— — — — — — —
The waves crashed against the ship, creating a rhythmic roar.
"Hm?"
All five of the Opera brothers suddenly turned their heads.
Then—They relaxed.
It was the Queen Chanter!
"Hahaha—"
Cabaletta laughed heartily. "Big Brother Katakuri and the others are back!"
"Yeah!"
Everyone was visibly excited.
After all—the New Year was just around the corner.
For most pirates, New Year's?
It didn't really matter much.
But—
Things were different for the Charlotte Family.
They took the New Year very seriously.
To an almost shocking extent.
According to their eldest brother: A family must gather every year.
Otherwise, what's the point of calling it family?
And so— Every New Year, all family members made sure to reunite.
Though in the past— Linlin was always busy and rarely attended these gatherings.
Swoosh!
A streak of light flashed through the air.
Katakuri landed beside the group.
Looking at the five of them, he smiled and asked, "You've been busy lately, haven't you?"
"Ugh…"
At the mention of that, everyone let out a helpless sigh.
Opera scratched his head in frustration. "Big Brother Katakuri! Forget everything else, it's been a nightmare."
"Those guys just never stop coming! And to make things worse, we can't let our guard down—every now and then, there are some really strong ones mixed in. If they manage to slip into Totto Land, the damage they could cause would be massive!"
Gala also sighed. "Exactly! Totto Land still isn't fully built yet. According to Big Brother, once construction is done, we won't have to worry as much. But for now, we can't afford to relax."
"Hehehe—"
Cracker, standing on the deck with his massive sword slung over his shoulder, chuckled. "Man, you guys have it rough. Compared to you, my job's way easier."
"Just keep running around and dealing with one intruder after another. Yeah, it's annoying."
"Ugh…"
The group sighed in unison.
It really was a pain.
Such a headache.
Katakuri, however, just smiled. "Alright, enough about that. Let's focus on heading back. How's construction on Cake Island coming along?"
At the mention of Cake Island— Linlin's cheerful voice rang out.
"How is it?"
At this moment—
Linlin was pregnant.
But honestly?
How exactly did she get pregnant?
Who knows!
Charlotte's mother couldn't be bothered to find a man, so she usually just extracted pure souls and somehow got pregnant that way. As for who the father was this time? No one had a clue.
But everyone was used to it by now.
She'd go out for a little stroll, and by the time she came back—boom, she was pregnant again.
— — —
Sitting on the couch, a book in his hands, Joey calmly put it down and removed his glasses.
Dressed in light-colored casual clothes, he smiled gently.
"You're all back?"
"Big Brother!"
"Everyone's here!"
"Hehehe—"
Joey's smile remained warm as he said, "Then let's start the banquet."
"Yeah!"
The entire room lit up with excitement.
After five days of preparations—
As night fell— Everyone gathered around a massive round table, wearing bright smiles.
Of course— This round table would have to change in the future.
Right now— There were already 20 men and 12 women in the family.
Including Linlin, that made a total of 32 people.
And as their younger siblings continued to grow—
Getting bigger and bigger— This table definitely wouldn't be enough.
But that didn't matter.
What truly mattered was the joey of having the entire family gathered together. That was the most important thing.
The banquet started in silence.
And then— Joey gazed at everyone warmly, his voice soft but firm.
"A new year is beginning. Everyone—are you ready?"
Every single person locked eyes with their big brother, their gazes burning with determination.
They were waiting.
They were ready.
For the future of their family.
"Hehehe—"
Joey looked around, chuckling lightly.
"I've told Katakuri and the others before—our family's future isn't just about what we see right now. It's much, much bigger."
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"The Charlotte Family is building Totto Land. But Totto Land's future isn't just about being a kingdom. No—it will become a divine nation! The supreme, unmatched land of gods! And the future of the Charlotte Family isn't bound to just this simple world."
Whoosh—
As Joey spoke, his voice remained gentle and composed—
But beneath that gentleness—
An overwhelming dominance radiated from his words, making everyone shudder slightly from the sheer intensity of it.
They stared at Joey.
And then he continued.
"That's why—our Charlotte Family's future lies across the infinite domains and the multiverse war. Our future is limitless, and no one—absolutely no one—can stop us!"
"ROAAAARRR!!!"
All of his younger brothers and sisters let out excited howls, their blood boiling with enthusiasm.
"THE BANQUET—"
"HAS BEGUN!!!"
And just like that, the lively New Year's banquet officially started.
Since the day Joey was born—
This was the first time the entire family had gathered together like this.
Even when he was just born— Back then, there were only one or two people in the family. That wasn't a banquet.
But today— All 32 members of the family were here.
Every single person was smiling.
There were no other emotions in their eyes—only pure joy.
And that— Was what made Joey the happiest.
Because A family could only grow strong if it was united from within.
The family system ensured absolute loyalty to the Charlotte Family.
But that didn't mean internal problems wouldn't arise.
And that's why— Joey made sure to teach his younger siblings— How to avoid conflicts and problems within the family.
"Ugh…"
At that moment, Linlin pouted at Joey, looking unhappy.
Joey sighed.
"Mom… What's wrong?"
Linlin huffed, crossing her arms.
"Joey! How could you not tell Mama?! What's all this talk about infinite worlds and the multiverse? You didn't tell me anything! Hmph!!!"
Joey chuckled.
"Mom! You don't need to worry about these things. You're the mother of the Charlotte Family, aren't you? Nothing in the world is more important than you, right? So—"
"Mom, all of this doesn't matter. Here, try this! I had Little Momo specially prepare this just for you!"
"Hmm?"
As expected of Linlin— Just a few words from Joey, and her mood shifted immediately.
Her focus turned to the cake in front of her, and she happily took a bite.
Joey watched his mother enjoy her food.
His smile softened.
No matter what— As long as his family was happy, that was all that mattered.
As the banquet roared on with laughter and chatter—
Joey held great ambitions— But more than that, he loved his family more.
In his mind, he thought:
"Mama, my little brothers, my little sisters—Our future is in my hands.
My name is Charlotte Joey.
Your Big Brother.
The Firstborn.
The Head of the Charlotte Family.
And I swear—I will make the Charlotte Family the strongest in the entire multiverse!!!"
.
.
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