Sakazuki continued speaking:
"When Wapol dies, as the only remaining heir."
"Musshuru, who was exiled to the Land of Fire, will surely be brought back to inherit the throne."
"And in this boundless sea."
"A few people disappearing is nothing unusual."
"Such a useful ability will have great use in the future."
A cruel smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he stared in the direction of the New World's Three Emperors.
Karol suddenly felt the temperature in the room drop a few degrees:
"Have you thought of another cruel method again?"
Sakazuki said in a low voice:
"It's not really a cruel method."
"It's just that I want those pieces of trash to experience what true despair feels like..."
Karol thought for a moment:
"Despair, huh..."
"But with their personalities, would they even feel despair?"
Those pirate emperors… even someone like Charlotte Linlin, who had the most children, probably wouldn't feel sad even if a few of her children died.
Sometimes, she would even kill them herself...
As for the ones without any family bonds, there was even less to say...
Sakazuki chuckled softly:
"Of course they have weaknesses."
"Every person does."
"Those so-called pirate emperors only seem invincible because their overwhelming strength hides those weaknesses."
"So people think they are untouchable."
"But... is that really the case?"
...
With a rustling sound—
Sakazuki pulled out a map and spread it on the table:
"Look, what place is this?"
Karol walked over and said:
"The territory of one of the Three Emperors, Charlotte Linlin."
"Cake Island."
Sakazuki nodded:
"These surrounding islands, circling Cake Island."
"They form one massive kingdom."
"The Totto Land Kingdom."
"Also called the Whole Cake Nations."
"Do you see it now?"
Karol thought for a moment:
"A massive kingdom?"
Sakazuki nodded and said:
"That's right."
"But the massive kingdom is only the foundation."
"Do you know what her dream is?"
Karol shook his head… indeed, he didn't know.
Sakazuki chuckled softly. Others didn't know... but he did:
"Charlotte Linlin's dream."
"Is to establish a nation where every race in the world, regardless of status, lives together."
"She wants all races to become 'family,' to grow as big as she is, sitting at the same table as equals."
"That's why she named it the Totto Land Kingdom, with the deeper meaning of 'Whole Cake Nations.'"
"Such a beautiful and grand ideal."
Karol's mouth twitched... this...
Sakazuki continued:
"For those who want to join Whole Cake Nations, Charlotte Linlin never refuses."
"Once you join, no matter who you are, you receive protection."
"The only price is that every six months, you must offer tribute and a portion of your lifespan. If you can't... then you're destroyed."
"Such a wonderful place."
"Would you like to go?"
Karol quickly shook his head:
"No, no, no..."
Sakazuki smiled:
"Well, it can't be completely dismissed. At least if you're being hunted by a powerful enemy, running there wouldn't be a bad choice."
"With the protection of one of the Three Emperors, Charlotte Linlin, at least you could cling to life."
Placing his hand on the map on the table:
"This Totto Land."
"Is Charlotte Linlin's dream, her life's work."
"Ten years from now, if a spore bomb were dropped into Whole Cake Nations, combined with some wind-based abilities to sweep through the entire Totto Land..."
"Aside from Charlotte Linlin's children and a few powerful officers, everyone in Totto Land... would die."
"Tell me, when that happens, wouldn't Charlotte Linlin go insane?"
Karol drew in a sharp breath:
"She'd probably hate you to the point of madness..."
"This is too ruthless..."
Sakazuki's eyes narrowed slightly:
"If it isn't ruthless, how would she learn what pain truly is?"
"These pieces of ocean trash, always shouting about destruction, war, the world."
"What a joke."
"Crushing ordinary battles with overwhelming strength, and they think that's war?"
"Do you know why they want war?"
"It's because no one has ever brought them the pain of war."
"It's because no one has ever destroyed everything they care about."
"And I will make their dreams, their life's work, everything they care about."
"Turn into nothingness."
"So what if they have overwhelming power?"
"Do you know why the Shroom-Shroom Fruit is called the most vicious fruit?"
"Because its spores spread with the wind. Though heat, cold, or seawater can nullify it, there's no denying..."
"Once it spreads..."
"Anyone who comes into contact will die within seconds."
"Even if she can unleash flames to cover Cake Island, she can't cover the endless seas and dozens of islands."
"She will watch with her own eyes as the land she spent decades building is destroyed."
"Everything she has will vanish into smoke."
"The Three-Eyed Tribe, the Poneglyphs—everything will disappear."
"Not only the kingdom she built, but even that ridiculous dream of the Pirate King will be buried in the sea."
"She will go mad with hatred, go insane, realizing she lived decades in vain, ending with nothing."
"And Kaido, Big Mom, even the Red-Haired Shanks, who's about to become a new emperor."
"They all have things they care about—just no one has found them yet."
"One by one..."
"Using the cruelest methods, we will destroy them completely..."
...
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
In the Marine Academy, two purple-haired figures clashed rapidly.
The young Skarn watched as Zephyr charged forward. His body lifted slightly, retreating explosively.
At the same time, the ground around him surged upward, gathering onto his arms, compressing furiously.
Forming a massive lion-headed gauntlet.
Though hastily condensed, it weighed over a thousand pounds.
Yet it felt weightless, coated with Haki, striking rapidly from Skarn's fists.
The two, sharing the same lineage, countered each other perfectly.
Slowly, sweat began to bead on Zephyr's forehead. After all, age was catching up with him.
Ever since the serious injuries, his strength had declined. Combined with years of focusing on teaching, he could no longer suppress Skarn as he once did.
Watching the sweat on Zephyr's forehead, Skarn faltered for a moment.
Zephyr smirked and struck at Skarn.
Only then did Skarn react, hurriedly blocking...
BOOM!!!!
A deafening sound rang out.
The two retreated several steps before stopping.
Skarn shook the shattered stone gauntlet on his arm:
"So close, I lost again."
Zephyr, half angry, half amused:
"No, you won."
"Hasn't anyone told you your acting is terrible?"
"Deliberately zoning out."
"Brat, I'm not so old yet."
"I don't need you to hold back."
Skarn scratched his head, grinning sheepishly.
Zephyr laughed too. Truly... he's grown up...
-----------
The fanfic is Finished on p@treon/tambeerg. 414 chapters in total