---
"Hehehe~~~"
A sinister, raspy, and cruel laugh echoed.
Inside Linlin's body, a strand of pitch-black soul emerged.
It shimmered with an eerie hue, speaking viciously: "With this gradual control, in the future, I shall become the Empress of this world!"
But! The next moment...
The dark soul was suddenly pierced by a beam of light.
As the holy light swept through, Linlin's soul was completely purified.
"Hmm?"
Linlin, who had been giggling foolishly, paused in confusion.
She glanced around, looked at herself, and felt like something was different.
She couldn't quite put her finger on it.
But, as usual for Linlin, if she couldn't figure it out, she simply stopped thinking about it.
"Joey!"
"Joey!"
Hearing Linlin's call, Joey replied helplessly, "Mom, what is it?"
"Hmm~~~"
Linlin cutely pursed her lips and asked,
"Joey, do you think I should just take all the races for myself, making them obey me?"
"..."
Hearing this, Joey couldn't help but feel his mom was unreliable.
He silently shook his head and sighed: "Mom, forcing things never works. If you snatch people by force, they won't willingly become your subjects."
"Boohoo~~~"
Linlin whimpered, resting her chin on her hands, pouting in dissatisfaction.
What could Joey do? Seeing how unreliable his mother was, he honestly didn't know what to say.
If it hadn't been for the influence of the nun and Streusen, Linlin's personality might actually have been pretty decent.
Taking Kaido as her "little brother" and giving him the Azure Dragon Fruit—such a rare Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit—showed her generous nature.
Joey couldn't help but think of certain novels where Mythical Zoan fruits appear everywhere.
To him, those stories were utterly ridiculous!
How rare are Mythical Zoans, really?
First of all, Logia fruits are hard to come by. Ancient Zoans are already rare treasures,
and as for Mythical Zoans? They're like the jewels of the sea.
Even possessing a single Logia is like a dream come true.
And to just give one away?
This speaks volumes about Linlin's personality.
Of course, Joey wasn't about to let that happen. If a Devil Fruit like that were given to the right person, it could develop into a combat force of unparalleled power.
Take Katakuri, for instance. That family man who's both the dad and the mom of the household is already burdened enough.
Even though the Mochi-Mochi Fruit is also an incredibly versatile and high-potential Devil Fruit in its own right. But if Katakuri got a more powerful Devil Fruit then no one could imagine how great he will come.
Joey's primary focus now was to dissuade his unreliable mother from acting recklessly.
"Ah! Right!"
"Right!"
Linlin suddenly interrupted Joey's train of thought, exclaiming excitedly, "Joey, do you think it's a good idea for me to have kids from every race? That way, I'll have enough children, and they'll represent all the races. Then I can truly create Totto Land!"
"Mom, your idea sounds fine on the surface, but the problem is, if you do that, won't the children vary in strength and talent? Some might even turn out to be completely useless."
"So..."
"Mom, think about how I was born. Don't pick random men. Instead, extract the purest essence from each race's soul, like how I was created."
"That way, your children can inherit your potential. At least most of it."
Joey hurriedly tried to steer his mom away from her nonsensical ideas.
And truthfully, putting everything else aside, the most important thing was to avoid getting a bunch of stepfathers for himself.
He had absolutely no interest in that.
Moreover, since he was born through artificial means, why couldn't others follow the same method?
"Oh~~~"
Linlin wasn't stupid—just a little naïve. She nodded thoughtfully: "Joey, it was indeed the right choice to make you the head of the family! Yes, yes! With the abilities of various races and my own potential, we'll undoubtedly create the strongest Charlotte Family and the perfect Totto Land!"
"Mom, as long as you're happy."
Joey nodded helplessly, gradually feeling sleepy.
"Mom, I'm tired."
Soon after, Joey drifted off to sleep.
After all, he was just born. Even with his adult-level physique and strong spiritual power, rest was still necessary.
"Joey!"
Linlin gently held Joey, her expression filled with warmth.
She wasn't truly foolish, just a bit overly trusting. After all, a child abandoned from birth learns to rely on others.
Even though relying on her own son felt a bit odd,
neither Linlin nor Joey minded.
Who would dare say anything, anyway?
"Hehehe~~~"
Giggling once again, Linlin, accompanied by Zeus, left.
After a nice, long sleep, Joey groggily opened his eyes.
"Young Master!"
"You're awake!"
Two adorable little maids quickly approached.
Joey glanced around in confusion. "Where's my mom?"
"Young Master!"
"Madam has gone out to be a pirate."
The maid on the left was the first to speak.
The maid on the right added, "Madam left instructions that we should follow your orders in everything."
"And..."
"She said she'd take care of Streusen herself."
"..."
Joey was completely speechless.
Sure enough, not even a little carelessness was allowed.
He had only been born a day ago!
In just one day, his mom had already gone off to become a pirate?
Even if he was the family head, this was just too much.
The thought of being the family head made Joey's lips twitch.
So, everything was left to him?
While she went off to have fun?
For the first time, Joey truly realized how unreliable his mom could be.
If not for the family bond system, which ensured that every family member had 100% loyalty and devotion to the head of the family, Joey would have quit on the spot.
Let someone else deal with this mess!
The Charlotte Family was a massive pitfall.
Now Joey finally understood the pain Katakuri felt, being both a dad and a mom to everyone.
.
.
.