Chapter 446

Marry Empress Charlotte Lingling?

Upon hearing Lafitte's proposal, even Blackbeard had to admit: he was indeed tempted.

You must know that,

Now, Lingling had long shed her former bulky frame, exuding fullness and allure, and with the Golden Ring on her, every inch of her radiated the exquisite grace and noble bearing of a forty-year-old woman.

And Blackbeard was already thirty-two.

For a black, fat man like him, if he could marry a top-tier powerhouse, a voluptuous, still-alluring veteran Empress—

From the perspective of power, foundation, or cost-benefit, it was unquestionably a guaranteed win.

It was an absolute jackpot.

Since joining the White Crew at twelve, Blackbeard had been at sea for exactly twenty years.

His dream now seemed farther away than ever.

Suddenly hearing he could secure a veteran Empress for the Black Crew through marriage—how could Blackbeard not be tempted?

And—

Didn't Little Bai Mao himself secure Kaido's aid through marriage, storm into Mary Geoise, overthrow the World Government, and establish the United Kingdom?

Could Little Bai Mao do it?

Why couldn't Blackbeard do it?

Isn't it just Lingling's ex-husband, Long Bread?

So what?

Compared to a few insignificant rumors, the Empress herself is the real prize!

After all, in this vast sea, where else could you find such an easy chance to gain a full Empress-level combatant?

While Lingling paused, lost in thought, Blackbeard stole a glance at her—and the more he looked, the more satisfied he became.

Compared to the young wife he'd just married recently, Lingling carried a unique mature allure that made Blackbeard, who had lacked love since childhood, sink deeper into obsession.

Lingling fell silent

because she was weighing in her mind: if she married Blackbeard to produce a rare-blooded heir, would she drive Long Bread away?

If Long Bread left, what would become of her three hundred sons?

Those three hundred sons were vital to her ambition of becoming the King of the World—absolutely cannot afford to lose them... without Long Bread, she couldn't even eat properly.

But if she refused Blackbeard...

What if he refused to cooperate in producing an heir?

Seeing Lingling neither reject nor agree, Blackbeard grew anxious and frantically signaled to Lafitte.

Brother, help me!!

Lafitte's scalp prickled at Blackbeard's pleading look—he felt utterly miserable.

Big Brother, are you serious?

I just blurted out a random joke about the two of you a moment ago.

And now you two are actually tempted?

But to better maintain his cover and regain the Dark-Dark Fruit sooner to return to the Morning Star Crew and earn promotion and raise, Lafitte stepped forward.

"Senior Lingling, do you have any concerns?"

Lingling paused: "You just saw—my ex-husband, Long Bread, is here. Without him, so many children cannot be managed."

Lafitte instantly understood: Empress Charlotte Lingling wanted it all.

She wanted to marry Blackbeard, gain the Black Crew, and jointly charge toward the throne of King of the World—yet feared Long Bread would leave because of it.

"Senior, this is easy—I'll go persuade Senior Long Bread."

Hearing this, both Blackbeard and Lingling's eyes lit up, as if mutual affection had finally been confirmed.

"Really? You have a plan?"

"Don't worry, leave it to me. But some things concern a man's dignity—I hope neither of you eavesdrop, or Senior Long Bread might develop resistance."

With that, Lafitte said.

"I'll go back and talk with Senior Long Bread first."

Little black fat man, I've left the opportunity to you—take your time cultivating feelings with the Queen of the Sea. Just beware: Lingling might flood you with green hats later.

Lingling helped Blackbeard up; the two awkwardly gazed at each other.

When Blackbeard and Lingling returned, Lafitte had already successfully convinced Long Bread to stay.

He even proposed that Blackbeard, as the second father, fund the hiring of hundreds of chefs to individually feed Lingling's three hundred sons.

Thus, Long Bread would be freed.

And so, a ridiculous marriage was proposed and facilitated by Lafitte—in an even more ridiculous manner.

Binding the veteran Empress Charlotte Lingling, who aspired to become King of the World, with Davy D. Tich, who shared the same ambition, into one family to charge toward the throne of King of the World!

Neither party announced the wedding, and they held it with extreme discretion.

Though he felt no guilt, Blackbeard still feared being mocked by acquaintances, especially his White Crew brothers.

And that damn Little Bai Mao.

After all, Little Bai Mao married a young maiden, while Blackbeard married an Empress... whose sons were older than he was.

She could even be his mother.

Lingling chose discretion to avoid revealing her whereabouts and prevent drawing the United Kingdom's attention, which might disrupt her future plans.

After the low-key wedding, Lingling immediately dragged Blackbeard to the bridal chamber, clearly determined to conceive and give birth this year.

That night.

Blackbeard finally tasted the flavor of an Empress—this mature woman's allure gave him an entirely new experience, plunging him deeper into obsession.

The Black Gang also gained another top-tier expert.

Only after Charlotte Lingling confirmed her pregnancy did they agree to let Blackbeard set sail in search of Devil Fruits.

Even after marriage, Blackbeard never revealed the secret of the Dark-Dark Fruit to Charlotte Lingling; instead, he planned to find the Dark-Dark Fruit first, taking advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention to it.

North Blue, Deil Province waters.

On the deck of the Queen ship, Blackbeard picked his teeth, as if savoring the taste of his new bride.

"Thanks, Lafitte."

"Captain, you... seem to have lost a lot of weight."

Blackbeard patted Lafitte on the shoulder.

"You don't understand. At thirty, a man is like a she-wolf; at forty, like a tiger; at fifty, he can suck earth right from the ground. Only now do I truly grasp the beauty described in the rice-field tales of Wano."

Lafitte said nothing, instead wondering what expression the captain would wear upon receiving this intelligence.

Red Line, Sacred Land, Sky City.

In the Government Hall meeting room, Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen, upon seeing Lafitte's transmitted intelligence, suddenly slammed his fist on the table and burst into uncontrollable laughter.

Tichy Brothers is a ruthless man.

Not only is he cruel to Kobi—beating him ten times a day, forcing him to work twenty hours, and making him eat scraps—

But he's even crueler to himself.

Tichy Brothers is truly starving—he'll eat anything, even Xia Luote.

Seeing this, Master Tenghu asked curiously.

"Captain, what's so funny?"

Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen tried to hold back his laughter but couldn't—his words came out garbled, so he handed Lafitte's intelligence report to Master Tenghu.

Master Tenghu glanced at it and nearly choked laughing.

The two men's uncontrolled behavior left the other meeting attendees stunned: what kind of absurd intelligence could make Saint Barzab lose his composure so completely?

Eventually, unable to suppress their curiosity, Admiral and Golden Lion rose from their seats and stepped beside Master Tenghu.

Immediately, two bursts of laughter rang out together.

Upon seeing the report that Blackbeard had married Xia Luote, Admiral laughed until his mouth wouldn't close, and Golden Lion laughed until tears streamed down his face.

"Rocks had a fine son."