— — — — — — — —
Half a month had passed.
Everything had been taken care of.
Thankfully, Totto Land was a dictatorship so rapid changes could happen.
"Phew—"
Under the night sky, Katakuri let out a slow breath and muttered, "The scenery remains the same, but being home... there's a sense of peace."
"Hehehe~"
Gala, standing beside Katakuri, chuckled. "Third Brother, that's normal! After all, we're home now."
Katakuri nodded. "Yeah, let's go."
"Mhm!"
The two of them walked deeper into the castle.
Totto Land—
This was the home of the Charlotte Family.
A towering castle stood at its heart. Normally, the castle served as their residence.
However—At its deepest point was the place where their eldest brother usually studied.
Everyone knew their eldest brother preferred peace and quiet. So his study was arranged in the most secluded part of the castle.
Right beside it—Was the treasure vault.
After all, even though every family member had a family crest that could store up to 20 cubic meters of items—It still wasn't big enough!
Creak!
The door opened as Katakuri and Gala stepped inside, both wearing serious expressions as they faced their elder brother.
Joey put down the book in his hands and smiled. "You're here."
Both nodded solemnly.
Katakuri spoke first. "Big Brother!"
Joey responded gently, "This mission is quite troublesome. If you think about it carefully, this is one of our riskiest attempts yet. If we succeed, that's great. But if we fail, it'll be a disaster. Neither Opera nor the others are suitable for this job."
Gala, equally serious, said, "Big Brother, don't worry! I know how to handle it. There won't be any problems."
At that moment—A confident smirk played on Gala's lips.
Joey chuckled. "You little brat, acting all high and mighty in front of me? Grow up first. You're still too weak. You need time to settle down and develop, got it?"
Hearing his brother's words, Gala scratched his head sheepishly. "Big Brother, I understand! I won't get too cocky."
Joey smiled warmly. "That's more like it. Don't be too arrogant or reckless. Sometimes, you need to take things one step at a time to avoid disaster."
"Mhm!"
Gala obediently nodded, absorbing his brother's teachings.
Joey turned to Katakuri. "You memorized the intel?"
Katakuri's eyes gleamed with sharpness. "Big Brother, you can rest assured. There won't be any mistakes."
"Good."
Joey nodded.
No matter what—This mission was dangerous.
Executing it flawlessly?
Easier said than done.
In fact—If things went south, the consequences would be terrifying.
After thinking for a moment, Joey's expression turned serious. "Here's the intel. Follow the original plan and begin the operation."
"No problem!"
"Leave it to us, Big Brother!"
The two younger brothers smiled confidently as they left.
Watching them go, Joey rubbed his temples. "Looks like I won't be able to move around freely for a while. Who knows how much trouble those bastards have prepared for me... What a pain. Maybe I'm still too weak."
He felt a headache coming on.
The truth was—The Charlotte Family's overall strength was still too weak.
Inside Totto Land, they were safe.
But—If he left Totto Land, who knew how many people would try to hunt him down? The number of enemies he had in this vast ocean was far from small.
In the next ten months—This would be the most dangerous period.
Countless eyes were watching him, waiting for a single slip-up that could lead to a disaster.
---
Whoosh!!!
A brilliant blue streak flashed across the sky.
Looking closely—It was a bird engulfed in azure flames, speeding through the night sky.
Tori Tori no Mi, the Mythical Zoan: Phoenix model!
From the Charlotte Family! One of the Five Sweet Generals!
Gala!!!
It was none other than him. And clinging to his leg as they flew—Was Katakuri.
A flash of blue light streaked across the night sky.
Gala spoke seriously. "Third Brother, are you ready? We're going up against a World Noble! Even though we're operating in secret, their security is no joke. If we're careless, things could go bad fast."
Katakuri replied calmly, "Relax. Everything is prepared. Since I'm handling this, there won't be any mercy."
His eyes flashed with a deadly glint.
Katakuri's killing intent was terrifying.
Clearly—He was fully prepared.
Gala grinned. "Good! Our goal isn't just to kill a Celestial Dragon. That part is easy. The hard part is leaving no evidence. Ever since that incident years ago, their security has only gotten tighter."
Gala sighed in frustration.
Katakuri chuckled. "No need to worry. We've confirmed all the intel. This Celestial Dragon? He just needs to die."
Whoosh—
In an instant, Gala vanished into the sky. Gone without a trace.
— — —
To know Joey was always a man who liked making "friends."
Since the World Government had joined forces with three superpowers and other hidden forces to trouble him—Heh, did they really think he'd sit back and do nothing?
What's the best kind of gift to send in return?
A World Noble, of course!!! Celestial Dragons were the perfect targets.
If the Charlotte Family successfully "delivered" this "gift" to the World Government— That would be something unbelievable.
But regardless—They were fully prepared.
Under the moonlight, a luxurious ship sailed smoothly.
This ship belonged to a Celestial Dragon.
Normally, Celestial Dragons rarely entered the New World. After all—It was far too dangerous.
Even the World Government couldn't fully control it.
But this time—One particular Celestial Dragon had set his sights on a queen from a New World nation.
He insisted on taking her home.
And now?
He was being hunted.
Though he had protection—Only 30 CP agents from CP1 to CP8 had been assigned.
Unfortunately for them—The Charlotte Family's intelligence network was one of the best in the business.
Joey even spent 100 achievement points to completely remove Katakuri's Devil Fruit side effects for this mission.
"Clear!"
The CP agents reported in, cold and emotionless, every three minutes.
They had no emotions.
Their only mission was to protect the Celestial Dragon at all costs.
But tonight—They were doomed to fail.
A shadow emerged from the sea.
In an instant, the figure transformed into mochi and slipped through the ship's window.
Too fast to be noticed. Charlotte Katakuri had arrived.
And inside the ship—A Celestial Dragon was fast asleep, completely unaware of his impending doom...
Katakuri, using his terrifying Observation Haki, swiftly infiltrated the ship's interior.
To be honest, if we were to talk about Conqueror's Haki, Armament Haki, Observation Haki, Devil Fruit ability, combat talent, and overall strength, Katakuri would be nearly perfect in every way.
But! The skill he truly excelled at was his Observation Haki.
His Observation Haki was honed to an absolutely monstrous level. This man possessed an unfathomably strong Observation Haki.
This wasn't just an exaggeration—his mastery of it was truly terrifying.
Moreover—Katakuri's talent in Observation Haki was beyond what most could imagine, making him a true anomaly, a monster among men.
Whoosh—
In mere moments, Katakuri had already reached the depths of the ship.
"Phew—"
Looking at the Celestial Dragon, who had exhausted himself the night before and was now sleeping like a dead pig,
Katakuri remained utterly calm.
Smack!
Katakuri pulled a book from his pocket.
Rustle—
In an instant! The pages of the book fluttered wildly.
From within the book, a figure emerged.
Charlotte Angel tilted her head adorably, glancing at the Celestial Dragon with disgust. "Third brother, is this a Celestial Dragon? Ugh, they're disgusting!"
Katakuri spoke gently, "Little one, let's get started."
"Okay!"
"Library!"
Angel stretched out her hands.
A massive book materialized before them. The Book-Book Fruit!
This was an incredibly unique Devil Fruit. A Devil Fruit that Joey had specifically given to Angel.
Clearly—This Devil Fruit was perfect for Angel. And this little girl had developed its abilities exceptionally well.
Katakuri and Angel swiftly sealed the Celestial Dragon away inside the book and then left through the same route they came.
The entire operation was impossibly quick and precise.
— — —
The next day
Boom!!!
A figure suddenly plummeted from the sky, shaking the world to its core!
.
.
.