The Cruel New World

However, Yota merely sneered when he heard that. "The Homies here aren’t merely interesting, Violet. You should ask Ulti and Page One. The two of them know far more about this."

Before Violet could speak, Ulti chirped away, "These Homies aren’t just fun to look at. Many kinds of them are quite powerful too. They’re a formidable force capable of rivaling the artificial Zoan-type Devil Fruit user army Kaido used to have!"

"And unlike Kaido, who needed money, raw materials, all kinds of technology, and complicated procedures just to produce artificial Devil Fruits with uncertain results, these Homies only need souls and lifespan to be made!"

"Souls and lifespan!?" Violet exclaimed in shock.

Ulti waved her hand dismissively. "That’s right. Charlotte Linlin—that old hag’s Soul-Soul Fruit. It can directly extract souls from people who fear her. Every island under Totto Land’s protection has to pay her a soul tax, roughly one-sixth of their lifespan."

"Th-then doesn’t anyone resist?" Violet asked, her face filled with disbelief.

Ulti gave Violet a rather strange look. "Who would resist? Who could resist? Besides, Totto Land’s treatment is already pretty good. At the very least, it’s better than that of most countries in the New World…"

"Handing over one-sixth of your lifespan may sound cruel, but on islands without the protection of a Four Emperor, the average lifespan of ordinary civilians is probably less than one-third of their natural lifespan!"

"Most people die either because of pirates, the brutal actions of their own kings, or the World Government’s crushing taxes and all sorts of other reasons!"

"Not to mention, back when we were with the Kaido Pirates, the demands we made of the islands under our protection were far harsher. Any young adult with fighting ability would be rounded up, while the elderly, weak, women, and children left behind still had to mine ore and grow food for the Kaido Pirates."

"Yet even so, the Kaido Pirates’ flag was still worth its weight in gold on the seas. Who knew how many islands and countries without the protection of a Four Emperor wanted it! At least that way, they could avoid pirate raids and the World Government’s Celestial Tribute!"

"To put it bluntly, it wasn’t that Totto Land forced those countries under its rule. Those countries were begging Totto Land to protect them!"

"If your country doesn’t have anything special, or food that can satisfy Charlotte Linlin’s appetite, Totto Land won’t even spare you a glance."

Ulti’s words left Violet dazed. For the first time, she understood the cruelty of the outside world.

She had thought Dressrosa under Doflamingo’s rule was miserable enough. Only now did she realize that happiness was relative. Compared to most countries in the New World, a place like Dressrosa, which could at least maintain a veneer of prosperity, was practically paradise.

Yota was not surprised in the slightest. In fact, even the Whitebeard Pirates demanded money from the countries beneath them. Otherwise, how were Whitebeard Pirates and their affiliated pirate crews, numbering in the tens of thousands, supposed to survive? They couldn’t exactly live off treasure hunting like the Straw Hat Crew, could they?

The Whitebeard Pirates merely exploited those countries far less than the other two pirate crews.

Only the Red Hair Pirates basically did not collect taxes from the countries beneath them. The Red Hair Pirates had only one ship and followed an absolute elite path. They could sustain themselves through treasure hunting, just like Luffy.

But likewise, a pirate crew of such small scale could not protect many countries. Aside from a few nations that had some friendship with the Red Hair Pirates, Shanks would not concern himself with anything else.

As they talked, Yota’s group followed Charlotte Compote closer to Cake Island. This was practically the Charlotte Pirates’ headquarters, and security was exceptionally tight. In particular, countless Homies kept watch over the island. Under normal circumstances, without some special Devil Fruit ability, it would have been impossible to infiltrate this place.

Yota had long since controlled Charlotte Compote. As the eldest daughter of the Charlotte Family, she possessed considerable status and authority. Bringing a few extra people inside was effortless for her.

After learning the truth about Cake Island, Violet, who had initially been the most excited, was no longer as thrilled as before.

Big Mom’s birthday tea party would not be held until tomorrow, so Yota and the others decided to find somewhere to rest first.

Once they reached their assigned room, Yota used his intangibility ability and quietly went to find Violet.

It was already getting late. Violet was preparing to bathe and sleep when she suddenly heard a sound behind her.

Being in the enemy’s headquarters, Violet was naturally on high alert. She did not even bother with the clothes she had only half removed, immediately turning to look behind her.

"It’s me," said Yota as he emerged from thin air, glancing at Violet, who was wearing only her underwear.

Still, in the Pirate World, there were plenty of girls who ran around in nothing but bikinis, so Yota did not feel particularly awkward.

"My lord, what do you need from me?" Violet’s face flushed slightly, and her thoughts immediately began wandering again. Yota spoke directly. "Use your Glint-Glint Fruit to help me find these two people."

As he spoke, Yota used an illusion to create rough images of Charlotte Pudding and Charlotte Brulee.

In Yota’s memories, three Devil Fruits from the Charlotte Family had left a deep impression on him: Charlotte Brulee’s Mirror-Mirror Fruit, Charlotte Pudding’s Memory Fruit, and the Book-Book Fruit of some Charlotte member whose name he had forgotten.

Charlotte Pudding was a member of the Three-Eye Tribe, which Yota remembered clearly enough. Charlotte Brulee looked like an old witch, making her especially distinctive. Yota planned to find these two tonight.

As for the Book-Book Fruit user, Yota had already forgotten even their name. He had also forgotten to ask Charlotte Compote during the day, so he decided to deal with that tomorrow.

Upon hearing Yota’s order, Violet immediately calmed down, but then she frowned.

In fact, the clairvoyance granted by Violet’s Glint-Glint Fruit was described in the original manga as: "It can expand one’s field of vision to within a radius of 4,000 kilometers, allowing one to gather intelligence or observe enemies, like the eyes of a bird."

In other words, it was like viewing the land through satellite imagery from the sky. She could see the general situation, but if she was looking for a specific person, it would actually be difficult to find them as long as they stayed out of open areas.