Katakuri and Fierce General Brother.

A gentle sea breeze swept across the slightly slick deck; for this part of the New World, it was a fine day.

A pirate warship flying the flag of the Big Mom Pirates was sailing through these waters, and their destination was not far off—Tyrean Island, already visible on the horizon ahead.

Katakuri stood at the bow, gazing at the silhouette of Tyrean Island with a look of reminiscence, his expression occasionally flickering with hesitation and confusion.

This surprised Cracker, who stood beside him. As the eldest of the Sweet Commanders and the second son of Charlotte Linlin, Katakuri had always been viewed by his younger siblings as the perfect older brother. His face usually radiated confidence and composure, so much so that Cracker could hardly remember the last time he had seen such an expression on his brother's face.

"Brother Katakuri?" Cracker finally succumbed to his curiosity and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Seeming to hear the call, Katakuri pulled his thoughts back from the past. He raised his hand quite casually to ruffle Cracker's hair, then said, "I was thinking of some things from a very, very long time ago."

Charlotte Cracker was seventeen this year. In this world, that meant he had only just reached adulthood a few days ago. However, as a descendant of the Great Pirate Charlotte Linlin, Cracker was no ordinary teenager; he was a pirate who had already made a name for himself in the New World.

Of course, because he always liked to wrap himself in biscuit armor, few outside the family knew his true appearance. They only knew the rumors: this guy was vicious!

And yet, this teenager, rumored to be so vicious, now wore an expression of bashful enjoyment as Katakuri ruffled his hair.

This was Charlotte Katakuri. In the pirate family known as Charlotte, there was no such role as "father." Perhaps because of this, the overly perfect Katakuri had vaguely become a figure who carried a hint of a "fatherly" role in the hearts of his younger siblings.

An elder brother acts as a father—perhaps that was the feeling. Although Katakuri was not the eldest son of the Charlotte Family, and he was only twenty years old himself.

After briefly enjoying the affection from his brother, Cracker continued to ask, "Are you thinking about that Bane Ortolan?"

Katakuri's hand paused in Cracker's hair before he naturally withdrew it, giving the boy's head a light tap. "In terms of bloodline, you should also call him brother, Cracker."

"But that guy doesn't carry the name Charlotte; his name is Bane..." Cracker retorted.

As the second-in-command for this trip, Cracker certainly knew who they had come to Tyrean Island to see.

Bane Ortolan, an eighteen-year-old youth, was theoretically the fifth son of the Charlotte Family—the fifth son of the Great Pirate Charlotte Linlin, following the eldest son Perospero and the triplet brothers including Katakuri.

However, it seemed that due to some special reasons, this fifth son had not grown up with the Charlotte Family. He didn't even carry the surname "Charlotte," but rather "Bane."

"No matter what his name is, Cracker!" Katakuri looked intently into Cracker's eyes and said with a serious tone, "He carries Mother's blood in his veins. No one can deny that."

At this, Katakuri's tone softened, and he added with a hint of regret, "And that is not his fault; it is our fault."

Seeing the lingering doubt and confusion in Cracker's eyes, Katakuri did not explain further. Instead, he smiled again and said, "Ultimately, I believe that one day, he will be willing to become a 'Charlotte'."

Looking at his gentle brother, Cracker shrugged awkwardly and said, "Anyway, I won't easily accept just anyone as my brother."

Katakuri smiled and did not continue to argue the point with Cracker.

Soon, carried by the sea breeze, the pirate ship flying the Big Mom Pirates' flag slowly sailed into the port of Tyrean Island.

As the ship docked, the pier on Tyrean Island became noisy.

"It's the Donut!"

"It's Lord Katakuri's flagship!"

The Donut, the flagship of Katakuri's pirate fleet, looked like a giant donut floating on the sea. Come to think of it, the various ships of the Big Mom Pirates seemed to have a slightly eerie, cute aesthetic, as if they had sailed straight out of a fairy tale.

Soon, the gangplank was lowered, and Katakuri's tall figure appeared in the sight of those at the port.

The previously noisy port seemed to fall silent in an instant. At this moment, Katakuri radiated an aura of coldness and ferocity, completely different from the gentleness he had shown while talking to Cracker.

His high collar covered half his face, and his eyes were filled with majesty.

Katakuri walked slowly down the gangplank, followed by Cracker—who was already encased in his biscuit armor—and a crowd of Big Mom Pirates' underlings.

Tyrean Island had raised the flag of the Big Mom Pirates about half a year ago, officially being incorporated into the territory of Whole Cake Island and becoming one of the islands under the Big Mom Pirates' command.

Therefore, long before Katakuri arrived, some of the island's officials had been waiting at the port for quite some time.

That's right, officials. Unlike the vast majority of pirate forces, the system of the Big Mom Pirates was developing toward the "nationalization of piracy," and thus, a "bureaucratic class" had emerged within their ranks.

Basically, islands that raised the Big Mom Pirates' flag were usually quickly renamed to things like "Jam Island," "Butter Island," or "Candy Island," and then incorporated into the territory of Whole Cake Island, becoming part of this massive pirate nation.

However, Tyrean Island was clearly an exception. It had flown the Big Mom Pirates' flag for a long time and had been incorporated into the territory of Whole Cake Island, yet its name had not been changed.

At the same time, no "Minister" had been assigned to this island.

Katakuri did not say much to the officials who had come to greet him; he gave a few cold instructions and then waved them away.

Afterward, he observed the changes in the port town, then, as if he had found his way, he led Cracker and the others in a certain direction, soon disappearing from the pier.

On the outskirts of the port town, there was a small farmhouse. At this moment, Katakuri, relying on his height of over five meters, was peering over the courtyard wall.

The sound of metal clanging came from the yard. A man who looked very strong, shirtless and holding a small blacksmith's hammer, was forging something. Without looking back, he called out, "The door isn't locked."

"Ortolan, you look even stronger now..." Katakuri responded with a smile.

Perhaps he had just finished his work, or perhaps it was because a guest had arrived, but the man Katakuri called "Ortolan" stopped what he was doing. He placed the hammer on a nearby table, picked up a towel hanging on the wall to wipe the sweat from his brow, and turned around.

The man had medium-short, dark brown hair that didn't seem to have been styled much; the ends hung messily over his shoulders, which only served to highlight a wild aesthetic.

Judging by his appearance, he looked even more mature than Katakuri—not at all like an eighteen-year-old youth, but rather a man of twenty-five or twenty-six. His features were sharp and well-defined; at first glance, one would think he looked incredibly heroic!

Although he was not as ridiculously tall as Katakuri, he stood at just over three meters. Combined with his muscular, wheat-colored physique, his shirtless torso, black cargo pants, and heavy, high-top brown leather boots, anyone who saw him would agree that he deserved to be called a "Fierce General Brother"!