One Piece: Investing In Whitebeard At The Start.

The Yonko crew—more formally known as the Big Mom Pirates—were led by Charlotte Linlin, also known as "Big Mom." Once a towering woman nearly nine meters tall, she was rumored to have possessed fleeting beauty in her youth, though that had long since vanished. Even as a child, she resembled a walking boulder, and later in life became obsessed with childbirth.

Forty-three husbands. Forty-six sons. Thirty-nine daughters. A family tree that shattered all records.

The only pirate crew in the world made entirely of blood relatives.

At the same time, Charlotte Linlin was known as the most powerful woman alive.

This was what Esdeath had learned from Kalifa.

"A woman can actually give birth to over eighty children? That's… insane," Esdeath muttered.

She waited with anticipation for the approaching pirate ship.

There was only one vessel on the horizon.

Kalifa continued scanning with her telescope, murmuring, "Let me see… yes… that's Charlotte Smoothie!"

"Charlotte Smoothie?" Esdeath tilted her head. "She someone important?"

"Yes," Kalifa replied. "One of the Three Sweet Commanders. She's got the [Wring-Wring Fruit], lets her drain moisture from people's bodies. Her bounty is 932 million Berries. She's terrifying. Any woman with that kind of bounty in the New World is a monster in human skin."

"932 million? Is that a lot?"

Esdeath, unfamiliar with this world's currency, was curious.

Kalifa scoffed, "Of course it is. But it's still lower than Vane-sama's. He has a bounty of 1.5 billion Berries."

"What kind of pirate gets 1.5 billion?"

"A real monster. The kind who commands fleets. But you'll understand all that soon enough. For now, let's just wait for them to get close—and then we strike."

She flashed a sly grin.

"Wait!" Kalifa suddenly slapped her forehead. Her expression turned sharp.

"What is it now?" Esdeath asked.

"I just figured out how we can play this perfectly. Vane-sama will definitely praise me! No, he'll praise both of us!"

"How?"

Kalifa leaned in, eyes glittering. "Pirates always fight each other. Once they make the first move, we'll have every excuse to retaliate. When that happens, you and I will capture Charlotte Smoothie. With her as our hostage, we can bargain for a Devil Fruit. Big Mom won't dare refuse if we're holding one of her top commanders!"

She looked incredibly pleased with herself.

On this ship, she wasn't just a cook or a cleaner. She had value—and she intended to prove it.

"You're sure?" Esdeath asked. "Isn't Big Mom known for being ruthless, even to her own children?"

"Smoothie is different. She's one of the Sweet Commanders—she's irreplaceable. Big Mom won't risk losing her."

Esdeath nodded. The plan sounded appealing. A bit of psychological warfare? She could live with that.

Kalifa grinned, glancing toward Vane's cabin. He was still napping.

This was her chance to shine—for Vane.

—

Meanwhile, aboard the Big Mom Pirates' ship, Charlotte Smoothie sat under a parasol on a deck-mounted couch, enjoying a platter of desserts.

She was out gathering sweets for her mother. It was a routine mission, but she enjoyed these excursions. All the children of Big Mom were raised on sugary delights. While none matched their mother's extreme obsession, the craving had clearly been inherited.

"Smoothie-sama! There's a ship ahead!"

One of her subordinates called out.

"A ship?" Smoothie stood up and stretched. She hadn't seen another vessel for days.

"Pirate ship? Or merchant?"

In the New World, pirate ships proudly flew their flags. Reputation was everything. Whitebeard's Jolly Roger, for example, marked any island beneath it as part of his territory.

Flags meant dominance.

"Two people on board, Smoothie-sama," her subordinate reported. "Both women. Beautiful ones. And they're watching us."

"Only two?"

Smoothie narrowed her eyes. The ship was several hundred meters away, too far to see clearly, so she took the telescope and peered through.

On the opposing ship stood Esdeath and Kalifa, watching her with matching curiosity.

"Huh. They're not afraid of us?"

Smoothie smirked. Most ships fled at the mere sight of their flag. The only exceptions were other Yonko, suicidal fools, or the Marines.

Clearly, these two fell into that second category—either reckless pirates or lunatics. They weren't retreating; they were heading straight for them.

"Interesting," Smoothie said, a dangerous smile curling her lips. "They don't recognize the Big Mom Pirates?"

She gave her order sharply. "Speed up. Sail directly at them."

Smoothie was irritated. That ship felt deliberately provocative.

—

"They're coming!" Esdeath's eyes lit up.

She readied her freezing powers, cold energy gathering in her hands. Kalifa mirrored her with crackling voltage—she could now channel up to 50 million volts.

Both women were terrifyingly strong.

Especially Esdeath, whose power rivaled that of an Admiral. Even against a Yonko, she wouldn't be outclassed.

Now, they waited—just one sign of aggression from the enemy ship, and they'd have all the justification they needed to retaliate.

Esdeath hadn't lost a single battle in her life.

She didn't plan to start now.

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Just a quick heads-up, I'll be changing the update time to 7AM–9AM (WAT).

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