— — — — — — —
Boom!!!
A corpse fell from the sky.
In an instant, silence engulfed the crowd.
Normally, a body falling from such a great height would be smashed to pieces. But this corpse? Completely intact.
Clearly, something unusual had happened. And judging by the attire and appearance…It was a Celestial Dragon!
A real Celestial Dragon!!!
At that moment, everyone froze.
Their mouths opened slightly, but no words came out.
They didn't know what to say. They couldn't say anything.
Fear and dread filled their hearts. They were utterly at a loss.
To be clear, the Red Line was indeed under the control of the World Government.
But that didn't mean they had absolute authority over everything.
Mary Geoise was just one part of it.
There were also many other structures built there: The Navy, the Army, the Air Force.
The Navy had a branch stationed here, mainly for logistical support when traveling between the Grand Line and the New World.
But the Army and Air Force? They were fully stationed here.
The current place was a hub where all major powers converged for trade.
After all, if you wanted to do business on a global scale, you needed connections everywhere. Also, they had to cross the Red Line from here.
Pay a fee, get a new ship. Over time, a whole city developed just for trading purposes.
Not everyone was like the Charlottes, who could safely travel through Fish-Man Island.
There was always the risk of catching the attention of the Celestial Dragons. But long-time traders knew how to handle them.
Yet today? A Celestial Dragon lay dead right in front of them!
It was unthinkable!
"Gulp—"
One by one, people swallowed hard. Their hearts pounded violently.
Terror. Horror.
It gripped them completely.
What had happened?
And more importantly…What would happen next?
Nobody knew.
All they felt was fear.
"Who did this?"
"Who the hell knows?! Who would have the guts to pull this off?!"
But before they could speculate further—CP0 arrived.
They swiftly took the corpse away and erased all traces of the event.
They didn't try to kill everyone here, as many had already escaped after seeing the dead body, while others had sent the news outside. Due to other political matters, they were only ordered to clean up the scene.
Still…They made it clear to everyone: Nothing happened here today.
---
It was really unfortunate for them, trying to suppress news of a Celestial Dragon's death? Ridiculous!
The world exploded with the news. People went crazy.
Even if it meant death, they spread the word like wildfire.
And in just two days—The news had reached every corner of the world.
The entire world was abuzz with discussion.
Everyone was talking about it.
But then…Something strange happened.
No matter how much the world debated—Nothing else happened.
The World Government took no action.
In that moment, everyone realized—the Celestial Dragons' divine authority was crumbling.
Now that someone had made the first move…Others would follow.
— — —
Elsewhere…
A finger tapped lightly on a desk. In an opulent chamber, a voice spoke:
"The death of a Celestial Dragon… it will make people think."
Another voice replied:
"This was likely the work of the Charlotte Family. They have access to some of the most unique and mysterious Devil Fruits on the sea."
A third person added:
"We can't move against them directly. Even after the incident in that Kingdom, their official standing is still too high."
A fourth voice chimed in:
"In that case, there's no need to act for now. The best time to strike is when the prey lowers its guard."
The last speaker finally spoke:
"Indeed. No matter how powerful a creature is, it's still prey. And to a hunter, prey is insignificant."
Clearly, in their eyes, this event was nothing more than a minor nuisance.
A Celestial Dragon's death? It was no more significant than the death of a fly.
This—This was the power of absolute authority.
The Five Elders. The five people who held the highest power in the world.
With a single word, they could decide the life or death of countless people.
— — —
Meanwhile, elsewhere…
The outside world was in complete chaos.
But the Charlotte Family? Too busy to care.
They were exhausted.
Perospero was buried in managing the growing business of the Black Trade Syndicate.
After all, their business was booming.
Nations like the Kano Kingdom, Powder Kingdom, and Adam Kingdom might be secretly scheming against them.
But even with a 10% price increase, they still bought their goods.
Because their products were simply better than anyone else's.
Over time, this led to a bizarre situation: Their enemies despised them in secret. But they had to keep trading with them.
Meanwhile, Amande was working tirelessly on expanding Totto Land.
Thirty-six islands in total.
With Whole Cake Island, that made thirty-seven.
And yet…Even after a year and a half of construction, they were nowhere near done.
As for everyone else? Hah…Even Big Mom, Linlin herself was being forced to study.
It all came back to one person. Scáthach.
The day they watched their rampaging mother get absolutely wrecked by someone with no Devil Fruit powers—
That was the day they understood.
Their master Scáthach wasn't just strong. She was terrifying.
Her control over strength. Her ability to take down god-tier beings with pure skill.
It wasn't just talk.
Even their teacher, Zhuge Liang—
With a single sentence—Had nearly shattered Katakuri's invincible status.
Custard, Angel, Brûlée, and Broyé.
Those four almost managed to defeat Katakuri.
If not for Katakuri's ridiculously overpowered substitute ability...He would've lost.
Meanwhile, the entire Charlotte Family was experiencing an eerie peace.
Especially after Joey, Katakuri and the others returned.
Anyone who had ideas about attacking Totto Land just vanished.
Like hell they'd dare.
Back when the only top fighters were the Five Sweets Commanders, maybe some would come looking for trouble.
But now? Why would anyone even try?
That'd be suicide!
No joke! The power gap is just ridiculous now.
The monsters of the Charlotte Family are on a completely different level. No one's stupid enough to challenge them anymore.
That's why everything seemed so unusually calm.
"Big Brother!"
Amande walked in with measured steps, sat down lightly, and asked, "Big Brother, why hasn't the World Government made any moves?"
"Heh…"
Joey put down his book and chuckled, "The reason is actually pretty simple. Sis, haven't you realized a fundamental issue?"
Amande looked puzzled. "What is it?"
Joey smiled. "To take action against the Charlotte Family, they need a justifiable reason."
"You have to understand, the Charlotte Family isn't just a group of pirates. The Big Mom Pirates are only a part of the family. Even the World Government can't just openly target us."
He paused for a moment, letting her process his words before continuing, "This is exactly why the World Government doesn't want us to keep growing."
"If Totto Land officially becomes a recognized nation, with full support from its people, no matter how powerful or weak it is, the World Government will never be able to openly strike against it."
Amande was momentarily stunned, but then she understood. "I get it now, Big Brother. After all, the World Government is a union of nations, not a dictatorship—at least, not in public."
Joey nodded. "Exactly. Many things can be handled in the shadows, and as long as they don't cross the line, they won't be an issue."
Amande nodded again.
Everything was like a thin layer of glass—everyone could see through it, yet no one dared to shatter it, even if they all knew the truth. Because if it were broken, that would mean exposing everything.
It's like if all the allied nations united, they could overthrow the World Government. But they won't even try, because they can't guarantee victory. What if they fail?
If that thin layer of glass ever shatters the image of unity among nations, then, whether they want it or not, the outcome would be the same—rebellion would be the only option.
Everyone understands this better than anything else. And that's why the World Government will never break that fragile balance.
Amande carefully analyzed everything.
Compared to others, she had been learning strategy, governance, and military tactics under Zhuge Liang.
It's safe to say that anything requiring intellect was Amande's domain.
And she was damn good at it. Even to a terrifying degree.
"Hmm…"
Joey watched Amande deep in thought and suddenly asked, "Sis, are you interested in becoming the Queen of Totto Land?"
"Huh?"
Amande froze for a moment before immediately shaking her head. "Big Brother, do you have any shame?"
"You already dumped all of Totto Land's administrative work on me! The only thing left is the decision-making power, and now you're thinking of giving that to me too? Are you trying to kill me?!"
"Uhh…"
Joey's mouth twitched. "Isn't it called 'sharing the burden'?"
Amande didn't hesitate to shut him down. 'Forget it! You are the only one 'sharing the burden'!"
"Look at our second brother, look at our third brother—they're working themselves to death, just like me!"
"We three don't even look human anymore; we're nothing more than work machines."
Nearby, Perospero and Katakuri, who had come to discuss matters with Joey, suddenly felt deeply insulted.
For a moment…They wanted to argue back.
Yet they realized…They really couldn't.
Because it was true. They were actually working themselves to the bone.
After a long silence, Perospero muttered, "I think I should get Daifuku and Oven to help me out more. Big Brother's way of 'sharing the burden' is actually quite effective."
Katakuri nodded. "Our eldest sister and Cracker should also start taking on more responsibilities. Mondée, Hachée, and Effilée as well—I think they'd be suitable too."
Joey always handed off work to capable people. And now these guys were starting to think the same way.
At the end of the day, each person was simply doing what they were best at.
Amande shook her head and said, "Big Brother, forget it. I'm not suited for that role. If you really don't want to handle things, just find another sibling to be King."
"It's not really my thing! I'm already swamped with handling all 36 islands every day—I'm exhausted!"
And honestly…She wasn't wrong.
She might not literally work herself to death. But still, It was exhausting.
Once everything was fully established, things might get easier.
But for now?
Amande felt mentally drained!
.
.
.