— — — — — —
Crack!
Emerald-green veins of a green gemstone split apart as they were carefully peeled away, tossed aside with little regard.
Cadenza stood at the center, wielding a long silver spear tipped with dragon design—The Silver Dragon Spear. He handled the delicate task with extreme precision.
Thankfully, Cadenza had exceptional control over his strength.
Had it been someone else? The task might have devolved into a chaotic bombardment, leaving the Devil Fruit completely destroyed.
And that would have been nothing short of a disaster.
"Phew~~~"
Exhaling deeply, Cadenza finally took a step back.
After a grueling thirty minutes of effort, the Devil Fruit was finally unearthed.
He held it in his hand, inspecting the mysterious fruit with a frown. "Is this really the one?"
Shaking his head, he muttered, "Forget it! I'll let big brother confirm it."
With the fruit in tow, he hurried back toward the others.
Meanwhile, Joey was giving orders. "Sort through the destroyed Green Gemstone Stones. Use whatever can still be salvaged, and abandon the rest. Focus on extracting other valuable minerals."
"Understood!"
The mafia underlings promptly dispersed to handle the arrangements.
Cadenza soon returned, holding the fruit aloft. "Big brother, is this the one?"
Joey glanced at it, his sharp eyes scanning the fruit. "That's it."
"Fantastic!"
Smiles broke across everyone's faces.
After all, so much had been invested into this operation. If they'd still failed to locate the Devil Fruit, it would've been a catastrophic blow.
Now that they'd found it, their efforts had finally paid off.
"Hehehe~~~"
A subtle smirk spread across Joey's lips as he watched Cadenza devour the fruit in one swift bite.
Murmuring to himself, he reflected, "Finally, All The Five Devil Fruits… After more than a decade of effort, they've all been secured. This trip has already fulfilled its primary goal."
Joey had set out with two clear objectives from the start of this journey.
Objective One: Gather Devil Fruits for his five younger brothers.
The Charlotte Family had already established clear divisions within its hierarchy:
The Future Ministers, led by Amande. The Elite Officers, led by Katakuri.
Among these officers, Katakuri and Cracker served as the core of the Three Sweet Commanders—a position Joey had strategically placed them in within Big Mom's Pirate Crew.
Why? Because when you lack the strength to dominate the world outright, you must act with care.
And let's face it—Big Mom Pirates didn't operate under conventional morality.
They were pirates.
Beyond these elites, there was the second tier of Officers, comprising:
Perospero, Compote, Daifuku, Oven, and Custard.
This group represented all-around talents, capable of both managing operations and holding their own in battle.
Finally, there were the Pastry Five Generals, led by Opera.
This particular group had been cultivated by Joey as the future face of Totto Land.
While Katakuri served as the face of Big Mom's pirate operations, the Pastry Five Generals would represent Totto Land's sovereignty as a nation.
Objective Two: Finalize the arrangements for upcoming deals.
These deals would secure the Charlotte Family's rightful position during the Reverie two years from now.
— — —
"Roar!"
A sudden roar cut through Joey's thoughts.
All eyes turned toward Cadenza, whose body began to contort.
Cadenza's transformation was grotesque yet awe-inspiring.
His neck elongated unnaturally, resembling the curve of a snake, but with distinct reptilian features.
His skin became coated in shimmering green scales, his hands and feet morphing into razor-sharp claws.
Two demonic dragon horns jutted from his head, while leathery green wings sprouted from his back—bat-like, but uniquely distinct.
"ROAR!!!"
Cadenza let out an ear-shattering howl, his aura surging wildly.
At that moment, his power surged to rival that of his brothers.
In fact, his newfound strength slightly exceeded theirs but still the same tier.
Over the past few months:
Opera had reached Bronze Level 7.
Counter and Gala had reached Bronze Level 6.
Cabaletta, because of his brute-like tendencies, had advanced to Bronze Level 7 through sheer effort.
Cadenza, however, had been lagging behind at Bronze Level 4.
But after consuming the Devil Fruit, his strength skyrocketed to Bronze Level 7 in one fell swoop.
Watching Cadenza's transformation, Joey commented, "Counter, Gala, you two should take this as motivation."
"Understood!"
The two brothers nodded earnestly, determined to push themselves further.
As Cadenza's roars echoed, his four brothers followed suit, their respective transformations coming into full display:
An azure divine dragon spiraled through the sky.
A green-winged dragon soared majestically above.
A blue phoenix ascended, radiating ethereal flames.
An eight-headed serpent-dragon hybrid reared its heads.
Finally, A ferocious Sphinx roared with primal might.
"Hahaha~~~"
Despite the grandeur, the sight of Cabaletta drew laughter from the four younger sisters.
His transformation, while powerful, looked undeniably odd compared to the others.
"ROAR!"
Irritated, Cabaletta lunged at them in mock aggression, causing them to scatter in playful panic.
Nearby, Custard decided to join the fun. "Mirror Clone!"
Using her ability, she created a duplicate of Cabaletta's Sphinx form through her mirror.
However…The mirror shattered moments later, unable to sustain the energy of the clone.
Custard collapsed from the effort, gasping for air.
Smack!
Joey knocked her lightly on the head, scolding, "Your stamina can't keep up with your ability's consumption. It's fortunate the clone dissipates when the mirror breaks. Otherwise, you'd have drained yourself dry."
Custard pouted, her playful demeanor intact despite the reprimand.
Finally, the Pastry Five Generals returned to their hybrid forms and regrouped.
Looking them over, Joey's face broke into a satisfied grin.
These were his meticulously cultivated True Pastry Five Generals.
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