Perospero exchanged glances with the "Three Sweet Commanders" — Katakuri, Smoothie, and Cracker.
They all understood that once Mama made a decision in her rage, she would never retract it. To oppose her rashly would only trigger her "madness."
So instead, they chose to support her.
"If we're going to war with Davy Jones, we'll need to prepare weapons, food, and fleets," Perospero said loudly. "Mama, Doflamingo has already agreed to supply us with weapons."
"When will you have everything ready?" Charlotte Linlin glared coldly at them.
"Very soon—very soon. I'll mobilize everyone and gather all supplies within a week," Perospero answered quickly.
He knew Mama's patience was limited; even if the timeframe was tight, this was the only answer he could give.
"Mama, aside from that, we must also ensure that Kaido and Red-Haired Shanks don't take advantage of the situation."
That was indeed a serious concern.
If Charlotte Linlin personally led a massive expedition—taking the "Three Sweet Commanders" and many elite fighters with her—the Totland Kingdom would be left with only a few defenders, its defenses dangerously thin.
Should Kaido or Shanks strike from behind, seizing their base, the consequences would be catastrophic.
"I'll contact Kaido myself," Charlotte Linlin said, seeming to calm down somewhat. She grabbed a chunk of cake from the floor and shoved it into her mouth without hesitation. "If necessary, I'll form an alliance with him."
Her relationship with Kaido was decent—they had once both served under the Rocks Pirates, and it was she who had given Kaido his Devil Fruit.
With Kaido's presence, Shanks likely wouldn't dare make a move, and their rear would be secured.
"Yes, Mama." Perospero bowed his head. "Then there's nothing more to worry about. We can go to war with the Davy Jones Pirates in full force."
"Not go to war,"
Charlotte Linlin looked down at him from above, her mouth still smeared with cream.
The sight made Perospero's heart seize with terror—as though at any moment, Mama might toss him into her mouth as well.
"We will massacre Davy Jones's territory! Leave not a single one alive!"
At the harbor of Thriller Ghost Island, a tattered black ship sailed in through thick mist.
At first, the island's residents didn't recognize where this dilapidated vessel had come from—until they saw the pirate flag fluttering above it.
Then, in unison, they swallowed hard and hurried back into their homes.
One of the Four Emperors—"The Demon Kung of the Deeep Sea" Davy Jones—had returned aboard his dreaded ship, the Terror Ghost.
Even Crocodile hadn't expected this timing. He had known that Captain Davy Jones was coming, but not that it would be now.
By the time he, Alvida, and Hachi rushed to greet him, Davy Jones and Polly had already arrived at the gates of the Horror Manor.
Law and the others remained stationed on Punk Hazard and Terror Ghost Island.
The Horror Manor itself had been built under Crocodile's direction, specifically as Davy Jones's personal residence when he came ashore.
Davy Jones disliked small talk.
No sooner had he returned than he immediately ordered a full meeting—this time, with all executives present.
Of course, Jinbe, Law, and Kuro couldn't make it to Thriller Ghost Island on short notice, so the meeting was held via Den Den Mushi.
Alvida placed a special seven-colored Den Den Mushi on the table, alongside a white anti-bugging Den Den Mushi, checking repeatedly to ensure it worked properly before telling Captain Davy Jones everything was ready.
This special seven-colored Den Den Mushi was far more advanced than a standard one—it could connect to multiple lines simultaneously, up to seven at once.
Right now, it was linked to three, enough to hold the conference.
If Jinbe, Crocodile, or Law wanted to speak, they would have to press the button on their respective Den Den Mushi.
Davy Jones sat at the head of the table, Crocodile to one side.
The seat opposite Crocodile—Jinbe's—was empty.
Alvida, Hachi, and Polly sat along both sides.
Crocodile eyed Davy Jones curiously, unsure of why the captain had suddenly called a full executive meeting.
Davy Jones puffed leisurely on his pipe, showing no hurry to speak.
The sight made Crocodile crave a smoke himself; he pulled out a cigar and lit it.
The two old smokers filled the room with clouds of haze. The others, seeing this calm scene, gradually felt their earlier tension and unease fade away.
Alvida lifted her quill and began jotting notes.
Hachi counted the number of fingers on his hands.
Porche applied lipstick while staring into a small mirror.
No one on the Den Den Mushi dared to interrupt.
They all waited in silence.
At last, Davy Jones set down his pipe.
"The reason I've gathered all of you today is simple," he said.
"It's time we clearly defined the internal hierarchy of our crew."
Everyone was taken aback—so this was the purpose of the meeting.
But the more they thought about it, the more sense it made.
After all, they were now a Yonko crew—a Four Emperor crew.
It was only natural to formalize the chain of command and distribute merit accordingly.
Not only on Thriller Ghost Island but also on Black Pearl Island and Terror Ghost Island, the atmosphere fell into stunned silence.
What followed was a long discussion.
For the most part, the executives spoke and debated—yet Davy Jones always had the final word.
In the end, a six-tiered hierarchy was established.
At the very top of the pyramid sat Davy Jones himself—one of the Four Emperors, the Deep Sea King.
Beneath him was the Second Tier, named The Omens of Doom.
This level had only two top executives:
Crocodile, the Omen of the Desert, and
Jinbe, the Omen of the Surging Tide.
The Third Tier was named The Paradoxes.
Three members occupied this level:
Law, the Paradox of Surgery,
Alvida, the Paradox of Smoothness, and
Kuro, the Paradox of Claws.
The Fourth Tier was called The Curses—
the largest group of high-ranking officers, totaling twelve:
Kidd, the Curse of Magnetism
Buggy, the Curse of Division
Drake, the Curse of the Dragon-Beast
Hawkins, the Curse of Straw
Bonney, the Curse of Distortion
Perona, the Curse of Ghosts
Apoo, the Curse of Music
Hachi, the Curse of Six Blades
Killer, the Curse of the Scythe
Capone Bege, the Curse of the Fortress
Mikita, the Curse of Weight
Porche, the Curse of Pollen
The Fifth Tier was the Followers—
no senior officers here, but it included Aladine, Madam Shyarly, Dan, and many ordinary pirates.
The Sixth Tier was called The Beasts of Evil.
This rank included:
Kraken, the Evil Beast of the Deep,
Momoo, the Evil Sea Cow,and numerous other sea monsters roaming along the "Undersea Route."
And thus, the Davy Jones Pirates' Yonko-era structure was formally established.
Everyone was quite satisfied with this power structure.
After all, it was already how things had been in practice—the meeting merely made it official.
Besides, these ranks weren't permanent.
Accumulate enough achievements, and you could climb higher;commit grave mistakes, and you'd fall.
To rise to the second tier—The Omens of Doom—was extraordinarily difficult.
But reaching the next level, The Paradoxes, was possible through effort.
Law, Alvida, and Kuro all felt a sudden sense of pressure.
Their initial pride quickly faded.
Alvida was relatively safe—her only close rivals were Hachi and Polly.
Hachi didn't care much either way; he was the "go-with-the-flow" type.
Porche, meanwhile, had the lowest bounty and weakest combat strength among the officers, and posed little threat to Alvida for now.
But for Law and Kuro, things were different.
Each commanded two islands filled with elites and strong fighters.
Among their subordinates were veterans like Buggy, Perona, and Mikita, as well as newcomers from the Supernova generation.
Most of them had once been captains themselves.
The only reasons they weren't in the Paradox tier yet were their strength and lack of seniority.
Once they gained both, they would pose a real threat to Law and Kuro's positions.
Kuro's earlier anxieties were about to come true.
When these subordinates regained their confidence and ambition, internal rivalry within the crew would become inevitable.
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