“The World’s Stro Creature?”

  In the vish hall, El was reviewing Sally’s report while gng at the neer’s sed page. His brow furrowed slightly as his gaze settled on the bold bck headliuring him.

  Beside the headline hotograph taken six months earlier during Totto Land’s fifth-anniversary celebration, showing El appearing dignified and anding.

  “Yes, although there’s petitioween Totto Land Daily and the World Ey Neer, the tter doesn’t want to pletely antagohe Fallen Angel Pirate Crew. To boost their sales, they’ve ed this sensational title, prog you as the ‘World’s Stro Creature’…”

  Sally’s eyes shoh admiration as she beamed.

  “And frankly, apart from the ignorant masses, I doubt anyone would disagree with this cim!”

  In this vast sea, who else but El deserved such a title?

  “Hmph, clever fools…”

  El snorted softly, dismissing the headlih indifference.

  “The situation on Fusang Isnd will be left to Kouzaburou and the others. We'll head back for now,”

  he added, setting the neer aside with a smile.

  “Otherwise, those little ones might turn the pce upside down.”

  “Those mischievous brats,”

  Sally responded with an amused shrug, though her expression showed a hint of exasperation,

  “they’re like birds just released from their cages—absolutely untrolble.”

  She then tinued in a more serious tone:

  “But El-sama, CP’s intelligework is formidable. The Wover has likely caught wind of the little ones’ existe wouldn’t be surprising if they pce hefty bounties on their heads or eve to assassination attempts.”

  “No matter. I’ve anticipated this.”

  El nodded calmly.

  Just then, a graceful figure hurried into the room. Dressed in a sleek bck secretary’s outfit that emphasized her alluring curves, the woman exuded both elegand professionalism. This was Baka—known as “Bck Mamba”—a high-rankiary ielligence Division.

  Over the past five years, the former celebrated dancer of the West Blue had undergone a remarkable transformatiorength now rivaled that of a standard Navy Vice Admiral, and her extensive experien intelligence work had molded her into a capable and reliable aide.

  “El-sama, Sally-sama,”

  Baka greeted formally, her serious demeanor hinting at the importance of her report.

  “I’ve just received intelligence from CP. The Wover has officially pced bounties on the royal children.”

  “Oh? What are the specifics?”

  Sally raised an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued.

  El’s expression remained ral, but his sharp intuition told him that the news would be arming.

  “Each of the royal children has been given a bounty of two billion berries,”

  Baka stated solemnly.

  “What!?”

  Sally’s eyes widened, and she gasped audibly.

  “A group of four- and five-year-olds… Even if they are the offspring of El-sama, members of the Lunarian race, and royals of Totto Land—this level of bounty is eous!”

  Two billion berries per child was a staggering figure, undersg both the Wover’s arm at their potential threat and its desire to retaliate against Totto Land for pg bounties on the Celestial Dragons.

  “Two billion berries?”

  A deep ugh emanated from behind them as Linlin, Helen, Lillian, and Gerd ehe room, having overheard Baka’s report.

  “My, my, those Wover fools are quite generous, aren’t they?”

  Linlin teased, her tone a mix of amusement and incredulity.

  “If I recall correctly, Totto Land’s bounty on the Celestial Dragons is three billion berries, isn’t it?”

  “It seems they’ve realized these little ones’ extraordinary potential,”

  Gerd remarked.

  “They must view them as existential threats.”

  “Those bastards think our children are like some twisted version of the Celestial Dragons?”

  Lillian’s fury alpable as she ched her fists. The idea that her precious son could be pced on the same pedestal as the despised Celestial Dragons only fueled her anger.

  “Our childrehing like those useless parasites!”

  Baka, ever cautious, voiced her s:

  “El-sama, knowing the Wover’s methods, I fear that the children might bee prime targets. Should we send them to Elbaf for safety?”

  “That won’t be necessary. There’s no safer pce than within Totto Land itself,”

  El replied fidently, his toeady.

  His gaze darkened as he chuckled coldly:

  “Still… only two billion berries? Hant of them. It’s clear they want to show the world they’re taking this seriously, yet they’re careful not to draw parisons to the Celestial Dragons. They’re trying to tread a fine line.”

  …

  Meanwhile, atop the Red Line, in the Chamber of Authority at the Holy Land of Mary Geoise:

  “Careless!”

  “No matter how much we calcuted, we didn’t at for this…”

  “So the Lunarian race is truly on the verge of a resurgence?”

  “With the Fallen Angel El’s prote, erasing these brats won’t be easy.”

  The Five Elders sat in their respective seats, their expressions grim as they examined photographs of the Kukulkan family—Thod, Sif, Dal, and the others—delivered by CP.

  Although the Elders were aware El had multiple children, they had not imagined he would discreetly father so many Lunarian children, each with astonishing potential.

  Their immediate response was to issue two-billion-berry bounties on the Kukulkan offspring. Their reasoning was obvious: if these children were killed because of the bounties, it would deal a severe blow to El. Financially, it was a trivial expense for the Wover.

  Initially, they had sidered three-billion-berry bounties, but that figure cided with Totto Land’s bounty on the Celestial Dragoing Lunarian children with the desdants of the “creators” was unthinkable. Fearing it might grant the Kukulkan family an “alternate world nobles” status, they settled on two billion berries as a more “acceptable” figure.

  “The issue now,”

  Saint Saturn said, his cold eyes filled with murderous i,

  “is that CP’s iigation indicates these Lunarian children possess extraordinary potential… They ot be left unchecked.”

  “Indeed,”

  Saint Mars agreed gravely.

  “sidering the Lunarian race’s innate gifts bined with El’s monstrous bloodlihese brats are uo be anythiharaordinary. Moreover, over the years, the Fallen Angel Pirate Crew has extorted a signifit number of Devil Fruits from the Wover and looted many from prisoners in Impel Down…”

  Saint Saturn folded his arms, his tone wary:

  “Though we have no proof of them deliberately hunting Devil Fruit powers across the seas, we ’t afford to let uard down. Their Devil Fruit colleight already rival that of the Wover. If we let these children grow…”

  Saint Valkyrie, seated in the ter, interced his fingers, his gaze dark as he studied the photographs:

  “While not every one of them may i El’s monstrous talents, it’s not impossible for one or two to reach the level of an Admiral. Who knows? These Lunarian children might one day bee a twisted terpart of the Holy Knights.”

  A major was El’s youth, as well as that of most of the Fallen Angel Pirate Crew’s key members. They had both the time and resources to nurture these Lunarian children. Decades from now, when the children matured, not only would the crew’s strength remain intact, it could expand even further.

  This possibility alone demanded heightened vigince.

  “Ihey pose a signifit threat.”

  A fsh of light gleamed as the bde of the First Geion Kitetsu slid bato its sheath. Saint Nasujuro, exuding murderous i, decred:

  “These brats must not be allowed to live.”

  Yet eliminating the Kukulkan children was no simple task. Even CP agents had only retly uncovered the children’s presen Whole Cake Ishat ing fox, had always kept them hidden on the floating, heavily fortified Homie Sky Isnd—its location nearly impossible to pinpoint.

  Several CP operatives had attempted to infiltrate Totto Land and approach the isnd whe appeared, but they were invariably discovered and apprehended befetting close.

  “First, increase CP’s infiltration efforts,”

  Saint Saturn ordered, leaning on his e. His voice was icy.

  “Also, it’s time for CP0’s newly trained ability users to prove their worth. A’s hope those massive bounties bring about some ued results.”