— — — — — — —
Smack!
Walking along the road.
Zuccotto.
At this very moment, his heart was in an extreme state of calm.
Seven days. Seven islands. Ninety-nine fighting clubs.
You could say— Zuccotto was creating a legend.
After all—To succeed in a challenge according to the Mixed Martial Arts Club Alliance's rules was no easy feat.
There were all kinds of combat styles out there.
Mastering so many different techniques? Even an old veteran in their seventies or eighties would struggle.
Let alone— Zuccotto was only seven years old!
But—Sometimes, geniuses just defy logic. Especially when a genius has an equally unreasonable teacher, things can get downright eerie and terrifying.
Zuccotto took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
Standing at the edge of the island, he seemed lost in thought.
Oven tilted his head in confusion. "Big bro! What's Zuccotto planning to do?"
Joey explained warmly, "Zuccotto is trying to condense his spirit after those 99 battles—to fully solidify it into a combat-driven will. But whether he succeeds or not, I'm not entirely sure. It could be extremely difficult… or it might turn out to be surprisingly simple."
To be honest—Even Joey himself wasn't sure.
It was only natural.
The power of a Stand. It was an embodiment of one's will, manifesting through life energy into a tangible force.
But the real question was—How easy was it to fully condense one's willpower to the extreme?
Oven scratched his head. "Big bro! So we're just gonna wait?"
Joey smiled. "Yeah, we'll just wait. No big deal."
"Let's go!" Joey stretched lazily. "Consider this a little break. Daifuku and Zuccotto both have their own things to deal with."
"Oh!!!" Oven's face stiffened. He felt mocked somehow… even though his big bro hadn't actually mocked him. "Sigh…" he muttered in frustration.
Not only Daifuku—even Zuccotto was showing progress. That made things awkward.
For others, maybe it wasn't a big deal.
But for Oven—A hot-headed guy like him?
This was something he just couldn't accept!
Anger at his own weakness flared up inside him. "Tch—"
Joey watched as Oven turned and walked away with big strides. Shaking his head, he muttered, "That kid… He always thinks he shouldn't be weaker than anyone. But among the three brothers, he's always at the bottom. Sigh… He needs to control this kind of frustration."
Katakuri, Daifuku, and Oven. The three brothers.
Oven had always worked hard.
But—In every aspect, he still fell slightly behind his two brothers.
It left him feeling helpless and frustrated.
"Sigh…"
Shaking his head, Joey sighed, "Oven's not the only one. These kids all have their issues. Watching them grow up? It's gonna take time."
Sometimes—A mental block isn't something an outsider can help fix.
Joey returned to the ship alone.
"Big bro!" Custard and Moscato ran over.
"Huh?" Moscato looked around curiously. "Where's Oven and Zuccotto?"
Joey sighed. "One ran off out of frustration, the other stayed behind to meditate. Ugh… These kids are such a headache. Seriously, they're all problem children."
Rubbing his temples, Joey felt a headache coming on.
Custard thought for a moment and said, "Big bro, maybe this isn't such a bad thing for Oven?"
"Oh?" Joey raised an eyebrow. "Why do you say that?"
Custard explained, "Big bro, you said that Stand abilities are born from a highly concentrated spirit. If that's the case, wouldn't Oven's frustration—his anger at himself—be part of that focus? He's a hot-headed guy, and his self-doubt fuels his rage. If he learns to harness that along with his Heat-Heat Fruit…?"
"Hmm—"
Joey listened to her unfinished thoughts and nodded in agreement. "You're not wrong. There's definitely potential there."
Joey murmured, "Daifuku… Oven… Zuccotto… If you brats want to try, then go all in. Don't embarrass the Charlotte Family!"
"Heh…"
Chuckling, Joey shook his head. "Alright, you two need to study too. Let's just wait and see."
"Okay!"
"Mhm!"
The siblings nodded obediently. They knew what they needed to do.
Joey's expression softened.
These were his younger siblings, after all.
"Now, I just have to wait."
But Joey didn't expect that this waiting game would last seven days.
It was truly something beyond his expectations.
— — —
Day One
Deep in the forest of one of the Mixed Martial Arts Club Alliance islands—
"Huff… Huff…"
Daifuku panted heavily.
He muttered to himself, "I'm so close… I can feel it! But— but— something's still missing! No! I can't stop here! Even if—"
His eyes flashed with a fierce determination.
A terrifying aura radiated from Daifuku.
He stepped forward and continued his training in the forest, pushing himself to the limit.
He was trying to reach the peak of his spirit through sheer extreme exertion.
That was his goal.
But—What Daifuku hadn't noticed—was the faint strands of dark purple mist starting to emerge from his body, like an eerie fog, gradually spreading across the entire forest.
Unfortunately, the mist flickered between appearing and vanishing.
Illusory and eternal. As if separated by just a thin veil or merely one step away.
But what lay beyond?
No one could say for sure.
This—was Daifuku's own path to walk.
— — —
Day Three
"Aaaahhh!!!"
In the middle of a small volcanic crater, Oven let out a terrifying roar.
He pounded the ground with his fists over and over, his eyes burning with an almost demonic glow.
"Hah~??" Huff—huff—
Taking deep, labored breaths, Oven pounded his own chest in frustration, roaring, "I refuse to accept this! I refuse! Why am I so useless?! Katakuri-nii, Daifuku-nii—I can't compare to either of them!"
"And now... am I about to be surpassed by my own younger brother, too?! Am I really such a failure?!"
At this moment, Oven's self-loathing reached an extreme.
His anger burned within him like a raging fire.
If anyone had been watching, they would have seen flames flickering around him, as though his fury had taken physical form.
What kind of torment had this man gone through to reach such a state?
— — —
Day Four
Mixed Martial Arts Club Alliance - The Elders Island!
This island was home to the alliance's three most powerful elders.
The three of them sat together, stroking their long beards.
The elder in the center spoke first, "The Charlotte family is truly troublesome. That boy has fought through 99 islands and still hasn't left."
The second elder said, "That's not much of an issue. If he insists on continuing, we'll just have to teach him a lesson."
The third elder added, "That's an option. However, judging by Totto Land's rate of expansion, their population of 100,000 should be about enough already. Let's wait and see."
"Agreed."
"No matter what changes occur, as long as we don't break the rules, everything will be fine."
"In the Alliance, rules are the most important thing."
"Indeed." The three elders closed their eyes, no longer speaking, simply waiting for the outcome.
— — —
Day Five
Huff—huff—
Zuccotto exhaled deeply, shaking his head in frustration. "Sigh..."
He knew it.
No matter how much he continued, he wouldn't be able to fully condense his spirit.
Despite winning 99 consecutive battles...
He had yet to face a truly equal opponent.
That was the key.
Only through battling an opponent of equal strength could he push his will to its absolute limit and truly manifest his power.
Exhale—
"Still one step away, huh?"
Zuccotto decided it was time to head home.
But before that...there was still something he had to do.
— — —
Day Seven!!!
Standing at the edge of the ship, Joey murmured, "It's been seven days now... and still no word from those three brats. If it weren't for the family system confirming that they're all fine, I'd have thought something had happened to them."
"Sigh..."
He sighed, rubbing his temples. "Kids grow up so fast. And every single one of them has their own little issues... It's a real headache."
The Stand!
Joey had originally prepared this power as a tool for the family.
As long as they followed the right steps, eventually, every family member would awaken their Stand.
After all...A person's willpower always reaches its peak at some point.
And when that moment comes...A Stand will inevitably awaken.
But for these three...they weren't just seeking power.
They were even chasing Katakuri.
Katakuri to them was the ultimate role model.
In their minds, only by following in Katakuri's footsteps could they truly become pillars of the family.
Daifuku, Oven, Zuccotto.
All three of them wanted to be that pillar.
They wanted to awaken their Stand as soon as possible.
Seeing his younger brothers working so hard...Joey couldn't say anything to discourage them.
All he could do was support them.
Clap!
At that moment...
Zuccotto returned, his expression unusually solemn. "Big Bro... I failed."
Joey simply asked in a gentle voice, "How much are you lacking?"
Zuccotto clenched his fists. His voice was firm. "Just one step! Give me one chance! I know I can do it!"
A chance, huh?
Joey understood exactly what Zuccotto was asking for.
Right now... Zuccotto had already conquered 99 fighting clubs.
At this point, his achievements were enough to take 100,000 people and leave the island.
And if he wanted more...he would have to face the Elders.
If he lost, everything he had earned would be forfeited. He would be reduced to a mere island manager.
Only after three years could he challenge again.
Totto Land could not afford such a loss.
For anyone else...Mastering so many martial arts techniques like Zuccotto had would be nearly impossible.
Joey knew that. And so did Zuccotto.
That's why he had been so silent.
He needed one final battle.
He needed a chance.
Only then...could he push his spirit to its absolute limit and succeed.
Otherwise...It was almost impossible.
"Heh..."
Looking at the downcast Zuccotto, Joey's expression softened. "Brat, what are you worrying about? If you want to try, then try! Big Bro will give you this chance. Win the fight, awaken your Stand, and then come with me to see how your two idiot brothers are doing with their own Stand awakenings."
"Huh?"
Zuccotto lifted his head.
Looking at his brother's warm smile...
He clenched his fists and nodded firmly. "Big Bro! I swear I'll win!"
"I'll bring victory back home and prove to everyone—I, Charlotte Zuccotto, am unstoppable!"
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(Read advanced chapters at: patreon.com/_Coreal)