You can read the advance chapters here : patreon.com/Vigilante04
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Without warning.
A massive wave of Observation Haki spread across Whole Cake Island in an instant.
Wilhelm focused on the people he had just mentioned.
In the blink of an eye, he activated the power of the Transfer-Transfer Fruit.
"Swipe..."
Under Custard's astonished gaze, several figures suddenly appeared in the living room.
"Eh?"
"How did we get here?"
"Wilhelm? When did you come back?"
"Big Brother Wilhelm? Sister Custard?"
The ones who had been teleported were six members of the Charlotte family:
The third daughter, Charlotte Amande.
The fourth daughter, Charlotte Hachée.
The ninth daughter, Charlotte Brûlée.
The eighteenth daughter, Charlotte Galette.
The twentieth daughter, Charlotte Prim.
The twenty-fifth son, Charlotte Snack.
They varied in age, size, and race, but all of them had been transported directly to Wilhelm's villa using his Devil Fruit ability.
At first, they were surprised, but upon seeing Wilhelm and Custard, their initial shock faded, and they quickly calmed down.
"Big Brother Wilhelm? When did you return?"
A twelve-year-old girl with exceptionally fair skin and striking beauty—Charlotte Galette, the eighteenth daughter—looked at Wilhelm and Custard on the sofa. A bright smile of surprise lit up her face. "Sister Custard, you're here too..."
Meanwhile, a stocky boy, around eleven years old, with a fierce expression and a build as large as an adult, looked around in confusion. "Why am I here?"
"Idiot, little Snack, Brother Wilhelm used his ability to bring us here..."
A tall figure with long, blue hair, wearing a bamboo hat and a flowing dress, glanced at him. A cigarette dangled from her lips, giving her an effortlessly cool demeanor.
What stood out the most was her elongated neck—a clear trait of a snake-necked person.
This was Charlotte Amande, the third daughter of the Charlotte family.
A hint of surprise flickered across her usually calm face before she smiled lightly at Wilhelm. "I haven't had the chance to congratulate you yet. I heard from Big Brother Katakuri that Mama just appointed you as the Fourth Sweet Commander."
"Brother Wilhelm, why did you summon us here so suddenly?"
Charlotte Hachée, the fourth daughter and Amande's younger sister, asked curiously, also holding a cigarette in her mouth.
Unlike her taller and more voluptuous sister, Hachée was slender, with sharp, refined features that carried a distinct elegance. She had a unique, almost fragile beauty.
Dressed in trousers and a fitted shirt, with a hat tilted over her left eye and a longsword strapped to her waist, she had a commanding and heroic presence.
Hachée took a slow drag from her cigarette, exhaled a thin stream of smoke, and glanced at Wilhelm with a cool expression. "If you want, my sister and I would be happy to help."
Wilhelm chuckled. "I'm a freshly appointed Sweet Commander. After the war, I'll definitely need to form my own fleet, so I figured I'd call you all here to see if you'd be interested."
"No problem!"
Amande and Hachée, the snake-necked sisters, agreed without hesitation.
"Brother Wilhelm, you're already a commander? Congratulations..."
A tall and elegant woman with a regal air—Charlotte Broye—spoke up. Dressed in an exquisite gown with a crown resting atop her head, she gave Wilhelm a warm smile. "If it's you, I don't mind at all!"
"Eh?"
"Big Brother Wilhelm, can we join too?"
Three younger members of the Charlotte family—twelve-year-old Galette, eleven-year-old Snack, and ten-year-old Prim, a half-octopus mermaid—looked up at Wilhelm with wide eyes, their faces full of excitement and anticipation.
They all deeply admired Wilhelm, whose life had become something of a legend. Naturally, they were eager to follow him.
"Of course you can..."
Wilhelm stood up and gently ruffled Galette's hair, smiling warmly. "Even if you're not strong enough now, you can develop your abilities over time. Among our family, aside from Big Brother Katakuri and the others, you three impress me the most!"
"Really?"
"That's amazing!"
"You're the best, Big Brother Wilhelm!"
Hearing such high praise from Wilhelm—the strongest and most admired among the younger generation of the Charlotte family—made the three young ones burst with joy.
Galette, in particular, beamed as she basked in his affection, her crescent-shaped eyes shining with happiness. She clenched her fists with determination. "I'll work hard, Big Brother Wilhelm!"
Wilhelm turned to Snack and Prim, placing a reassuring hand on their heads. "You too, Snack, Prim!"
"I'll work hard too!"
Snack, the stocky boy, nodded enthusiastically, scratching his head with a goofy grin.
For the younger members of the Charlotte family, nothing was more gratifying than being recognized by Wilhelm.
"Yes, Big Brother Wilhelm, I won't let you down!"
Unlike her siblings, Prim, being a half-octopus mermaid and only ten years old, carried a quiet sense of insecurity. Compared to the others, she often felt timid and out of place. But at this moment, she looked up at Wilhelm with newfound determination.
Despite his nervousness, Snack still clenched his fists and nodded excitedly and earnestly.
"Then it's settled… Sister Hachée, Sister Nojiko, Sister Broye!"
After encouraging the younger siblings, Wilhelm turned his attention to Amande, Hachée, and Broye, smiling.
"Sister Custard, were you also called here by Wilhelm to help?" The ninth daughter, Charlotte Broye, looked at Custard in surprise.
"Yes, Sister Custard has already agreed," Wilhelm answered with a smile, not wanting her to feel awkward.
Then, he turned to Amande and the others and asked directly, "Sister Amande, Sister Hachée, Sister Broye… you don't have Devil Fruit abilities, do you?"
Amande shrugged. "No, we got a message from Smoothie ahead of time, so we didn't pick one."
Looking at her strikingly handsome younger brother, Hachée smirked. "I'm looking forward to your gift, Brother Wilhelm!"
They had already received Wilhelm's hint earlier and had deliberately held off on selecting any Devil Fruits from the batch that Smoothie brought back.
Broye spread her hands. "I actually got a Paramecia-type Needle Fruit from Mama back in 990, but I haven't eaten it yet."
"In that case, let's make this an official welcoming gift!" Wilhelm declared, waving his hand.
Everyone's eyes widened in surprise.
Before Amande, Hachée, Broye, Galette, Prim, and Snack—who had just been teleported from Cake Castle—mysterious Devil Fruits materialized in front of each of them.
Their hands instinctively reached out to catch them.
"This is…?"
"A Devil Fruit?"
"Whoa~, so many Devil Fruits!"
"Hiss! These look different from the ones on Bao Curry's face… Did you prepare these in advance?"
Not only were Amande, Hachée, and the others shocked, but even Custard—who had recently eaten the Paramecia Wave-Wave Fruit—was stunned.
She couldn't help but widen her eyes, secretly wondering just how many Devil Fruits Wilhelm had hidden away.
With six Devil Fruits now laid out in front of them—on top of the two he had already given her and Miss Olive earlier—Wilhelm had casually pulled out eight Devil Fruits in total.
Amande glanced at the fiery red fruit in her hand, covered in strange, flame-like patterns. Then, her gaze shifted to the variously shaped fruits in Hachée, Broye, and the others' hands.
Taking a slow drag from her cigarette, the third daughter of the Charlotte family smirked at Wilhelm. "Brother Wilhelm, you're like a damn Devil Fruit wholesaler!"