— — — — — — —
["Ding!"]
Joey and the Lion King ended their video call.
"Hah—"
Letting out a slow breath, the Lion King gazed at the 60 Devil Fruits in front of her and murmured, "Sixty Devil Fruits… This is more than enough for now. If my calculations are correct, those people should be arriving soon."
Tap!
With light footsteps, figures emerged from the shadows. Speaking in a calm tone, one of them said, "Are these… law seeds?"
After a brief silence, everyone couldn't help but take a sharp breath.
"Heh heh heh—"
The Lion King chuckled. "Merlin! This is a rare sight—seeing someone like you so shocked."
Merlin sighed in amazement. "You can't blame me for this. In an era where miracles are fading, even the concept of laws has become increasingly illusory. The gods have disappeared! And yet, I never expected you to have so many law seeds in your possession."
The Lion King remained calm. "These law seeds can be used for now. However, I want to experiment and see if they can be modified. If that works, then they'll be far more valuable."
"Mhm."
Merlin nodded in agreement.
Then, the Lion King muttered, "Charlotte Family Leader, you're truly an interesting person. I never thought that such a low-tier world could produce so many precious law seeds. Looks like… you're someone worth building ties with."
She shook her head, dismissing further thoughts.
— — —
There was no denying it—Joey was indeed someone worth befriending.
It's clear that the family system had nothing to do with fairness.
Sure, everyone started at the same time, but was it really fair?
Some people were just clan leaders of ordinary families.
Some were the heads of angelic clans.
Some led demonic clans.
Could those possibly be compared? Not at all.
Some were born with Silver-tier strength while others had to train relentlessly just to reach that level.
There was no real comparison.
Under normal circumstances, in Joey's world, Silver Rank 7 was already the peak of power.
Going beyond that? Almost impossible! But only almost... which means someone can still do it. Even reaching Gold is possible.
This was Joey's world, the Pirate world.
And yet...Who could have imagined that this seemingly insignificant world would contain so many law seeds?
Through these law seeds, Joey had gained far more than expected.
Slowly but surely, through trade and negotiation, he was accumulating everything.
— — —
"Hah—"
Joey exhaled softly and rubbed his temples.
Amande stepped inside and asked, "Big Bro, what's wrong?"
Looking up with a hint of exhaustion, Joey asked, "Are the islands ready?"
Amande nodded. "Yes, Big Bro. Charm Island and Love Town are fully prepared."
Clearly, she had everything set.
Joey tossed a card into Amande's hand. "This is the Succubus Clan's card—ten thousand members in total."
Amande nodded. "Got it, Big Bro."
But then…She glanced at the small suits of armor in front of Joey and asked curiously, "Big Bro, what are these toy-like suits of armor for?"
Lined up before her were countless sets of armor, each barely the size of an adult's palm, resembling nothing more than children's toys.
Joey chuckled. "Toy armor, you say?"
Amande blinked. "Isn't it?"
Stepping forward, she picked up a set.
And then—The next moment, the armor expanded, covering her entire body seamlessly.
Perfectly fitted, incredibly complex.
Even her long snake-like neck—characteristic of the Long-Neck Tribe—was completely covered.
The entire set gleamed with a silver sheen, looking heavy but feeling light as air.
Joey explained with a warm smile. "This is the Magic Knight Armor I got from the Lion King through a trade. It has incredibly high defensive capabilities and can adapt to its user."
"More importantly, it's infused with powerful magic energy. No matter how weak someone is, as long as they wear this armor, they'll gradually absorb the energy inside. Over time, their strength will naturally reach Silver Rank 1."
"W-What?!"
Amande was stunned. "Big Bro! How many of these do we have?"
Joey answered calmly, "Five thousand sets."
However, he added, "But these aren't meant for you guys. Your potential is far greater than this. Relying on these armors would only hold you back. Understood?"
Understanding his reasoning, Amande removed the armor without hesitation and nodded seriously.
Their family's future was limitless.
If they let something like this armor become a crutch, it would be a waste of their true potential.
Amande thought for a moment and asked, "Big Bro, so this is the foundation for your elite force? You're planning to train them using these Magic Knight Armors?"
Joey nodded. "Exactly. This first batch of armors will allow us to develop a powerful elite unit, all at Silver Rank. But this is just the beginning. The road ahead is long, and we can't afford to get arrogant."
Amande responded seriously, "Big Bro, understood! Should I take these armors and distribute them?"
"Huh?"
Joey was momentarily surprised by the question.
"Hahaha—"
Shaking his head, he teased, "You little brat, why are you even asking? Since when do you need my permission for something like this? Do you think I don't trust you?"
"Heh heh—"
Amande grinned and nodded. "Alright then, I'll get to work, Big Bro!"
Before leaving, she asked, "Including the Succubus Clan, our Totto Land Empire now has about 15 different races, right?"
Joey nodded. "That's right. With the addition of the Succubus Clan, we now have 15 races under our rule. Selecting 1,500 elite warriors won't be an issue. As for the future, we'll continue adding more races and refining the selection process."
"Mhm!"
After considering it for a moment, Joey added, "No matter what, we can't afford to be careless when selecting these 1,500 elites. A strong foundation is everything."
"Natural talent can be improved over time, but mindset, courage, and loyalty must be guaranteed from the start."
Amande nodded seriously. "Big Bro, don't worry. I won't be careless. Besides, with Second and Third Brother overseeing this personally, there won't be any issues."
Joey nodded in satisfaction. "Good. The World Government hasn't made any moves lately, which gives us the perfect opportunity."
Amande agreed. "Right! We need to get everything in order before they make their next move, or things will get complicated later."
The siblings exchanged glances.
With that, Amande left, taking the Magic Knight Armors with her.
Meanwhile, Joey remained deep in thought.
"The Dragon Tribe… The Lunarian Tribe…"
Based on his intelligence, the Dragon Clan might reside somewhere within the Calm Belt.
But the Lunarians? No trace of them anywhere.
"Strange…"
Letting out a breath, Joey murmured, "Even after sending scouts to investigate, there's not a single clue. That rumored location… could it be false? That doesn't make sense."
"If King was truly a member of the Lunarian Clan, then where are his people now?"
His brows furrowed.
Something wasn't adding up.
Seated in his study, Joey browsed through countless documents, directing a floating greatsword to retrieve data for him.
But—
What he failed to notice was that his Stand, the Silver Greatsword's once beautiful eyes had turned a deep crimson red.
Even its once radiant hair was subtly shifting, its strands slowly transforming into the same crimson hue.
However—
Just as Joey was about to sense something, the change vanished.
— — —
With the Magic Knight Armors now in Amande's possession, the reaction was immediate.
"Holy shit!"
Cracker rushed over, staring in disbelief. "No wonder Big Bro never needed my Biscuit Armor for the elite army… He managed to get something this insane instead?!"
Oven clicked his tongue in admiration. "Five thousand sets of these armors, huh? Second Brother, we need to get our hands on more Devil Fruits."
"If we can expand Totto Land to include 50 different races, we could train an elite force of 5,000 warriors. If that happens—"
"Hahahaha—"
Perospero also laughed in excitement.
What did Silver Rank mean?
RIght now, the three future Admirals—Sakazuki, Kuzan, and Borsalino—were all at Silver Rank 1.
That alone proved how terrifying Silver Rank strength truly was.
Katakuri asked, "How long would it take for these soldiers to reach Silver Rank?"
Amande thought back to Joey's words before answering, "In the Lion King's world, his elite knights trained for 20 years to reach Silver Rank."
"For normal humans, it would take about 60 years. Even for our races, it'd still take around 50 years."
"Hmm—"
Katakuri crossed his arms, deep in thought. "The Multiverse Gate thing that Big Bro mentioned will open in 84 years. If we take 50 years to train this force, that only leaves 34 years… That's cutting it too close."
Daifuku added, "Yeah, it's risky. Silver Rank is strong in our world, but in other worlds, we don't know how it compares."
Cracker suddenly suggested, "Then why not push for Gold Rank instead?"
Everyone fell silent.
Gold Rank 1 meant a true transformation—entering the domain of cosmic-level beings.
At that point, nothing would be an issue.
Amande nodded. "Big Bro already said it—reaching Gold Rank 1 requires 10,000 Achievement Points. He's confident he can accumulate that within 30 years. But before that, our priority is building a solid foundation."
"A solid foundation is everything—not just for our elite force, but for our entire Charlotte Family. Only with a strong foundation can we reach greater heights."
Compote, walking beside her, agreed. "That's right. If we want to build a divine kingdom, an army of gods, then we need to be worthy of that title. Otherwise, wouldn't it be embarrassing?"
"Heh heh—"
Amande chuckled. "Yeah, that'd be really embarrassing!"
.
.
.