Pirates Have No Future (Part 1)

While this avoided many logical loopholes, it also made both the pirates and the Navy far weaker than in the original story.

The Navy had lost roughly one-fifth of its top-tier fighting force—most believed Zephyr's Combat Power was inferior to Sengoku's and Garp's—while the pirates' strength had been weakened even more severely.

At first glance, it seemed the Navy had gained quite an advantage, but in reality, the opposite was true.

That was because the Navy did not have to deal with pirates as a whole, but with individual pirate crews, and the most outstanding among them had not been weakened in the slightest.

Take the Whitebeard Pirates, for example. Although most of Whitebeard's adopted sons were still young and had yet to reach their prime, Whitebeard himself, Edward Newgate—now widely recognized as the World's Strongest Man—was currently at the peak of his power.

If Sengoku or Garp went alone, even with a large group of Vice Admirals assisting them, they would inevitably suffer a humiliating defeat when the difficulties of fighting an expeditionary battle were taken into account.

Under such circumstances, neither Sengoku nor Garp could afford to die. Losing even one of them would leave the Navy completely unable to contain the Whitebeard Pirates.

Mousse naturally knew that Whitebeard had no ambition to dominate the seas, but the World Government did not!

Even if they did know, with their habit of judging gentlemen by the standards of petty men, they would not dare believe it!

As for the four Logia-type Navy Vice Admirals, including Dragon, even Kizaru—the oldest among them—had been defeated by the still-young Katakuri. Even if it had actually been two against one, that was enough to show that Kizaru had yet to reach his peak.

And although Akainu and Monkey D. Dragon might have possessed stronger Body Techniques and Haki, their Devil Fruit abilities were countered by the two great Homies. Prometheus could absorb the heat of magma and weaken Akainu's magma fists, while Zeus had a similar effect on Dragon. Under those circumstances, they might not perform much better than Kizaru.

As for Aokiji, he was a year younger than Katakuri, and even farther from his peak.

Clearly, even if those four joined forces, they might not be able to defeat Charlotte Linlin in her normal state.

Thus, even now, the Navy would need to deploy more than half of its top-tier combatants to stand a chance of wiping out the Charlotte Family.

And if the Charlotte Family's second generation truly could generally rise by another level during the safe period over the next year, and if Charlotte Linlin's strength could also improve as Mousse hoped, then they would truly possess the ability to perish together with the Navy's main fleet.

On top of that, the Navy's two great strategists—Marine Admiral Sengoku and Great Staff Officer Tsuru—were both extremely cautious. During the Marineford War, they had prepared a full five Marine Admiral-level powerhouses to deal with a single aged and gravely ill Whitebeard, yet they had still been trembling with fear and treading on thin ice. How could they dare launch an expedition against the greatly strengthened Charlotte Family?

Mousse had thought things through well, but Katakuri was not convinced by him. Who could guarantee that things would truly go so smoothly?

Especially since Mousse refused to immediately reveal his plan under the pretext of secrecy, Katakuri became even more opposed to fighting the World Government over the troublesome Farol Islands.

Katakuri finally understood what he had truly been worried about. He frowned slightly and said, "Mousse, you seem to bear a great deal of hostility toward the World Government. I despise those Celestial Dragons too, but the Navy is still the overlord of the seas. If we insist on confronting them head-on, we will only put the family in danger. Even Whitebeard has never taken the initiative."

"But we are already opposing the Navy. Even if they hold back for now because Roger has not been caught yet, they will still have a major battle with us sooner or later. Even if we cower now, it will be of no use at all. It might even have the opposite effect and embolden the Navy." Mousse shook his head with a grim expression and gave his analysis. "Since we are bound to fight anyway, why not do it while the Navy is at its weakest?"

Katakuri was immediately a little embarrassed. Deep down, he had not wanted to start a war, but if they did not fight, there would be no explaining things to Mother. The Navy might be terrifying, but Mother was even more terrifying!

Without waiting for Katakuri to answer, Mousse hit the nail on the head with an extremely sharp question. "Brother Katakuri, I know you want to say that most of our brothers and sisters have not grown up yet, and even the adults have not reached their peaks. But tell me, does the Navy have more talented people, or do our brothers and sisters?"

"Of course the Navy has more talented people. The whole world sends talent to them. How can a single family like ours compare?" A grave look finally appeared on Katakuri's face. He had now realized the hidden danger.

Mousse's lips then curled upward. "If that's the case, why does our family still possess its current power?"

"Because Mother is here." No matter how many grievances Katakuri held toward his mother, he could not deny that it was only because the naturally monstrous Charlotte Linlin stood guard over them that the Charlotte Family could dominate one region. Even the Navy, the overlord of the seas, and legendary Great Pirates destined to become legends, such as Roger and Whitebeard, did not dare treat them lightly.

In fact, it was precisely because Katakuri understood this so deeply that, even though Mother's Food Addiction had caused irreparable losses, he only felt heartache and had never once developed a rebellious heart.

But Mousse let out a faint sigh and then spoke words that made his brother's heart pound in alarm. "Yes, with Mother's protection, we are naturally safe. But even the Soul-Soul Fruit cannot slow aging. Mother will eventually grow old and die. What will we do then?"

"Don't think you can speak nonsense just because Mother dotes on you. It won't end well if those words reach her ears." Katakuri's body immediately trembled. He hurriedly shot his younger brother a fierce glare, telling him to stop.

"Brother Katakuri, are you confident that you can grow to Mother's level and protect us as she does?" Mousse appeared completely unconcerned. Smiling lightly, he continued with his question.

As long as Mother did not hear it directly, who would dare report him?

And even if someone did, would Mother believe them?

Mousse had always been Charlotte Linlin's favorite good little boy.

"I... can't do that." Katakuri's determination to protect his younger brothers and sisters far surpassed his mother's, but he also knew that although he had been called a monster since childhood, he was nowhere near comparable to his mother, whose bounty had reached 500 million Berries when she was only eight years old.

Moreover, because he could not afford to be harmed, he rarely had opportunities to fight powerful enemies, making it difficult for him to break through his own limits.

And he had eaten a thoroughly mediocre Devil Fruit that did not suit him well either. The Mochi-Mochi Fruit was actually more suited to a mage-type fighter, while Katakuri was built as a warrior-type fighter.

Under normal circumstances, no matter how hard Katakuri worked in this life, he would likely find it difficult to reach that level.

"That's right. Even you, Brother Katakuri—the most talented and hardworking among all our brothers and sisters—cannot reach Mother's level. Naturally, no one else has any hope either." Mousse spread his hands and stated a conclusion that was deeply discouraging.

Mousse's next words made even Katakuri feel a chill rise in his heart. "But once a Great Pirate family like ours declines in strength, neither the Navy nor our fellow pirates will ever let such a fat piece of meat go. And to eliminate future trouble, they will definitely wipe us out root and branch!"

Following a new book during its launch period is very important. I hope everyone won't stockpile chapters—please read as they come out. Thank you in advance.