Paper Paper Fruit In One Piece

At this moment— 

The Straw Hat Crew, at the center of it all: 

"Cheers!!" 

At Soft Island on the outskirts of Whole Cake Island— 

This island was once managed by Minister of Softness, Chiffon. But now that she had set off on an adventure with Capone Bege, Pudding was temporarily in charge. And now, on this recently restored island— 

Food was everywhere, wine flowed like rivers, and everyone was eating and drinking to their heart's content! 

To celebrate the Charlotte Family's narrow escape from disaster, and to toast the dream the Straw Hat Crew was about to achieve— 

"A toast—to the future Pirate King!" 

Facing Cracker's raised glass, Luffy grinned and lifted his own. 

"Hmph, ordinary drinks aren't enough to show our gratitude." 

Smoothie gestured toward a pile of random items beside her. 

"Today's special drinks include 'Volcanic Rock,' 'North Sea Kraken Tentacle,' and 'Great Blade - Sewa Nyobo.' What'll it be?" 

Can you even drink those? Even Luffy probably wouldn't eat them… 

"I'll take a glass of 'Great Blade'!" 

Hearing Zoro's request, Smoothie picked up a long, slender katana and twisted it with both hands. Drip, drip, drip—though it was a finely forged masterpiece, under Smoothie's power, it was squeezed like a rag, producing liquid. 

Zoro didn't even blink as he downed the drink, which carried a sharp scent of iron and killing intent. 

"A lone path forward, pure and unwavering, focused to the end—this is good sake!" 

"Haha, this is one of my treasures." 

Two great swordsmen, one able to extract juice and the other a heavy drinker, eagerly discussed deep topics like the 'essence of the sword' and 'the heart's true path,' leaving the others completely lost. 

"Roman, would you like a glass too… mmph—" 

Charlotte's 30th daughter, Nutmeg, the eldest of the ten siblings, was swiftly dragged away by Nami and Pudding, her mouth covered. 

Roman just stared in confusion, but to him— 

Drinking isn't nearly as fun as studying awakened abilities. 

Deep in the world of figurines, unable to escape… 

"Whatever you do, don't let Roman drink!" 

Meanwhile, a 'taboo' among the Straw Hat Crew had spread through the Charlotte family. 

"The first time, we were almost beaten to a pulp. The second time, even the strongest members of our Grand Fleet, each worth hundreds of millions, were all crushed until they lost confidence… In short, Roman's drinking habits aren't just bad—they're terrible, absolutely awful!" 

A top-tier fighter who goes berserk after a single drink—who would believe that? 

Seeing Nami's haunted expression, the Charlotte family members all nodded in understanding. 

"We get it." 

"You have our sympathy." 

After all, their own mother used to go on rampages when her hunger pangs kicked in—it was basically the same thing. 

"Dr. Chopper is amazing~~" 

"Dr. Chopper is too strong~~" 

"Dr. Chopper is adorable~~" 

Sanji glanced at the little reindeer, who was being smothered by a group of Charlotte daughters. Then, without a change in expression, he focused back on cooking. 

With so many powerful fighters present, all of them bottomless pits for food, any ordinary chef would have collapsed long ago. 

Luckily, the Charlotte family had plenty of Devil Fruit users who could generate ingredients endlessly. Plus, thanks to Big Mom's influence, they were all experts at cooking their respective specialties. 

While they weren't on Sanji's level, most of them were more than capable of running a high-end restaurant at sea. 

With so many people helping out, preparing enough food for thousands didn't feel too overwhelming. 

"Wow, who would've thought we'd actually be sitting down and drinking together? This is seriously cool~~" 

Technically speaking, the Straw Hats and the Charlotte family had been 'enemies' not long ago. But thanks to the Blackbeard Pirates, they were now fighting side by side. 

Life is full of surprises. 

"Boss Jinbe, if you had stayed back then… Eh, never mind. I'll drink to you." 

No matter what had happened before, it was all in the past now. 

After all— 

"The Big Mom Pirates are gone. As for what remains of the 'Charlotte Family'… without Mama, is this a good thing or a bad thing? Hard to say." 

"What does it matter? We still have Brother Katakuri!" 

"Yeah—" 

As the former number two of the Big Mom Pirates, Katakuri had now mastered Conqueror's Haki infusion, placing him among the strongest. Carrying the Charlotte family forward wouldn't be a problem for him. 

"While those Sea Kings were circling us hungrily, I—the fearless warrior of the seas, Usopp—stood my ground! 'Sea beasts! As long as I'm here, don't even think about touching my friends!' Under my intense gaze, those massive Sea Kings slowly backed away…" 

"Wow, that's amazing!" 

"I get it—that's Conqueror's Haki intimidation!" 

"So Usopp awakened Conqueror's Haki back then—" 

Faced with all those eager, sparkling eyes, Usopp broke into a cold sweat and turned his head away. 

"Haha… haha, of course! I mean, I'm the Pirate King's crewmate, so Conqueror's Haki is…" 

"Do one!" 

? 

"Yeah, Lord Usopp, show us one!" 

?? "Don't worry! We've been hit by Mama's Conqueror's Haki plenty of times—we can handle it!" 

This isn't about whether you can handle it or not—it's about how I'm supposed to create a Conqueror's Haki shockwave out of nowhere! 

In an instant, Usopp's bluff completely fell apart, and sweat poured down his face. He forced himself to stand tall, hands on his hips. 

"Hah, a mere Conqueror's Haki—" 

BOOM!! 

A powerful, overwhelming aura swept through the area—cold and commanding, like a god looking down on mere mortals, triggering a deep, primal fear in every living being. 

The younger members of the Charlotte family collapsed under the pressure, but still managed to gasp: 

"It… it really is… Conqueror's Haki…" 

"Amazing…" 

??? 

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Usopp finally realized that the burst of Conqueror's Haki had come from behind him. And the true source was, of course— 

"Perfect. All four red Poneglyphs are in our hands!" 

Roman looked at the translated map in Robin's hands. Now, all that was left was for Nami to pinpoint the location of Laugh Tale. 

"At last, our journey is about to reach its final destination…" 

"Yohohoho, Roman." 

Holding a teacup, the gentlemanly yet perverted skeleton, Brook, gestured toward Usopp. 

"You might want to calm down a little. Your Conqueror's Haki just knocked out a whole bunch of people—though I suppose that did help Usopp out…" 

"Hm, I got too excited." 

But Roman couldn't help it. The Poneglyph rubbing that Robin had snatched during the chaos was the final piece of the puzzle leading to Laugh Tale! 

Otherwise, the Straw Hat Crew would've had to dive to the ocean floor near Cake Island—or rather, the Cake Seabed—to retrieve the missing Poneglyph. 

"Alright, we set sail immediately—" 

"Huh? Can't we stay and have fun for a couple more days?" 

?! "Luffy, becoming the Pirate King has always been your dream. Shouldn't you be more excited than me?" 

Hearing Roman's words, Luffy scratched his head with a confused expression. 

"Hmm… I don't know why, but… I feel like once we reach Laugh Tale, we…" 

…will have to disband. 

It hadn't been many years since they first set sail, but the Straw Hat Crew's journey had been packed with more adventure, danger, excitement, and camaraderie than most pirates would ever experience in a lifetime. 

But once they reached the final destination, that would mean their journey was over. 

Would they all just go their separate ways once the adventure ended? 

Looking around, Luffy saw Roman's puzzled face, Nami standing beside him, Zoro setting down his drink, Sanji holding a plate of food, Usopp turning his head, Chopper wriggling free from the girls' arms, Robin smiling thoughtfully with her chin resting on her hand, Franky sitting cross-legged on the ground, Brook sipping his tea, and Jinbe with his hands resting on his knees… 

"Yeah, that's it!" 

Suddenly, Luffy stood up, clapped his fists together, and flashed his usual bright, carefree grin. 

"Let's go, everyone! Our next destination is—" 

"Laugh Tale!!" 

—————— 

On Hummingbird Island— 

"Oh man, I was only gone for a little while…" 

Riding his bicycle across the sea, Kuzan looked at the chaotic battlefield—the island in disarray, cannon fire booming from the port, and pirate ships burning. He pushed up his brown-rimmed sunglasses with a tired sigh. 

"Well, let's cool things down a bit." 

As he got off his bike, he calmly placed his hand into the sea. In an instant, a white light swept across the water, spreading outward! When the light faded, everything froze into ice. 

The entire ocean had become a frozen wasteland! 

But this ice wasn't smooth or flat. Instead, it took on wild, flame-like shapes, sharp and untamed. The glistening ice gave off a fierce, breathtaking beauty. 

Not just the port—the entire island was instantly sealed in ice, turning it into nothing more than a frozen speck in the vast ocean! The intense cold spread, transforming Hummingbird Island, once a tropical rainforest, into a land of deep winter. 

Dead silence. 

The pirates, who had been locked in a heated battle moments ago, suddenly "cooled down"—in the most literal sense. 

"Kuzan-san!" 

"It's really Kuzan-san!" 

A group of pirates turned to look at the tall man on the bicycle, their faces lighting up as if they'd just seen their savior. Kuzan, the former Marine Admiral, instinctively rubbed his chin. Did he really look that much like a pirate now? 

"What are you guys doing here?" 

Leaping onto the deck, Kuzan casually pointed at two pirate captains whose swords were still clashing. 

"You are… uh, that guy and that guy? Eh, whatever, details don't matter. You're not just sparring for practice, are you?" 

Of course we care about that! 

"That guy" and "that guy" both had the same thought but didn't dare show any dissatisfaction on their faces. 

"He tried to rob me!" x2 

"So… now that Blackbeard Teach is done for, you guys are falling apart again?" 

Kuzan sighed as he looked at the bunch of them. Without Blackbeard to keep them in check, they had gone right back to being a lawless gang of pirates. If left alone, they would probably destroy their own territory. Not that they didn't deserve it, but… 

"Alright. From now on, you all answer to me." 

"Huh? Kuzan-san, are you finally making your move—cough, I mean, are you finally flying your own flag?" 

"...Anyway, you two, gather the remaining captains. I—" 

"I'm going to lead you all in a big business deal!" 

The former Marine Admiral looked up. His Haki couldn't pinpoint Robin's exact location, but he didn't need to. 

The Straw Hat Crew was on its way to Laugh Tale. 

That meant… the final battle was just around the corner. 

(End of Chapter)