One Piece: The Strongest Female Pirate Crews

Charlotte Linlin had finally stopped resisting and accepted her fate. Even if Katakuri and the others still had other thoughts, they could only obediently prepare.

Since no one had ever imagined that Charlotte Linlin would leave the family one day, naturally, no one had ever packed luggage for Big Mom. For a while, Cake Island was in chaos. Katakuri and the others wished they could pack up everything on Cake Island and let Charlotte Linlin take it all.

"Only take what's necessary. The rest isn't needed," Kuke said with a frown.

The supplies in front of him were piling up into a small mountain.

"What is this? I've agreed to go with you, and I can't even bring my luggage?" Linlin, who was sitting on the ground sulking, looked at Kuke, her face full of indignation.

"That's the captain's order."

Charlotte Linlin fell silent. She ground her teeth in frustration, making them creak. Reluctantly, she picked out the essentials from the piles of supplies.

Finally, about two or three tons of items were selected. Katakuri and the rest, Linlin's children, carried the supplies with mournful expressions, following behind their mother, who also looked dispirited. Linlin, however, clung tightly to a single photograph. Everything else could be left behind, but this picture was non-negotiable. It was a photo of Mother Carmel.

Kuke glanced at the photograph in Linlin's arms, and Linlin immediately tightened her grip, hiding it in her chest.

"Even if you're the captain, you can't take this photo from me. I'd rather die than board that ship without it."

The photo of Mother Carmel was Linlin's lifeline. Kuke looked thoughtfully at the panicked Linlin and the photograph she was clutching.

He frowned slightly. The original story hadn't revealed much about Linlin. There seemed to be a deep secret between her and the nun, but what exactly it was remained unclear.

"I'll figure it out eventually," Kuke mused, curious about the secrets Linlin might be hiding.

The procession moved on: Kuke in the lead, Linlin behind him, and then a seemingly endless line of pirates walking with their heads bowed, sending off their former captain and leader. The atmosphere was somber. The short few kilometers felt like hell for Katakuri and his siblings—the hardest distance they'd ever walked in their lives.

"We're here."

At the harbor, the Radiant Eclipse ship had already lowered its boarding ramp. The crew disembarked, welcoming their captain, Kuke. Their eyes were wide as they watched Kuke approach with Linlin, who looked back at Cake Island with every step she took.

They had known this was coming, but seeing Kuke bring along Charlotte Linlin—the same Big Mom who had ruled the seas for decades—to join them was still shocking. Even after following Kuke for so long, they had never imagined they would one day have an emperor of the sea as a crewmate. The sight felt utterly surreal.

"Right on time. Makino, are the snacks ready?" Kuke asked, checking the time. It was exactly 3:30 PM, not a minute more or less.

"Captain, they're ready." Makino, who hadn't disembarked, leaned on the railing in her apron, looking very much like the ship's cook.

"Snacks?" The zombie-like Linlin suddenly perked up, her eyes lighting up as she said, "I want some too!"

Everyone was speechless, especially Katakuri and his siblings. Here they were, so sorrowful at their mother's departure, and yet, all she could think about was food.

"Linlin, your gluttonous nature really hasn't changed at all." Shakky teased, then sighed. "After the Rocks Pirates disbanded, I never imagined we'd become crewmates again one day. Fate really works in mysterious ways."

"Hmph." Linlin snorted, but her mood seemed to improve a little. At least there was an old acquaintance like Shakky on board. The bitterness in her heart eased a bit.

"Mama," Smoogie and the others looked conflicted, unsure how to welcome their mother as a new crew member. Seeing their hesitation, Linlin's mood, which had just gotten a little better, soured again. It felt strange. She was now on the same level as her daughters as a crew member. The more she thought about it, the angrier and more frustrated she became, and the hungrier she felt.

She hesitated, struggling to take her first step up the boarding ramp. If she took that step, she knew she would no longer be an emperor of the sea, no longer one of the Four Emperors, no longer the leader of the Big Mom Pirates or the ruler of Totto Land. Her dreams and ambitions would fade away. From now on, she would be a member of the Sun and Moon Pirates, and everything would revolve around the captain and his dreams.

This shift in mentality was difficult for Linlin, a once-great ruler, to accept. She stood in conflict for almost a full minute.

Maybe I should run away, she thought. Just like Kaido, leave behind her old life and flee?

But then she felt Kuke's gaze upon her from aboard the ship, and her heart skipped a beat. She lifted her right foot, and with a loud thud, she stepped onto the ramp.

The first step was the hardest. The second step came easier as Linlin grasped the railing and climbed up, one step at a time, onto the Radiant Eclipse. The planks groaned under her weight. Kuke watched as Linlin, who almost completely blocked the broad gangway, struggled to board the ship.

A thought crossed his mind. "The first thing Charlotte Linlin needs to do after boarding is not any task or duty—she needs to change her image. She's bringing down the Sun and Moon Pirates' reputation."

Kuke averted his gaze from Linlin. They were about to have afternoon tea, and he didn't want to ruin his appetite. He needed to change Linlin's image—that was certain. Among the members of the Sun and Moon Pirates, excluding Hancock's sisters, each one had an appearance score of over ninety out of a hundred. On average, they were the best-looking crew on the seas, making Kuke the envy of many men.

But now, with Charlotte Linlin joining them, their collective score had dropped considerably.

"Young Charlotte Linlin wasn't bad at all," Kuke remembered. The original story had shown a younger version of Linlin, and she was nothing like she was now—completely different.

"Navy Officer Ain—I wonder if she still has the Rejuvenation Fruit?" Kuke pondered. The Rejuvenation Fruit could turn someone twelve years younger, and repeated use could return Linlin to her younger self.

"First, we'll use the Rejuvenation Fruit to temporarily restore Linlin's appearance, and then when Betty's abilities reach the level of performing the Immortality Surgery, we can make the changes permanent," Kuke thought, already having a plan in mind.

There was hope, and that was enough. For now, he would endure. He would completely tame Charlotte Linlin first, making her genuinely see herself as part of the Sun and Moon Pirates. Until she reached that point, she wouldn't earn the right to receive the benefits of the Immortality Surgery.

Half an hour after the battle had ended, Morgans, who had been hiding in the shadows, watched in awe as Charlotte Linlin boarded the Radiant Eclipse, his eyes fixed on the departing ship.

"The Emperor, Charlotte Linlin, really joined the Radiant Eclipse?" News King Morgans was deeply shaken. He had known that Kuke would win, but making Linlin willingly abide by the wager was no simple task. Compared to losing face or being scorned by the world for breaking a promise, becoming someone else's subordinate and losing her freedom was far worse. As long as there was a sliver of hope, no one would willingly accept that.

"This is real news—bigger than the Wano Country story," Morgans yelled, unable to contain his excitement. With a hoarse voice, he instructed the Den Den Mushi on the other end to spread the news across the seas as fast as possible.

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DONT FORGET POWER STONE 

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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up 40+ chapters at patreon.com/Emik01.

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