The more unattainable something was, the more people longed for it. To Charlotte Linlin, Nanamo—the daughter beyond her control—had always been the most special among all her children.
The fact that she had slipped beyond her grasp already made Charlotte Linlin extremely dissatisfied, and the one who escaped just happened to be the most outstanding of them all.
At first, Charlotte Linlin had wanted to bring her back, but Nanamo herself had no intention of returning at that time, and there was simply nothing Charlotte Linlin could do about it.
As time went on, Charlotte Linlin became unwilling to mention that name, unwilling even to think about it. As a result, even Katakuri and the others were forbidden from mentioning it.
Those born after the God Valley Incident did not even know that name existed. Within Totto Land, the name “Nanamo” vaguely carried the atmosphere of some rule-based horror story.
For everyone living in Totto Land, even Katakuri, these were rules that had to be obeyed.
1. Charlotte Linlin is the sole ruler of the kingdom. Anywhere within the kingdom’s borders, whenever mentioning her name, you must always maintain the highest degree of respect and must never disobey her orders.
2. Charlotte Linlin possesses many outstanding children, who together govern this wondrous nation. You are free to praise and adore every minister here.
3. There is no eldest daughter named “Nanamo.” The birth order of all daughters automatically shifts forward.
4. If you hear or see the name “Nanamo” in any circumstance, including but not limited to conversations, books, newspapers, or exchanges between Homies, do not mention it to anyone else.
5. Absolutely do not ask anyone about this matter or bring it up yourself, including other members of the Charlotte Family. Especially when you notice certain older residents or Homies suddenly falling silent with stiff expressions.
If you happen to be speaking with Charlotte Linlin at the time, or attending a tea party where Charlotte Linlin is present, may your soul be sweet enough.
6. If someone brings up “Nanamo” to you and attempts to discuss her, that person has already gravely violated the kingdom’s laws.
7. On some old photographs in aged newspapers on Whole Cake Island, you may see blurry human outlines crudely covered with paint or partially chiseled away.
That is not “Nanamo.” Those are merely artworks damaged by age and neglect.
Charlotte Linlin was actually someone very skilled at self-hypnosis. After Kaido snatched the Devil Fruit from her hands, Charlotte Linlin had selectively forgotten part of that incident, turning it into “Kaido owes me a favor.”
But if someone insisted on saying in front of her, “Kaido stole your fruit,” the outcome would be hard to predict.
Mentioning Nanamo in front of her carried even graver consequences.
“Mama, please endure it a little. This is your tea party, after all…”
At times like this, only Katakuri dared step forward to persuade Charlotte Linlin. Because of the Soul-Soul Fruit, showing fear in front of Charlotte Linlin was itself a dangerous thing.
Charlotte Linlin could use that fruit to steal the lifespans of others, and the way to resist such plundering was absolute fearlessness. As long as one could overcome that fear spiritually, their lifespan would not be taken away.
If they failed to control themselves, even if Charlotte Linlin had no deliberate intention of stealing lifespan, it could still happen.
At present, Charlotte Linlin had not yet entered old age, nor was she in a state of eating disorder. She still retained a certain level of self-control. Although she caused a few accidents, in the end, the consequences were not too severe.
Perhaps because that person from Underworld had only mentioned the princess of Fishman Island rather than directly saying Nanamo’s name, the impact was still barely manageable.
But this year’s tea party could only end abruptly.
Nanamo, still on Fishman Island, naturally had no idea what had happened in Totto Land’s waters. At the moment, she was searching the nearby ground for something.
Only after finding a glittering gold coin among the scattered rubble did a faint smile appear on her face.
Those chunks of stone had been the armor Bullet had attached to himself using the Clank-Clank Fruit not long ago. Once Bullet lost consciousness, the armor naturally fell apart as well.
Because of the nature of the fruit, when a Clank-Clank Fruit user loses consciousness, the combined objects do not revert to their original forms but instead scatter freely. Nanamo had thus managed to recover her gold coin here.
“H-How is that possible?! That Bullet… was knocked out in an instant?!”
Smack!
“Damn it, Shanks! Why did you hit me?!”
“It hurts, huh… Looks like this isn’t a dream…”
While Buggy was still doubting the reality of what he had just witnessed, Shanks had already smacked Buggy on the back. He was now staring at his own palm, seemingly researching force and reaction force.
But Buggy clearly had no interest whatsoever in this scientific inquiry. Just as the two were about to start brawling, Roger, who had just arrived, grabbed one in each hand and stopped their squabble.
“Alright, quit fooling around.”
“Captain Roger!”
Originally, Roger had simply been strolling around and casually purchasing some necessities unique to the New World.
Although their ship did not lack Log Poses, after years of sailing outside, the Log Poses onboard had already become saturated with other magnetic fields. Since Fishman Island had ready-made pointers available, there was naturally no need to waste time waiting anymore.
However, during the shopping trip, Roger had sensed the aura of battle coming from this direction and hurried over.
“Captain, Bullet just now… got knocked down by that little girl with one punch!”
“I saw it. But that wasn’t some little girl. She just looks young. She should already be in her twenties, right? And as for that punch just now… that was a Giants’ combination technique. I never expected to see one person pull it off alone.”
Roger had seen powerful Giants before and had also met members of the Giant Warrior Pirates. Among the powerful pirates of the New World, many used Giants’ combat techniques as well.
Duel General • Conquest of the Sea was essentially the Spear of Elbaf unleashed through a two-person combination attack. In theory, the number of participants could stack infinitely like piling boxes on top of each other, and it was precisely this ability that forged the overwhelming strength of the Giants.
But while Roger had seen plenty of people use combination attacks, someone capable of performing a combination technique entirely alone was something he had truly never seen before.
“The new Log Pose has already been bought. Fishman Island is pretty convenient nowadays, with upgraded pointers already loaded with stored records.
Originally, I wanted to look around a bit longer, but after causing such a huge commotion, I suppose this trip to Fishman Island should come to an end.”
“That’s it already?”
“Yeah, that’s it already?”
Shanks sounded somewhat regretful about leaving. He had not yet fully appreciated Fishman Island, the island deep beneath the sea. But he quickly realized the person answering him was not Buggy, but a completely unfamiliar voice.
Roger, who had been acting casually moments ago, also dropped his relaxed demeanor and looked to the side with a serious expression.
“Nereus, huh. Long time no see.”
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