Take Me with You

After hearing his second brother's concerns, Mousse was about to answer when an idea suddenly struck him, and he changed his words on the spot. "We really should see how things go first. Brother Katakuri, take me with you too! Then I'll know what to do~"

"You're only six. Going out to sea now is too dangerous." Katakuri immediately frowned and refused to agree.

"With Brother Katakuri there, what is there to be afraid of? I promise I'll be good~ Take me with you! Take me with you~" Mousse immediately grabbed his brother's pant leg and acted cute, his bright eyes blinking nonstop.

"There are too few books in Totto Land. (That was actually a bit of an exaggeration. Although Totto Land had only recently been founded and was short on funds, Charlotte Linlin's emphasis on technology, along with the interest shown by her eldest son and some of her other children, meant its collection was still quite considerable. At the very least, it had more books than most tiny countries consisting of only a single city.) Only by going to other countries and reading more books can I expand my knowledge and develop my Devil Fruit ability faster!"

Although Katakuri favored his sisters somewhat more, he was also very good to his brothers. Confident that he was strong enough to protect Mousse, he ultimately agreed to Mousse's plea.

However, given Katakuri's usual caution, since he was bringing along such a frail little burden, the crew for this voyage naturally had to be stronger.

In addition to Katakuri himself and his capable fourth brother, Charlotte Oven, who had been selected from the start, Cracker, the tenth son and most talented among the adult brothers and sisters in combat, as well as the third daughter Amande, also boarded the ship.

Then there was Charlotte Castard, the family's current face of beauty and an all-rounder; Charlotte Brulee, Katakuri's most beloved eighth sister and wielder of the Mirror-Mirror Fruit; and Baron Tamago, the Long-Leg Tribe pirate rookie who had only recently joined the BIG Pirates.

Even in the New World, where powerful fighters were everywhere, this lineup was more impressive than that of many famous pirate crews.

Considering that the Roger Pirates had already disbanded, there were only a handful of powerful enemies in the world capable of threatening this group, and they were unlikely to be encountered along this route.

Yet the New World's bizarre weather could also pose a lethal threat. In some respects, it was even more dangerous than a Marine Admiral.

Fortunately, whether because Charlotte Linlin particularly favored Katakuri and Mousse or because she attached exceptional importance to this mission, she actually loaned them Zeus, the thundercloud among the three great Homies.

With Zeus around, the most dangerous storms could be eliminated at their source. Zeus could eat the clouds—or, more accurately, devour the thundercloud energy within them—so the storm naturally could not form. It could even recharge itself in the process, killing two birds with one stone.

And if they encountered windless weather, Zeus could also create wind to propel the sailboat, so they would not have to worry about being stranded at sea.

In fact, with Zeus's current energy reserves, its wind alone was enough to carry everyone all the way to their destination. There was simply no need to waste energy like that.

Moreover, Zeus not only eliminated the threat of harsh weather but also greatly enhanced the group's Combat Power, making an already formidable lineup even more terrifying.

As long as it had sufficient energy—it did not need to be fully charged—this little fellow could create a terrifying storm at any time and send an entire massive fleet straight to the bottom of the sea.

Perhaps for that very reason, Katakuri did not bring the BIG Pirates' signature weapon on this voyage: the living Homie Cannonballs.

They were extremely useful in naval battles. As long as Charlotte Linlin was not having one of her episodes, their hit rate was practically one hundred percent. But if they could win without fighting, weapons were no longer important. Why bring them along and let them chatter endlessly, disturbing the peace of the journey?

They did not bring a single cannonball Homie, but they brought quite a few other Homies. Aside from the thousands of Chess Soldier Homies serving as sailors and soldiers, even the warship itself was a Homie.

The BIG Pirates' flagship, the Queen Mama Chanter, could emit powerful soul waves that prevented nearly all Sea Kings from attacking. Compared to lowly creatures like Sea Kings, Charlotte Linlin's soul was on an entirely different level—enough to inspire terror and keep them from daring to approach.

Besides its strategic value, Zeus's lightning was not to be underestimated. When fully charged, its full-power strike was even stronger than Katakuri was at present!

And unlike Prometheus, who feared water and cold, Zeus did not have any natural enemy it particularly feared, though it was somewhat afraid of fire.

If this little fellow were not so childish and prone to acting foolish, a team with it might not be without a chance of escaping unscathed even if they encountered a Marine Admiral!

As long as it did not act foolish, Zeus was incredibly useful. When they encountered a storm on the voyage, it eagerly flew up to feast without even waiting for Katakuri's order, and a crisis that might have wiped out the entire group vanished without a trace.

However, that feast was the only one Zeus had during the journey. Charlotte Linlin's homeland, the Faros Kingdom, was only a few hundred kilometers from Whole Cake Island. Even at the Homie warship's less-than-impressive speed, the trip took just over two days.

No matter how terrible the New World's climate was, even its relatively safe waters could not possibly have storms every single day. If they did, maritime shipping would not exist here at all.

Katakuri's strength did not stem solely from his extraordinary talent. His diligence surpassed that of all his brothers and sisters, and even during those two-plus days aboard the ship, he never stopped training hard.

Katakuri even found time to conduct practical combat training in his sister Brulee's Mirror World, avoiding damage to the ship, while Mousse happened to watch firsthand.

Since they could encounter enemies at any time, they had to avoid getting injured even in practical training. At times like this, the Biscuit Soldiers Cracker created with his Devil Fruit ability displayed tremendous advantages.

They were fairly strong, unafraid of death, and incredibly cheap to produce. They were simply ideal sparring partners.

But that was only true for everyone else. Once Katakuri got serious, Cracker's current strength was still far too inferior to his second brother's. His Biscuit Soldiers could not withstand even a casual punch from Katakuri.

They would be smashed to pieces together with their shields. In fact, Cracker could not even make them as quickly as Katakuri destroyed them. It was a completely one-sided beating.

"Brother Katakuri really is amazing. His Armament Haki is actually this powerful. My biscuits can't withstand it at all." During a break, Cracker casually muttered in frustration, but his words suddenly gave Mousse an idea from afar.

Mousse immediately blinked his big eyes and asked Cracker, "Wait, Brother Cracker, what are your biscuits like before they harden?"