Chapter 1602 Regret for not having given birth to a powerful offspring

Kaido wasn't particularly interested in the hype surrounding the son of Rocks, but he did want to recruit the dragon that Teach used as a means of transportation.

Some isolated islands in the New World may still harbor remnants of dinosaurs, but the aura emanating from this creature, especially its intelligent purple vertical pupils, could not possibly be that of a wild beast.

It's a mythical beast, and a dragon-type mythical beast at that, making it a rare and exceptional dragon!

Kaido's dream is to create the strongest army composed entirely of Zoan-type Devil Fruit users—the Beasts Pirates. Doesn't that require such powerful and rare fellow creatures?

"I must find an opportunity to get my hands on him!"

Whether Teach agrees or not? Who cares!

If Kaido sets his sights on something, he'll just steal it!

Cake Island, Queen's Castle Banquet Hall

Charlotte Linlin sat atop her enormous throne piled high with sweets, while a screen displayed scenes of Marineford. When Teach's fat, greedy face appeared, along with the declaration of the Son of Lox, Linlin's smug expression vanished instantly.

His expression revealed obvious disgust; he even put down the cream cake decorated with strawberries, as if his favorite sweets had lost their flavor because of it, and the sight of Blackbeard's face made him feel nauseous.

Lingling curled her lips, "You can still see a bit of Captain Rocks' former glory, but there are more nauseating impurities."

Her thoughts drifted back decades to the man who stood at the pinnacle of all monsters. If Rocks hadn't been so naive and hadn't sent his wife and children back to the supposedly safest homeland, God Valley, perhaps everything would have been different.

Having this strange thought, she immediately shook her head, a mocking expression on her face. "But he's still unlucky; everything just happened to happen at the same time..."

Since Rocks had a child, the man who was almost invincible in her eyes had a family weakness, a fatal weakness that the World Government precisely seized upon. In the end, his tragic end of dying and his ambitions vanishing was not hard to foresee.

Her gaze swept over the countless children surrounding the throne, her own flesh and blood, the extension of her bloodline and power, the cornerstone of all nations.

But what if some of the most favored children are captured by the World Government and used as hostages?

Lingling's eyes instantly turned incredibly cold, even cruel. She had plenty of children; she had too many, so many that she wouldn't feel too much pain if some of them died.

At least she wouldn't be as foolish as Rocks to risk her life and step into an obvious trap. Linlin also had no feelings for her distant homeland; only Whole Cake Island and the Land of Giants were her home.

She suddenly reached out her giant hand and gently patted the head of Katakuri, who stood silently beside her. The gesture was unusually intimate and carried a hint of barely perceptible regret.

Lingling's voice softened a bit, "If I hadn't been ambushed by that bastard Kaido back then, the Azure Dragon Fruit I was planning to steal would have been for you."

"If it were you, you would definitely be stronger now, right? Maybe even surpassing Kaido's achievements today!"

Katakuri felt the warmth of his mother's hand and was filled with loyalty and warmth, but he quickly calmed down and pointed out a blind spot that his mother had overlooked.

"Mom, even if you had given me the Azure Dragon Fruit back then, I wouldn't have been able to eat it. I had already eaten the Glutinous Rice Fruit before that, so the Azure Dragon Fruit could only be given to my other brothers and sisters."

"..." Lingling suddenly stopped. She blinked her huge eyes and took a few seconds to process the information. Her face showed a look of realization mixed with extreme frustration.

Lingling's face was filled with self-mockery and helplessness towards fate. "So that's how it is, it's all about timing and destiny..."

Then an even stronger surge of anger welled up in his heart, "The Azure Dragon Fruit ended up being given to that bastard Kaido so cheaply, I'll take it back with interest sooner or later!"

Thinking back to the time when Kaido ambushed God Valley, stole his Devil Fruit, and ate it on the spot, Linlin was furious; women hold grudges.

We should at least make Kaido pay us back with a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit. As for who gets it? We'll see.

Her gaze returned to the screen, sweeping over the unfamiliar faces behind Teach. "The newly formed Blackbeard Pirates are all unfamiliar faces. I've never seen any of them before. Where did this kid find these talents?"

Lingling stared at Blackbeard Teach's face, and thought that if she had had a child with Captain Rocks back then, that child might have been very powerful if he had survived, and might have even surpassed Katakuri.

It's a pity that at that time, the beautiful Lingling was not favored by Rocks, who fell in love with a woman from some unknown small place. If Lingling and Rocks had married, they would most likely have given birth to an incredibly powerful offspring who would have become one of the pillars of the world today.

Her gaze was fixed on the screen, on the white-bearded figure who remained as imposing as a mountain even when surrounded. Her tone carried the cold indifference of someone who had been through it all, "I guess your fate will be worse than Rocks'. Whitebeard's weakness is just too obvious."

In Lingling's eyes, Rocks' ending was tragic enough. His wife and children were temporarily saved and sent away, but his hometown, the Valley of the Gods, was turned into scorched earth. After his parents and clansmen were demonized, he was killed by her own hands in a show of righteousness.

The Rocks Pirates, which he built and which once dominated the world, fell apart in an instant. Now, even control of his base, Beehive Island, has fallen into the hands of Wang Zhi, the first traitor to betray him.

Everything Rocks had—wealth, territory, and power—became the spoils of war for outsiders. Rocks lost everything in the Battle of God Valley, and Roger overshadowed him after he became famous. Now, few people can even mention this tyrant.

Teach, who had been wandering and living in anonymity for many years, eventually ended up as Rocks' son by Whitebeard's side. He seemed to have good luck, as one of his bloodlines remained. So, his trip to God Valley wasn't in vain.

The bloody iron law of the sea: since good people are destined to go nowhere and not be rewarded, then being evil all the way through, like Blackbeard Teach, might not be such a bad path as to a bright future.

Lingling had a hint of expectation in her eyes, "Teach, can you go further than Rocks?"

As for Whitebeard, she could almost foresee that this old friend, who was equally loyal and valued his family above all else, would have everything after his death—the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, his territory, his pirate crew, and even the title and status of the Four Emperors—frantically divided up or inherited by outsiders.

Charlotte Linlin naturally wanted a share of the spoils; this was the law of the sea. The territory vacated by the Whitebeard Pirates was free for them to enjoy, and it was better to integrate it into the Whole Cake Island system than leave it to outsiders.

Lingling glanced at Jinbe, who was mixed in with her children. Perhaps one day, when she was in a good mood, she would come to the hometown where Whitebeard was born, pour a few jugs of wine in front of Whitebeard's grave, and that would be enough to show her gratitude to her old friend.

Looking back now, it was a mistake. If I had had a powerful offspring with Whitebeard back then, I might have been able to inherit Whitebeard's territory directly under the name of Whitebeard's son, and perhaps even gather the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates for my own use.

Having missed out on two powerful men during the same period, if Lingling could go back in time, she would definitely slap her younger self a few times.

And that damn longbread, why didn't it remind its younger self to seduce two powerful heroes and have children, even though they both lived on Beehive Island and had that prerequisite?

In the end, all these delusions turned into silent sighs. What could Rocks or Whitebeard leave behind after they died?

In reality, nothing will remain except for a few kind-hearted people whose names will be remembered.