One piece: Establishing a Pirate Family

Chapter 222: Vice-Captain

After placing the Devil Fruits and renowned swords into his sealed chamber, Charlotte returned to the main hall.

Now was not the time to inspect them.

The entire crew was waiting for their captain to officially begin the feast.

Descending the staircase, Charlotte raised a cup of wine and stood at a high vantage point, looking down at his pirates.

"Everyone! Raise your glasses and celebrate another victory! Cheers!"

Charlotte's voice boomed across the hall.

"Hahahaha! Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

The crew echoed his words, drinking heartily.

As the alcohol burned their throats, their faces flushed, but soon returned to normal.

"This time, I will not forget anyone who participated in the battle! Each person will receive one million Berries! Team leaders will receive two million, and officers will get ten million! Even those who stayed behind on the island will receive 500,000 Berries!"

Charlotte waved his hand decisively, making the announcement.

Standing beside Charlotte, Ivan pulled out a notebook, quickly making calculations.

The more he calculated, the deeper his frown became.

This reward alone would cost at least twenty billion Berries.

"There's one more thing! I am appointing Barrett as the Vice-Captain of the Rockefeller Pirates! He will help me manage the crew. His strength and merit are evident to all. I believe no one will have any objections to him assuming this role!"

Charlotte pointed to Barrett.

The entire hall fell silent.

Even Barrett himself froze.

Vice-Captain?

That was an enormous responsibility!

Every eye turned to Douglas Barrett.

Even Barrett, for the first time, shook his head instinctively.

"Captain! I am not suitable for this! I am still too young! How can I take on such an important position? I refuse! Captain, please choose someone else!"

Barrett shook his head frantically, rejecting the offer.

"Hahahaha! Barrett, do not underestimate yourself! Age is not a criterion for choosing leaders! I chose you because you are the best fit for this role!"

Charlotte didn't give Barrett a chance to refuse.

"Enough! As Vice-Captain, you must carry out your duties properly! Do not disappoint my expectations!"

Charlotte waved his hand, finalizing the decision.

"Hahahaha! Let's raise our glasses to our Vice-Captain!"

Charlotte cheered, leading the toast.

"Vice-Captain!"

"Vice-Captain!"

The entire hall erupted in celebration, chanting Barrett's new title.

But not everyone was pleased.

Carter, standing among the crowd, was completely stunned.

He had always assumed that if the position of Vice-Captain were ever created, he would be the first choice.

Or at the very least, Charlotte wouldn't appoint anyone.

But Barrett's appointment crushed his hopes completely.

Clenching his fists tightly, Carter stared at Barrett's back.

A long moment passed.

His fists slowly relaxed.

He finally accepted reality.

At just twelve years old, Barrett had already surpassed him.

What monstrous potential would Barrett have in the future?

The gap between them was undeniable.

Charlotte had likely chosen Barrett as Vice-Captain because of this reality.

Taking a deep breath, Carter picked up his wine glass.

Charlotte's gaze swept the hall, noticing Carter's reaction.

Of course, he knew what Carter was thinking.

But Charlotte said nothing.

While Carter's contributions were immense, the position of Vice-Captain could not be given based on merit alone—strength was the key factor.

After Barrett's appointment, the feast began.

Plates of delicacies were brought out.

The dancers started their performances.

Everyone immersed themselves in the celebration.

After several days of battle, the crew was exhausted.

Now, they could finally relax.

Charlotte drank with his subordinates, toasting and celebrating their victory.

The banquet lasted until midnight.

Charlotte, swaying slightly, was helped back to his room by the maids.

The moment he stepped into his room, a strange phenomenon occurred.

A white mist rose from his body.

Thin streams of alcohol-infused vapor escaped his skin.

His eyes cleared up instantly, the drunkenness disappearing completely.

This was a simple application of Life Return.

Charlotte never feared getting drunk.

Even if someone tried to assassinate him while he was drinking, the moment their killing intent surfaced, his Danger Sense would alert him immediately.

His Life Return technique would instantly purge the alcohol, bringing him back to full awareness.

"Hahahaha! I can't wait to open my treasure chest!"

Charlotte hurried to his sealed chamber, retrieving a massive box.

Calling it a box was an understatement—it was practically a vault.

This was the box that Barrett had personally carried back.

Standing two meters tall, it was almost as tall as Charlotte himself.

At 2.33 meters, Charlotte had stopped growing.

Opening the chest, he found multiple smaller boxes stacked inside.

Thirteen in total.

This meant thirteen Devil Fruits.

This was his largest single haul of Devil Fruits ever.

From eight kingdoms, he had obtained thirteen Devil Fruits.

Charlotte could barely contain his excitement.

He removed all the small boxes.

Some already had labels indicating the type of fruit inside.

But most remained unidentified.

Charlotte retrieved his Devil Fruit Encyclopedia from his safe.

Of the thirteen fruits, five already had names.

Opening them, he found:

Zoan: Bunny-Bunny Fruit, Lop-Eared Rabbit Form

Zoan: Bunny-Bunny Fruit, Lion Rabbit Form

Zoan: Cat-Cat Fruit, Congo Lion Form

Zoan: Dog-Dog Fruit, Red Fox Form

Zoan: Dog-Dog Fruit, Blue Fox Form

Every recorded fruit was a Zoan-type.

This left Charlotte slightly disappointed.

Aside from the Congo Lion Fruit, which he could give to a crew member, the others would likely be distributed among his maids.

"There are still eight more Devil Fruits—please don't disappoint me!"

Charlotte muttered, staring at the remaining eight boxes.

Before proceeding, he walked into the bathroom, washed his hands and face, then returned.

He opened the next chest.

This time, he immediately noticed something different—

The fruit wasn't banana-shaped.

That meant an 80% chance it wasn't another Zoan.

Charlotte quickly grabbed the fruit, examining its strange color.

The top half was red, while the bottom half was blue—the most bizarre-looking Devil Fruit he had ever seen.

But its unique shape also made it easier to identify.

Charlotte flipped rapidly through the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia.

"Not this one… not this one… not this one…"

"It's not a Logia—which means it must be a Paramecia. Please, let it be something useful! Unless it's a Mythical Zoan, I don't want another Zoan!"

Charlotte muttered anxiously.

The Paramecia category was vast and diverse.

After flipping through dozens of pages—

"Finally found it! It's actually…!"

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