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That evening.
Wilhelm informed Charlotte Linlin that he would be taking Armand, Shimotsuki Yasuie, Custard, Brownie, and a few others with him. With the "Queen's" permission, his plan was set.
At Charlotte Linlin's request, after a family reunion dinner, Wilhelm used the power of the Ten Rings to help the eighth daughter of the Charlotte family—Brûlée, the elder sister of Brownie and the user of the Mirror-Mirror Fruit—heal the scars on her face.
Finally, as Katakuri and the others bid them farewell, Wilhelm led Armand, Custard, Mies Olive, and the rest aboard a prepared ship, setting sail for the Island of Love.
On the Ship
"Wow! This is amazing!"
"It's my first time leaving Whole Cake Island!"
"Me too…!"
Three young children—Garrett, Snack, and Prim—ran excitedly around the deck, shouting with joy.
"Don't run around too much," Wilhelm said with a smile, gently patting Garrett's head. Then, turning to Snack, a chubby little boy with a fierce expression that clashed with his childlike stature, he knocked him lightly on the head.
"Garrett, Snack, you both have special abilities. Make sure to wear your gloves. Otherwise, don't touch anyone," Wilhelm warned.
Garrett possessed the Heat-Heat Fruit, while Snack was the user of the Boil-Boil Fruit. Without proper control, their powers could easily hurt others, so Wilhelm made sure they kept their gloves on.
Among the three, only Prim, a half-octopus mermaid and the user of the Kibi Kibi no Mi, didn't have such worries. He had already mastered his Devil Fruit ability, allowing him to pull dumpling-like balls from his face. When fed to wild animals, these dumplings made them docile and completely obedient.
Unfortunately, his power had no effect on Homies.
Otherwise, Wilhelm would have considered using Prim to directly control Sun Prometheus and Thundercloud Zeus, making them part of his plans.
"Got it, big brother Wilhelm!"
Garrett grinned, her eyes curving into crescents as she happily responded.
"Ow… that hurt," Snack muttered, rubbing his reddened forehead. "Big brother Wilhelm hits the hardest…"
But it wasn't just them.
Armand, the third daughter of the Charlotte family, had a similar problem.
As a newly awakened user of the Ignite-Ignite Fruit, she wore gloves as well—though she often ended up accidentally setting them on fire.
"Tch, what a hassle…" Armand muttered as she tossed away a cigarette that had burned down to the butt in an instant. She had just removed her gloves to light it, but her flames had consumed it in seconds.
Even for someone as strong as her, controlling the Ignite-Ignite Fruit with precision after just half a day was a challenge.
However, if she abandoned the need for finesse and let loose, her fruit's destructive potential would be terrifying.
"Mastery takes time, after all."
Excitement on the Ship
The sixth daughter, Custard, was in high spirits.
Her big, bright eyes frequently glanced at Wilhelm's handsome figure. That delicate, beautiful face of his carried a gentle, happy smile, making her heart flutter.
Although she hadn't fully mastered her Wave-Wave Fruit abilities yet, its nature made it far easier to control than Armand's Ignite-Ignite Fruit. More importantly, she had finally gained recognition from her brother, Wilhelm.
No longer needing to hide in a corner and secretly steal glances at him, Custard was beyond excited—her happiness was overflowing.
Conversations on Abilities
"The stronger the ability, the harder it is to control," said Mies Olive, the maid accompanying Wilhelm, smiling knowingly.
Despite possessing the Cloud-Cloud Fruit, a Logia-type Devil Fruit, she remained humble and never showed off.
"The Marines will probably make their move in the next two days, so there's no need to rush," Yasuie, the fourth daughter of the Charlotte family, said coolly.
Leaning against the ship's railing with a cigarette between her lips, she took a slow puff before casually handing a lit one to her sister, Armand.
"But one thing's certain—once we fully master our Devil Fruits, our strength will take a huge leap forward."
Yasuie's ability was the Speed-Speed Fruit, a Paramecia-type power that allowed her to accelerate both herself and non-living objects she touched. It was similar to the Momo-Momo Fruit, but more specialized in speed.
Unlike Armand and the others, controlling her power didn't require much caution. Instead, it was all about mastering it. Since her ability was purely speed-based, as long as she could adapt to the sudden bursts and ensure her reflexes kept up, she could seamlessly integrate it with her swordsmanship.
This allowed her to unleash astonishing combat potential.
Already, in such a short time, she had managed to increase her speed several times over—sometimes even tenfold. When combined with her swift and precise swordsmanship, her attacks became nearly impossible to perceive.
She moved like a ghost—so fast that the naked eye couldn't keep up.
Training in the Air
"Woohoo—!"
Up in the sky, Brownie, the ninth daughter of the Charlotte family, zipped through the air at incredible speeds. Half of her body had transformed into smoke, allowing her to move fluidly.
At times, she would split into multiple wisps of white smoke, surging forward before reforming her physical body more than ten meters away.
She was pushing herself to gain full control over her Smoke-Smoke Fruit as quickly as possible.
After all, battle was imminent. No matter how carefree they might seem, the looming threat of the Marines weighed on them.
Strategic Preparations
"Sister Brownie, I'll have Dr. Hawkins prepare some compact gas bombs for you," Wilhelm said with a grin, watching her maneuver through the air.
"We should be able to make them similar to smoke bombs. I'm sure they'll come in handy…"
He had already confirmed that toxic smoke had no effect on Brownie due to her Logia abilities.
While she hadn't yet reached the point of extracting oxygen from the air using her powers, she could still rely on external support. By mixing poisonous gas into her smoke, she could eliminate opponents with minimal effort.
This tactic was particularly useful since her smoke form was unaffected by extreme heat. Even if she manipulated flammable and explosive gases, any detonation wouldn't harm her.
With such an advantage, Brownie could turn her Smoke-Smoke Fruit into a terrifying weapon.
Arrival at Love Island
With a deafening explosion, the enemy was blown to pieces.
"Good!"
As the heart of Totto Land's waters, Cake Island wasn't too far from Love Island.
By midnight, Wilhelm and his group had successfully arrived.
Waiting for them at the docks were the three Smoothie sisters, along with Shiryu of the Rain and several others.
"Lord Wilhelm—"
"Brother Wilhelm, you're finally here!"
At the front, Smoothie stepped forward with a welcoming smile. "Sister Armand, Sister Yasuie, Sister Custard, Sister Brownie… welcome!"
"Lady Smoothie, Lord Stronge, Lady Snamon!"
Mies Olive, Wilhelm's maid, stepped forward and greeted the Smoothie sisters with a polite bow.
"Sister Smoothie, don't forget about us!"
Garrett bounced excitedly, waving her little hands.
Snamon chuckled, stepping forward to pinch Garrett's adorable cheeks. "Of course! And the three little devils, too!"
With a playful grin, she scooped up Garrett, holding the giggling little girl in her arms.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Wilhelm led Armand, Custard, and the others to meet Shiryu of the Rain, Miyamoto Musashi, and the swordsman Ryuma.
Meeting the Warriors
Armand and the others had long heard of Shiryu of the Rain and Kuro the Feathered Serpent. While they were slightly surprised that Wilhelm had managed to recruit such formidable warriors, it wasn't something too difficult for them to accept.
However, when it came to the swordsman Ryuma, it was an entirely different story.
Shock flashed across Armand, Yasuie, and Custard's faces.
Wilhelm, however, had already confirmed Ryuma's identity. He was a descendant of the Shimotsuki clan, a branch of the samurai lineage from Wano that had settled overseas. With extraordinary talent in swordsmanship from a young age, his parents had named him after the legendary Dragon Slayer, Shimotsuki Ryuma, hoping he would one day live up to his ancestor's legacy.
"So that's how it is!"
"A descendant of the Dragon Slayer?"
"That's incredible…"
Armand, Custard, and the others exchanged glances, their amazement clear.
But what stood out the most was the realization—Wilhelm had gathered some truly remarkable individuals under his command.
Where is Hawkins?
"By the way, where's Hawkins?" Wilhelm suddenly asked.
After introducing the Charlotte family members to Shiryu, Kuro the Feathered Serpent, and the others, he noticed the absence of Dr. Hawkins.
"In the mines on the west coast," Shiryu said, biting down on his cigar with a smirk.
"Using his Devil Fruit powers, he's been devouring piles of metal ore. Dug a massive pit—says he's turning it into an experimental base. He's still busy down there."
Wilhelm raised an eyebrow but wasn't too surprised. Knowing Hawkins, this was just another step in his never-ending pursuit of power and knowledge.