Inside the door was a room that was quite enormous compared to a normal person's. A large amount of food was placed on the floor, and several male pirate servants in matching uniforms stood by the food.
The well-tailored uniforms were tight on them, completely distorted by bulging muscles or bloated physiques, appearing somewhat abrupt and comical.
"She's coming! She's coming! This is the New World Supernova whose beauty can rival the current world's number one beauty, Empress Flame Flower of Nine Snake Island—the 'Dragon Swordsman' Charlotte Linlin with a bounty of 500 million!"
"Yeah, yeah! I could feel Flame Flower's beauty even through the newspaper, and now Charlotte Linlin, who is just as famous as her, is about to appear right before our eyes!"
"Yeah, yeah! I wonder who's better looking compared to their bounty posters?"
"Smack!"
"You idiot, of course she's better looking in person!"
"Exactly! For this, even a Great Pirate like me with a bounty of tens of millions is willing to change into these clothes and serve plates!"
One pirate puffed out his chest forcefully, his uniform buttons letting out a strained creak.
"Watch closely, brothers! Just wait and see how I use this damn charm of mine to win her over! When the time comes, you're all invited to the wedding feast!"
"Bullshit! You? Even a single strand of my hair is more handsome than you! Lady Linlin is destined to look at me first!"
"It'll be me!"
"Shut up! She's here! Stand straight! Pose, quickly!"
...As soon as she stepped into the room, Charlotte Linlin's attention was drawn to several people in strange poses. These men were all hunched over, wearing inexplicably confident smiles on their faces.
She frowned slightly.
"What is the matter with them?"
Never mind that the smell coming off these pirates was foul, they were even dressed so bizarrely—were they here specifically to disgust her?
Sensing Charlotte Linlin's displeasure, Kurozumi Higurashi hurriedly explained:
"My lady, these... these were arranged by me to serve your meal. It is my fault for offending your eyes—you lot! Get out of here right now! Wait by the door!"
"Yes, yes!"
The male pirates reluctantly shuffled toward the door, frequently looking back.
"I just took a peek; Lady Linlin is indeed so beautiful. I feel like Lady Linlin is even more beautiful than Flame Flower!"
Said a pirate with hearts in his eyes.
"Yeah! I think so too. Although I haven't seen Flame Flower yet, I believe Lady Linlin must be the most beautiful! Even the doorway she just passed through smells so fragrant."
Another pirate, who looked the same and had massive nostrils, said while sniffing around everywhere.
"What! You bastard! That's the scent Lady Linlin left for me!"
"Damn it! How could a handsome man like me be disliked by Lady Linlin? It must be you guys who ruined my image in my goddess's heart!"
"I heard Lady Linlin doesn't have many Crew members yet; I must join Lady Linlin's fleet!"
"Me too!"
...As they left, Kurozumi Higurashi said with an apologetic tone:
"I was inconsiderate. I originally wanted to arrange maids for you, but there are far fewer female pirates on Beehive Island than males. Those with outstanding looks are either arrogant or have already followed other executives... none of whom I can command. Those few just now were already considered to have decent looks on the island."
"Is that so?"
Hearing this, Charlotte Linlin's frown deepened further.
Due to her personal habits and her unique emotional-perception Observation Haki, she was extremely repelled by male Crew members because she really couldn't stand constantly sensing her subordinates harboring disgusting thoughts about her.
So, she planned to form a primarily female Pirate Crew. Female pirates wouldn't have those kinds of thoughts about her, would they? If they really did... and if they were pretty enough, she might not be unable to accept it.
Plus, those eccentric pirates from before were actually considered the good-looking ones? This made her even more determined to find a group of beautiful Crew members.
After all, this world was very strange; handsome young men were as rare as ugly young women, yet ugly men and beautiful women were everywhere.
As a lover of beauty—and a powerful one at that—she didn't want to pollute her eyes, nor did she want a bunch of ugly freaks to harm her physical and mental well-being.
However, based on what Kurozumi Higurashi said, it seemed like an impossible task to form an all-female Pirate Crew on Beehive Island.
"Whatever, I'll think about that later. First, I eat."
Charlotte Linlin's peripheral vision was drawn to the food on the floor.
At sixteen years old and nine meters tall, she now required a massive amount of food every day to ensure her body's healthy development.
Charlotte Linlin sat down cross-legged, picked up a Beast Steak in one hand and a cake adorned with jewel-like fruit bits in the other, and tossed them directly into her small mouth, enjoying the food prepared by professional pirate chefs.
This food was indeed better than most of what she had eaten before, second only to the food she made herself based on the Laws of Probability.
She didn't know why, but with the same steps and ingredients, sometimes the food she made was extraordinarily delicious, and other times it was simply unwatchable.
Kurozumi Higurashi, meanwhile, sat at a normal wooden table beside her.
Before long, most of the food on the floor had been consumed by Charlotte Linlin. Under Kurozumi Higurashi's direction, the pirate servants outside immediately stepped forward to clear the dishes and replenish the food for Charlotte Linlin.
However, beneath their submissive appearances, several gazes filled with greed and desire fell upon Charlotte Linlin.
Sensing these gazes, Charlotte Linlin's eating movements paused. Deep within her purple eyes, a trace of coldness began to rise.
"Hmph," she snorted coldly.
In the next instant!
An invisible pinkish-purple aura erupted from her body! This aura carried a domineering pressure, precisely covering the servants who were peeping!
"Argh—!"
"Thud!"
The color instantly drained from those servants' faces; their legs gave way, and they collapsed directly to the ground. The silver trays in their hands fell with a "clatter," and food rolled all over the floor.
"Haoshoku!"
"It's actually Haoshoku!"
A sense of extreme fear surfaced in the hearts of those still standing. As long-time members of the Rocks Pirates, they knew very well what Haoshoku represented.
That was the quality only a king possessed, a passport to the world's top-tier combat power. And just now, their actions seemed to have annoyed this young girl with the Qualities of a King.
They quickly lowered their heads, not daring to look at the beautiful girl again. It felt as if their hearts were being gripped by cold iron pincers, every beat bringing a suffocating sense of impending death! Only one thought remained in their minds: one more look, and they would die!
The pinkish-purple aura vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Charlotte Linlin withdrew her gaze as if nothing had happened, tossing food the size of a normal person's head into her Cherry-red mouth like small snacks, one in each hand.
Sitting to the side, Kurozumi Higurashi was affected by the sudden burst of Haoshoku; her face turned slightly pale, and fine beads of sweat broke out on her forehead.
She quickly lowered her head to hide the shock and... a trace of inexplicable envy in her eyes. Once the pressure dissipated, she immediately put on a flattering smile, her voice carrying a well-timed sense of indignation and resonance:
"My lady, please appease your anger! These fools who failed to recognize a true god! Their eyeballs should be gouged out and fed to the fish!"
She patted her chest, looking as if she felt the same way.
"I, too, loathe such disgusting gazes! It is a pity that I do not possess your heavenly strength, my lady, and can only... can only swallow my pride. It truly is frustrating just thinking about it!"
Her tone was filled with a yearning for power and flattery toward Charlotte Linlin.
Charlotte Linlin did not respond; she simply picked up a wooden cup the size of a wine barrel and downed the juice inside. The bottom of the cup hit the floor with a dull thud.
"Let's go," she said, standing up.
"Yes! Yes! This way, my lady!" Kurozumi Higurashi felt as if she had been granted a great pardon and immediately got up to lead the way.
Watching Charlotte Linlin depart, the few pirates who were still conscious wiped the cold sweat from their foreheads.
"Phew~ I didn't expect that a Great Pirate of the ten-million level like me wouldn't even be able to withstand a single move from Lady Linlin."
"Isn't that normal? Otherwise, how could Lady Linlin become a great executive of the Rocks Pirates?"
"But what should we do about these guys?"
One of the pirates looked at the unconscious men, a greedy look flashing in his eyes.
"What else? Kill them, of course! They still have quite a bit of treasure on them... We in the Rocks Pirates are very 'united,' after all."
The remaining conscious pirates looked at each other, their eyes simultaneously reflecting greed... Sunlight poured down, landing on a towering building.
This was a magnificent, giant manor built against the side of a mountain.
Beyond the towering walls, one could faintly see a harbor where countless pirate ships were moored and the turbulent waters of the New World further in the distance.
This was Charlotte Linlin's residence on Beehive Island, an independent manor that only those who became great executives were entitled to live in.
Standing before the main gate, Charlotte Linlin's pink hair fluttered in the salty sea breeze. Her purple eyes swept over the unfamiliar surroundings of Beehive Island.
"Take me to the place where Crew members are selected."
"Yes! My lady!" Kurozumi Higurashi immediately bowed in response and jogged ahead to lead the way.