Chapter 64: The Greatest Problem of Whole Cake Island

But when there’s no danger, Auntie is the greatest danger of all.

When her hunger sickness strikes, she doesn’t recognize even her own kin.

It’s said several of her children were killed—or eaten—by her.

Yitian Zhang Jie stepped forward again to point out the greatest danger of Whole Cake Island.

Auntie rarely leaves the main island, and her outbursts usually only happen on Cake Island.

If you’re afraid of being killed by stray battle waves, just live farther away—it’s perfectly safe.

As long as you don’t register your household registration on Cake Island, you’re fine.

Tianlong Zhang Jie offered a simple, easy solution.

If you know there’s a tiger in the mountain, why not just avoid going there?

Even if you actually live on Cake Island, your survival rate is still quite high.

When Auntie has an episode, the Big Mom Pirates try to stop her.

Her sons, especially Carrot, are genuinely responsible—they’re always the first to step in.

And most of the time, Auntie’s rampages only destroy buildings.

Casualties are minimal—it’s basically like a natural disaster.

Plus, treat her outbursts like an occasional escape room challenge; otherwise, living a life of endless food and leisure is awfully boring.

The pirate Zhang Jie, who had lived in Whole Cake Island for over a decade, spoke from experience.

Over those years, Auntie’s hunger sickness had struck many times,

but each time it was contained by the Big Mom Pirates’ ministers, led by Carrot,

and never caused major damage to Cake Island.

Even ordinary people, as long as they’re smart and stay away from Auntie’s mouth, generally face little danger.

“Another point: when Auntie goes berserk on Cake Island,

that place is essentially the core of Whole Cake Island—ordinary people simply aren’t worthy to live there.”

Shuihu Zhang Jie added another point.

Just like in the 21st century, how many ordinary people live inside Beijing’s Second Ring Road?

“During tea parties, the children on Cake Island dare go straight up to the eldest son and ask for candy.

The eldest son just hands out a handful—Big Mom’s Whole Cake Island truly wins the people’s hearts.”

Mentioning Carrot and other Big Mom Pirates officers, Tianlong Zhang Jie sighed.

Compared to other pirates who routinely massacre entire cities and nations, the Big Mom Pirates are truly a breath of fresh air.

At least within Whole Cake Island, they are.

“But doesn’t Brook’s life seem pretty awful?”

Yitian Zhang Jie found yet another negative example.

Charlotte Brook is a hybrid child of Charlotte Linlin and the Three-Eyed Race, born with three eyes.

As a child, she was often bullied by other kids for her extra eye,

and even despised by her mother, Charlotte Linlin, who made her cover it with her bangs.

Brook would stab those who mocked her with knives.

This shaped her twisted, insecure personality, making her believe her third eye was ugly.

“The emperor’s family suffers the most—there are countless cases of older brothers killing younger ones. What does that prove?

Whether an emperor is good or not isn’t judged by whether his older brother kills his younger brother, but by how well he governs.”

Shuihu Zhang Jie shrugged—Big Mom’s family is still different from ordinary citizens.

“Eating a Devil Fruit, ruling an island—isn’t that life good enough?

Brook is the ruler of an island, and one deeply loved by the people.

She was bullied only by some peers and disliked by Auntie,

but Carrot never bullied her—when she disobeyed, he just slapped her.

It’s like being an unpopular prince or princess in ancient times—still better than most people.

Carrot too: no one in his family bullied him; he was mocked as a child on a pirate island,

but he didn’t care—he beat up anyone who laughed. Later, after Brook was disfigured, she became more composed.”

Tianlong Zhang Jie countered Yitian Zhang Jie with facts.

“Brook is a Paramecia-type Memory Memory Fruit user,

capable of reading, extracting, replacing, and altering the memories of any target.”

The pirate Zhang Jie spoke softly.

He had no idea how desperately he’d longed for a powerful Devil Fruit months ago, after awakening his memories and realizing he was in the One Piece world.

But Devil Fruits are incredibly rare and precious.

Even the most basic one sells for at least 100 million Berries.

His savings still fall short by a wide margin—about 99 million Berries away.

And even if you have the money, Devil Fruits are simply not for sale!

According to current One Piece lore, the only known entities that have ever auctioned Devil Fruits are the Donquixote Family (Mr. Smile’s family) and the auction house on Sabaody Archipelago.

Mr. Smile, as a major underground intermediary, has sold Devil Fruits multiple times through auctions,

including the Gura Gura no Mi and the Mera Mera no Mi.

Most of his subordinates are Devil Fruit users.

The Donquixote Family also mass-produced artificial Devil Fruits (SMILE) and traded them extensively with Emperor Kaido.

The Sabaody auction house once auctioned the Devil Fruit consumed by Gol D. Roger before his death,

drawing major figures like the Five Elders, Red-Haired Shanks, and Katakuri.

In the end, the Five Elders won it for 5 billion Berries.

In over a thousand chapters of the story, these are the only two confirmed cases of Devil Fruit auctions.

Don’t be fooled by the abundance of Devil Fruit users in the manga—

it’s as false as claiming that the world’s top hundred families are all billionaires.

The best chance for an ordinary person is to pray for insane luck, like Enel and others, and find a Devil Fruit by chance.

“Alright, you’re right.”

Yitian Zhang Jie realized—yes, the pirate Zhang Jie’s logic made sense.

It was like an ancient peasant sympathizing with royal heirs—just inviting unnecessary trouble.

“The greatest problem of Whole Cake Island isn’t Auntie’s hunger sickness.

It’s what happens when she dies. She’s already over sixty.

According to the setting, Marine Admirals and Yonko-level Qiangzhe live at most around a hundred years.

That means, if someone plans to travel here and live out their days in Whole Cake Island, they won’t even live long enough to die of old age.”

Tianlong Zhang Jie pointed out a matter of Whole Cake Island’s survival.

“Exactly. Whole Cake Island’s extraordinary productivity depends entirely on the Homies created by Auntie’s Soul-Soul Fruit.

If Auntie dies, the Soul-Soul Fruit will randomly rebirth somewhere in the world,

and Whole Cake Island will collapse instantly, like a building with its central pillar removed.”

The pirate Zhang Jie nodded in agreement.

After awakening his memories, he hadn’t just idled away his time—he began training.

Not only because he wanted to explore this fantastical world,

but also because he knew the utopian Whole Cake Island would collapse after Auntie’s death.

He didn’t want to be killed by some random pirate at forty or fifty.

“Can’t Auntie absorb others’ lifespans to extend her own?

If the Soul-Soul Fruit can freely steal lifespans,

shouldn’t it be able to grant a little extra life to its user?

Even if ordinary people’s lifespans are negligible to someone as powerful as Auntie,

the people under her protection would surely be willing to give theirs.”

Yitian Zhang Jie posed a seemingly feasible question.

“No.” Shuihu Zhang Jie shook his head:

“According to known plotlines, the only Devil Fruit capable of significantly extending life—or achieving immortality—is the awakened Surgical Fruit.

Even if Auntie’s Soul-Soul Fruit can slightly prolong life, it cannot extend it indefinitely.

In other words, in another thirty or fifty years, Auntie will inevitably die.”

“What sustains Whole Cake Island’s productivity isn’t Auntie herself, but her Soul-Soul Fruit.

So all we need to do is inherit the Soul-Soul Fruit after her death.”

Even the immortal Devil Fruit is only the awakened Surgical Fruit.

Big Mom’s Soul-Soul Fruit, even if it can extend life to some degree, should not be able to extend it indefinitely.

That is to say, in another thirty or fifty years, Big Mom will eventually die.

What is needed to sustain the productivity of the Ten Thousand Nations is not Big Mom herself, but her Soul-Soul Fruit.

Then, all that is needed is to inherit the Soul-Soul Fruit after her death.

Zhang Jie of Water Margin continued speaking.

“That makes sense.”

The other Zhang Jies nodded slightly.

The reason the Thousand Nations rely on Big Mom is that she controls the two vital lifelines of the Thousand Nations:

First, Big Mom’s Four Emperor-level combat power.

In the chaotic pirate world, without strength, there can be no peaceful life.

Without Big Mom as a nuclear deterrent to keep the world in check, not to mention the Marines and the World Government,

Kaido, that war-mad man, would certainly seize the chance to launch a massive war.

The second is the Soul-Soul Fruit, the foundation of productivity.

It is another pillar ensuring the happiness of the Thousand Nations’ people.

Without the Soul-Soul Fruit, there would be no ultra-high productivity,

nor any reason for Big Mom’s Pirate Crew to protect the people of the Thousand Nations.

Big Mom established the Thousand Nations partly because she dreamed of a land where all races coexist peacefully and live happily,

and partly because the people of the Thousand Nations are her taxpayers, supplying her with lifespan.

Without the Soul-Soul Fruit, there would be no more lifespan provided by the people to Big Mom,

nor the contract by which Big Mom protects them and ensures their happiness.

Without the contract, the Charlotte Family would have no duty to protect the Thousand Nations.

Only when rights and obligations are balanced can the Thousand Nations continue to function.

One-sided sacrifice cannot last.

Even if Kaido and the others are inherently kind and responsible, willing to protect the Thousand Nations,

how many years could such kindness and sense of duty last?

Ten years? Twenty years?

Kindness and responsibility will eventually be exhausted.