— — — — — — —
"Hmm?"
What was going on at Fishman Island?
Joey didn't know yet.
But suddenly—He felt his heart beat slightly faster.
"Huff—"
Letting out a slow breath, he muttered, "What is this? This heartbeat…? It shouldn't be happening!"
However—After carefully checking himself over—He realized there was nothing wrong at all.
"Weird…" he muttered in confusion.
"Big bro! Big bro!"
Just then, Charlotte Cornstarch ran up excitedly. "Big bro! The Three-Eyed Tribe is ready to go! Everyone's packed up, and Opera is preparing to leave."
Joey snapped out of his thoughts and smiled. "Alright!"
Then, he and Cornstarch headed up to the deck.
The Three-Eyed Tribe had indeed finished preparing.
But their numbers…
Originally, Joey had estimated there were at least 100,000 of them.
But reality proved otherwise. It was almost laughable.
The entire Three-Eyed Tribe—Including those scattered outside—Barely amounted to 80,000 people.
That number was shocking. A whole race and not even 80,000.
What kind of concept was that?
Just thinking about it made it clear.
Leyi approached Joey respectfully. "Chief, thank you for taking us in! The Three-Eyed Tribe will be loyal citizens of Totto Land!"
Joey replied warmly, "No need to thank me. Lady Amande is in charge of managing Totto Land. Just report to her. Goodbye, Miss Leyi."
"Thank you!" she said, bowing deeply before stepping back.
Joey simply smiled, saying nothing more.
Opera then walked over. "Big bro! I'm heading out. I need to get the Three-Eyed Tribe back quickly. Cadenza, Cabaletta, and Gala are holding down the fort in the Whole Cake Sea, but it's still dangerous."
Joey nodded. "Go on. Stay safe."
"Yeah!" Opera responded seriously.
'Stay safe!' Those words made one thing clear—
If things went south, Opera had the right to abandon the whole tribe and escape alone.
Because, above all—Opera was the most important.
Splash—
The fleet slowly disappeared into the distance.
Joey spoke up. "Now that Opera has left, it's our turn to set sail! On to the second destination."
Daifuku grinned. "No problem, big bro!"
Oven immediately started giving orders for departure.
Splash—
The ships set off as well, heading straight for their next destination.
It wasn't far.
At most, it would take two days to arrive.
After all— The Snakeneck Clan and the Three-Eyed Tribe didn't live that far apart.
Inside the study—Joey pondered, "The intel on the Snakeneck Clan is unclear."
"Counter hasn't been able to get solid information. All we know is that they're surrounded… and it seems like someone is waiting for an arrival. Pirates are involved, but who exactly are they waiting for?"
Clearly— This was something worth investigating.
For now, he put aside his unease about his strange heartbeat.
There were more pressing matters at hand, and his body was definitely fine.
If something were wrong, the system would've warned him.
Thinking deeply, Joey's gaze sharpened.
He knew—The Snakeneck Clan's situation was complicated.
First—Both the Snakeneck Clan and the Three-Eyed Tribe lived in extremely hidden locations.
"Second—" Joey murmured, "The Three-Eyed Tribe was found by accident."
"Clearly, someone planned to capture all of them! But the Snakeneck Clan's case is different. The attackers are deliberately surrounding them without attacking. That means they're after the whole clan."
"Interesting!" Joey smirked. "So, their goal is clear—they want to recruit the Snakeneck Clan. But who's behind this? The Snakeneck Clan has decent potential, but it's not that exceptional."
He carefully considered the possibilities.
If this were during the days of the Rocks Pirates—It would definitely be their doing.
But things were different now. The seas were in chaos!
Roger, Whitebeard, Shiki, Captain John, Wang Zhi, Silver Axe, Chinjao…
One by one, these legendary monsters were rising to prominence.
It might have only been half a year—But that was enough time for chaos to erupt.
The Navy had been pushed to its limits.
Of course—Some major shifts had happened at the beginning of the year.
First—Steel Bone Kong, the last of the Three Admirals, was promoted to Fleet Admiral.
Sengoku and Zephyr were now Admirals of the Marine Headquarters.
Even though there were only two Admirals now, Garp was still known as the "Hero of the Navy" and held the rank of Vice Admiral.
In terms of overall strength, the Navy still maintained its Three Admiral system.
It was just a matter of titles.
Bang!
Just as Joey was deep in thought, a sudden knock on the door interrupted him.
"Hmm?"
Lifting his head, Joey casually said, "Come in!"
Creak!
The door opened, and Nusstorte walked in, holding a newspaper. "Big Bro! The situation on Fishman Island has been resolved. The World Government has once again raised Brother Katakuri's bounty."
"Oh?"
Joey smirked with interest. "Tell me, how much did it increase?"
Nusstorte replied, "Brother Katakuri's bounty has risen to 870 million Berries. Mom's bounty has increased to 3.084 billion Berries. Sister Compote's bounty is now 350 million, Brother Cracker's is 298 million, and Sisters Mondée, Hachée, and Effilée each got a 100 million increase."
"Hmm!"
Joey nodded. "That's not surprising. Katakuri performed exceptionally well in the battle at God Valley, and after causing a ruckus on Fishman Island, this kind of bounty increase is expected. The others' bounties also grew within the normal range."
He understood it very well.
This level of bounty increase was nothing extraordinary.
Right now, their bounties hadn't truly exploded yet.
If Katakuri's actions were taken into account properly, a bounty of at least 2 billion Berries wouldn't be an issue.
Nusstorte continued, "Besides that! Sister Amande's bounty has been revoked!"
"Heh…"
Joey chuckled. "Looks like the Five Elders reconsidered and decided to take back the bounty order."
He smirked.
This wasn't just a trivial matter.
A bounty notice might seem insignificant, but the implications were entirely different.
This meant that the Charlotte Pirates and the Family had gained enough influence to make the Five Elders take a step back.
That was what truly mattered.
Nusstorte nodded but remained serious. "Big Bro! We still can't let our guard down! The World Government might have backed off for now, but they're definitely planning something. If we get careless, problems will arise."
Joey laughed. "You brat, don't worry! Of course, I know that! But…"
He looked at Nusstorte with a wide grin. "Go get Moscato for me."
"Huh?"
Nusstorte was momentarily stunned but quickly nodded and left.
Before long, Moscato, the three-year-old, was brought in. Tilting his head, he asked, "Big Bro! You called me?"
Joey asked warmly, "Moscato, what do you think?" Then, he explained everything that had just happened.
"Hmm…"
Little Moscato thought for a moment before replying, "A year from now, after the World Conference, our conflict with the World Government will be unavoidable."
"There's no stopping it. Right now, they'll likely increase efforts to cause trouble. If they can't shake Totto Land, they'll probably come directly for you, Big Bro."
"Heh…"
Joey nodded in satisfaction.
Despite his young age, Moscato's analysis was spot-on.
Joey grinned. "Moscato, that's a great insight! This Devil Fruit is for you. Just like your sister, go back and help Amande manage Totto Land!"
"Big Bro!"
Moscato jumped up excitedly, staring at the Devil Fruit in front of him…
A Paramecia-type? Gelato-Gelato Fruit!
It wasn't a particularly powerful Devil Fruit. It was just one of the many food-related Fruits.
But! The meaning behind it was different.
It meant that he had earned Big Bro's recognition.
Nusstorte was also happy. "Moscato, congratulations!"
He genuinely meant it. Nusstorte was thrilled.
After all, seeing his talented little brother being acknowledged was definitely something to celebrate.
However…Nusstorte also felt the pressure. He needed to work even harder.
Joey didn't say much and continued, "Moscato, since you specialize in swordsmanship, I'm giving you this greatsword as well. Its name? Ice Cream! And from now on, Memory Island are under your management!"
Moscato grabbed the huge ice cream sword, took a bite of the Devil Fruit, and then…
The little brat firmly declared, "Big Bro! Don't worry! I won't disappoint you!"
Joey laughed. "You better not!"
Three-Eyed Tribe? Memory Island? True Town? The Minister of Gelato!
Honestly…Food-type Devil Fruits were usually classified as creation-based abilities.
Essentially, they allowed the user to conjure food items out of thin air.
These kinds of Devil Fruits were generally mid-tier not low. Because If you could create something from nothing, you wouldn't be weak.
And one thing was undeniable. Bloodline truly mattered.
Mash, Cornstarch, Moscato!
Their natural talents weren't outstanding. At least, not in combat.
However…Aside from Mash, the other two siblings excelled in management, which had become increasingly clear during their recent voyage.
Then…
Joey turned to Nusstorte. "Nusstorte, with your talents, you're not suited to be a minister! You're more suited for combat. Unfortunately, I only have the Book-Book Fruit right now, which isn't the right fit for you."
"Huh?"
Nusstorte instantly understood and happily said, "Big Bro! I'm not in a hurry! I'll keep training! I won't let you down!"
Saying that, he dashed off.
Moscato also rushed out. "Big Bro, I'm leaving too!"
Grabbing his giant sword, he happily ran away.
"Heh…"
Joey shook his head with a smile. "These two brats… Big Bro has high hopes for you."
He sighed with amusement but didn't dwell on it.
Right now, Joey still had the Book-Book Fruit and the Healing Fruit. Both were support-type abilities.
Nusstorte had excellent combat potential, so these fruits weren't ideal for him.
However…Before setting sail, Perospero had informed Joey of a Devil Fruit located at a certain place.
A Fruit perfect for Nusstorte.
Bang!
Having made all the arrangements, Joey lightly tapped his desk and continued thinking.
"The Snakeneck Tribe… Who's behind them? This is truly strange. I don't know when they'll make their move… But let's see who they really are!"
Narrowing his eyes, Joey rapidly sifted through possible suspects in his mind, considering all possibilities.
.
.
.