— — — — — — —

  Splurt!

  Blood spttered everywhere.

  Karasu lowered his head, murmuring, "Has the gap really grown this big?"

  His heart. It had been pierced.

  He was utterly powerless.

  The Navy's three Admirals——Steel Bone y motionless in a deep crater, his fate uncertain. Byakko was torn apart, dead on the spot.Karasu's heart was pierced, and he was barely clinging to life.

  "ROAR!" Rocks let out an earth-shaking roar, his aura terrifying beyond measure.

  Clearly, after taking on all three Admirals and defeating them, Rocks' aura had become something entirely different.

  "ROAR! ROAR!" The pirates echoed his roar, their voices filled with unrestrained fury.

  "Captain Rocks is invincible!""Victory! Victory! Victory!""The Navy! The World Government! The Celestial Dragons! They're all trash!"

  If there had been any hesitation in the pirates before, now it was gone.

  Now, they were consumed by madness, like wild beasts.

  Rocks' image as an unbeatable force was etched deeply into their hearts.

  At that moment, there was no hesitation left in them.

  Kill!

  That was their only thought—to sughter every enemy in sight.

  — — —

  Watching the battlefield escate to this point, Joey suddenly understood.

  Gncing at Rocks, Joey muttered, "Rocks must've used some kind of technique to temporarily boost his strength."

  "But... from the looks of it, there's no sign of weakness. It's a sustainable technique, though it probably takes a long time to use again."

  Indeed. Rocks' power had returned to Silver Level 5, which proved his earlier dispy of strength had been forced.

  But it was enough.

  Rocks, standing invincible, had crushed the Admirals singlehandedly.

  The pirates had completely burned their bridges.

  To them, following Rocks meant certain victory.

  Simply put, Rocks' actions were meant to inspire his crew. And he had succeeded.

  The pirates were fully motivated.

  They roared with unrelenting fervor.

  "ROAR! HOWL!"

  Fueled by this madness, they charged back into battle.

  Their insanity was contagious.

  Custard, a young girl witnessing the chaos, muttered nervously, "Terrifying people!"

  Joey remained calm. "Indeed. They're lunatics to the core."

  Mondée nodded in agreement. "They've lost it, completely carried away by Rocks' influence."

  "Exactly!" Joey smiled, leaning back on his chair. "At this rate, the CP Organization won't be able to wait any longer. Once they make their move, it'll be our turn."

  The CP Organization. The protectors of the Celestial Dragons. Known as the strongest shield, they were not to be underestimated.

  For Joey's pn to work, he needed to bypass them.

  Today, 80% of the Celestial Dragons are gathered here.

  The wealth, Devil Fruits, and sves concentrated in this pce were top-tier.

  Treasures were vital for the Charlotte Family's future.

  Devil Fruits, even more so.

  Although Joey had a decent collection of them, Devil Fruits were always in demand.

  For example, Joey had already used 20 Devil Fruits to acquire 10,000 beastmen.

  These beastmen were an important investment for Joey.

  In addition, there were qualification pills and higher-tier resources to consider.

  Joey had spent 100 Devil Fruits on 300 qualification pills alone.

  It was an unavoidable cost.

  Once the battle at God Valley ended, Joey pnned to strengthen his family significantly.

  "Make your move already! The Navy alone can't stop Rocks' Pirate Crew! It's time to train those two new armies as well."

  As Joey pondered, the CP Organization began to act.

  It all happened in an instant.

  The Navy's white uniforms were joined by two more forces spilling out of God Valley.

  Gray uniforms. Blue uniforms.

  Two armies charged onto the battlefield.

  Though their numbers were small—about 4,000 soldiers in total, led by commanders of silver-level strength—their combat prowess was undeniable. Each soldier was an elite.

  "Oh?"

  Joey, who had been mulling over other matters, immediately took notice and chuckled. "The Army and the Air Force, huh? Newly-formed troops, and they've already been thrown into the fray?"

  Joey's intelligence network was excellent.

  Half a year ago, the World Government had established ground and air forces in addition to the Navy.

  The Army Headquarters was based on the Red Line.

  As for the Air Force Headquarters?

  That remained a mystery.

  In short, the World Government had formed a tri-service military: Army, Navy, and Air Force.

  It expined why Kong, in the future, would become the Supreme Commander of the three services.

  Mondée was puzzled. "Big Bro, when did these forces show up?"

  "Half a year ago," Joey replied. "The Five Elders set them up, but their motives aren't clear. These troops are still in their infancy—strength and numbers are far from top-tier. But with the World Government's deep pockets, it won't take more than ten years for them to grow into a formidable force."

  Mondée nodded. "So this God Valley battle is a training ground for them?"

  "Most likely," Joey replied. "To the Five Elders, this war is nothing more than a joke—a stage to test their new troops. Otherwise, they wouldn't have sent such fresh recruits here. But——"

  "CP Organization is moving!"

  Joey's voice trailed off as he stood, watching figures in white and bck suits with eerie masks join the battlefield.

  The CP Organization had made their move.

  "Heh."

  Joey smirked. "If CP is moving, then it's time for our pn to begin."

  — — —

  On the battlefield.

  BAM!

  Katakuri quickly crushed the enemies around him. He immediately noticed the Army and Air Force reinforcements but remained unfazed.

  In the next moment, Katakuri lowered his head, his aura brimming with lethal intent.

  "Hard Biscuit Block!"

  Cracker acted swiftly, conjuring yers upon yers of shields to protect them.

  BOOM!

  The devastating blow was blocked.

  Katakuri gred at a white-suited figure wearing a strange mask and muttered, "The CP0… Looks like they're here to clean us out."

  Cracker frowned. "Katakuri, this guy's strong—silver-level strength at least. Should we retreat?"

  Before Katakuri could answer, Compote nded a crushing blow on another attacker, killing him instantly. She then joined Katakuri and Cracker.

  Compote also looked serious. "The Army, Air Force, and CP0 have all joined the battle. Should we prepare to retreat?"

  "No!"

  Katakuri's sharp eyes burned with determination. "If I retreat now, my future will end here!"

  He tightened his grip on his trident, his expression firm. "Compote, Cracker—retreat to our Mother. Leave this man to me."

  "Katakuri?"

  "Brother Katakuri? We——"

  "Go!"

  Before they could protest, Joey's calm voice echoed.

  Reluctantly, the two nodded and retreated, understanding Katakuri's resolve.

  Stepping out from the yers of Biscuit shields, Katakuri's gaze was unwavering, filled with confidence and an unyielding spirit.

  "Hmm?"

  "Oh?"

  Across the battlefield, powerhouses like Garp, Sengoku, Zephyr, Edward, Shiki, Linlin, John, Wang Zhi, and Silver Axe all took notice of Katakuri's movement.

  Linlin smiled with satisfaction.

  The man with the fox mask said coldly, "Not pnning to retreat, huh?"

  Katakuri gripped his trident tightly. "Running away would be disgraceful."

  "Willow Mochi!"

  With those words, Katakuri unched his attack. His eyes glowed with a crimson light, his legs coiling with Armament Haki as he struck with terrifying force.

  The fox-masked man didn't take him lightly.

  "Mochi Thrust!"

  His trident spun like a deadly drill, the force behind it immense.

  Katakuri's onsught continued relentlessly.

  "Mochi Bde Bullet!"

  His right hand became a high-speed drill, while his left turned into hardened mochi, reinforced with Armament Haki. He struck from both sides, leaving himself completely exposed in the process.

  The fox-masked man sneered. "You're courting death!"

  Yet, just as his opponent moved to counter, Katakuri's body suddenly became intangible.

  A loud roar erupted from Katakuri. "Don't underestimate me! Big Brother said I'm the pilr of our family. Everyone else can lose—but not me! My siblings are counting on me!"

  This was Katakuri's unwavering conviction.

  He would never falter.

  "Buzz Cut Mochi !"

  Katakuri dodged the fox-masked man's strike and went straight for the kill.

  His arm turned into a giant, spiky mochi club, coated in Haki, and smashed down hard. The guy got stuck to the sticky mochi, and before he could even blink, Katakuri's arm stretched into a massive mochi rod.

  He spun it around like crazy, then smmed the whole thing into the ground.

  BOOM

  "Die!!!"

  The battlefield echoed with a deafening impact.

  Even with his defenses, the fox-masked man couldn't escape unscathed.

  Breathing heavily, Katakuri stood tall, his resolve unshaken.

  Though Katakuri hadn't realized it himself, Joey knew—his brother had already broken through to the next level.

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  80 Advanced Chapters at: patreon.com/_Coreal