Upon hearing Katakuri's words, Charlotte Smoothie, who was only in her teens but looked quite mature, was somewhat puzzled.
As representatives of the Big Mom Pirates sent to handle affairs on Fishman Island, shouldn't they be leveraging the power of those pirates to completely tear apart the island's defenses, declare Fishman Island under the control of the Big Mom Pirates, and hoist the flag of the Big Mom Pirates?
Fishman Island can be said to be quite close to the influence of the Navy. Relatively speaking, it is also quite far from the influence of major pirate powers in the New World.
But due to its unique geographical location, over the past decade, a steady stream of pirates heading from Fishman Island to the New World has brought quite a bit of trouble to Fishman Island. However, it has also brought about vigorous economic development.
After all, many pirate crews arriving at Fishman Island are mostly alone, and the strength of a single pirate crew is not enough to threaten Fishman Island. Instead, they fear offending Fishman Island because if Fishman Island sets its sights on them, they could end up at the bottom of the sea. So the pirate crews that come to Fishman Island are quite well-behaved.
Over time, Fishman Island has gradually grown into a ripe fruit emitting an enticing aroma.
Now, with Roger becoming the Pirate King, the influx of a large number of pirates has disrupted this balance. While a single pirate crew may not be able to harm Fishman Island, what about ten or a hundred pirate crews uniting?
So, with more and more pirates on Fishman Island, this ripe fruit, which lacks significant defensive capabilities and emits an enticing aroma, has been placed before everyone.
When Fishman Island realized what was happening, it was already too late. Even if they tried to close the entrance to Fishman Island, it wouldn't work. Soon after closing it, pirates would forcibly break through.
It can be said that Fishman Island has now become a feast for pirates.
Even Charlotte Linlin, who was far away in the New World, had her eyes on Fishman Island, the furthest but most delicious cake.
For this reason, she dispatched her top executives and the most outstanding creation of the Charlotte Family, Charlotte Katakuri, along with hundreds of formidable subordinates, to take over this cake.
This shows how seriously Charlotte Linlin regards this operation.
"Katakuri, what should we do with those pirates once Fishman Island is under our control? Should we kill them all?"
Looking at Katakuri, the most reliable among all her brothers, Charlotte Smoothie asked.
In several of Charlotte's expeditions, Katakuri had proved his strength and reliability with his actions.
"No need. Let's wait and see the reaction from Ryugu Castle first. If they don't send anyone to contact us, then we'll send these pirates to put pressure on Ryugu Castle. Afterwards, we'll gather these pirates under our banner. Although they are useless, they still have some value."
Katakuri said, shifting his gaze from Ryugu Castle to the direction of Gyoncorde Plaza not far away.
They were here to claim territory, not to destroy Fishman Island.
So if those guys from Fishman Island were sensible, he didn't mind helping Fishman Island solve its problems. If they weren't sensible, he didn't mind killing the Fishman Island royal family and finding someone else to rule over Fishman Island.
After a moment without a messenger from Ryugu Castle, Katakuri also leaped down from the rooftop and headed towards Gyoncorde Plaza.
Behind him were a group of sailors who didn't look particularly handsome and could even be described as ugly, but they exuded considerable strength.
These people were quite noticeable as they walked, clearly not to be trifled with.
...
On a street not far from Ryugu Castle, there was a group of dozens of pirates.
They had been roaming near Ryugu Castle, hoping to find a stranded mermaid maiden and help her live a good life with a "wealthy master" on the surface.
But luck was not on their side, as they hadn't come across any lost mermaid maidens. Now they were planning to head towards Gyoncorde Plaza, hoping to seize the opportunity to curry favor with the Charlotte Family.
As they passed a junction, they noticed a burly figure and someone carrying a gun emerging from Ryugu Castle in the distance.
The leader, a burly pirate with a black eyepatch, a red headband, and a cutlass in hand, widened his eyes as soon as he saw Vista.
"Damn it, is it not just the Big Mom Pirates, but those guys too? They've set their sights on this place too?"
The old brother almost immediately took a classic sidestep without even saying hello, quickly slipping into an alleyway, his face changing constantly.
The other pirates, seeing the old brother's actions before they could react, quickly recognized the figure emerging from Ryugu Castle and had a drastic change in expression, quickly slipping into the alleyway as well.
"That guy just now, he's one of the top executives of the Freedom Pirates... Vista the Solar Blaze! And the one next to him seems to be Simon the Reaper!"
"I remember that guy's bounty, it seems to be over a billion berries!!!"
"Vista's is 1 billion 230 million, and Simon's is 250 million! Damn it, they're both opponents we can't afford to provoke."
"Since even the top executives have been dispatched, those guys must have already considered Fishman Island as theirs."
"What should we do? Should we still go to the plaza?"
"If you're tired of living, go ahead. Anyway, I'm not planning to get involved in this. Damn it, just look at the lineup on both sides. If we go, we don't even know how we'll die."
"Are we just going to give up like this? I'm not satisfied."
"Being dissatisfied won't do anything. That level of confrontation, if we get involved, it's a dead end. Money is a good thing, but it's not worth dying for. Otherwise, it's just a bunch of toilet paper that's too hard to wipe your butt with.
Anyway, I'm not planning to get involved. What about you guys?"
It can be said that they are a small group, and such decisions about whether to go or stay must be put to a vote.
The result came quickly, with one abstention and the rest choosing to leave. Although they were outlaws, they weren't idiots without brains.
The pirate who was dissatisfied slammed the wall with his fist, apparently unable to refute his companions' decision.
"Excuse me, could you please tell me which way Gyoncorde Plaza is?"
Just as the group was about to leave, a voice suddenly came from the alley entrance. Upon hearing this voice, everyone in the alley stood still, and some even dared not to move their feet.
"Uh, it's... that way..."
Finally, someone gave the direction.
"Oh, thank you."
After the voice faded away, the people in the alley dared to move again, but all wore expressions of lingering fear.
Apparently, the simple conversation just now was like a brush with death for them.
...
Gyoncorde Plaza.
This was the largest square on the entire Fishman Island and was also one of the most prosperous areas of Fishman Island in the past.
The entire Gyoncorde Plaza was wide and flat, surrounded by layers of stacked rocks with coral reefs on top, decorating the plaza like a dreamland.
In the center of Gyoncorde Plaza stood a coral reef towering several meters high.
Standing on this coral reef at the moment was the famous Blood Princess of the Blood Pirates, Hillary, with a bounty of 132 million berries.
"Captain, once we capture Ryugu Castle, you'll surely be able to capture enough mermaid maidens for your blood baths. By then, you'll become the most beautiful person on the seas!"
"Hahaha, of course."
Hillary laughed heartily like a humanoid gorilla.