CHAPTER 199: CHAPTER 199: FOCUS, OBTAIN THE SUN FRUIT!

Chapter 199: Focus, Obtain the Sun Fruit!

---

After a moment of silence, Charlotte Linlin returned to her chambers without another word.

She no longer had the patience to deal with Perospero or Pekoms. The looming threat of the Dragon Hunter Pirates gnawed at her instincts, and something about it felt... off.

Of course, Baron Tamago was completely ignored—as if he never existed.

Perospero wisely chose not to mention his missing men, or the dessert that never made it back from Fishman Island. One word too many, and Big Mom might have acted on impulse.

So, for now, he kept his mouth shut.

Back in her lavish bedroom, Charlotte Linlin sank onto her bed, the air unusually quiet.

A small chest, no larger than a suitcase, stepped forward on its tiny legs—an oddity, even by Whole Cake Island’s standards. It stopped by the bedside and popped open, revealing a Den Den Mushi inside.

She stared at it for a long moment.

"...It’s been a while," she murmured. "I wonder if he’ll even answer..."

The madness that usually clouded her gaze faded for a second—replaced by an unexpected flicker of nostalgia.

She picked up the receiver.

"Peruru Peruru"

The call connected.

"Linlin?"

The deep, aged voice of Whitebeard came through. Calm. Measured.

If anyone else had heard him refer to Big Mom so casually, they’d have fallen over in shock. While they were once part of the same crew under Rocks, decades had passed. They’d fought over territory. Challenged each other’s power. And since becoming Emperors, there hadn’t been any friendly reunions.

"Newgate," Linlin said sharply, "You’ve got a good relationship with the Dragon Hunter Pirates, right?"

"What’re they planning?"

Whitebeard chuckled, just a bit.

"Didn’t expect you to call about them," he said. "But I won’t lie—they’re a wild bunch. Strong, too."

He paused.

"But I gave Ryuunosuke my word. I won’t interfere with whatever they’re planning."

Ace had brought him the message directly, and Whitebeard, though puzzled at the time, agreed. The Dragon Hunter Pirates had helped them more than once. Trust had been built.

"So you do know why he’s targeting me?"

"Tell me, Newgate."

Charlotte Linlin’s tone was sharper now. She hated being kept in the dark—especially when her territory was involved.

Whitebeard sighed.

"I don’t," he said. "Since I chose to stay out of it, I didn’t ask. But as a former crewmate, here’s my advice—"

"Ryuunosuke... is stronger than you think."

The line went quiet.

---

Although she hadn’t gotten any useful intel, Whitebeard’s solemn tone lingered in her mind.

And that unsettled her more than anything.

Still, Charlotte Linlin wasn’t the type to sit around fretting. She was a Yonko—a ruler of the seas. If Ryuunosuke wanted war, she would give him one. But not blindly.

She began mobilizing her forces. She also contacted Morgans, the king of underground news, and paid top berry to retrieve every last piece of information on Ryuunosuke and the Dragon Hunter Pirates.

The cost? Irrelevant.

Not long after, Morgans received another unexpected call.

This time—from Whitebeard.

And he wanted the same thing.

"Why the hell is everyone after intel on Ryuunosuke lately?" Morgans muttered.

"He was just on Fishman Island... What happened?"

But the truth clicked in his mind almost immediately.

He wasn’t a journalist for nothing.

"The Dragon Hunter Pirates are targeting Big Mom," Whitebeard confirmed coldly. "That’s your payment. Now feed me intel on Ryuunosuke’s movements, or I’ll find you myself."

Then the line cut.

Morgans sat back, stunned.

So it’s true... They’re going after Charlotte Linlin.

Both Big Mom and Whitebeard had called within the same day. That alone confirmed the scale of the situation.

With lightning speed, Morgans began rearranging his network, focusing all resources on tracking the Dragon Hunter Pirates.

Wherever Ryuunosuke went, chaos—and news—followed.

Within the hour, intelligence reports flooded his desk. Many were already outdated.

Most of the crew were unknowns—even their origins were unclear.

Aside from Ryuunosuke, whose roots could barely be traced back to a small village in the East Blue... the rest were phantoms.

No backgrounds. No clear bounty history. No past affiliations.

Even Ryuunosuke’s rise made no sense. Two years ago, he was nobody.

And now?

Now, he was the name on every emperor’s lips.

Morgans rubbed his temple in frustration. "This guy is a walking headline machine."

---

Back aboard the Extremely Evil Warship...

Ryuunosuke had just finished his daily training and collapsed onto a recliner, enjoying the breeze.

Ding!

"Congratulations, Host. You’ve received +1000 Reputation Points."

Ding!

"Congratulations, Host. You’ve received +1000 Reputation Points."

The system alerts chimed one after another.

Ryuunosuke blinked in confusion.

"...What did we do this time?"

He opened the interface—and paused.

The names flashing across the reputation log:

Charlotte Linlin. Edward Newgate. Morgans.

All of them were watching him.

He couldn’t help but laugh.

Are these people paranoid or what?

Still, the result was clear: high-level attention equaled high-reward. Just by existing in the minds of powerful figures, he was gaining reputation.

It was a discovery worth remembering.

Forget small-time kingdoms. Their reputation yields were pathetic, and their strategic value was close to zero.

No... From now on, it’s the big fish.

---

"System," Ryuunosuke said, stretching. "Open the special Devil Fruit reward box. The one I got after becoming Joy Boy."

He had nearly forgotten it amidst all the chaos.

Ding!

"Congratulations, Host. You have obtained—

The Sun Fruit!"

A glowing Devil Fruit materialized in his hand, its surface pulsing with faint heat like a warm summer afternoon.

Ryuunosuke’s eyes widened.

Sun Fruit.

Now he had both Sun and Moonlight.

His thoughts jumped instantly—this wasn’t just a powerful fruit. It was the potential key to creating a monster.

No...

A god-tier powerhouse for the Dragon Hunter Pirates.

SSS potential.

He looked across the deck.

There, faithfully serving tea and water under the sun, stood Escanor.

A grin stretched across Ryuunosuke’s face.

Perfect.

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