CHAPTER 33

Yepi's face remained calm, but his eyes flickered as if he had made a decision. Just as he was about to speak, something unexpected occurred.

A dark shadow appeared in the sky, weightless yet plummeting at an alarming speed.

Boom!

With a deafening crash, the shadow slammed into the ground, sending a thick cloud of dust into the air.

As the dust settled, the figure came into view—a massive raptor, its feathers jet-black, resembling an oversized crow.

Yepi's expression changed drastically. "How is this possible?" he muttered, his voice tinged with disbelief.

Charlotte Linlin observed the scene carefully. Seeing Yepi's reaction, she felt a small sense of relief—things might be turning in her favor after all.

The raptor that had crashed into the ground remained shockingly intact. Apart from a few scattered feathers, its body showed no signs of damage.

Impressive.

Suddenly, a booming voice echoed through the area.

"Boss! Ivan has been found!"

Beta's powerful voice rumbled like thunder, growing louder as he approached.

To Charlotte, his voice had never sounded so pleasant. For the first time, she thought Beta's loud, brash tone had a certain charm.

Weird.

Moments later, two figures came into view, growing larger as they closed the distance.

At a glance, Charlotte saw Beta carrying Ivan on his shoulders, while Douglas Barrett strode beside him, gripping another figure in his hand—a ragged, unconscious man who looked half-dead.

"Ivan, are you alright?"

Beta set him down, and Ivan landed steadily on his feet. His eyes were red with shame.

"I'm sorry, Boss," he said hoarsely. "I was careless. I caused you trouble."

Guilt weighed heavily on him. He despised his own weakness.

Charlotte stepped forward and placed a reassuring hand on Ivan's shoulder.

"We're family, Ivan. As long as you're safe, that's all that matters."

Ivan's throat tightened. His nose burned, and tears welled in his eyes.

"Boss..."

Charlotte noticed his trembling expression and quickly changed the subject.

"Alright, men. Stay strong."

Ivan nodded firmly, biting his lip to suppress his emotions. The sight was strangely comical.

"Boss, these guys were tricky," Beta said, his voice tinged with frustration. "They were using birds to hide in the sky."

Xia Luo, standing nearby, raised an eyebrow. "So they actually deployed aerial tactics? Hmph. Seems like a strategy worth considering in the future."

Beta puffed up his chest. "Boss, I had a feeling they were hiding up there, so I checked—and I was right!"

Charlotte gave him an approving nod, but Barrett scoffed.

"If it weren't for the boss's judgment, you wouldn't have figured it out."

Beta rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Well... that's true. The boss is first, I'm second."

Regaining his composure, Ivan reported, "Boss, I checked the Wang Zhi Pirates. There's no record of Yepi in their ranks. He's not one of them."

Charlotte's expression darkened. So, this guy had been deceiving them all along.

How irritating.

Even as a pirate, trouble seemed to find her. She hadn't even made a move, yet someone was already targeting her.

Meanwhile, Yepi, who was now drenched in cold sweat, felt a suffocating pressure settle over him. He wanted to run—but an invisible force seemed to lock onto him.

If he ran, he would die.

Charlotte's gaze fell upon him, cold and merciless.

"Yepi, I'm sorry, but I'm afraid we won't be cooperating."

Despite her calm tone, it sent a chill down his spine, as if he were staring into the abyss.

It was the same feeling as standing before a monstrous beast, one that exuded pure, unfiltered killing intent.

Before he could even beg for his life, a pair of hands clamped around his throat.

Charlotte had no patience for deception. She activated her mind-reading ability, delving into Yepi's thoughts.

She wanted to know who had set their sights on her.

In an instant, she absorbed his memories—then ended him without hesitation.

"The Knights Guild?" she muttered.

It was the first time she had heard of them.

However, their connection to the infamous Knights of God was clear.

Unlike the Celestial Dragons' elite enforcers, this was an organization of aristocrats who idolized the Knights of God, attempting to mimic their influence and prestige.

But instead of divine power, they were nothing more than corrupt nobles playing at being warriors, reveling in their delusions of grandeur.

Disgusting.

Their existence was beneath contempt.

A pack of scheming, power-hungry nobles, hiding in the shadows, indulging in twisted fantasies of superiority.

However, their financial backing was undeniable—and that made them dangerous.

If they had the audacity to attack someone aligned with the Flying Pirates, their arrogance was beyond reason.

Troublesome.

Charlotte's eyes flashed. From Yepi's memories, she had discovered the location of one of their hidden outposts—on an island not far from Lati.

A plan formed in her mind.

She walked over to Barrett, placing a hand on his shoulder, transferring the necessary information.

"Kill him."

Barrett grinned and executed the order without hesitation.

Charlotte, still feeling unsettled, took things a step further—she sank the entire island before leaving.

The sheer absurdity of the act left her crew speechless.

"Boss… be strict!" someone muttered in shock.

After they returned to Lati Island, everything appeared unchanged.

That night, however, Charlotte slipped away unnoticed—and returned the next day.

Strangely enough, she brought back an assortment of valuable treasures from an unknown source.

Ivan noticed but chose not to ask.

When Charlotte awoke later, she looked quite satisfied.

She couldn't yet challenge Golden Lion Shiki, but a bunch of overconfident aristocrats?

They were nothing.

No one had seen her. There was no evidence.

Who could possibly prove she did it?

Her greatest prize, however, sat before her—a Paramecia-class Devil Fruit.

The Tetsu Tetsu no Mi (Steel-Steel Fruit).

A superb ability.

It granted the user the power to transform parts of their body into steel, which, when combined with Busoshoku Haki, provided nearly unparalleled defense.

Charlotte examined it thoughtfully.

This would be perfect for Ivan.

Since his capture, Ivan had thrown himself into training, desperate to prove himself.

Though his determination was admirable, Charlotte worried he might push himself too far.

This Devil Fruit could be a shortcut—a way for him to grow stronger quickly while also preventing reckless overexertion.

She still believed in patience. Strength built too quickly often led to ruin.

But in Ivan's case, it would be compensation—for the time he had lost and the struggles he had endured.

And Charlotte always took care of her own.