— — — — — — —
Leaning back on the throne, Joey rested his head on one hand, gazing at the four Den Den Mushi in front of him. He spoke slowly: "A game is fun when new players suddenly jump in."
"..."
"Heh…" The Five Elders chuckled in admiration.
"What an impressive young man! Not bad, not bad at all! It's truly remarkable. But, Joey, you should think carefully. Surviving is the most important thing. If you can't stay alive, then nothing else really matters."
The atmosphere suddenly became eerie.
For the Five Elders, this was merely a game.
They hadn't invested much. Losing was just losing.
But…One must not forget— The man before them was the head of the Charlotte Family.
The Charlotte Family had grown immensely, rising from Totto Land, Big Mom's pirate crew, and the underground black market.
All of this…Existed because of this man.
If he disappeared, what would happen?
The answer was obvious. The moment Joey was gone, the entire Charlotte Family would collapse.
Without a central pillar, everything would lose meaning. The five Elders wouldn't just let another potential threat grow up after all.
"Hmm…" Joey remarked calmly. "So, this game was all about me from the beginning? What a hassle. For someone as weak as me, getting ambushed is such a headache."
He sighed, rubbing his temples as if genuinely troubled.
It really looked like he had reached his limit.
But…Was that really the case?
One of the Five Elders spoke flatly. "The battlefield outside has already collapsed. But! Your brothers have been blocked. Right now, there are no strong fighters to protect you. What do you think happens next?"
Another voice added, "Indeed! Only those who survive are qualified to play the game. Joey, you must make sure to stay alive."
"Heh!"
"Hehehe…"
Adam and Songfen chuckled lightly.
As if…They were already witnessing Joey's imminent death.
Joey sighed helplessly. "This is really giving me a headache. They've arrived already?"
"How flattering. Sending CP0, the so-called strongest shield of the Celestial Dragons, just for me… You must think highly of me."
He sounded as if he could already see his own demise.
Five CP0 agents were sent.
Their numbers weren't high, but their power was…
After all, the strongest CP0 agents had reached Silver-tier and even Silver-tier Level 2 strength.
Even the weaker ones were generally at least Bronze-tier Level 8.
In other words—CP0 was the true elite force under the World Government.
But…Such an elite force wasn't large in number. Yet, to eliminate Joey, they had sent five of them?
All of them at Bronze-tier Level 9?
That alone showed how seriously the World Government viewed him.
"Heh…" Joey chuckled softly. "With this many? With such strong fighters? Looks like I'm as good as dead. What a headache."
He sat still. Not moving.
Like waiting for death.
The five Elders stared at the Den Den Mushi in silence.
They sensed it. Something was off.
Everything…Seemed to be under Joey's control.
But how?!
They knew exactly where the Charlotte Family's strongest fighters were.
With Linlin absent, no one should be able to stop CP0's assault.
SWOOSH!
No more words were needed.
In an instant, the five CP0 agents moved.
CLANG!—
A shocking scene unfolded.
In the blink of an eye, everything was over.
The five CP0 agents…were stopped by something—at the same time.
The four Elders didn't understand what happened, but just by listening, they could tell—
A battle had begun. And yet, Joey remained seated, watching.
CRACKLE!—
The fight grew fiercer by the second.
SLASH!—
The unmistakable sound of flesh being pierced rang out.
The five Elders clearly heard it.
"Cough… Cough…!"
Violent coughing filled the air.
At that moment—
A CP0 agent spoke coldly: "My lord! We don't know what's happening! We can sense them with Observation Haki, but we can't see them with our eyes! They are invisible! There are at least 20 of them, and each one is incredibly strong!"
SWOOSH!—
Before he could finish speaking—His head was severed clean off.
Everything had happened too fast.
As if…It had all been preordained.
From start to finish. In just three to five minutes—One CP0 agent had already been killed.
And the remaining four weren't faring any better.
"We don't know if they are men or women! But their Armament Haki is incredibly strong, and they are completely invisible!"
"Their presence is unique. There are at least 20 of them!"
"They wield greatswords as their weapons!"
"They…?!"
The four remaining CP0 agents knew— Escape was impossible!
Faced with inevitable death…They no longer tried to run. Instead, they charged straight at Joey in a desperate final attack.
But alas—They couldn't even take a single step closer.
They could only watch, helpless, as Joey smiled at them.
As time passed—The pressure on them grew heavier and the force surrounding them became unbearable.
Until, finally—They reached their limits.
They were all doomed to die.
And so...Before their deaths, they spilled every piece of information they had gathered.
However! They failed to notice the fleeting smirk on Joey's lips.
Those so-called "secrets"...Were exactly what Joey wanted them to reveal.
Whoosh~~~ As the breeze blew, everything returned to silence.
Swoosh!
Katakuri suddenly burst into the room, tense and alert. "Big Bro!!!"
Joey spoke gently, "Katakuri, step outside. I'm in the middle of a conversation with some guests. Interrupting now would be rude."
"Oh, and those guests lying over there… make sure they get sent back properly. They went through all the trouble of sending a 'gift,' after all. It would be a shame if we didn't return the favor."
Seeing that his brother was unharmed, Katakuri immediately calmed down.
Then...Katakuri nodded. "Got it, Big Bro. Leave it to me."
Without hesitation, he signaled for people to remove the five CP0 corpses.
As for what came next?
He already knew what to do.
Once the CP0 members had been dealt with, Katakuri left the room.
— — —
Clap!
Compared to the thoughts of Hana, Adam, and Songfen...
The Five Elders, on the other hand, merely clapped in admiration. "Such impressive tactics! Truly remarkable, Joey! You're definitely not someone to be underestimated."
"You had everything planned from the start, and on top of that, you've secretly nurtured an elite force hidden in the shadows. It seems your Devil Fruit ability is quite unique as well!"
Joey responded warmly, "Well, this world is far too dangerous. It's only natural to take precautions. Being vigilant is never a mistake."
"Indeed!" The Five Elders nodded in agreement. "Caution is never a mistake! However, such caution can also make you a very dangerous individual. It seems we'll have to reconsider our stance, Joey—you're a serious threat."
Joey remained unfazed. "No worries. I've lost count of how many people see me as a threat. The real question is—how far are you, the ones who rule the world, willing to go?"
His smile was warm.
But to them...It felt like mockery.
"Very well!" The Five Elders nodded continuously, clearly impressed. "Now, we're even more curious to see how things will unfold next."
Joey simply smiled and said nothing.
Click.
The Five Elders ended their call.
Even those with their level of political cunning couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
That was CP0 they had just lost!
Five highly trained CP0 agents.
Raising just one CP0 operative took an incredible amount of resources and effort.
Following the end of the Five Elders' call...
Adam and Songfen also hung up their transponders.
"Heh heh heh..."
Joey chuckled. "Miss Hana, do you still have something to say? I'm quite busy here! Totto Land has welcomed over a million new citizens. I've got my hands full!"
Hana spoke lightly, "Clan Leader Joey, it's time for this year's supply deliveries. You still haven't taken any action."
"Oh?" Joey feigned surprise. "Ah! My apologies! I completely forgot about that. Miss Hana, feel free to send someone over. Don't worry! You'll get all the Gene Fruits as promised."
Hana responded softly, "Then, Clan Leader Joey, until we meet again."
Joey smiled. "Until we meet again."
Click~~~
With the last transponder call disconnected, a smirk crept onto Joey's lips.
He leaned back slightly...Gazing into the distance...As if watching something particularly amusing.
Clearly...He was very entertained.
This time, he had been schemed against.
However...He had also reaped plenty of benefits in return.
"Heh heh heh—"
He chuckled softly, murmuring, "Man... these guys sure have some impressive tricks up their sleeves. They were thoroughly prepared."
Narrowing his eyes...Joey had to admit it—Luck was his best helper.
Cracker's biscuit armor was indeed formidable.
But! It wasn't invincible!
In fact... Countering it wasn't even that difficult.
Acid rain! Regular rainwater wouldn't work.
But acid rain could corrode Cracker's armor easily.
If they had really wanted to, those people could've countered the armor effortlessly.
It's just that...They got careless!
They thought they had prepared enough.
They let their guard down, allowing Joey to seize victory.
To put it plainly—To these power holders...The Charlotte Family was nothing to take too seriously.
That underestimation...Led to their downfall.
Whoo—
Exhaling slowly, Joey stared outside.
At this moment...He seemed lost in thought.
And he murmured to himself, "This victory is just the beginning. The real trouble starts now. How interesting!"
"Over the next year, I wonder just how much you'll be able to accomplish?"
"What tricks will you all use?"
.
.
.