— — — — — — —
Snap!
Saturn had left.
It was impossible to say whether they had truly reached an agreement or not.
However, one thing was clear—Charlotte Joey had achieved his goal.
— — —
Under the Night Sky
Inside the study, Katakuri and Cracker sat quietly while Joey handled some minor matters at his desk.
After a while, once everything was settled, Joey looked up and chuckled. "What are you two doing here just sitting around?"
Katakuri shook his head and said, "I just feel like this whole thing is a bit strange. The sudden change is unsettling. Not long ago, we were at war with the World Government, and now we're cooperating with them?"
"Exactly!" Cracker added, looking incredulous. "This was supposed to be an irreconcilable feud. And now we're working together? Feels like a damn dream."
Joey let out a soft chuckle. "That's politics for you."
"There are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests. In fact, there aren't even permanent allies. As time moves on, you either keep up or get erased. Power is a funny thing, isn't it?"
"So you wanna learn?"
"Not interested." x2
Katakuri and Cracker rejected Joey outright.
Forget it!
This whole power game wasn't their thing.
They had no desire to deal with it, so it was better to stay out of it entirely.
Joey chuckled. "You two punks. But you know, power is like a deadly poison—it lures people in, yet it's also what destroys them. Anyway, let's drop the topic."
He shook his head.
No need to dwell on it any further.
Joey leaned back and said, "Once we leave the Red Line, we'll deal with a lot of things. But for now, take a break. Enjoy these two days while we're still here."
Both brothers were momentarily stunned.
Joey continued, "Nothing is going to happen while we're here. The real trouble starts once we leave the Red Line. After that, we'll be insanely busy."
"Totto Land's official founding."
"The Dark Trade Guild's entry into the underworld."
"Big Mom Pirates."
"Everything needs to be handled."
Hearing this, the two brothers shook their heads in resignation.
As Joey watched his two younger brothers leave, he shook his head and chuckled. "These two brats."
He paid them no more mind and returned to his reading.
Time passed.
Soon, it was time to rest. But before that, reading a little more wouldn't hurt.
[Ding!]
The system notification rang out.
Joey raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Someone reaching out to me? Now that's rare."
Curious, he accepted the video call.
The screen revealed an aged man, hidden in the shadows.
A raspy chuckle came through the speakers. "Charlotte Clan Leader, still interested in business?"
Joey smiled. "Ah, Merchant King. Do you have what I'm looking for?"
The slave trader's voice carried excitement. "Oh, you bet! I've got a batch of prime goods—Night Elves! An entire kingdom's worth! Of course, after the war, only about 200,000 remain."
"But listen, we've got the Night Elf Queen, the Ancient Dark Life Tree, and even the Dark Moon Spring. All still intact."
Joey's interest was piqued.
Clearly, this slave trader had once been a king himself. Most likely, he had destroyed the Night Elf kingdom personally.
After a brief pause, Joey asked, "And what's your asking price?"
The merchant eagerly responded, "150 Devil Fruits!"
Joey shook his head. "Forget it. If you're not serious about making a deal, then let's not waste time. The Ancient Life Tree and the Dark Moon Spring are rare, sure, but Night Elves? They're not exactly top-tier goods."
His tone was calm. "Over time, the slave market has become saturated. Every major faction has been strengthening itself."
Hearing Joey's firm rejection, the merchant gritted his teeth and asked, "How much are you willing to offer, then?"
Joey replied indifferently, "30 Devil Fruits. That's my final offer. And don't mistake this for a joke. The Life Tree and Moon Spring? I already have them. As time goes on, their value will only drop. I have no reason to buy them at peak market prices."
This was no bluff.
With the family's growing influence, rare races were no longer as exclusive as before.
If you looked at the Western Fantasy world's tribes, they numbered in the millions.
With such vast populations, the rarity factor would inevitably decline.
Even Titans, Dragons, and Behemoths—currently valuable—would eventually become commonplace.
The merchant took a deep breath before nodding. "Fine! 30 Devil Fruits it is. Damn, making money these days is getting harder and harder."
"You sure drive a hard bargain."
Joey smirked. "It's not about being shrewd. Devil Fruits are unique to me, and over time, I've learned how to price them accordingly."
"Alright then." He stretched. "Let's wrap this up. We'll finalize the trade at the year's end. Right now, I don't have that many Devil Fruits on hand."
The merchant nodded. "Understood."
[Ding!]
The video call ended.
Joey narrowed his eyes. "Looks like, as the family grows, more and more people are seeking us out for business. Given this trend… it might be time to raise the price of Devil Fruits."
He let out a soft chuckle.
This would be the last deal at this price.
Going forward, acquiring Devil Fruits from him wouldn't be so easy. He was gonna raise the prices.
— — —
Finally, the World Conference officially started.
Joey addressed Neptune with a calm demeanor. "King Neptune, you don't need to say anything or make any statements. Someone else will bring up the matter. Just go along with it."
Neptune nodded solemnly. "Understood."
Though it wasn't about avoiding being a scapegoat, he knew it was best to remain low-key in this situation.
Better to let someone else take the lead.
Neptune and his staff departed.
Queen Otohime and Fisher Tiger, however, approached Joey.
Otohime looked slightly anxious. "Will it be ok?"
Joey reassured her with a warm smile. "Queen Otohime, there's no need to worry. The fate of the Celestial Dragons has made many people reconsider their actions."
"Mmm."
Both Otohime and Tiger nodded, choosing to wait in silence.
At last, the Reverie officially began.
Initially, the discussions were filled with minor, miscellaneous topics—nothing too serious.
After all, there hadn't been any major recent incidents worth discussing.
But as time went on, everyone knew the real matter at hand hadn't come up yet.
Totto Land—this was the true issue.
As the pirate-related discussions gradually came to an end, everyone began anticipating the main event.
Soon, King Riku stood up and spoke, "I propose that we recognize the power and influence of the Charlotte Family in the New World. I support the establishment of Totto Land as a nation!"
"Moreover, due to Totto Land's unique geographical position, I propose granting them an exemption from the Heavenly Tribute!"
As soon as King Riku made his proposal, it was followed by:
"Seconded!"
"Seconded!"
"Seconded!"
Without hesitation, multiple nations voiced their agreement.
These were all countries allied with Dressrosa.
They understood very well—if they refused, well...
The Big Mom Pirates would surely come knocking on their doors.
The Dressrosa Kingdom, located in the New World, had no room to oppose this.
After all, the Charlotte Family had firmly established itself in the New World.
Then, King Cobra also spoke up: "I agree."
With his endorsement, fifteen more countries immediately followed suit.
At this moment, the number of supporting nations reached twenty-eight.
Considering that only fifty nations participated in the Reverie, this meant the proposal was nearly guaranteed to pass.
But it wasn't over yet.
"Seconded!"
Another seven nations agreed, bringing the total to thirty-five.
"Seconded!"
Both Neptune and Judge also voiced their approval.
That brought the number of supporting nations to thirty-seven.
"Heh..."
Queen Hana smiled and said, "I, too, support this proposal."
Following her, Songfen, a senior statesman, nodded and said, "Since Queen Hana supports it, then I shall as well."
Adam, wearing a perpetually grumpy expression as if someone owed him millions, coldly stated, "I agree."
With these three major nations in favor, the count reached forty.
At this point, the remaining ten kings exchanged glances, clearly reluctant.
They wanted to protest, but...
Refuse? That would be suicide!
"Agreed!"
One by one, the last ten countries gave in.
It was a result no one could have predicted.
The Reverie had been held for 800 years.
And yet, for the first time in history—A unanimous vote!
All fifty nations had agreed!
"Hmmm.... Approved!"
With those words spoken, a collective sigh of relief spread throughout the room.
The matter was finally settled.
Of course, the discussions didn't end there.
Now came the inevitable political wrangling.
Negotiations over resources, territories, spheres of influence—This was the real heart of the Reverie.
Every four years, these were the primary issues debated.
But still, every participant shook their heads in amazement.
In the entire 800-year history of the World Government, this was the first time a proposal had passed with absolute agreement.
No one could question its legitimacy.
Totto Land Empire—Its founding was now an undeniable reality.
A new superpower had risen, one with terrifying potential.
.
.
.