— — — — — — —
The Next Day
At the break of dawn.
Splash!—A massive fleet sailed swiftly across the waters.
Leading the charge was none other than Opera. Standing at the bow, wielding the Azure Dragon Crescent Blade.
How should one put it?
Opera now felt completely different. He wasn't the same person he used to be.
Now...
He carried himself like an arrogant general.
But—That arrogance came with undeniable strength.
There was no doubt about it. Opera had improved in every way possible—not just in strength, but in all aspects.
He had transformed completely. A young warrior who had walked through a sea of blood!
There was no question about it.
Splash!—The massive fleet and ships slowly approached the shore.
With a powerful leap, Opera landed aboard another vessel.
Excited, he called out, "Big Bro! Daifuku! Oven! And you four brats!"
Daifuku and Oven grinned at him.
Oven chuckled, "Opera, you sure got here early."
Opera laughed. "Big Bro told me to move fast. This trip isn't meant to take too long. Besides! If those Three-Eyed Tribe people don't behave… hmph!"
With a cold snort, Opera declared, "Then we'll just wipe them out and then help Counter bring back the Snakeneck Tribe. There were some minor issues on that side."
It was true. The brothers all agreed with Opera's stance.
Disobedience? Disobedience meant death!
Did anyone really think the Charlotte Family was a charity?
Don't be ridiculous!
Every single member of the Charlotte Family was ruthless. They were merciless, plain and simple.
Clap!
Joey stepped forward. "Alright, no need to be so tense. You're all talking about killing like it's nothing. They haven't refused; they just need time to consider."
"Oh, by the way, Katakuri has already arrived at Fish-Man Island. According to him, things are getting a little messy over there."
"Huh?" Oven frowned. "Someone's stirring up trouble on Fish-Man Island?"
Joey sighed. "Not just someone—a whole lot of people. Those guys don't see Fish-Man Island or the Charlotte Family as a threat at all!"
"Tsk, what a hassle. Let Katakuri clean them up properly."
Cornstarch commented, "Honestly, Big Bro, I think it's because Fish-Man Island hasn't raised Big Mom's pirate flag yet. Those pirates must've thought they could get away with it."
Hearing that, Joey thought for a moment and nodded. "That's possible. But whether that's the case or not, it doesn't matter. Since they dared to challenge the Charlotte Family, they must pay the price. This is the perfect opportunity for Katakuri to make a name for himself."
"Alright!" He changed the subject. "Enough about Katakuri. We have our own business to take care of. Let's either take over or destroy the Three-Eyed Tribe."
"Understood, Big Bro!" the others responded in unison, following Joey's lead.
Splash!—The massive fleet slowly made its way toward the island's shore.
As the ships docked...
Leyi watched the approaching fleet and warriors, murmuring to herself, "I made the right decision. For the sake of the Three-Eyed Tribe, I made the best possible choice. I just hope… I hope I wasn't wrong." A deep, solemn murmur.
Leyi didn't want to become the sinner of her people.
And so...She had no choice but to make a decision.
But—Leyi wasn't a naive child. She knew very well If she didn't make the right choice, the Charlotte Family wouldn't let her off easily.
Given the circumstances…She ultimately knew what she had to do.
Resist? Die?
Neither was an option for her.
She could only pray that she had chosen correctly.
With a warm smile, Joey stepped off the ship and said gently, "Miss Leyi, you made the right choice."
"Rest assured, I will have Opera personally escort the Three-Eyed Tribe back to Totto Land. From now on, your people will live in safety!"
Leyi bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Lord Joey!"
"Mm." Joey nodded in satisfaction, quite pleased with the title she addressed him with.
Then he paid her no further attention. To him, she was insignificant.
If not for the Three-Eyed Tribe, he wouldn't have even acknowledged her existence.
Daifuku, Oven, and Opera would handle the rest.
Playing with a vial of liquid in his hand, Joey murmured, "Katakuri, this is your stage. This gift… Big Bro has prepared it just for you."
— — —
Fish-Man Island- Ryugu Kingdom
This place was extremely dangerous.
For pirates, it was the gateway to the New World. And here, countless pirates acted like madmen.
Whether it was mermaids or the unique resources of Fish-Man Island— They were all treasures worth a fortune.
But…Did they really think they could just take whatever they wanted?
"AAAH!"
"NO!"
"HELP!"
Screams of agony. Painful wails.
Neptune swallowed hard seeing this.
Not just him. Queen Otohime, Fisher Tiger, and all the high-ranking officials of the Ryugu Kingdom stared at the battlefield in shock.
They were completely stunned.
Compote stood tall at the bow, watching the battle unfold. Neptune and the others were here as well.
This area was perfectly safe as Linlin was right behind them.
There was no danger at all.
Compote sighed. "Katakuri… he has gotten even stronger. After the God Valley War, his presence has changed significantly."
Cracker, resting his massive sword on his shoulder, crouched on the deck and grinned. "Well, isn't that natural, Compote? We're the Charlotte Family. This level of dominance is only to be expected!"
"Hahaha!" Compote burst into laughter. "You're absolutely right! For us, this is only natural."
Hearing their conversation, everyone could feel it.
That deep, undeniable pride.
Not arrogance. But pure, unshakable confidence.
The pride of being part of the Charlotte Family. This wasn't a joke. It was real, through and through.
Neptune and the others remained silent.
'So this was the Charlotte Family…?'
At least ten thousand pirates had gathered on Fish-Man Island.
And yet—Against this one young man…
They were completely helpless!
Though he was still young, already surpassing two meters in height—His terrifying strength sent chills down everyone's spine!
Each of them trembled in fear.
Step!
Katakuri strode forward, lifting his gaze.
His crimson eyes gleamed coldly.
Holding his trident in one hand, he asked icily, "Did you really think Fish-Man Island wasn't under the protection of the Big Mom Pirates? You trash… what the hell do you think you're doing?"
"DIE!"
"You brat! We'll kill you!"
Whoosh!
Pirates lunged at him.
Katakuri didn't even flinch—his trident lashed out in a single, fluid motion.
So simple. Effortless.
He pierced the pirate's forehead clean through.
No wasted movement. Katakuri, trained by Scáthach, had perfected his control over his strength. And this was only the beginning.
"Brat!"
The pirate captain roared angrily. "Who the hell do you think you are? Even if your family leader, your big brother, were here, we'd still cut him down! Do you really think Fish-Man Island belongs to you?!"
"Mochi Thrust!"
Katakuri struck without hesitation, his trident spinning like a drill as it pierced straight through the pirate captain's body, making him scream in agony.
Katakuri's attack was ruthless.
He didn't even aim for a vital spot—just enough to leave the man paralyzed, writhing on the ground.
"Ugh..." The pirate captain moaned, his body drained of blood, now nothing more than a broken shell.
CRACK!
Katakuri stepped onto his chest, his voice icy. "Who gave you the guts to even mention my brother's name? You think death isn't something to be afraid of?"
"Alright then!" Katakuri crouched slightly, his gaze colder than ever. "Let me show you what it really means to suffer!"
Gurgle…
Katakuri's leg morphed into mochi.
Like writhing serpents, the mochi tendrils slithered into the pirate's open wound, burrowing into his body.
"AAAHHHH!!!"
The man let out a horrifying scream.
He wanted to beg for mercy, but he couldn't even make a sound—his mouth was already sealed shut by mochi.
Within moments, he endured unbearable agony before succumbing to death.
His body swelled grotesquely, like an overinflated balloon.
Every inch of his flesh, every fiber of his being, was stuffed with mochi until he was forcefully stretched apart—bursting from within.
The pain he experienced before death was beyond imagination.
"Now then… it's your turn!" Katakuri lifted his gaze, scanning the crowd with chilling indifference.
"A total of 10,923 men. "
"Good. None of you tried to run. Not that you could."
"This place is now a battlefield. Either you kill me, or I kill you."
SMACK!
With steady steps, Katakuri advanced.
Even against thousands of foes, he remained fearless.
What did numbers matter?
If he was to become the pillar of their family, the right-hand of his big brother— Then no matter how many enemies stood before him, they were all destined to die.
He would become the unstoppable war god of the Charlotte Family.
"RAAAAH!!!"
With an earth-shaking roar, Katakuri launched into action.
"Unstoppable Mochi Blade Bullet!"
"Burning Mochi!"
Katakuri hurled his trident first, impaling multiple pirates before it embedded itself into the ground.
Then—His left hand transformed into a mochi gatling gun, while his right ignited with flames.
What followed was a massacre. Pirates fell one after another, too slow to react. Some were skewered, others blasted apart by his burning punches.
Explosions roared, bodies were sent flying.
Unlike Luffy, who had intimidated 50,000 men in the original story—Katakuri wasn't just scaring them.
He intended to slaughter them all.
"Die!"
"HAAAH!"
The pirates weren't about to just stand there and get killed.
This was the age of pirates. No one survived by luck alone. Every one of them was a hardened killer.
They struck back instantly.
"Hmph!" Katakuri snorted. From his shoulders, two mochi spikes shot out, wrapped in Armament Haki, impaling his attackers.
He tore through the battlefield like a true war god.
Fists, feet, weapons—he used everything at his disposal, each attack claiming another life.
Even those who dared to get close never saw it coming.
At any moment, a mochi spike could pierce straight through their chest.
And so—More and more pirates hesitated, growing afraid to strike.
Drip.
As the battle raged on—Katakuri stood alone, cutting down thousands.
Blood pooled beneath him, forming streams that trickled down the sloping battlefield like a crimson river.
Slaughter.
That single word echoed in Katakuri's mind.
He would wipe out every last one of them.
He would carve the Charlotte Family's name into history with their corpses.
This was the man once hailed in the original story as the strongest of the Charlotte Family, an unbeatable monster.
Now—At just this young age, he was already proving his power.
One day, he would rise from the mountain of corpses and ocean of blood.
He would stand at the very peak of the world!!!
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