One piece: Establishing a Pirate Family

Chapter 231: Swordsman Group

The year 1490 of the Haiyuan Calendar had arrived.

Time had flown by.

Aside from the deal Charlotte made with the World Government at the beginning of the year, he had hardly left Kami Island.

He had truly become a stay-at-home ruler.

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But there was one thing that brought Charlotte immense joy—

Elena and the other six women were pregnant again.

One shot, six hits!

It was an achievement Charlotte took great pride in.

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During this period, the Rockefeller Pirates had focused on consolidating their newly occupied territories.

The islands they controlled were rich in resources.

Various types of minerals were continuously transported to Kami Island, accelerating its development even further.

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However, this rapid growth created a manpower shortage.

To address the issue, the Rockefeller Pirates patrolled the seas daily, capturing pirates and using them as laborers.

For particularly troublesome captives, Barrett handled matters personally.

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Today, the Rockefeller Pirates had grown to 4,000 members—triple their previous size.

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With the expansion of their territory and the influx of mineral resources, the tax revenue from Kami Island skyrocketed.

Now, a single month's tax could sustain an army of 4,000 men.

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That's right—an army.

Although the world still viewed Charlotte as a pirate, internally, he had begun transitioning from a pirate crew to a kingdom.

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Charlotte had also begun training his subordinates more rigorously.

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These recruits were not random mercenaries.

They were handpicked by Charlotte—either drawn by his reputation as the world's greatest swordsman or rescued from the maritime slave trade.

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Many of these freed slaves had lost their families and homes.

After Charlotte brought them to Kami Island, some chose to join the Rockefeller Pirates, forming the backbone of Charlotte's expanding forces.

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Unlike Shiki the Golden Lion, who recruited any pirate willing to serve, Charlotte was selective.

Quality over quantity.

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Shiki's Flying Pirates, on the other hand, had been expanding like an untamed beast.

With the Navy gradually reducing its surveillance, Shiki's power had surged.

The thirteen captains under Shiki's command were all infamous pirates with bounties exceeding 100 million berries.

Shiki's influence had now reached the heart of the New World, bordering Charlotte Linlin's Totland territory.

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Yet, for some reason, no conflict had erupted between the two sides—not yet, at least.

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Similarly, the Whitebeard Pirates had seen significant growth over the past two years.

Edward Newgate had adopted countless "sons" and absorbed numerous affiliated pirate crews, expanding his forces beyond 10,000 members.

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Whitebeard had officially joined the exclusive club of 10,000-member pirate crews.

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Currently, only three pirates commanded crews exceeding 10,000 members:

1. Shiki the Golden Lion

2. King John of the Silver Axe Alliance, who lived off the Rocks Pirates' treasure

3. Edward Newgate, the Whitebeard

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No other pirate crews came close—except Charlotte.

Charlotte's forces stood at 4,000 fighters, not counting the crews of his affiliated islands.

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In addition to his personal troops, Charlotte commanded around 400 to 500 maids, many of whom were trained for espionage and light combat.

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But his most prized force?

The Swordsman Group.

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Over the past year, Charlotte had personally selected the most promising young pirates from his various squads.

These 500 elite swordsmen, led by five master swordsmen, were known as the Strongest Swordsman Group.

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Every swordsman in this unit had been carefully chosen and rigorously trained.

They were led by five swordmasters, each capable of performing flying slashes—a feat few could achieve.

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These five elite swordsmen were:

1. Dick Roy

2. Brian Turner

3. Andy Nelson

4. Boris Hodge

5. Elvis Lauer

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Among them, Elvis Lauer stood out.

He was once a Marine major general, who had surrendered to Esdeath during a naval battle.

Captured and sent to a labor camp, Lauer had eventually been freed by Esdeath herself.

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Esdeath had never accepted her defeat in their previous encounter.

But Lauer hadn't wanted to fight her initially.

He knew she was the eldest daughter of the Rockefeller family.

Defeating her would gain him nothing but enemies.

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However, when Esdeath promised that if Lauer won, she would ask her father to release him, he agreed immediately.

Nothing was more valuable than freedom.

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The rematch drew a massive audience, including Charlotte himself.

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During the duel, Esdeath showcased her tricky, dazzling swordsmanship, but Lauer remained unharmed.

His greatsword possessed overwhelming force, preventing Esdeath from closing the distance.

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The longer the fight dragged on, the more anxious Esdeath became.

And anxiety leads to mistakes.

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Lauer capitalized on one such mistake, sweeping his sword and disarming Esdeath.

Without a weapon, there was no chance of victory.

Esdeath lost.

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But rather than sulking, she accepted defeat gracefully.

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Lauer was freed as promised.

But, to everyone's surprise, he immediately knelt before Charlotte, pledging his allegiance.

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Charlotte, initially stunned, glanced at Esdeath.

After a moment's thought, he nodded and accepted Lauer's loyalty.

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Charlotte had already recognized Lauer's potential.

Though his swordsmanship was somewhat rough, his ability to break through defenses with brute force gave him a unique fighting style.

Moreover, Charlotte could see that Lauer had reached a bottleneck.

With the right guidance, he would become a true swordsman.

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So, Charlotte personally trained Lauer, guiding both his swordsmanship and mental cultivation.

Within a month, Lauer broke through, officially reaching the swordsman level.

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He became the second swordsman under Charlotte's command.

(The first being Stanley.)

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Lauer's breakthrough ignited a fire of motivation among the other elite swordsmen.

Those who had been slacking off suddenly redoubled their efforts.

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By the end of 1489, several of them had broken through.

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Now, in 1490, Charlotte commanded eight swordsmen:

1. Dick Roy

2. Brian Turner

3. Andy Nelson

4. Boris Hodge

5. Elvis Lauer

6. Stanley

7. Isaac

8. Paul

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Isaac and Paul, who had loyally followed Charlotte for nearly a decade, had finally advanced to the swordsman rank.

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Seeing the continuous growth of his subordinates, Charlotte couldn't help but smile.

His empire was no longer just a pirate crew.

It was the foundation of something far greater.

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