— — — — — — — —
15 different races. 100 from each race.
A selection of 1,500 elite soldiers.
But...The selection process took a whole two and a half months.
It was a brutal process that required immense time and effort, but finally, the chosen warriors had been selected.
...
Whoosh!
Katakuri personally oversaw the training.
Among the 1,500 recruits, every race was represented.
Under his command, they all followed a strict regimen.
"Hmm..."
Daifuku nodded approvingly. "Even though it's only been half a month, I have to say, these guys are impressive. They may not have the best natural talent, but they're definitely the most suitable for this."
Over the past weeks, Daifuku had been working alongside Katakuri and Perospero to manage the selection process.
As for Oven?
Forget it.
Oven was too busy handling business with the goblin traders.
Of course, his job was mainly to ensure their safety—anything requiring detailed planning? Heh... That was beyond his capabilities.
Perospero chuckled, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, in just half a month, these guys have started showing results. Even though there are only 1,500 of them, with time, they'll become one of the Charlotte Family's greatest assets."
"Exactly!"
Hearing Perospero's words, Mondée also smiled. "Once this army is fully trained, we will be unbeatable in this world. Maybe even—"
Daifuku, deep in thought, suddenly interrupted. "Wait, what should we even call this unit?"
Perospero rubbed his chin. "Good point. Since this is going to be the Charlotte Family's core fighting force, they need a name that fits."
"Let's keep it simple! How about... 'Totto Land Army'?"
A calm voice interrupted them.
"Big Bro!" x3
The three turned around excitedly to see Joey walking toward them.
Stopping beside them, Joey smiled. "What do you think about the name 'Totto Land' for this unit? Our sea territory is already called Totto Land, and this army is made up of warriors from all kinds of races. The name fits perfectly."
Mondée nodded. "I like it! When this Totto Land army is fully formed, taking over the world will be a piece of cake!"
"Hehehe..."
Joey chuckled softly. "Little sister, you're thinking too small. If we ever need to rely on the Totto Land Army to rule the world, that would be embarrassing. We should already be ruling before we even need them."
"Hehehe..."
Mondée scratched her head sheepishly. "Big Bro, my bad!"
Joey just smiled. "It's fine. Ruling the world... does it even really matter?".
"Huh?"
Everyone froze for a moment, then started thinking.
Perospero was the first to understand. "Once the Charlotte Family has enough strength, we'll already have everything—power, wealth... Everything will be ours. At that point, ruling the world becomes meaningless."
"Exactly."
Joey nodded approvingly. "Totto Land is a nation of different races, and as we grow, it will evolve into a Divine Kingdom."
Daifuku raised an eyebrow. "Big Bro, what exactly are you planning?"
"Joey explained, 'According to legends from certain worlds, there are 365 stars—one for each day—with the sun and moon at the center.'"
"Cake Island represents the moon, but we haven't built the sun yet."
"Right now, we've only established 36 islands, but in the future, we'll expand to 365 islands."
"Ohhh!"
"So that's the plan!"
"I see!"
The three siblings nodded in realization.
They didn't fully grasp the finer details, but they understood the general idea.
Joey wasn't really planning to conquer the world.
That would be pointless.
Instead, he aimed to rule through elite control.
Instead of governing directly, he would rule his own people—who in turn, would rule the world for him.
— — —
"Brother!"
Katakuri finally arrived.
Joey smiled. "How's it going?"
Katakuri nodded. "In terms of natural talent, they vary quite a bit."
"But when it comes to determination and willpower, they're top-tier. In just half a month, they've made incredible progress. Talent is important, but it's not the most crucial thing."
Joey agreed. "Exactly. When training an army, talent isn't the priority. As long as they meet the minimum requirements, that's enough."
"What really matters is willpower and mental fortitude. That's what allows true strength to grow."
The others nodded in understanding.
---
To know the Charlotte Family spared no expense for their 1,500 elites.
Three meals a day—top-quality food.
Proper rest, structured training, and perfect living conditions.
This wasn't some suicide squad.
They were building elite warriors. And elite warriors needed time to grow.
There was no need to rush things.
---
That night, everyone gathered in the study.
Katakuri was the first to speak. "Three months have passed, and there's only one month left before the Reverie begins. What exactly is the World Government planning?"
Silence filled the room.
It was already early March.
Ever since the New Year ended, they had been preparing, waiting for the World Government to make a move.
Aside from Oven, who was out conducting business through the Black Trade, everyone else had stayed in Totto Land.
Even Big Mom, Linlin, herself hadn't left.
Lately, she had been complaining, saying that if they didn't let her go out and play soon, she'd start smashing things.
Yet despite all this, the Charlotte Family hadn't made any moves. And surprisingly, neither had the World Government.
Three whole months.
Now, with only one month left before the Reverie, there was no way the World Government would just sit still.
Joey remained calm. "No need to be too anxious. If nothing unexpected happens, they'll make their move within this month… or even in the next few days."
"The Five Elders won't just let us peacefully achieve our plans."
"…"
Everyone exchanged glances.
Three months.
In those three months, there had been no activity from the World Government.
Totto Land had been growing stronger every day.
And yet, no response.
That in itself was suspicious.
At that moment—Amande entered the room with a serious expression.
"Big Brother! We received a report from Opera. An unknown underground force launched a sudden attack."
"There were around 30,000 attackers, and they fought to the death! They've all been wiped out, but in the process, nearly 5,000 of our Biscuit Soldiers were destroyed."
"Huh?"
Perospero's eyes widened. "A force of 30,000 managed to destroy 5,000 of our Biscuit Soldiers under Opera's command?"
Losing 5,000 Biscuit Soldiers wasn't a major loss. But—It still wasn't something that should have been possible.
Amande continued gravely, "They fought with absolute desperation. Some even strapped bombs to themselves and self-destructed. There's no doubt they were death soldiers."
Daifuku asked, "Any leads on who they were working for?"
Katakuri answered instead, "None. If I had to guess, these underground forces only emerged within the past six months—maybe even in just the last three months."
Amande nodded. "Third Brother is right. These underground groups appeared suddenly over the past three months. We have no information on them at all. But...ugh...maybe…"
She hesitated.
"Enough."
Joey's calm voice silenced the discussion.
"There's no need to overthink it. Who else could it be besides the World Government? Do you really think anyone else has the power to field 30,000 death soldiers?"
"…"
Everyone nodded.
That was the only logical answer.
No one else had the resources to train and deploy 30,000 suicidal warriors.
Clack. Clack.
In the silence, Joey lightly tapped his fingers on the table. His eyes narrowed slightly.
Then, he said, "If my guess is correct… Oven's group was also attacked."
Bzzzzt!
Right on cue, the family emblem buzzed with an incoming call.
Ever since the family emblem was upgraded, it could now support video transmissions.
A projection of Oven appeared. His face was grim.
"Big Brother! We were ambushed in the East Blue! Just as we finished a trade deal, an attack came out of nowhere."
"Cadenza and Cabaletta managed to fend them off, but there were about 30,000 enemies. Our cargo and the Goblins are safe, but we lost around 3,000 Biscuit Soldiers."
Joey remained calm. "They fought with the same suicide tactics, didn't they?"
"…Wait." Oven suddenly realized something. "Big Brother, was Totto Land attacked too?"
Joey nodded. "Take a detour on your way back. From now on, for the next month, all Black Trade operations are suspended. No one is allowed to leave Totto Land."
Oven saluted. "Understood, Big Brother! I'll make sure everyone returns safely."
Bzzt.
The call ended.
Everyone's expressions turned sharp.
There was no longer any doubt.
The World Government had made its move.
Just moments ago, they had been questioning why nothing had happened.
And now—The attack had come.
"Huff…"
Perospero exhaled deeply.
"Big Brother, the enemy has finally acted. But… what's the point of these attacks? Are they just trying to make us lose some Biscuit Soldiers?"
To be honest, Perospero didn't get it.
Three months = 90 days.
That was enough time to create 900,000 Biscuit Soldiers.
Losing 10,000 Biscuit Soldiers was barely a scratch.
But—
Joey smirked slightly.
"Their goal was never about taking out Biscuit Soldiers. They were simply testing the waters. They wanted to see how strong Totto Land and the Black Trade had become. They needed to gauge how much force it would take to wipe us out."
Amande immediately added, "If they could do it easily, they wouldn't bother playing games. They'd just destroy us outright and take the spoils."
Joey nodded approvingly.
"Exactly. Never underestimate the World Government. Every day, countless small factions and underground markets rise and fall."
"They appear, then disappear—sometimes within hours."
"How many of them do you think were actually controlled by the World Government?"
Hearing this, everyone's expressions turned even sharper.
The sheer scale of the World Government's influence… was staggering.
A monster that had ruled for 800 years.
If everything came down to one decisive battle…It would be brutal.
Right now, if a real battle broke out, there would be no Charlotte family left in the world.
So for the Charlottes—
The storm was coming.
.
.
.