— — — — — — —
West Blue - Kano Country
Clap!
Footsteps echoed as a tall, mature woman stepped forward with an amused expression.
"Charlotte Joey! what's your next move?"
"Heh heh heh…"
Hana chuckled, her voice carrying a hint of intrigue. "I'm really looking forward to it. The path is right before you—how will you choose to walk it?"
Her smile deepened as she gazed at the chessboard before her.
She had never gone to Kenzan Island in person. As a ruler, she would never place herself in danger.
A true king doesn't move carelessly.
However, Hana found the game on the board fascinating. This was no ordinary game; it represented the entire Tehna Gehna Kingdom.
For a woman like her, this chessboard alone was more than enough.
Standing with her hands behind her back, Hana spoke lightly, "This is getting more and more interesting, Chief Joey. I just hope you don't lose too quickly or too miserably. Otherwise, this game would become quite dull."
Clearly, Hana's thoughts weren't hers alone.
Adam, the Five Elders, and even… others, some unknown.
They all shared the same sentiment.
History repeats itself. Throughout the ages, countless challengers had risen.
And in the end, they all vanished. None of them left a significant mark on history.
In the eyes of the true rulers of this world, Joey's actions were nothing more than a game.
Kenzan Island? The Tehna Gehna Kingdom?
This was just the beginning.
— — —
Kenzan Island – The Tehna Gehna Kingdom
Clap!
A set of footsteps echoed in the darkness of the night.
Katakuri spoke calmly, "Elder Vemin, what's the situation?"
Vemin sighed helplessly. "Mr. Katakuri, just as you predicted, it seems we won't be able to leave. They've already surrounded the battlefield."
Katakuri nodded. "Everything is within expectations. There is no need to be overly cautious. Big Brother said we have three days. In these three days, they won't attack."
"Understood." Vemin couldn't help but sigh again.
She had already chosen the Charlotte Family. Now, there was no turning back.
Once upon a time, the Tehna Gehna Kingdom was one of the most powerful nations in the world.
And now?
It had fallen to this state.
Internal divisions. External control.
Everything had changed.
Shaking her head silently, Vemin chose not to say more. She knew that the outcome would reveal itself in the coming days. All she could do was wait.
After a moment, Vemin said, "Mr. Katakuri, I'm going to rest now."
Katakuri replied indifferently, "I told you, nothing will happen. Just prepare yourself and follow my instructions. The 400,000 Longarm Tribe warriors will remain unharmed. Those people think they rule the world."
"But!" His eyes flashed a crimson glow as he continued sharply, "They are nothing more than frogs at the bottom of a well! Only when you leap beyond this world can you truly see the greater truth."
"Heh heh heh…"
With a chuckle, Cracker stepped forward, smiling. "Elder Vemin, get some good rest. Everything is under control."
"Alright." Seeing the unwavering confidence in the two men, Vemin forced a smile.
With a slight nod, she turned and left.
Katakuri then turned to Cracker. "How's the preparation?"
Cracker grinned. "Katakuri-nii, don't worry! Everything is set."
"Good." Katakuri narrowed his eyes, a sharp glint flashing through them. "Since they want to play, let's test them. I'd like to see how far they can go."
As everything settled into an eerie calm.
— — —
Swoosh!!!
A figure finally broke through all obstacles and arrived on Skypiea.
The moment they set foot on the sky island, an overwhelming pressure descended upon them.
That was to be expected. After all—Skypiea was located thousands of meters above sea level, and the air pressure at such an altitude was immense.
Joey spoke evenly, "Prepare yourselves. There's an island here called Birka. If my guess is right, there should be a Logia-type Devil Fruit there—The Rumble-Rumble Fruit."
"Rumble-Rumble Fruit?!"
"What?!"
Compote and Opera were both stunned.
To know…The Dark-Dark Fruit was infamous as the most evil Devil Fruit. The Magma-Magma Fruit was said to have the most destructive power among the Logia-type.
But when it came to the strongest Logia-type Devil Fruit?
That title belonged to the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. The one hailed as the most powerful Logia-type fruit.
...
Clap! Clap!
Joey and Compote landed on Angel Island.
This place was unique.
Known as the 'Land of Gods', it was a special island composed of Angel Island and Upper Yard. It was home to a large population of Sky Islanders, also known as the Angel Race (Sky clan).
Though they were called angels, their wings were purely decorative—they couldn't actually fly.
Based on Joey's deductions, they might have been able to fly in the past, but they lost that ability over time.
Regardless of the truth, this was the core of Sky Island.
Apart from Angel Island, Sky Island had many other islands, including Birka and Weatheria, among others.
Compote looked around curiously and asked, "Big Bro, what's our next move?"
Joey smiled warmly. "Little Sis, do you know how Sky Island's hierarchy works?"
"Uh…" Compote shook her head. She had no clue.
After all, Sky Island was even more mysterious than Wano or Kenzan Island. The latter two were still part of the Sea, but Sky Island was a legend, a place barely anyone had set foot on.
"Heh…"
Joey chuckled. "Sky Island is ruled by someone known as God. Here, if you defeat the current god, you become the new god, and all Sky Islanders must submit to you. As long as they submit, that's all that matters."
There were two ways to make someone submit:
They willingly surrender.
They are forced into submission.
Either way, as long as submission was achieved, the goal was met.
On Sky Island, the most common method was to defeat the current god and become the new one.
Compote nodded in understanding. "I see! If that's the case, this should be a lot easier!"
Joey smiled. "Exactly. That's why I'm confident I can settle everything on Sky Island within three days. I'll have the Goblin Tribe work with you."
"Sky Island has a unique cloud structure, and the artificial island Weatheria can be useful. I'll have the goblins help you create an artificial floating island that can freely ascend and descend."
Hearing this, Compote responded confidently, "Big Bro! You can count on me. This is no problem at all!"
"Alright, let's move deeper into the island."
With that, the siblings continued toward the heart of Sky Island.
---
Meanwhile…elsewhere, Opera was giving orders.
"Search! Search every inch of this place! If Big Bro says the Rumble-Rumble Fruit is here, then it's here! We must find it!"
"Yes, sir!" The black-clad soldiers responded sharply.
Following Joey's instructions, the Rumble-Rumble Fruit should be in Birka's forest, not in the town.
Birka wasn't a large island—it was tiny. Its population was 20,000 to 30,000 at most.
A full search of the island wouldn't take more than half a day.
Not to mention, the entire Angel Race on Sky Island numbered only 500,000.
Joey's plan was simple—conquer the Angel Race first.
Once the war at Tehna Gehna Kingdom began, he wouldn't have time to deal with Sky Island.
As soon as the war ended, he needed to return to Totto Land immediately.
"Opera-sama!"
A voice suddenly called out.
A black-clad soldier rushed forward, holding a golden-yellow Devil Fruit.
With deep respect, he reported, "We found the Devil Fruit!"
Opera took the fruit and carefully examined it against the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia.
He nodded solemnly. "Excellent! This is definitely the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. Your family has already been rewarded 1 billion Berries."
"Thank you, Opera-sama!" the soldier responded gratefully.
Joey never cheated his subordinates out of their rewards—doing so was utterly meaningless.
In fact, only a fool would mistreat his own men.
Joey ensured his subordinates had generous benefits.
---
Swoosh!
Drip…
Compote stood, holding two massive blades. Blood slowly dripped from them.
Her aura was razor-sharp. "Anyone else got a problem?"
The Angel Race trembled in fear, their eyes darting between Compote's feet, where the old god's corpse lay, and the bodies of the god's high priests.
"Gulp—"
They swallowed hard.
Just then—
ROAR!!!
A terrifying roar echoed through the sky.
From above, Opera, now transformed into a dragon, let out a thunderous roar.
His ferocious dragon form loomed over the Angel Race, watching them from above.
At that moment…
Thud!
One by one, every single Angel knelt, their voices trembling.
The Angel Race had completely surrendered.
Compote remained cold. "I am not your god. Big Bro is. Do you understand?"
"Yes!" The Angels, who had previously kneeled before Compote, now turned their submission to Joey.
"Heh…"
Joey smiled warmly. "There's no need to be afraid. As your new god, I will not mistreat my people. As long as you obey, you will experience a new life beyond your imagination!"
Joey's charisma was unique.
It had an undeniable effect on people, gradually easing their fears.
Of course, it wasn't as simple as completely eliminating their fear.
That was unrealistic. However, even partial submission was enough.
.
.
.