— — — — — — —
"Heh… Hehehe—"
Joey let out a soft chuckle.
Kaido and Shiki saw it.
And their fury ignited like wildfire.
Kaido roared, "Brat! I'm gonna kill you today, no matter what!"
Shiki narrowed his eyes, his voice cruel and menacing, "Charlotte boy, do you think I'm just playing around here?"
Shiki yelled, "Men! Take down those biscuit soldiers and bring me that brat's head!"
Kaido also roared, "You lot! Kill that damn kid right now!"
"ROAR!!!"
"KILL!!!"
With the orders given, both pirate crews launched into action.
Still, Joey remained completely composed.
It was as if none of this mattered to him.
Wearing a warm, almost indifferent smile, he calmly said, "Shiki, Kaido, all your shouting and rage… Honestly, it just makes you sound like a bunch of yapping dogs."
"Hm—"
After a brief pause, he added, "Yeah, just like a pack of mad dogs—barking viciously but completely powerless. That's exactly what you two look like right now."
"YOU…!!!"
"BASTARD!!!"
Neither Kaido nor Shiki were known for having good tempers.
And now—With just a few words, Joey had pushed them both into an uncontrollable rage.
If they had been holding back before, then now? Not a chance!
Both crews went all out, charging at Joey with everything they had.
They wanted him dead. They wanted to wipe out the entire Charlotte Family.
"Lion: Scattering Valley!"
Shiki furiously slashed through the air. "Brat! If you want to blame someone, blame your damn brother for pissing me off!"
"Oh?"
Katakuri, standing nearby, responded coldly, "If my brother angered you, then let me put out your pathetic little rage. I'll show you just how insignificant it really is."
Boom!
With one relentless assault after another, Katakuri easily blocked Shiki's attacks.
As for Kaido?
Unlike Shiki, who was facing one opponent,
Kaido was up against four enemies at once.
Even with his monstrous strength, he was struggling to break free.
And as for the rest of their forces?
Forget the foot soldiers.
Even the elite members of the Flying Pirates couldn't break through the defensive line.
With countless biscuit soldiers forming an impenetrable wall, it wasn't going to be that easy.
Joey sighed, looking unimpressed. "Man… this is getting boring."
Shaking his head, he turned away.
Then—
Plop!
To everyone's shock, Joey casually walked to the front of the ship, flopped down onto a sofa, and made himself comfortable.
He even Picked up a book and started reading, leisurely sipping his tea as if he had all the time in the world.
"Huh?"
The young girl, Amaterasu, tilted her head in confusion.
She ran over excitedly, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Umm! Umm! Chief, aren't you gonna fight them to the death? I mean—"
Joey glanced up at the innocent little girl, smiling warmly.
"Who told you that you have to fight to the death just to win?"
"Huh?"
Amaterasu blinked, confused.
Joey chuckled, "And more importantly… why would I fight these guys to the death?"
Amaterasu tilted her head again. "But isn't the plan to rescue—?"
Halfway through her sentence,
Even the naive little girl finally realized something.
Joey smiled. "Exactly! From the very beginning, our goal was never to have some pointless bloodbath. That would be a complete waste of time and effort. Honestly, the World Government made a dumb move choosing Kaido for this."
He sighed. "A short-tempered brute like him? No matter how strong he is or how big his army is, he never thinks things through. From the moment they chose him, their plan was doomed to fail."
Really—Even Joey himself was surprised.
This whole thing had been way too easy.
Suspiciously easy.
Honestly, if it wasn't for Kaido and Shiki, he would've thought there was a trap.
That was Joey's honest feeling.
Shaking his head, he sighed again.
"So, we just wait. Winning a war isn't about wiping out the enemy. That's just a waste of time and resources. All we need to do is achieve our objective—that's it."
"Ohhh!"
Amaterasu nodded eagerly, though it wasn't clear if she actually understood.
Joey didn't mind.
Whether she got it or not didn't really matter.
The only issue now…Everything had been going way too smoothly.
So smoothly, it felt almost unreal.
Joey frowned slightly. "With Katakuri's Observation Haki, he should have sensed everything. Aside from those three people still hidden in the crowd, there's no one else. Looks like the Elders weren't actually trying to kill me this time."
Thinking about it, it made sense.
The Five Elders weren't stupid.
They knew killing Joey outright was nearly impossible.
But stalling him? That was easy.
And those three hidden elites? They were just waiting for the perfect opportunity.
If they got the chance, they'd strike.
If they didn't… they'd stay put.
After all—
CP0 had already suffered major losses recently.
Even with the World Government's massive resources, they couldn't keep taking hits like this.
So, the Elders' plan was simple:
Even if they couldn't kill Joey, They could at least delay him.
And in a war involving hundreds of thousands of people…That's all delaying time they needed.
At least—
That's what the Five Elders thought.
What they never expected was…Kaido and Shiki.
Two complete brainless idiots who didn't think at all.
And just with a few words from Joey—Their entire plan was already falling apart.
---
"Hmm—"
The chaotic battlefield didn't seem to bother Joey at all.
Sitting comfortably, flipping through a book, he looked completely at ease.
Of course, while he appeared to be reading, his mind was elsewhere.
"Mondee and Angel should be fine," he thought.
If anyone was paying close attention, they would've noticed something strange—
Mondee had never even appeared.
And after Angel summoned the biscuit soldiers from the book-book fruit, she also vanished without a trace.
But with the battlefield in complete chaos…
Who had the time to worry about two little girls?
— — —
Somewhere Else—
Tap… tap…
The sound of silent footsteps barely registered in the roaring battlefield.
Mondee, moving carefully, landed on the island without making a sound.
She peered around cautiously.
"Huh?"
"What the—?"
At first, she had been tense, gripping a stealth orb tightly in her hand, ready to disappear at any moment.
But as she took in the sight before her…She was stunned.
With a tilt of her head, she muttered, "The hell? There's no one here? Not a single soul?!"
She blinked.
And then she felt something new—.....Insulted.
"Are you kidding me?" she scoffed. "They really didn't set up any defenses?"
The island was massive. There were tons of facilities—But not a single guard in sight.
She sighed, rubbing her temples. "No wonder big bro said this was a joke… The Five Elders actually trusted Kaido with this mission? Man, those old geezers really screwed up this time."
Shaking her head, she let the thought go.
It wasn't her problem.
Although no one seemed to be around, she remained cautious.
Moving carefully, she made her way into the depths of the island.
Soon enough…She found the prison.
Mondee entered, her sharp senses scanning the area.
She wasn't just any kid—She had eaten the Clear-Clear Fruit, making her an absolute master of stealth.
Her Observation Haki was also insanely sharp.
And right now, that ability led her straight to the 300 Lunarian prisoners inside.
Weak groans echoed through the air.
They looked terrible—
Starved. Exhausted. Wounded.
A violent coughing fit broke out among them, showing just how much pain they had endured.
As Mondee revealed herself, the prisoners slowly lifted their heads, eyes filled with desperation.
Then, she spoke in a clear, calm voice: "Lunarians! Your princess, Lady Amaterasu, sought my brother's help—and we are here to save you!"
For a moment, there was silence.
Then—Shouts of Joy filled the air.
"What?! We're saved?!"
"Princess Amaterasu did it?!"
Many of them nearly jumped up in excitement.
An elderly Lunarian raised a hand, signaling for calm.
He looked at Monde with a respectful gaze and asked, "Young lady, we are deeply grateful for your aid. But… what is it that you seek in return?"
A bitter chuckle escaped his lips.
"I am well aware that our people have little to offer."
Mondee smiled gently. "Elder, you don't need to worry. The Lunarians are important to the Charlotte Family. We built Totto Land as a sanctuary for races like yours. Surely, you understand what would happen if we failed to rescue you?"
Hearing this, the old man's wary expression softened.
He understood exactly what she meant. And he knew this was not some empty promise.
With this, the Lunarians finally relaxed.
They weren't afraid of being indebted. They were only afraid of not knowing the price.
And honestly? After all they had suffered, having a powerful protector was the best outcome they could hope for.
"Thank you…" the elder said, bowing deeply.
The other Lunarians followed suit, voices filled with gratitude.
"Thank you!"
"Thank you!"
Then, after a brief pause, the elder suddenly asked: "Miss… may I ask… has your brother, the leader of your family, already taken a wife?"
"…Huh?"
Mondee blinked in surprise.
Then, she glanced at the old man, instantly realizing what he was getting at.
Oh.
He was trying to marry off the princess.
Well, that made sense.
The Lunarians had so few people left.
And aside from maybe 50-80 warriors, the rest were old, sick, or children.
They needed a way to survive.
And this? This was probably their best bet.
With a sly smile, Mondee answered, "After the World Summit next month, Totto Land will be officially recognized as a nation. My brother really want to take a wife—but for now, he only has one mistress."
Some things…Didn't need to be said outright.
Smart people only needed a hint.
And clearly—The old man understood exactly what she was implying.
.
.
.