Bring Rocks himself, maybe.

“Auntie Three,” Blackbeard said again.

“I now represent the old nobility of the four seas.

The Blackbeard Pirates have money, men—join us, and we’ll overthrow the United Kingdom, restoring freedom to this sea.”