The following day, inside Whole Cake Chateau.
"Wedding! Wedding!"
"Drink me! I'm black tea!"
"I'm green tea!"
"I'm the tastiest! I'm Mille-feuille!"
"Please, sit! I'm a chair!"
A crowd of Homies hopped and danced in festive joy. The castle was bedecked with lanterns and streamers, the atmosphere bustling with extraordinary excitement.
Almost every Minister and officer of the Big Mom Pirates was gathered under one roof. The guest list featured names more famous than the last; consequently, Katakuri was in charge of security, while Perospero handled the reception.
Among the attendees were several Emperors of the Underworld: the President of the World Economy News Paper, "Big News" Morgans; the loan shark magnate of the Lu Feld Conglomerate, "God of Fortune" Lu Feld; the King of the Shipping Industry, "Deep-Sea Current" Umit; and the Queen of the Pleasure District, Stussy...
Even Germa 66, who had been in constant flirtation with Big Mom, was represented by Judge, who arrived in person. Furthermore, the presence of Tesoro, a man who usually spent his days secluded within Gran Tesoro, came as a genuine surprise to many.
While Tesoro's personal strength hadn't seen a massive leap, his influence had grown tremendously. His network of connections now touched every corner of the world: the World Government, the Marines, the Underworld, and the pirates... He had evolved into a massive behemoth within the New World.
The wedding itself was not particularly unusual; its significance lay in its implications. Jinbe, the "Knight of the Sea" and a former Warlord of the Sea, along with the Sun Pirates, had officially come under Big Mom's banner. This added considerable firepower to the already talent-rich Big Mom Pirates.
As the wedding reached its peak and the ceremony for Aladine and Praline concluded, Aeridar noticed a Chess Soldier scurrying up to Katakuri. The soldier looked up and whispered a few words.
Instantly, Aeridar saw Katakuri's brow furrow in annoyance. Katakuri gave a few brief instructions before waving the soldier away. Though curious, Aeridar had no intention of meddling in others' business.
Just then, the wedding cake Big Mom had been eagerly anticipating was served. Aeridar sampled a few slices before excusing himself, using the pretext of urgent business to leave the party early.
No one present, including Big Mom herself, found his early departure inappropriate. In fact, they took it as a matter of course.
Big Mom had learned the "truth" of the previous day's events from Katakuri. While she didn't believe Aeridar could truly stand against her when she was in her right mind, the fact that he could stall her during a Hunger Pang episode without losing ground proved his strength was second only to her own.
Combined with his supersonic flight and teleportation abilities, he was someone no one could hope to detain. Big Mom viewed Aeridar as a powerhouse on her level; thus, his early exit caused no offense. It was akin to the daughter of the President of the United States getting married; if the President of Russia attended but left early, no one would complain, his status alone commanded that respect.
…
Time flew by like a "white stallion leaping across a gap," and several months passed in the blink of an eye since Big Mom's Tea Party.
The intervening months were far from quiet. The Marine World Military Draft was proceeding in an orderly fashion. Blackbeard Teach continued to aggressively annex the former territories of the Whitebeard Pirates. To contest those same lands, Kaido of the Beasts, Big Mom, and Red-Haired Shanks frequently clashed in skirmishes.
What interested Aeridar most, however, was an event that occurred shortly after he left Whole Cake Island.
One of the Supernovas of the "Worst Generation," Eustass "Captain" Kid, led the Kid Pirates on a mistaken intrusion into Big Mom's territory. They were immediately intercepted by the officers of the Big Mom Pirates.
Unexpectedly, Kid managed to defeat several officers in a row. His arrogance soared as he pushed deep into the heart of Totto Land. His rampage finally forced one of the Four Sweet Commanders, Charlotte Snack, to take action. Leading a "Command of Vengeance," Snack crushed the Kid Pirates and took Eustass Kid's left arm as a trophy.
When this news broke, it served as a sobering blow to the arrogant Supernovas in the New World. While they weren't necessarily cowed, they certainly became more cautious.
Following this, "Roar of the Sea" Scratchmen Apoo also challenged Big Mom. Like Kid, he never even saw Big Mom's face before being driven out by her subordinates. He fared slightly better than Kid, however, as he escaped with all his limbs intact. This wasn't because Apoo was stronger than Kid, but because he hadn't ventured as deep into Totto Land and had the luck to make a narrow escape.
Among the Eleven Supernovas, excluding Luffy, Zoro, and the Marine-hunted Jewelry Bonney, only four were truly making waves in the New World.
With Captain Kid, "Massacre Soldier" Killer, and Scratchmen Apoo all suffering consecutive defeats, the newly arrived Supernovas finally felt the true terror of the Yonko.
Of course, there were those who still dared to test their luck. X Drake, for instance, confronted the subordinates of Kaido on a winter island. The details were murky, but it was rumored he encountered one of the Calamities. The next news to surface was that Drake had joined the Beast Pirates.
Then there was "Gang" Capone Bege. He also challenged Big Mom, but unlike Kid and Apoo, he realized he was outmatched and decisively surrendered, throwing his lot in with her.
Big Mom was pleased with Bege's submission. While these Supernovas weren't strong enough yet, they possessed potential. Big Mom even planned to select a suitable woman from the Charlotte family to marry him; after all, the Big Mom Pirates were a crew built on the core of family and the bond of blood.
…
Meanwhile, despite the ongoing Military Draft, the Marines were far from idle. G-1 Branch was constantly deploying troops to blockade the entrance to the New World, intercepting pirates who successfully transitioned from Fish-Man Island.
Recently, a rising star had emerged from the G-5 Branch, the Marines' "nail" driven into the New World: "White Chase" Smoker!
In a single battle, he crushed three pirate crews and five ships, all veteran crews of the New World. His status as a Logia user combined with this feat caused the name of "White Chase" to spread far and wide.
Additionally, Aeridar received word that Marine Headquarters was preparing to relocate to the New World. It was rumored that the Gorosei, in order to face the tides of the New Age, were very much in favor of Sakazuki's proposal to swap the locations of Marine Headquarters and the G-1 Branch.
At the same time, Aeridar obtained a crucial piece of information. A year had passed since the Paramount War. The remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates, led by Marco the Phoenix, had finally broken their long silence.
A massive fleet of dozens of ships, the Whitebeard Pirate Fleet, had appeared before the world once more. Their target was none other than the Blackbeard Pirates, who were currently plundering their former lands.
The death of Fourth Division Commander Thatch, the death of "Pops" Whitebeard, and even the death of "Fire Fist" Ace... whether direct or indirect, the blood feud between the Whitebeard Pirates and Blackbeard Teach was irreconcilable. This hatred could only be washed away when the last drop of blood was spilled from one side or the other.