— — — — — — —
The Future Admirals of the Navy? The Current Monster Vice Admirals?
Katakuri didn't care.
Who cares about your titles? Like hell he was afraid of anyone!
At just twenty years old, Katakuri had already reached Silver Rank 2. Unlike his mother, who had little ambition, Katakuri trained relentlessly.
To be honest, even he sometimes felt his training was too extreme. It was practically self-torture.
Most people—forget enduring it—couldn't even handle a third of what he put himself through. But this insane level of discipline was what forged his monstrous strength.
And he wasn't the only one. Cracker was just as terrifying.
Right now, he was taking on Gion. By all logic, they should be evenly matched.
But somehow...Cracker had her on the ground, practically dragging her through the dirt.
"Hahaha…"
Through the mirrors on the Queen Mama Chant, Joey could see everything unfold.
A small boat floated on the water.
Joey sat comfortably on it, watching the battlefield unfold before him.
And he wasn't alone. Next to him sat Custard, Angel, Brûlée, Broye, Mash, and Cornstarch—six little sisters, all sitting adorably together.
"Hit him!" Mash cheered, waving her tiny fists. "Third Brother! Beat them all up! They're such cowards, ganging up three against one! That's so shameless! Third Brother, you got this!"
Joey chuckled, watching his little sister get worked up. Honestly, if someone saw her reaction, they'd think she was the one fighting. She looked more excited than Katakuri himself.
Smiling, he asked, "Why are you so riled up, little one?"
Mash scratched her head, grinning. "Big Brother! The Navy is just shameless! Three against one? That's so unfair! Hmph! I knew it! The Navy is full of scumbags."
Joey gently shook his head, sighing. "You little troublemakers."
Then, his gaze turned sharp.
"But… Katakuri will never lose. He's the invincible man of the Charlotte Family. How could someone like him possibly lose?"
"Of course!"
"Exactly!"
"Right!"
All his sisters nodded firmly.
In their hearts, there were only two types of people in the world: The Charlotte Family & Everyone else who didn't matter.
They had absolute faith in their brothers. Just as they believed Joey was unstoppable, they knew Katakuri was undefeatable.
And because of that belief…Katakuri had awakened Invincible Death, his Stand ability.
Joey observed his brother's situation for a moment longer before shifting his focus to another mirror.
This one showed an island near Totto Land.
A small island. A place where civilians still lived.
And on this island…The Suna Suna no Mi—the Sand-Sand Fruit—had appeared.
Joey smirked.
"Let's see what tricks you all have up your sleeves."
His grin deepened.
The grand play had begun. And what fun would it be if no one joined in?
After all…He was already part of the game himself.
---
"Shingen no Ichigeki"
"Impact Wave!"
Two figures clashed in the air.
A terrifying shockwave rippled through the battlefield, devastating everything in its path.
The very air cracked apart.
BOOM!
The force of their clash exploded outward, reducing the surroundings to ruins.
"Gurararara…"
Whitebeard grinned. "Sengoku, what the hell are you doing here? Shouldn't you Navy dogs be focusing on the Big Mom Pirates?"
It was obvious to anyone with a brain what this battle was really about.
The Sand-Sand Fruit's sudden appearance? Yeah, right. That was suspicious as hell.
Did the World Government really think people like Whitebeard and Shiki were idiots?
They knew exactly what was going on.
They had come to observe. And if the opportunity arose…Why not take the Devil Fruit for themselves?
A Logia fruit was a valuable treasure. But instead of an easy heist, Whitebeard walked straight into a battlefield.
"Tch."
Sengoku, leading the Navy, blocked Whitebeard's path.
With a cold expression, he said, "You're not getting past me."
Whitebeard grinned. "Then let's fight!"
Sengoku's gaze was icy. "All units, attack!"
"ROAR!"
"For Justice!"
The battle erupted between the Marines and the pirates.
— — —
Meanwhile, in the Holy Land Mary Geoise
The Five Elders were losing their minds.
Things were NOT going according to plan.
Zephyr and Linlin were fighting.
Whitebeard and Sengoku were now tangled in battle.
Garp was chasing Roger, trying to beat him into the dirt.
WHAT THE HELL WAS HAPPENING?!
This was NOT how it was supposed to go!
The Five Elders were furious.
Their original strategy had been flawless:
1- Bait the pirates with the Sand-Sand Fruit.
2- Let the great pirates focus on eliminating the Charlotte Family members.
3- Have the Navy crush the Big Mom Pirates.
4- Secretly send assassins to kill Joey.
5- Dispatch world powers to invade and destroy Totto Land.
A perfect plan.
But these damned pirates and Marines had ruined everything!
They weren't following the script!
— — —
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
Joey laughed so hard he nearly fell off his boat.
With a smirk, he said, "I bet the Five Elders are losing their minds right now. Their 'perfect plan' just got completely wrecked by the people they were counting on."
Broye nodded. "It's simple, really. Whether it's Whitebeard, Sengoku, or the others, they're all kings of this era. Did the World Government really think they'd obediently act as pawns?"
That was the one thing the Five Elders failed to understand.
As rulers of the world, they were used to controlling everything. In their minds, treating others as chess pieces was an honor.
But these legends…They would NEVER be someone else's pawns.
They weren't puppets.
And for a mere Devil Fruit? They would rather let it go than be used like dogs.
Joey shook his head, smirking. "The Five Elders just don't get it."
...
Right now, the island was packed with powerful forces, and an all-out battle had erupted.
A true chaotic free-for-all.
Boom!
Garp roared in anger, "Roger! If you've got the guts, stop running! I swear I'm arresting you today!"
The entire battlefield momentarily froze at Garp's furious shout.
Everyone stared at him in shock.
Roger, on the other hand, just scoffed, "Garp! Do you even have a brain?! You want me to just stand here and let you hit me? Are you an idiot?!"
For a moment, Garp was so furious he could barely breathe.
His rage exploded. "Roger! I'm gonna kill you!"
"Galaxy Impact!"
"Divine Departure!"
BOOM!
Their fierce battle ignited, and with them, the Marines and the Roger Pirates clashed as well.
As for the smaller pirate crews just here to stir up trouble? They weren't even worth mentioning.
If they wanted to be pawns, let them. No one cared.
Meanwhile, Shiki wasn't having a great time either.
His expression darkened as he faced three men standing before him.
"Hehehe…"
"Hohoho…"
"Jiahaha…"
John, Wang Zhi, and Silver Axe. All three of them were grinning wickedly.
Their hands tightened around their weapons.
John took a swig from his bottle before tossing it aside. Grinning, he said, "Shiki! We finally caught you again. Weren't you acting all high and mighty before?"
"Go on, run! Keep running! You thought you could take our territory? Watch as I cut you down today!"
Silver Axe chimed in, "Yeah! Let's take this bastard out. The Flying Pirates have looted quite a bit of treasure lately—let's grab it all!"
Wang Zhi thoughtfully added, "Considering the odds, our victory is basically guaranteed."
"Hmph!"
Shiki sneered. "You think I'm afraid of you?"
Roar!
The Flying Pirates and the Three Pirates instantly clashed in brutal combat!
At this point, the battlefield had taken on a strange dynamic. Almost all the top fighters were already engaged in their own battles.
Perospero observed the scene in silence.
He opened his mouth as if to speak but then closed it again, simply saying, "Search for the Sand-Sand Fruit. The moment you find it, bring it back. If you run into strong enemies, just delay them."
"This island isn't that big—our reinforcements will arrive soon."
With that, a swarm of black-clad subordinates quickly moved into action.
Meanwhile, many others on the battlefield were still in a daze.
Perospero had arrived expecting an intense battle.
But after just a few moments of observing the situation, he found himself feeling… odd.
Opera, Counter, Cadenza, Cabaletta, and Gala—the five brothers—had all been hyped up and ready to charge into the fight!
Now? They just stood there feeling like complete idiots.
No one even paid attention to them!
Amande commented, "As expected. These guys aren't fools. There's no way they'd let themselves be used as pawns so easily."
"Hm." Perospero nodded in agreement.
Honestly? Perospero had brought a massive force with him this time from the family.
Perospero, Amande, Opera, Counter, Cadenza, Cabaletta, Gala, Zuccotto, and Oven!
Every single one of them was a high-level combatant. Their numbers even surpassed those of the Big Mom Pirates present.
And yet…This was the result?
Perospero quickly gave out new orders. "Regardless of how things look, stay on high alert. We can't be careless."
"Many of these people are already caught up in battle, but not everyone is accounted for. Make sure to deal with the remaining threats."
"Understood!" Everyone nodded seriously and sprang into action.
None of them dared to let their guard down.
This wasn't just about looking tough—one mistake could mean death.
Who knew what kind of unexpected twists could still happen?
After all…This sea was full of powerful individuals.
Sure, many had joined the chaos. But what about the rest?
That was the real question.
As the leader of this mission, Perospero couldn't afford to be careless.
If something went wrong…It would be a disaster!
---
Joey nodded approvingly. "Perospero is staying calm and cautious. That's good."
"Even if some people get held up, there's always a chance someone else will make a move. Besides, anyone who's made it to the New World isn't weak."
That was the key point.
Were there weaklings in the New World? Of course not!
Anyone who made it this far was a powerhouse. They might not all be top-tier, but they were far from weak.
The term 'weakling' simply didn't apply here.
So…This operation wasn't just about acquiring the Sand-Sand Fruit. It was also a test for his younger siblings.
Of course…Joey had his backup plans in place.
Nothing would go wrong.
And he wouldn't let anything go wrong.
.
.
.