One day later.
Not a cloud in the sky, the sun shining brightly.
Jin An was lazily lying on a comfortable lounge chair, enjoying a rare moment of leisure.
A gentle breeze caressed him, the sound of the waves whispered in his ears, and the sunlight was warm without being harsh, making his eyelids feel heavy.
However, just as he was about to completely relax, the Den Den Mushi suddenly emitted a series of loud noises, completely shattering the tranquility.
"Jin An, you brat! You start slacking off as soon as you become a Marine Admiral?!"
The familiar, irritable voice almost shattered the Den Den Mushi.
"You're dumping everything on this old man, aren't you? Where are you? Get back here now!!!"
Jin An frowned slightly, feeling a headache from the sudden roar.
He had to rub his ears and reluctantly move the Den Den Mushi further away to avoid more "saliva attacks."
The Den Den Mushi's face mimicked the speaker's expression, its angry look making it seem somewhat comical, but Jin An couldn't laugh.
He raised his hand to wipe the saliva from his face, feeling helpless inside.
This moment of peace had been completely shattered.
Jin An knew who this irritable voice belonged to—Sengoku.
He took a deep breath, calmed his mood, and put on a helpless smile.
"Roger that..."
Jin An replied wearily, his voice tinged with resignation.
He knew that he hadn't reported his "private" trip to the West Blue to Sengoku or anyone else.
Although this trip was important to him, he also understood his responsibility as a Marine Admiral.
Therefore, after receiving Sengoku's roar, he could only obediently agree and prepare to return as soon as possible.
After Jin An replied, Sengoku still didn't stop his nagging.
It wasn't until Jin An's ears were about to develop calluses that Sengoku reluctantly hung up the Den Den Mushi.
Jin An slowly got up, stretched, and looked out at the distant sea.
The blue ocean was still so calm at this moment, but he knew that his leisurely time was over.
He knew Sengoku's temper all too well; if he delayed any longer, he would probably face an even greater scolding.
"As expected, it's not easy to steal a moment of leisure," Jin An sighed inwardly.
No matter what position you hold, responsibility always comes with power.
Although he was reluctant to admit it, he understood in his heart that as a Marine Admiral, he no longer had the freedom to do as he pleased as he had in the past.
Adjusting his mindset, Jin An put away the Den Den Mushi and prepared to embark on his return journey.
"Alas, I don't have a mindset like Borsalino's..."
......
On an unknown sea, the sunlight shone on the deck, but it couldn't dispel the oppressive atmosphere that permeated the air.
Inside the cabin, Charlotte Linlin gripped a porcelain cup tightly in one hand, staring intently at the newspaper in her other hand, her eyes flashing with dangerous light.
The face on the newspaper—Blackbeard Teach—was the source of her anger at this moment.
"Blackbeard?"
She muttered the name in a low voice, laced with undisguised anger and killing intent.
The cup in her hand shattered in an instant, the fragments falling silently to the ground, as if foreshadowing the fury she was about to unleash.
"To dare plunder my Totto Land, you're courting death!"
However, Charlotte Linlin's gaze gradually cooled down.
She was once the Big Mom who was easily enraged and reckless, but now, she was no longer the emperor who went mad at the slightest provocation.
Her eyes narrowed slightly, revealing deep composure and forbearance.
She had learned to suppress her emotions, to hide her claws at crucial moments.
She would silently accumulate strength, waiting for a suitable opportunity to make those who dared to offend her pay the price.
"I'll let them know the consequences of offending me," she sneered inwardly.
Looking back, Charlotte Linlin had to admit that she had wasted much precious time.
As one of the most naturally gifted people in the world, she should have been standing at the pinnacle of this world long ago.
However, she had focused on constantly expanding her family, giving birth to countless children, and neglecting to hone her own strength.
But now, everything was different.
She was no longer the Big Mom who relied solely on bloodline power, but a strong person with a clear understanding of her own power.
"Haki?" she murmured, her gaze becoming even more profound.
She slowly closed her eyes, feeling the power surging within her body.
In the next second, her Haki instantly erupted, the surrounding air seemed to tremble because of her aura, and the objects in the cabin began to shake gently.
At this moment, her strength had greatly improved compared to before, and she knew that this was just the beginning.
Her power was still growing, and she would become stronger, so strong that no one could shake her position.
"It's better to rely on yourself than on others!" Charlotte Linlin vowed silently in her heart.
In the past, she might have relied on her huge family and the strength of her subordinates, but now she knew that only the power she controlled was the most reliable.
A cold smile crept onto her lips.
Blackbeard, those who dared to betray her, all her enemies would meet their end in the near future.
And at that moment, she would stand at the top of the world again in the posture of the strongest, making everyone tremble for her name.
"The seat of the Pirate King can only be mine!!!"
......
Blackbeard Teach sat in a dark room, sunlight streaming through the narrow windows, barely illuminating the wooden table in front of him.
A recent newspaper was spread out on the table, and Blackbeard's face gradually darkened as he looked at the report on it.
The report detailed his "evil deeds" of looting Totto Land and kidnapping Celestial Dragons, the words between the lines seemingly trying to portray him as the most terrifying villain in the world.
"Damn it!"
He slammed his fist on the table, the solid wood instantly shattering, splinters flying everywhere, and the entire table making a dull cracking sound.
His roar echoed in the room, the fire in his eyes seeming to burn everything.
He had been secretly planning, scheming how to achieve his ambitions step by step, but this newspaper had pushed him into the limelight.
"Who is spreading rumors about me?!"
His voice was low and full of anger, as if he wanted to swallow alive the person who was causing trouble behind his back.
Blackbeard clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white from the excessive force.
He couldn't wait to find the person who framed him and teach them a lesson.
However, his anger was suddenly mixed with a hint of doubt.
"That's not right!"
His eyes flashed suddenly, recalling the killing intent he had captured that day, "Could it be that day...?"
The strange aura he felt in the sanctuary that day flashed in his mind, could all of this have started from that time?
He recalled the faint but dangerous killing intent he had captured in the sanctuary that day, although the other party tried to hide it, he still felt it.
And now, the smear campaign against him in the newspaper seemed to point to the same mastermind.
But even so, he couldn't determine the other party's identity.
Blackbeard's anger gradually cooled down, replaced by a calmness and ferocity.
...
