— — — — — —
"ROAR!"
At that very moment—A furious, ear-splitting roar echoed through the air.
And along with it—A dragon's breath surged forth.
Blazing flames rained down from the sky.
In an instant—The troublemakers who had come knocking were engulfed completely.
"Hmm—"
Joey rubbed his chin, watching Cadenza's actions, and commented, "I can tell that Cadenza is absolutely livid! For someone as calm and brave as him to be this furious, that must mean these pests have been showing up in droves lately, huh?"
It had been nearly two months since the construction of Totto Land had begun.
At first, things were relatively calm.
But after the war at God Valley erupted—The number of intruders had skyrocketed to the point of sheer madness.
Opera, visibly fuming, let out a dry chuckle. "Big bro! The amount of people showing up lately is insane. Most of them are pirates, with a few human traffickers mixed in. It's pretty obvious who's sending them our way."
Broye sighed in frustration. "Yeah! These guys wouldn't dare target the Charlotte Family on their own. There's definitely someone backing them."
"Hmph!"
Little Broye scrunched up her cute face in dissatisfaction.
Joey, however, simply smiled and said, "No doubt about it. There's no way pirates or traffickers would dare provoke the Charlotte Family unless someone was pulling the strings. But right now, we can't afford to go around picking fights."
Both of them froze but stayed silent.
Broye had been learning a lot lately while Opera, despite his arrogance, was no fool.
The siblings both understood—This was a tricky situation.
They were being provoked, but they couldn't just retaliate recklessly.
"Sigh…" Opera sighed in frustration. "So we just have to sit back and take it?"
"Heh heh heh—"
Joey raised a finger and wagged it playfully. "Opera, you blockhead! Think a little! Do you really think our only option is to sit and wait?"
"Huh?"
"Eh?"
Opera and Broye both stared at Joey curiously.
Joey leaned back against a sturdy tree branch and lazily explained, "First of all—are you sure that these pirates or traffickers are all being sent by other major powers? Like the Kano Kingdom or the Adam Kingdom?"
He smirked and continued, "Sure, these superpowers wouldn't want another rising country to threaten them, but at the same time, they all have trade agreements with the Charlotte Family. Directly going against us wouldn't be in their best interest, would it?"
"Hmm—"
Opera furrowed his brows, deep in thought.
Swoosh!
Just then—
A streak of light zipped toward them—it was Gala.
Having overheard the conversation, Gala immediately added, "The Adam Kingdom wants to buy our weapons. It wouldn't make sense for them to attack us. If we were to fall, we'd destroy all our weapon supplies before they could get their hands on them."
Snap!
Joey snapped his fingers. "Good point, Gala. And what about the Kano Kingdom?"
Gala nodded. "The Kano Kingdom values our genetic research. They have massive trade dealings with us. Hurting the Charlotte Family would mean massive losses for them, so it's highly unlikely."
Joey grinned. "Exactly. The Kano Kingdom and Adam Kingdom might have tested the waters a little, but they wouldn't go all-in. At most, they'd take a swipe at us and retreat if it didn't work out."
The others nodded in agreement.
That made sense.
Joey continued, "Other than those two superpowers, normal countries wouldn't dare mess with us, and the underground world and random pirates wouldn't have the guts either. So, who's really behind this?"
Crossing his legs, Joey rested his hands on his knee and instructed, "Think about it carefully. Opera, Gala, you two are future generals. Broye, you're the minister of Tanega Island and Seed Town. You all need to sharpen your minds."
He tapped his temple. "Strength is important, but brains matter just as much! You need to understand the full picture before using strength to solve the problem."
Of course, Joey already knew the answer.
But—
He wanted his siblings to learn to think critically instead of reacting blindly to their emotions.
Rage alone would never lead to success.
The Seven Deadly Sins—Wrath, Pride, Envy, Sloth, Greed, Gluttony, Lust.
Joey had always believed these emotions had their uses.
If controlled properly—They could bring incredible growth.
"Hmm—"
Opera frowned. "Big bro, there aren't many superpowers in the world. The Adam Kingdom rules the New World, the Kano Kingdom dominates the West Blue, and…"
Gala suddenly blurted out, "Could it be Elbaf? The Giant Kingdom?"
Opera shook his head. "No way! Those giants are straightforward folks. They wouldn't scheme like this. Plus, their previous king was killed. The new prince, Loki, is still trying to unify his people—it'll take him a long time."
And in a world where two tigers can't share one mountain—The Kano Kingdom had its hands full controlling the underground world of the West Blue.
Another rising superpower? That would be suicide!
Historically, only Elbaf and the Adam Kingdom had ruled the New World.
They fought fiercely—Until the Adam Kingdom emerged victorious last time.
True superpowers—Didn't just rely on size.
"Big bro!" Gala asked in confusion. "If that's the case… doesn't that make the Adam Kingdom the most suspicious? If we establish Totto Land, we'd become a superpower overnight."
"Heh heh heh—"
Joey simply chuckled and said nothing, letting them think it through.
The three of them fell silent, deep in thought.
Just then—A crane descended, and Perospero arrived.
Seeing the trio so lost in thought, he asked, "Big bro, what's going on?"
Joey smiled. "Nothing major. I just asked them to figure out who's really behind these attacks on Totto Land."
"Who's behind it?"
Perospero muttered to himself before starting to think then he spoke up, "Big bro! If we eliminate all the unlikely suspects, then the least likely answer must be the truth—
The World Government. The Five Elders gave the order!"
"Heh heh heh—"
Joey grinned approvingly. "Exactly! There are six superpower Kingdoms in the world, but four do business with us, and two wouldn't dare interfere. That leaves only one option—the World Government itself."
Hissssss—
Everyone gasped as realization dawned upon them.
Superpower Kingdoms weren't under the World Government's direct control.
Sure, they paid the Celestial Dragons their 'Heavenly Tribute' every year—But did they really obey the World Government?
Still unlike Joey, none of them had dared openly challenge the World Government.
So, it made perfect sense.
Gala spoke gravely, "Big bro! If that's the case, won't the upcoming Reverie be a nightmare for us?"
"A problem?" Joey shook his head. "Not at all. If we endure this, the World Government's plans will backfire spectacularly."
"I see!" The others nodded in realization.
Broye pouted. "This is such a pain! Won't even more people come now?"
Joey chuckled. "Of course! Every year, new pirates and underground organizations rise. With the World Government's backing, their growth is rapid."
Perospero agreed. "Big bro's right. The future will only bring stronger enemies."
"Exactly!" Joey smirked. "But don't forget—Big Mom and Katakuri are pirates. And what do pirates do?"
Realization struck them all.
Joey continued, "Pirates always carry treasure. Killing them is satisfying, but it's a waste! In the adult world, profit matters. If they come for us, their loot belongs to us."
He paused and added, "The underground world? If they provoke the Big Mom Pirates, we retaliate. Simple. No matter how bad the situation seems, we turn it in our favor."
"Now, do you all understand?"
The four nodded seriously.
This was a crucial lesson.
Most would just kill their enemies and move on.
But that was short-sighted.
Would that really feel satisfying?
Not necessarily.
But looting their wealth and everything they have?
Now that—That was a whole different story.
Joey smirked. "If they rob us, we rob them back. Simple."
"And one more thing—many rare races are scattered across the world. These pirate crews and underground syndicates might have captured them. You see where I'm going with this?"
"Yes!" The four nodded firmly, fully understanding now.
Thinking was key.
A rigid mindset led to failure.
"Sigh…"
Joey sighed. "What a pain. Looks like we need proper teachers. These kids are learning, but not fast enough. We need professionals to educate them properly."
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80 advanced chapters are available at: patreon.com/_Coreal