Edo Tensei

Since that incident, Pudding never dared to play tricks in front of Kaguya again. Every time she saw Kaguya, she was as timid as a mouse facing a cat—trembling and barely daring to breathe.

The recent "punishment" from Kaguya had clearly left a deep psychological scar.

But a self-important little girl like her needed to be properly disciplined. Otherwise, she'd never learn her lesson.

Besides, Kaguya absolutely hated those who tried to scheme against her.

Trying to outplay her—did she look like an idiot?

After leaving the New World, Kaguya didn't return to Marine Headquarters right away. After all, she had looted a massive amount of wealth from Big Mom. Returning to HQ now? That'd be asking to have it confiscated.

Let go of meat that's already in her mouth?

No way.

She stole it fair and square—why should she hand it over?

While Kaguya was sunbathing on the ship's deck, a Navy soldier came rushing over, saluted, and said, "Reporting, Inspector-sama! Fleet Admiral Sengoku is calling."

Upon seeing Kaguya's lazy demeanor, the soldier's face flushed, heart pounding. No wonder she was called the most beautiful woman in the world—she was stunning.

"That old man again? Ugh, so annoying. Doesn't he know I'm on vacation?" Kaguya sat up from the lounge chair with clear impatience. "Seriously... does old age bring menopause for men too?"

The soldier's expression turned awkward as he quickly handed her the Den Den Mushi.

Kaguya took the receiver. "Hey, what is it now?"

There was a brief silence before Sengoku's voice came through. "I'm not going through menopause."

Apparently, the Den Den Mushi had been active the whole time, and Kaguya's complaints had gone straight into Sengoku's ears.

"Ahem..." Kaguya cleared her throat and said, "You must've misheard."

"You brat. I'm not so old that I can't hear clearly anymore," Sengoku snapped.

"Debatable," Kaguya muttered.

"What was that?" Sengoku asked.

"See? Can't even hear me now. I'm telling you, you should really get checked out. If it's early-stage dementia or something, that'd be bad," Kaguya said with fake concern.

"You little brat!"

A roar came through the receiver, but Kaguya had already moved the Den Den Mushi far from her ear.

"This time I'm contacting you for something serious," Sengoku forced down his irritation, trying to stay calm. If he got mad every time, this girl would be the death of him.

"So what is it? Make it quick," Kaguya said lazily. "I haven't even eaten yet."

The Navy soldier beside her sweatdropped. Inspector-sama, you were just eating your favorite red bean dango a few minutes ago...

"This is about the Big Mom Pirates. You've made a great contribution, so the World Government plans to grant you a new rank."

Kaguya blinked and asked in surprise, "Huh? Old man, are you retiring or something?"

"Retire?" Sengoku was confused. "Who said I'm retiring?"

"If you don't retire, how can I become Fleet Admiral?" Kaguya said with a mischievous grin, covering her mouth.

Sengoku froze for a moment, then roared, "You little brat!"

"Hey hey, don't yell so loud—my ears are gonna go deaf," Kaguya grumbled, picking at her ear.

Sengoku felt his blood pressure spike. He took a deep breath to calm himself. If he got mad every time, this girl would drive him to an early grave.

"Hmph, this time the World Government plans to transfer you into the Navy as an Admiral. Originally, there were only three Admirals, so this is an exception."

"Huh? Admiral?" Kaguya looked disappointed. "Isn't that a demotion?"

"Don't get cocky, brat," Sengoku said angrily. "Your current position as World Inspector is only at the level of a colonel. Being promoted directly to Admiral is already a huge leap."

Kaguya nearly smashed the receiver. "Damn it! Those bastards at the World Government actually tricked me! I thought Inspector was some big-shot position!"

She was fuming.

Since becoming Inspector, she had been treated with respect and authority. Even someone as upright as Sengoku gave her face. She really believed Inspector was a high-ranking role. But now, learning it was only equivalent to a colonel—no wonder her monthly salary was so low. She had assumed it was due to budget cuts!

Now she realized—the World Government was basically getting free labor!

"This is actually for your own good. If they'd given you a high rank right from the start, others would've resented you, which would've been bad for you," Sengoku explained patiently. "Besides, you're now an Admiral. At your age, you've broken the record as the youngest Admiral in Navy history."

"As if I care. There's no benefit," Kaguya replied sourly.

"By the way, you looted a lot of wealth from Big Mom, right—"

"Huh? What's that? The signal's not too good," Kaguya said, smacking the receiver a few times as if it were faulty.

"I said, the treasure from the Big Mom Pirates—"

Before he could finish, Kaguya smacked the receiver a few more times. "Can't hear you. Signal's bad. Alright, I'll hang up now. We'll talk later. Bye!"

Click.

She hung up immediately, leaving the Navy soldier beside her drenched in cold sweat.

What a joke. After everything she went through, they still wanted to take her loot?

No chance.

Kaguya snorted.

Not a chance in hell.

Noticing the Navy soldier's expression, Kaguya turned her head and asked in a threatening tone, "So—what did you just hear?"

"Huh?" The soldier froze, but upon seeing Kaguya's "kind" smile, he wisely replied, "Must've been a magnetic interference issue. Signal got cut off. Didn't hear a thing."

"Mhm, good," Kaguya said, satisfied with his answer. "You may go."

"Yes, ma'am."

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, the soldier silently thanked the heavens for his quick thinking—otherwise, he might've been silenced on the spot by Inspector-sama.

The weather was clear, not a single cloud in the sky. The scorching heat baked the earth, and the air was bone-dry. As far as the eye could see, it was a desert of yellow sand, with only the occasional shrub providing the faintest hint of green.

In a deserted canyon, flanked by steep rocky walls weathered and eroded over time, the wind howled through the ravine, whipping up clouds of sand and dust.

Kaguya slowly walked into the canyon, glanced around, and murmured, "This seems like a decent spot."

With that, she waved her arm, and a stream of blue chakra shot out from her palm, piercing into the ground below.

Suddenly, a loud rumble echoed through the canyon. The ground trembled, and the sand bulged upward, as though something was about to burst forth.

When the sand settled, two massive coffins—each several meters tall—stood in plain sight, exuding an eerie aura.

Good thing coffins don't cost money, or this alone would've been expensive.

Kaguya looked at the coffins and couldn't help but mock inwardly. She raised her hand and snapped her fingers with a crisp snap.

"Come out, my little Pokémon."

With a heavy boom, the coffin lids fell away, sending up clouds of dust. From within, two figures emerged—one tall and muscular, with an upward-curling mustache and a giant blade in hand; the other rotund and grotesque, with a gaping, jagged maw that stood out grotesquely.

They were none other than Edward Weevil and—

Charlotte Linlin.

This was Kaguya's jutsu: Edo Tensei (Impure World Reincarnation).

The two of them stood dazed, looking around in confusion.

Weevil scratched his head, puzzled. "Where is this place? Mama? Where's Mama?"

"I died, didn't I? Why am I here?" Charlotte Linlin's eyes were filled with confusion—until she saw Kaguya. Her gaze narrowed. "It's you."

Kaguya approached with a soft smile. "Long time no see, Big Mom. How's life been in hell?"

"You damn brat! I'm going to tear you apart!" Charlotte Linlin's veins bulged on her forehead as she roared and charged toward Kaguya.

"Looks like you still haven't figured out the situation," Kaguya said with a smirk. "You're just a dead fathead fish. Do you really think you can still kill me like this?"

"What?"

Suddenly, Charlotte Linlin's body froze as if paralyzed. With a heavy thud, her massive form crashed to the ground, face-first like a clumsy beast.

"W-What's going on?" she said, stunned.

"Isn't it obvious?" Kaguya stepped forward and expertly stomped on her face, beaming. "You're already dead."

"Already... dead?" Charlotte Linlin's pupils shrank in shock.

"That's right," Kaguya said, wagging a finger. "You're nothing but a walking corpse now. Just a puppet of mine. Obey, or you won't even be allowed to stay dead."

"Don't mess with me!" Charlotte Linlin roared.

"I'm not joking. See for yourself," Kaguya said. "Eat dirt."

Charlotte Linlin's body shuddered. She suddenly dove into the sand, grabbed a handful, and began shoving it into her mouth, wolfing it down like a starving ghost reincarnated—like she hadn't eaten in centuries. She even crunched the rocks in the sand with crack crack sounds.

"I always thought you only liked sweets," Kaguya said with a smile. "But you seem to enjoy dirt too. Eat up, then."

Charlotte Linlin was filled with shock. Her body was completely out of her control—it no longer felt like her own.

It was her. It had to be her doing.

Charlotte tried to lift her head, but a simple movement she could once do without effort now felt like a mountain was pressing on her neck. She couldn't move at all.

"Delicious, isn't it?" Kaguya said, stepping on her head. "Eat like a good little dog."

Charlotte Linlin burned with humiliation. She had never suffered such degradation.

"Hmph." Kaguya snorted and gave her a powerful kick, sending her flying like a football. Boom! "From now on, I'm your master. You'd better show me some respect, or I have countless ways to torment you."

Compared to Charlotte, Whitebeard Jr. (Weevil) was much more obedient. He stood there silently, like a scolded schoolboy, not daring to speak.

Kaguya nodded with satisfaction—until Weevil opened his mouth. Then she kicked him too.

"M-Mama?"

"Mama, my ass. Shut up."

Weevil crawled out of the sand, looking aggrieved. "Mama, you've changed… You don't love me anymore."

"Love your ass!" Kaguya shouted, stomping on his head furiously. "I don't have a dumb son like you!"

Just as she was kicking Weevil repeatedly, Kaguya's ears twitched. She sensed something, stood up straight, and snapped her fingers with a sharp snap.

Charlotte Linlin and Weevil shuddered, then moved like zombies, slowly walking back into their coffins. The lids closed over them with a heavy thud, and with a rumbling sound, the coffins sank back into the ground.

Moments later, a group of people came rushing in, surrounding Kaguya. They held guns and clubs, all aimed at her—but when they saw her face, they froze.

A middle-aged man stepped forward and said solemnly, "Who are you? You don't look like you're from around here. What are you doing here?"

"Sorry," Kaguya replied, "I'm a traveler from another land. My ship had an accident and sank, so I ended up here. I got lost."

"I see." The man looked her over. She seemed like a delicate young girl, not someone dangerous, so he lowered his guard. "Sorry if we startled you. You're in the Kingdom of Alabasta."

"Kingdom of Alabasta?" Kaguya's eyes narrowed. So it really was here.

After setting sail, Kaguya hadn't returned to Marine Headquarters. She'd plundered so much, especially more than a dozen Devil Fruits—there was no way she'd let those bastards get a share. Besides, there was nothing waiting for her back there, so she'd just gone her own way.

But her navigation skills were terrible. After wandering who knows how long, she ended up in this desolate desert wasteland—only to find she had arrived in the Kingdom of Alabasta...

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