— — — — — — —
Tilting her head. Akanegakubo Momo seemed confused.
More than ten years had passed.
Yet, she remained unchanged.
Obviously...
In many ways, she was different now.
In fact...
As long as one was shielded by the family system, lifespan no longer mattered.
It was an entirely different form of immortality—an incredibly terrifying ability.
Even a completely useless person could live indefinitely as long as the family didn't fall. But if the family were to collapse...
Even a warrior as strong as a Crystal-tier expert would drop dead instantly.
That was the biggest drawback.
Joey noticed Akanegakubo Momo's curious expression and chuckled. "Momo, what are you thinking about?"
She asked with curiosity, "Chief, why are you telling them all this now? Isn't it too soon?"
Joey shook his head. "Not at all. These brats have great talent, but their biggest issue is their narrow vision. Their horizons need to expand—it's crucial for their growth."
"Hmm..."
Momo shook her head, still not quite understanding. "Oh well, I don't really get it. I'll just sit back and wait for the future to unfold."
Joey smiled warmly. "Of course! As the head pastry chef of the Charlotte Family, it's only natural that you'll be one of us, right?"
"Is that so?"
"Without a doubt!"
"Hehehe..."
Both of them smiled. Time had a way of smoothing everything out.
Momo thought this life wasn't too bad.
Sure, she had lost everything from her past.
But at least she didn't have to worry about the family's growth anymore.
She only needed to focus on improving her cooking skills.
Joey didn't care about anything else.
As long as one's culinary skills were exceptional...
Nothing else mattered to him.
"Hmm..."
Joey squinted and thought for a moment. "Momo, as the head pastry chef, you're definitely understaffed. Looks like I need to buy another batch of chefs from that S-Chef Clan leader."
Momo tilted her head. "The Director? Chief, knowing his personality, if we don't offer a worthy price, he definitely won't give up his chefs."
Joey nodded. "True. That man has spread Totsuki Academy across countless worlds. Nowadays, many people enjoy the food from Totsuki, and the revenue it generates is enormous!"
Momo was puzzled. "Then… Chief, do you have a plan?"
Joey smiled. "Of course! No one can resist the power of a Devil Fruit—it's the embodiment of natural law itself!"
Momo was stunned for a moment.
He was right.
No one could resist the power of a Devil Fruit. It was a fragment of the world's fundamental laws.
Joey suddenly asked, "Momo, as a pastry chef, the most important ingredient for you is cream, right?"
She thought for a moment. "Yes. As long as the cream is perfect, I can create any kind of dessert."
Snap!
Joey casually tossed a Devil Fruit in front of her and walked away without looking back.
"A Paramecia-type… Cream-Cream Fruit! I was originally saving this for a minister, so don't disappoint me, Momo!"
With that, Joey vanished.
Momo stared at the Devil Fruit on the ground, completely shocked.
Slowly, she picked it up.
Then, bite by bite, she ate the entire fruit.
The doll-like head pastry chef had a beautiful smile on her face.
The moment she finished eating the fruit—
Whoosh!
Everyone nearby suddenly snapped back to attention.
Compote wasted no time, grabbing Momo in excitement. "Chef Momo! Chef Momo! Does this mean your desserts will taste even better now?!"
Momo hesitated for a second. "Once I get used to the fruit, I think so."
"That's amazing!"
Before Momo could say anything else, Compote dashed away with her.
"Hey! Stop right there!!!"
"Compote, get back here!"
"Big sis, we're gonna kill you for this!"
The Charlotte Family was known for their strong bonds.
But...
When it came to desserts, things got messy real fast.
Sure enough—
Seeing Compote run off with Momo, chaos erupted immediately.
"Hehehe..."
Joey chuckled as he watched the commotion.
Step!
He entered the Mirror-World Castle.
Inside, he found his mother, Linlin, groggily waking up.
Joey smiled warmly. "Mom, just woke up?"
"Hmm?"
Linlin immediately perked up, happily hugging him. "Joey! Joey! Mama loves you sooooo much~~~!"
"Mom!"
Joey struggled, exasperated.
The problem was...
Even though he was just as strong as his mother, he couldn't match her raw power in a fight!
Sigh!
He sighed and gave up struggling. "Mom, we're heading back home soon."
"Heading back?"
Linlin shook her head. "No way! We need to go to Hachinosu (Beehive) first. Captain Rocks left behind a massive treasure there, and we must take our share!"
Joey finally understood.
So that's how it happened!
In the original story—Big Mom's crew, Whitebeard's crew, and Shiki's crew all set sail immediately.
After the fall of the Rocks Pirates, Linlin quickly established Totto Land.
How did she do it?
It must have been thanks to the treasure left behind by Captain Rocks!
With that treasure, she built her empire.
Even though Joey already had an abundance of wealth...
Who would ever complain about having too much treasure?
Besides—Family Coins could be exchanged for gold, silver, and rare materials but joey saved them.
Achievement Points, on the other hand, were extremely costly.
After all these years, Joey had accumulated 5,000 Achievement Points.
Upgrading Body Refinement technique cost him 1,000 points, leaving him with only 4,000.
And that...
Already put him among the top ten in terms of point accumulation!
That translated to 40,000 Family Coins.
It sounded like a high exchange rate, but in reality, it wasn't that simple.
Achievement Points were the omnipotent currency.
With enough points, Joey could push Body Refinement technique to monstrous levels.
He could even evolve Totto Land into a divine kingdom!
Family Coins were just a means of exchange between clan members.
So naturally, collecting treasure was still necessary.
And honestly—Who would ever turn down more wealth?
You couldn't just create valuable items out of thin air.
Even if the strongest beings could do that, the system wouldn't recognize it.
The system only acknowledged naturally formed treasures.
According to the system—
Such treasures contained traces of the world's power, however faint.
Unless...
One could create an entire world.
But if someone was that powerful, would they even care about money anymore?
"Joey~!"
Linlin shook him, unhappy that he was lost in thought.
Joey sighed. "Mom, what is it?"
"Hmph!"
She pouted. "Joey, you're ignoring Mama! Spending time with me should be the most important thing, right?"
Joey smiled. "Mom, I love being with you too. How about this? Once we return to Totto Land, you can stay as Queen while Katakuri becomes the captain of the Big Mom Pirates."
Linlin didn't even hesitate. "No! No way! Absolutely not! Hmph!"
She puffed out her cheeks, clearly displeased. "If that happens… then, then… what's the fun in that?! I don't wanna stay in Totto Land all the time. I wanna be a pirate! Sailing the seas and having fun is way better!"
Joey smiled knowingly. "See? You still love going out on adventures. Alright, alright, let's not argue. If my calculations are right, we should be arriving at Hachinosu soon..."
Sure enough, Linlin's attention immediately shifted, and she ran off excitedly.
Joey, on the other hand, sighed and sent out a message. "Compote, Katakuri, Cracker—you three, quit messing around and follow Mom to Hachinosu. Get our share of the treasure, but unless it's absolutely necessary, avoid conflict. There's no point in fighting right now."
"Got it, big bro!"
"Understood, big bro!"
"No problem, big bro!"
The three of them quickly got serious and sprang into action.
Soon, everyone set sail toward Hachinosu alongside Linlin.
Meanwhile, Joey remained in the Mirror World, quietly contemplating. "Whitebeard… Shiki… These guys are going to be the major players in the next era. If I can make good use of them..."
He narrowed his eyes slightly, a playful glint flashing in them.
Sometimes, killing an enemy is meaningless. Controlling them, however… now that's the real key.
Or rather—turning them into unwitting tools, using them as weapons without them even realizing it.
Joey smirked. "Yeah… this is worth planning out properly."
— — —
Hachinosu - The Infamous Pirate Island
Hachinosu was one of the most notorious pirate havens in the world. A bustling, chaotic island where countless pirates roamed—but still followed certain rules.
In a way, it was just like the Sabaody Archipelago—a lawless goldmine where people went crazy over wealth and power.
But…
No one dared to act recklessly here.
Because once upon a time, this was Rocks Pirates' territory.
And even now, the countless corpses scattered across the island were a grim reminder of what happened to those who stepped out of line.
"Hmph!" Cracker snorted, resting his giant sword on his shoulder. "A bunch of weaklings! These idiots really thought they could fight Mom for the treasure? What a joke!"
He scoffed, glancing around at the countless fallen bodies littering the ground. None of them had been a match for him.
More than that, the entire area was already covered in corpses.
And aside from these random pirates, a few figures stood out among the crowd.
Edward Newgate.
Shiki.
Wang Zhi.
Silver Axe.
Captain John.
The remaining veterans of the Rocks Pirates.
They all stood there in silence, sizing each other up.
"Hee-hee-hee."
Linlin let out a playful giggle. "Whitebeard, Shiki… So, it's just the few of you, huh? What happened to the rest? Are they all dead?"
She wasn't wrong.
Back in its prime, the Rocks Pirates had twenty officers.
And now?
Only six remained.
As for Kaido?
Heh. Don't make me laugh.
Right now, Kaido was nothing more than an apprentice. He didn't even have the qualifications to stand here.
And the biggest difference?
Linlin never gave him the Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon.
Without that Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit, who knew what path Kaido would take from here?
Would the future Four Emperors still turn out the same?
Maybe. Maybe not.
One thing was certain—Kaido had insane potential. Even if he took a different route, he'd still become a top-tier powerhouse in the future.
That much was undeniable.
Even as a mere apprentice, Kaido had been called a monster on Rocks' ship.
"Jahahahaha!"
Suddenly, Shiki burst into laughter. "Enough talk! No point in wasting time, we all know why we're here. We're here for Captain Rocks' treasure! So, let's make it simple—how about we split it into four shares?"
Silence.
Everyone froze for a moment.
Four?
What the hell did that mean?
There were six people here…
Why only four shares?
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80 advanced chapters are available at: patreon.com/_Coreal