— — — — — — —
Roaring sounds and explosions were echoing endlessly.
From start to finish, it was nothing but a joke.
"Hmph!
Daifuku snorted coldly, his face full of disdain.
"Heh heh heh."
Oven crossed his arms arrogantly, steam rising from his body like boiling water vapor.
No matter how you looked at it, both of them exuded absolute confidence and dominance.
Stepping forward to stand beside Joey, Oven grinned and said, "Big bro! It's all taken care of. Just a bunch of trash. And these guys call themselves pirates?"
"Hmph!" Daifuku scoffed and added, "Big bro, if this kind of garbage keeps coming, we'll just keep wiping them out. They're nothing but worthless scum."
Looking at his two younger brothers, Joey responded gently, "You little brats, so arrogant now? It's fine to have pride, but don't be reckless. Understand? Whether your opponent is strong or weak, you should always go all out."
"Got it, big bro!" "Understood!" The two brothers obediently accepted the lesson.
After all, they were still young and reckless. But That's how youth should be.
Otherwise, what's the point of being young?
Looking at his brothers warmly, Joey sighed with a chuckle, "Haha~~~ I know you two aren't convinced. But that's fine. If young men aren't a little reckless, what will they become in the future? It's true, I've been focusing so much on your growth that I forgot—you're still just kids."
Oven quickly shook his head, "Big bro! No, no! We understand, you're doing this for our own good."
Daifuku nodded, "Yeah! Big bro, it's nothing. Plenty of people might want to harm us, but you never would."
Hearing the three brothers talk, the Third Eye Tribe members standing nearby felt like they were turning to stone.
They stood there in silence.
Wait, what?
Kids?
These two towering monsters, nearly two meters tall… are just kids?
Huh?
Is this some kind of joke?
Right now, Daifuku was wearing a blue coat, sporting short yellow hair and earrings, radiating the aura of a total thug.
Oven had fiery orange hair styled into three flame-like spikes, resembling a professional boxer. He wore no shirt, just a cape, orange pants, and gloves.
In short, these two looked like anything but gangsters.
And yet?
They were only kids?
No joke, at this moment, the Third Eye Tribe members felt like their entire lives had been a waste. If this was true, they might as well just drop dead now.
Right then—
"Heh heh heh…"
Joey turned to them with a warm smile. "Apologies, Elder."
The elder hurriedly waved her hands, "Charlotte Clan Leader, my name is Leyi. Please, just call me by my name. 'Elder' is too much! Too much!" She frantically shook her head.
There was no comparison.
None at all.
The Charlotte Family had only recently begun to make their mark on the world.
But— Their strength, status, and methods were already fully on display.
The Third Eye Tribe, on the brink of extinction, couldn't possibly compare.
Joey didn't stand on ceremony. "Miss Leyi, then I won't be polite. Let's speak plainly—I don't like wasting words. You already know my invitation. What's your decision?"
Half a month ago, he had sent invitations to both the Third Eye Tribe and the Snack-neck Tribe.
However— Unlike the Snack-neck Tribe, the Third Eye Tribe was being stubborn.
The Snack-neck Tribe had been decisive. Hearing that the highest-ranking minister in Totto Land was Amande—Charlotte Amande!
It didn't matter who she was.
What mattered was that she was from the Snack-neck Tribe!
That alone was enough. All the Snack-neck Tribe members had eagerly rushed toward Totto Land, ready to surrender.
Watching Leyi and the other Third Eye Tribe members remain silent, Joey remained patient and warm. "It seems like you and your people still haven't made up your minds."
"In that case, we'll be leaving. You'll have to handle the rest on your own."
That's what he said. But—Knowing Joey's nature, if they didn't obediently fall in line… Heh heh heh… they could expect mysterious attacks, relentless assaults, one after another.
If anyone thought Joey was a nice guy, they were gravely mistaken.
Gentle? Kind?
That was just one side of him.
Cold, ruthless, merciless— That was the true nature of a ruler.
Right and wrong. Good and evil. Light and darkness.
All of it— Converged within Joey.
For this man, there was no distinction between light and dark.
Only absolute chaos.
That was the nature of a ruler.
Holding absolute power meant never letting anyone see through your thoughts.
That was what true leadership demanded.
"Wait!"
As Joey was about to leave without hesitation,
Leyi didn't dare waste another second. She rushed forward anxiously, calling out, "Lord Charlotte! Lord Charlotte! You—you—"
Joey responded gently, "Miss Leyi, you better understand something. My Charlotte family doesn't needthe Three-Eyed Tribe."
"Scattered across the seas, there are still a couple of thousand Three-Eyed people already residing in Totto Land. Without my protection, your tribe will be utterly wiped out, reduced to slaves for everyone else."
His voice was warm, even soft. It was almost as if he was joking.
But! Leyi felt a chill run down her spine.
At that moment, Leyi looked at the man before her, hands hidden within the wide sleeves of his coat, exuding the demeanor of a refined nobleman.
A sudden shiver coursed through her.
She understood.
Terrifying. This man was terrifying enough to make one's blood freeze. He was someone who held everything within the palm of his hand.
"Haaah—"
Taking a deep breath, Leyi forced herself to stay calm and asked cautiously, "Lord Charlotte, can you guarantee the safety of the Three-Eyed Tribe?"
Leyi wasn't an ambitious person.
All she wanted was to ensure the survival of her tribe.
Right now, Totto Land seemed like a utopia.
But the problem was— Who knew if, once Totto Land became strong enough, they would enslave all the other races?
It wasn't an impossible scenario!
That was why Leyi was being so cautious. But Joey had no intention of indulging her hesitation.
Don't want to come? I'm not begging you!
Now that Joey was leaving, Today! Right now! The Three-Eyed Tribe would be erased from the seas, their bodies reduced to nothing but corpses.
Did they really think Joey was some benevolent saint?
He was gathering various races to fulfill his mother's dream.
And also—Because he was a perfectionist.
But as long as the seed was planted, that was enough. A few thousand survivors could still grow and reproduce over time.
Throughout his record, Joey had always shown a gentle, kind demeanor. To the world, Joey appeared to be a reasonable, approachable man.
But! People should never forget. Even the likes of Kano Country's great rulers treated Joey with utmost respect.
Did they think that was just because of his kindness?
Don't be ridiculous!
It was simply because this man never had to reveal his blade.
Hypocrite? Villain?
These titles meant nothing to Joey. He only cared about achieving his goals.
"Heh—"
Hearing Leyi's response, Daifuku sneered, "This is honestly hilarious. You want to submit to Totto Land, yet you have to ask if we will protect your people?"
Oven, ever the brute, growled, "What you should be worried about is whether youeven deserve Totto Land's protection!"
They were far from the main settlement of the Three-Eyed Tribe.
Leyi knew that much.
Some things...
She had to handle on her own, without alarming her people.
Joey spoke calmly, "Miss Leyi, you don't need to overthink this. For Totto Land, success is inevitable. If you're wondering why… It's simple. Totto Land is the countrymy Charlotte family is building. Our success is simply natural."
His tone was lighthearted. Unconcerned.
Joey remained as composed as ever.
Leyi fell silent.
Joey, however, had already turned to leave, his voice drifting back, "Tomorrow morning. If you wish to submit, meet us at the coast and be ready to depart. If not, we'll leave without you."
"Hmph!"
Daifuku and Oven radiated killing intent. These two brothers knew exactly what their older brother meant.
Over the years, Why were Daifuku and Oven so powerful, so ruthless? Because they had followed Joey for too long.
Back when the Charlotte Family was still rising, Perospero had to stay home to manage things, Compote and Katakuri had to oversee the family's affairs.
That left Joey, Daifuku, and Oven to act freely across the seas.
These two brothers had grown up in bloodshed.
To put it bluntly— They were so drenched in darkness, they could never turn back.
"As for whether we can protect the Three-Eyed Tribe?"
"Hmph!"
"Totto Land!"
"Those two words are enough!"
At that moment, Joey's voice echoed in Leyi's ears once more.
And with that, Leyi finally understood what she had to do.
If she still refused to see reason— One chance, two chances!
But there wouldn't be a third.
— — —
Back on the ship,
Daifuku asked seriously, "Big Bro, these Three-Eyed people really are ungrateful, huh?"
Hearing the situation, his other siblings were also displeased.
For the Charlotte Family, Loyalty to the family was everything.
Little Cornstarch tilted her head thoughtfully and said, "Daifuku, Oven, if we calculate the timing, shouldn't Opera be arriving around dawn?"
Of course, Opera was leading a massive fleet behind them.
Their job was to escort the Three-Eyed Tribe away.
After all, There were still ten thousand of them.
In this era, A standard ship could hold about ten thousand people at best.
But the Charlotte Family's shipbuilding skills were quite advanced.
The craftsmanship of the Dwarves that joey got from another world and Wano's artisans was undeniably top-tier!
With both at work, building ships capable of holding thousands was effortless.
Hearing Cornstarch's question, Oven nodded, "Yeah, Opera should be here by dawn."
Cornstarch tilted her head and smiled. "If they refuse to obey, just kill them all. Not a single one left!"
"Pirates attacked, and we were just too late to save them—nothing we could do, right? After all, they chose not to listen."
Daifuku laughed loudly, "Haha! Kid, I like you! That's the spirit of our Charlotte Family!"
"Teacher Zhuge Liang always said, 'Mercy and ruthlessness must go hand in hand.'"
"But ah!" Daifuku smirked. "Mercy just isn't my thing. I'll stick to just ruthlessness."
Daifuku and Oven both liked this ruthless little sister.
Family bonds in the Charlotte Clan ran deep.
"Alright!" Joey spoke. "Let's just wait patiently. I trust that smart people will make smart choices!"
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80 advanced chapters are available at: patreon.com/_Coreal