— — — — — —
Joey and Linlin stared at each other.
For a moment, silence filled the air.
"Hehehe…"
Linlin chuckled joyfully, exclaiming, "Joey! Joey! Mama's Joey! It's been so long!" As she spoke, she lunged forward and hugged Joey tightly.
"Sigh…"
Joey, who had planned to say something, could only sigh helplessly at his childlike and naive mother. "Mom! You do know it's been ages, right? What on earth were you thinking?"
Looking at his mother, Joey was at a loss for words.
It was honestly exasperating.
"Hehehe…"
Linlin grinned, saying proudly, "I've been out having fun! And guess what? I've found lots of Devil Fruits, haven't I?"
Joey stared at his mother, who was beaming with pride, and couldn't help but retort, "Mom! The Devil Fruits you found don't even count for much."
"The family trades for about 20 fruits every year. I've got 150 Devil Fruits in my possession right now."
"Waaahhh—"
Linlin started pouting. "Joey, are you scolding Mama? How could you scold your Mama?"
"Hahaha—"
Katakuri and the others laughed heartily.
As expected, no one but their eldest brother could handle their mother.
It was a good thing Joey could keep her in check. Otherwise, with her personality, she'd probably bankrupt the entire family's wealth in no time.
"Sigh…"
Joey sighed as he looked at his 30-year-old mother, who was now crying on the floor like a little girl. "Alright, alright, Mom. I wasn't trying to upset you. Momo, did you prepare the pastries for her?"
Swish!
Before Akanegakubo Momo could respond, Linlin zipped over in a flash, her eyes gleaming as if she wanted to devour her entirely.
However, Momo was used to this behavior. Bowing respectfully, she said, "Madam, the desserts are right over here."
"Hehehe…"
Delighted, Linlin followed her to the pastries.
Meanwhile, Joey glanced at the baby boy cradled in the maid's arms and said warmly, "This is the 20th son of the Charlotte family, isn't it? Charlotte Montd'Or!"
The baby had been born not long ago.
Joey smiled gently, as though lost in thought.
Fourteen years ago, the family had consisted of only him and his mother.
And now?
He had many younger brothers and sisters.
Although all these children were born by his mother, Joey had ensured that Linlin only extracted the souls of strong individuals, fusing them with a fragment of her own soul to create the children.
This strange process…
Even Joey himself didn't fully understand how it worked.
Still, it was how he was born, as well as all his siblings. So, there wasn't much to complain about.
Clap!
Katakuri approached Joey with a serious expression. "Big Bro, the Rocks Pirates are preparing to attack God Valley. Are you sure it's not too dangerous for you to go to the battlefield yourself?"
"Yeah, Big Bro!" "You don't need to go—it's way too risky!"
Everyone was visibly worried. Nobody wanted Joey to put himself in harm's way.
Just as Edward had analyzed before, the Charlotte family might look grand and powerful with its underground trade, the Big Mom Pirates, and the establishment of Totto Land. But everything hinged on the man named Charlotte Joey.
If something were to happen to him…
The massive family could crumble overnight.
Joey raised a hand and smiled. "Don't worry. I've prepared everything thoroughly. There won't be any problems."
He glanced at his three younger sisters, who hesitated to approach.
"Mondée, Hachée, Effilée!"
The three snake-neck sisters were peeking shyly from a corner.
This time, seven siblings had gone out together, but they were the weakest trio. It was a source of great embarrassment for them.
Seeing their timid behavior, Joey called out warmly, "What are you standing there for? Come here, all of you!"
"Big Bro!" "Big Bro!"
The three girls shuffled over awkwardly.
Joey teased them gently, "What's wrong? Feeling shy around your big brother now?"
"N-No!" Mondée said, lowering her head adorably. "It's just… we feel embarrassed. We're so weak compared to everyone else."
She wasn't wrong.
Katakuri, Cracker, Compote, and Amande were all incredibly talented.
Although Mondée, Hachée, and Effilée were decent in their own right, they paled in comparison to those monstrous siblings.
Looking at Mondée, with her perfect figure and wavy, ocean-blue hair, Joey shook his head with a smile.
The four sisters were quadruplets, yet each had a unique appearance.
Mondée was petite and loli-like, despite her snake-neck heritage.
Amande had a striking, mature figure like a perfect elder sister.
Hachée was tall and slender, already smoking despite her young age.
Effilée, though a snake-neck, looked surprisingly human-like.
The one thing they shared was their flowing, azure hair.
As Joey lounged on the sofa, he turned to Amande and asked, "How was your time away, Amande?"
Lighting a cigarette, Amande replied with a sigh, "Big Bro, the sea is truly full of madness and danger. And that's with the Rocks Pirates suppressing the chaos of this era. If they were gone, who knows what would happen?"
"Indeed."
Joey nodded approvingly. "You've matured well. Once this mission is over, you'll return to the family. The Big Mom Pirates don't need you to keep growing here. As the leader of the 36 Ministers I've appointed, your place is at home."
Amande nodded. "Understood, Big Bro."
Then Joey turned to Mondée, Hachée, and Effilée.
"You three… neither of you has the decisiveness to act independently. You're better off supporting others."
The two nodded without protest—they knew he was right.
Joey then presented them with weapons:
"Hachée, this is for you: the Poisonous Snake blade ."
"Effilée, these are yours: the twin Serpent pistols ."
Both girls beamed with joy.
In the Charlotte family, receiving weapons from Big Bro meant you could still play a crucial role.
Finally, Joey handed Mondée a Devil Fruit:
"Mondée, this is yours: the Clear-Clear Fruit. And your weapon, the bloody Snake blade."
"Big Bro!" Mondée's face lit up with excitement, her smile so wide it was almost scary.
Joey chuckled. "Alright, you three will act as a team from now on. Stick together and handle things as a unit."
"Yes!"
The sisters saluted in unison.
Joey stood, addressing everyone sternly. "Keep my arrival a secret. No information must leak. We'll wait for the war at God Valley to begin."
Everyone nodded seriously.
Just then, Linlin burst in, beaming happily with cake crumbs on her face.
"Joey!" she shouted, grabbing him and rubbing her cheek against his.
Joey froze, his expression twisted. His brand-new black ceremonial robe was now stained.
"Mom!"
"Joey!"
"Hahahaha!"
Joey's angry roar was drowned out by the laughter of his siblings.
— — —
Ten days later, fleets of pirate ships—nearly a hundred strong—set sail toward God Valley under the command of the Rocks Pirates.
God Valley, a sacred island for the World Nobles, hosted a grand gathering every decade where they flaunted their treasures and slaves.
This year, Rocks D. Xebec, the era's most fearsome pirate, planned to seize it all.
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Yo~
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