Katakuri and His Two Sisters

On the boundless sea, a pirate ship flying the Golden Crow Pirate Flag sailed onward. Nangong Yan reclined in a chair and asked lazily, "Pike, now that we've formed a pirate crew, we need more than enough crew members—we need territory as well. I ordered you to gather information in the New World for so long. Which place do you think is currently most suitable for us to seize as our first territory?"

"Captain, the territories in the New World have basically been divided among Whitebeard, Golden Lion, Roger, the Beasts Pirates, and Big Mom. Very little remains, and most of it consists of places lacking in population and resources."

"Even in those resource-poor, sparsely populated places, there are countless pirate forces and underworld factions fighting to take them."

"I believe that even if our first territory cannot be a land of immense wealth, its resources and wealth must at least be respectable. If Captain is confident, we can compete with those great pirates for prosperous lands. If not, we can only seize some poor islands and slowly seek development." After pondering for a moment and carefully choosing his words, Pike spoke slowly.

"Hahaha... I've been in seclusion for over a year, and my hands are itching for a fight! I was just looking for some powerful opponents! What's the point of fighting over some godforsaken place? Though my envisioned core members are not all in place yet, with my current strength, I can easily defend a prosperous large island. Speak your mind!" Nangong Yan laughed confidently, unconcerned about hiding his thoughts from anyone.

"Since Captain feels that way, I do have three options for you to choose from." Pike was delighted upon hearing Nangong Yan's words. After all, everyone wanted to follow a powerful and forceful leader.

"Oh? There are three options? Let's hear them."

"Captain, this is what I think. Among the five major powers of the New World, Roger is at the height of his power and is currently sailing toward Laugh Tale, so it would be best not to provoke him. Whitebeard holds firmly to his territory. Although he has little ambition for expansion, he has turned his territory into an impregnable fortress, so it would also be best not to provoke him."

"Golden Lion has suffered consecutive defeats at Roger's hands, greatly weakening his strength. His pirate forces are already stretched thin, so he can be considered one option. As for Kaido of the Beasts Pirates and Big Mom, although they have established themselves in the New World, they are not yet overwhelmingly strong, so they can also be considered."

"Not bad. Continue," Nangong Yan said with a nod.

"We do not yet have the ability to touch the core regions of these three great pirates' territories. Therefore, based on the intelligence, I selected the three best islands on the outskirts of their territories for you to choose from."

"The first is White Forest Island, located within Golden Lion's territory. The island contains a silver mine with abundant reserves. If we can take it, the benefits will be considerable."

"The second is Iron Sand Island, located within Kaido's territory. As its name suggests, the island contains an iron mine with abundant reserves. Taking it would also bring considerable benefits."

"The third is Fragrant Rice Island, located within Big Mom's territory. The scenery is beautiful, the land fertile, and the climate pleasant. The island produces top-grade rice renowned throughout the New World and even the entire world. Demand exceeds supply, and its price is high. Taking it would bring income no less than that of a silver or iron mine."

"I understand. The Beli I gave you wasn't wasted—you put thought into this. Go bring me the sea charts around those three islands. I need to consider this carefully."

"Yes, Captain."

Very soon, the sea charts around the three islands were brought over. Comparing them against the maps, Nangong Yan began analyzing the advantages and disadvantages, considering which island would maximize his benefits.

As he studied the map, an island name suddenly caught Nangong Yan's eye: Dressrosa! Judging by the scale on the map, Fragrant Rice Island was not far from Dressrosa. It would not take much effort to bring it under his control.

Doflamingo the Heavenly Yaksha was still developing in the North Blue, but he would definitely return to Dressrosa in the future. He was on Nangong Yan's list of envisioned core crew members. With threats and temptations alike, he refused to believe Doflamingo would not obediently follow his plans.

As for the fate of the Riku royal family, Nangong Yan had already decided it for them. If they knew what was good for them, they could still live prosperous lives without worrying about food or clothing. If not, there was only death!

There was no denying that King Riku was a benevolent ruler, but in this world of pirates, where those with strength could do whatever they wanted, benevolence was useless. A truly qualified king should possess great strength, build a powerful army, and lead his people to lives of prosperity and peace.

Although Doflamingo's methods seemed overly simple and brutal to Nangong Yan, there was no denying that Dressrosa had become prosperous under his rule. It was worlds apart from the poverty it had suffered during King Riku's reign. If Nangong Yan were an ordinary person, he would not hesitate to choose a country that could bring him peace and prosperity.

Of course, using the Hobby-Hobby Fruit to enslave humans, especially his own citizens, and making relatives unable to recognize one another even when they met was somewhat excessive. But overall, Doflamingo's contributions to Dressrosa were still considerable.

Doflamingo had never been a good person. He was a supervillain who dreamed of overturning the world and engaged in all kinds of illegal business, but he had put considerable effort into developing Dressrosa, his own territory.

That was enough digression. Back to the point.

Upon seeing Dressrosa, Nangong Yan had basically made his decision. He would first take Big Mom's Fragrant Rice Island.

As for conflict? Nangong Yan was not afraid in the slightest. Although Big Mom was formidable at present, she had not yet reached the level of one of the Four Emperors of later generations. She was merely at the level of a top master, still some distance from the strongest.

Nangong Yan placed the sea chart on a chair beside him, took a sip of watermelon juice, and was about to nap under the warm sunlight when the lookout suddenly shouted, "Captain, a pirate ship from the Big Mom Pirates has been spotted ahead!"

Nangong Yan was slightly stunned. Was he really that fated with this pirate crew? He had only just decided to go make trouble for them, and now he had run into them?

Nangong Yan rose from his deck chair, while the rest of the combatants aboard also emerged from the cabins, preparing for battle.

On Big Mom's pirate ship, a tall young man with short crimson hair, a cold face, a white scarf around his neck, and black jeans stood at the bow, looking at Nangong Yan's pirate ship with slight confusion.

Two women stood beside him. One had pink hair, lipstick, fair skin, and a dark red gown, with purple skin.

The other was a Snake-Neck Tribe woman, a cigarette hanging from her mouth. She wore a large yellow hat, light blue clothes, and had blue hair. At her waist hung the famed sword White Fish.

"Galette, Amande, have either of you seen that pirate flag before?" Katakuri asked, pointing at the Golden Crow flag in the distance.

"No, Brother Katakuri. They're probably a pirate crew that has just entered the New World," Charlotte Galette said with her arms crossed over her chest, her tone faintly disdainful.

"Should we give them an invitation to Mother's tea party? Mother has only just established herself in the New World and wants to recruit people and expand the pirate crew's power." Amande took a drag of her cigarette, her face cold and her tone completely flat.

Though she said that, she did not care in the slightest whether they could recruit this force. Apparently, she shared much the same opinion as Galette.

"Whether they can attend the tea party depends on whether they are qualified. Mother may be expanding her forces, but she does not accept just any stray cat or dog. Amande, test this pirate crew's strength!"

"If they are strong enough, give them an invitation to the tea party. If they are weak, let them be buried in the sea!" Katakuri ordered coldly.

"Fine." Amande was ruthless and a woman of few words. She slowly drew her famed sword, White Fish, and a cruel, delighted gleam appeared in her eyes.