— — — — — — —
Under the Night Sky
Compote walked briskly onto the deck.
A maid greeted her respectfully, "Miss Compote, the head of the family and the other young masters and mistresses are already waiting for you in the study!"
Compote nodded. "Got it. Make sure my small Cake Ship is properly stored."
The maid smiled. "Miss, you can rest assured!" Then, another maid led Compote away while a different one went to handle other matters.
Creak!
The door slowly opened.
Compote stepped into the room, scanning the people inside before grinning. "Daifuku! Oven! You little brats have really made progress! Awakening your Stands already?"
"Uh..."
"Ah..." Daifuku and Oven scratched their heads, shrinking their necks slightly, feeling a bit intimidated.
How should they put it?
Compote's personality was quite similar to Big Mom's. However, there was a key difference—Compote carried herself more like a mafia boss.
After all, she was the eldest sister.
With a house full of unruly little brothers and sisters, if she didn't show some authority, these brats would drive her insane.
In such a situation, what choice did she have?
"Tch!" Compote huffed in dissatisfaction. "Two little punks! Always acting so arrogant! Should I beat some sense into you?!"
Oven quickly stood up and respectfully said, "Big Sis! Let's all sit down and talk first."
Daifuku nodded hurriedly. "Yeah, yeah! Big Sis, have a seat. We have important matters to discuss. Big Bro is also quite anxious about this."
"Hehehe—" Joey, watching the scene with two younger siblings, chuckled. "No rush, no rush! After all, this isn't something that can be solved overnight."
Daifuku and Oven pulled long faces.
The two brothers, who feared nothing, were truly terrified of their big sister.
They respected their eldest brother, and listened to their second and third brothers, but Compote?
She was downright scary!
"Hmph!" Compote pouted before sitting down, crossing her long legs. Joey, still amused, continued to watch alongside Custard, Cornstarch, and Moscato, while Daifuku and Oven cautiously grabbed chairs and sat far away from Compote, making sure not to be too close.
Joey smiled warmly. "Seriously though..."
Lately, he hadn't been feeling particularly great either.
"You two brats, I'll deal with you later after we finish our discussion."
"Alright, now that the fun's over, let's get to business."
There was just too much going on.
Katakuri, Perospero, and Amande had all sent him intelligence reports.
Totto Land, the Big Mom Pirates, the Dark Trade...
In just half a month, trouble had been piling up.
It was obvious that some people thought the Charlotte Family was growing too fast and had begun to see them as a threat.
So, before the Charlotte Family could fully establish itself, they wanted to suppress them.
Joey let out a deep breath and set those thoughts aside. "Sis, do you regret eating the Pet-Pet Fruit? That Devil Fruit isn't really suited for you. Your aggressive personality would benefit more from an offensive fruit. If you want, I can help extract it."
Extracting a Devil Fruit cost 1,000 achievement points.
Currently, he has 2,000 points.
He had originally planned to use them to improve the meditation technique.
But if his sister regretted it, he wouldn't hesitate.
His family members were more important.
"Hehehe~" Compote giggled happily. "Big Bro, I'm fine! Actually, I think the Pet-Pet Fruit suits me well. Mondée, Hachée, and Effilée are a unit. They need management and strengthening, but they're more of a support force, not frontline fighters."
She paused before continuing, "Katakuri and Cracker, those two punks, are really strong. They shouldn't be distracted by trivial matters. As for Mama? She's just like a child—she should just be happy. I believe the Pet-Pet Fruit is perfect for me. It helps me handle captured strong enemies."
Compote was at ease, showing no signs of regret.
Joey shook his head with a gentle smile. "Since you've made up your mind, that's fine. Let's move on and discuss our next steps."
"Mhm!"
At the mention of serious matters, Compote's expression turned serious. "Big Bro, lately, Totto Land, the Big Mom Pirates, and the Dark Trade have been under more and more attacks. Clearly, it's not just the World Government involved—there are others. These people..."
Joey nodded. "I know. The Kingdom of Kano and the Kingdom of Adam—these two superpowers we've been trading with—will be the first to react."
"They were willing to do business with us before. But if our power grows too much, it stops being a simple trade agreement."
Everyone present understood exactly what Joey meant.
The Charlotte Family had established trade relations with the Kingdom of Kano.
At the same time, the Kingdom of Adam had agreed to an arms deal.
But! No matter how you looked at it, anyone with a brain could see the reality.
The Charlotte family had once been in a lower position. It appeared to be an equal partnership, but in truth, it wasn't.
If the Charlotte family continued to grow at this rapid pace…Things would change dramatically!
Everyone in the room understood this.
"Phew…" Joey exhaled slowly and asked, "How many months until the next Reverie?"
Cornstarch replied, "Big Bro, it's February now. The Reverie is in next year April, so we have 14 months."
Joey murmured, "These 14 months aren't the real problem. The real trouble starts in the last four months. That's when things get truly difficult."
With that, Joey fell into deep thought.
One careless mistake could be fatal.
Right now, the Charlotte family was just beginning its ascent.
And Joey was being greedy. He wanted to expand on three fronts: piracy, the underworld, and the political arena.
But! Many people wouldn't allow it.
"Phew…" Joey exhaled again and calmly said, "The Tehna Gehna Kingdom is our best opportunity right now. The Longarm Tribe is in the middle of a civil war. If we can take advantage of this and gain control, at least a million Longarms will become our people."
Compote nodded in agreement. "A million new subjects… If that happens, a lot of our problems will be solved. After all, with that many people and the support from Fish-Man Island, everything will change drastically."
A million Longarms. A million Fish-Men.
If they could acquire both…The situation would be completely different!
Oven, however, frowned and said, "Big Bro, this is an opportunity for us, but do you really think others won't notice? Will they just sit back and let it happen?"
Compote nodded. "Smart boy! That's the biggest issue right now. If we just march into Tehna Gehna Kingdom, a lot of people will make a move against us. That'll be a huge problem."
"Exactly!"
Everyone nodded seriously.
If they could think of this, so could others.
No one should ever be underestimated. The Grand Line had no fools.
As everyone contemplated, Joey remained calm and said, "It won't be easy to handle, but it's not impossible either. The situation in Tehna Gehna needs to be taken care of. Otherwise, things will get very messy."
"Agreed!"
Everyone acknowledged Joey's reasoning.
They had to get involved in Tehna Gehna and they had to win.
Only by doing so could they reap real benefits.
Joey narrowed his eyes, his aura exuding calm determination. "Since they're expecting us to step into the Tehna Gehna situation, let's shake things up. Prepare to set sail for Sky Island!"
"Sky Island?"
Everyone was stunned.
No one had expected Joey to make such a decision.
Joey continued sternly, "Compote, contact Opera. Make sure he hides his presence well and bring Katakuri and Cracker with him."
"But…" Compote hesitated. "Big Bro! If both Katakuri and Cracker leave, who will keep Mom in check?"
That was a real concern.
Their mother was like a child—Easily excitable and unpredictable.
Joey remained composed. "Tell her I ordered it. She'll go home."
"Alright."
Compote nodded. If Big Bro said so, then even Mom would listen.
Then, Joey continued, "Since they think we'll focus on Tehna Gehna, we'll let them believe that. Compote, you realized it, didn't you?"
Compote blinked. "Big Bro, are you planning to split our forces?"
Oven hesitated. "Big Bro, isn't that risky?"
Everyone was deep in thought.
Joey smirked. "Relax! I just want to see… If I don't show up in person, will they dare make a move?"
His grin grew sharper.
He really wanted to see—If he remained hidden…And only Daifuku and Oven acted…Would their enemies dare to strike first?
"Understood!"
Everyone nodded with fierce determination.
Their gazes burned with sharp intensity.
— — —
The Next Day
Everyone moved into action.
Splash!
Daifuku and Oven departed from the ship, heading towards Kenzan Island.
There, they sought out one of the three major faction leaders—Vemin Elder, the weakest of the three.
Vemin Elder, of course, knew about the Charlotte family—And Totto Land.
She also knew—That choosing to join them meant facing significant consequences.
But! In the end—She agreed to join.
From that moment on—Everything changed.
Yet! Joey's presence was nowhere to be seen.
It was as if…He didn't exist.
And suddenly—All those who had been prepared to act…
Fell into silence.
No one dared to make a move.
Whoosh!
Seated atop Opera's head, Joey's eyes were sharp as he declared, "The outcome will be clear soon. Three days! If we hold out for just three days, it'll be enough. This will be easy!"
Aside from Joey, only Compote accompanied him.
And about 300 black-clad warriors.
They were carried by Opera's clouds, soaring into the sky.
Compote's gaze was serious. "Big Bro! Your preparations are solid, but the enemy won't be fooled for long. If we don't act soon, it could backfire."
Joey nodded. "That's why I only need three days. Three days will be enough for Sky Island. After that, it's up to you, little sis, to handle things up there."
"Hehehe~"
Compote chuckled. "Big Bro! No problem at all."
.
.
.