“This Navy is mine to handle,” Shakky declared, her sharp gaze locking onto the dozen seasoned vice admirals and the hundreds of elite marines present.

“Vice Admiral Strawberry, you participated in the God Valley Incident back then, didn’t you? I remember fleeing in disgrace that time,” Shakky remarked, the grudge clearly etched in her memory.

“The Witch of the Seas, Shakky,” Strawberry muttered cautiously, his expression tense. She was a formidable foe.

“I’ve been wanting to do something for years now,” Stussy said, her body crackling with electricity as she turned her gaze toward the Celestial Dragon settlement in the distance. “I never liked those wretched nobles.”

“ROAR! I feel like causing a huge commotion!” Yamato shouted excitedly, gripping her spiked kanabo tightly as she charged forward. She didn’t care who her opponent was—she’d fight first and judge later.

Only those who could withstand her strikes would earn her attention.

Smoothie stood frozen.

Despite mentally preparing herself during the journey, joining such a historic battle left her feeling unsettled.

“The World Government surely has more strong fighters,” Gion said, her eyes fixed on their direction.

Kuke’s gaze mirrored hers as he took a step forward, heading toward the Five Elders’ office.

“Don’t even think about it!” Strawberry and the other vice admirals roared, suppressing their fear as they drew their weapons to block Kuke’s advance.

“Don’t think you can stop our captain!” Yamato bellowed, swinging her kanabo with immense force.

A shockwave blasted through the air, sending countless marines flying. Though the vice admirals managed to block it together, their trembling hands betrayed their struggle.

“You’d best not disturb our king,” Shakky said, exhaling smoke as she stood alongside Yamato, holding the marines at bay.

With Shakky and Yamato engaging them, the marines were forced to fight for their lives, leaving them no opportunity to target Kuke.

Kuke led the charge, with Gion to his left and Charlotte Linlin to his right, advancing toward the World Government’s seat of power like an unstoppable force.

“Stop him!” shouted several well-dressed World Government fighters as they appeared and activated Soru.

Yet anyone daring to confront Kuke was swiftly struck down by fire and lightning.

Gion and Charlotte Linlin made short work of these elite forces, who were individually comparable to pirates with bounties of a hundred million berries.

Mary Geoise was engulfed in chaos.

Thunderclouds loomed over the Celestial Dragon settlement as Yamato sent marines flying high into the air with her strikes. The holy land was thrown into unprecedented disarray.

The scale of destruction surpassed even the time Kuke and Tiger had liberated slaves together.

“You dare… come here!” roared two of the Five Elders as they emerged, accompanied by seven or eight other formidable fighters.

“Mama… we’re already here, yet you’re still asking why? Are the Five Elders idiots?” Charlotte Linlin mocked them, her exuberance uncontainable.

Her energy was unmatched, and she reveled in doing what she had once only dreamed of. This level of excitement made her stand out even more.

“Charlotte Linlin…” The two Five Elders stared at her, though their expressions lacked the hatred and resentment they showed toward Kuke and Gion.

The bald elder’s cold gaze fixed on Kuke. “Leave now, and we’ll pretend none of this happened.”

There was both a threat and a hint of compromise in his words.

They understood all too well that Mary Geoise’s current forces couldn’t match the Sun and Moon Pirates. Only by tapping into their true reserves could they possibly prevail, but that decision was beyond the authority of the Five Elders.

“Bring out all your hidden cards,” Kuke said, his piercing gaze shifting past the two elders toward the depths of the flower-filled gardens.

Today’s goal was to uncover the mysteries surrounding the enigmatic Imu.

He was determined to expose the deepest secrets of Mary Geoise.

“Hmph!” The two elders sneered, though unease flickered in their eyes.

Could Kuke know about Imu?

Impossible. Only the Five Elders were aware of Imu’s existence—not even the Fleet Admiral knew.

“Gion, Charlotte Linlin, these ones are yours,” Kuke said, dismissing the two elders as he continued forward.

The combined forces of the two Five Elders and their seven or eight strong companions posed a decent threat, requiring Gion and Charlotte Linlin to work together.

Gion nodded silently.

Charlotte Linlin grinned, her excitement bubbling over. “Mama… I’ve never killed a Five Elder before. Looks like I’m about to become a legend.”

Her aura flared even brighter.

“You underestimate us. We are the Five Elders, the highest authority of the World Government!” the short-haired elder scoffed, his tone icy.

Suddenly, Charlotte Linlin’s voice turned sharp. “Carmel, how long do you plan to keep hiding?”

“?”

Kuke stopped mid-step.

Carmel? The name stirred something in him, but he couldn’t immediately place it.

However, he noticed Charlotte Linlin’s demeanor change drastically. Her face twisted into a grimace as black mist seeped from her eyes.

“AHHH!!” Charlotte Linlin screamed, clutching her head as her voice shattered glass and cracked walls.

“Linlin, what’s wrong?” Gion transformed into her hybrid beast form, looking at Charlotte Linlin with a mix of concern and confusion.

“Mama?” Smoothie, hearing the commotion, rushed over without hesitation.

“Carmel, you can’t even control a five-year-old girl?” the short-haired elder barked, his voice laced with disdain.

A sinister energy radiated from him as his outstretched arms exuded black, soul-like matter.

This peculiar ability, tied to the manipulation of souls, seemed to amplify Charlotte Linlin’s erratic state.

“Smoothie, stay back,” Kuke warned, holding her arm.

He had long suspected a hidden secret within Charlotte Linlin but had never uncovered it. Now that it was surfacing, he intended to resolve it once and for all.

Besides, Charlotte Linlin was not only a member of the crew but also possessed resurrection and teleportation abilities, both of which required Kuke’s command to activate.

If he chose not to use them, she couldn’t resurrect. Likewise, if he decided to teleport her to the Radiant Eclipse, or elsewhere, she would be unable to resist.

Charlotte Linlin’s movements became more erratic, her massive body visibly shrinking.

“Is Mama’s hunger pangs acting up again?” Smoothie asked, her voice filled with worry.

Charlotte Linlin’s body rapidly thinned, her figure becoming skeletal. Even her face began to show deep wrinkles, making her appear aged beyond her years.

Though Charlotte Linlin was no longer young, she had never looked this decrepit—like someone on the verge of death.

Her transformation intensified as the noise subsided.

Moments later, she fell eerily silent, her expression chilling to behold.

“Mama… Des, Res… long time no see,” she said, but her voice was not her own. It was aged and sinister, belonging to someone else entirely.

“Who are you? You’re not Mama!” Smoothie exclaimed, horrified at the sight of the stranger in her mother’s body.

The figure before her was entirely unrecognizable.

——

DONT FORGET POWER STONE

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep