Shano was naturally unaware of the commotion at the dock.
At that moment, he was sitting in a pig cart, admiring the idyllic scenery outside the window.
His impression from his previous life had been correct.
Setting aside the cost of his soul and lifespan, one had to admit that the Wan Kingdom truly felt like a fairytale land.
Beautiful scenery, abundant and stable. No worries about food shortages, no threat from pirates—on this land, all races lived together as equals.
Of course...
It wasn't just food that was plentiful; there was also wool provided by the Charlotte Family.
By now, his technique had reached such perfection that he often didn't even need to reach out with his hands. He simply released wisps of flowing domineering aura, like ghostly fingers, to snatch items from his targets.
He could walk across the red carpet without a single leaf touching him.
Unless a powerful individual of equal strength was present and fully alert, he was nearly impossible to detect.
[You sacrificed Du Feld's collar flower, earning 300 points.]
[You sacrificed Issho's dice cup, earning 2800 points.]
[You sacrificed Charlotte Cracker's sword, "Pretzel," earning 1500 points.]
[You sacrificed Charlotte Custard's...]
He'd already looted some of those Charlotte children—whose names he couldn't even remember—when he first arrived in the New World.
But he couldn't tell which ones he'd already robbed and which he hadn't.
So he just went after all of them—leaving no one behind. All in all, the accumulated points had yielded a full 2,000.
Adding in Issho's and Cracker's, he'd earned a total of 6,600 points, bringing his remaining points to 64,200.
Once the tea party started, he'd loot Charlotte Linlin and the rest of the Underworld Emperors—his total would surely surpass 70,000.
Next time, I can go shopping again! Shano, feeling pleased, casually closed the system panel.
Meanwhile—
The pig cart sped along, and before long, they finally arrived at Cake Castle.
Cake Castle, as its name suggested,
towered into the sky, its entire structure dripping with pink cream and chocolate, resembling a massive, multi-layered birthday cake.
Is it a real cake? Is it edible?
The more Bonnie looked at it, the hungrier she felt, saliva dripping as she imagined devouring the entire structure.
Fortunately, dinner was already prepared, and Perospero, the eldest son of the Charlotte Family, was waiting at the gate. He bowed and led everyone to their seats with refined decorum.
There were many empty guest rooms above the castle.
However, not all guests attending the tea party were allowed to stay in the castle.
Those housed here were generally the highest-ranking VIPs—
Naturally, that included the Emperors of the Underworld.
Most of them had already been informed of Shano's arrival and were waiting behind the windows, watching the pig cart passengers through the glass.
East side, fifth floor.
"Hello again, Shano..."
The loan shark king, Du Feld, lit a cigar, his expression grim. Suddenly, as if noticing something, he furrowed his brow.
"Hello, Adele."
"I'm here, boss," the white-haired beauty replied.
"It looks like the same crew is still with the Fallen. I don't see that blind swordsman. Could it be he declined the offer?"
"I didn't see him either, boss."
The white-haired beauty chuckled, covering her mouth. "But maybe you've got it wrong. I think that Lord Shano tested the blind man's strength, was disappointed, and gave up recruiting him."
That day at the casino, she had nearly met her end for not recognizing Shano. Still terrified, she crammed every report on the Fallen afterward.
The more she read, the more she was amazed and captivated—practically becoming a fan of Shano and the Fallen.
Of course, her boss still came first.
"Well, your explanation sounds more reasonable."
Du Feld nodded thoughtfully.
According to the intel from that day, the blind swordsman seemed to be a softhearted man who threw money around and helped the poor. He had a good reputation with the people.
But in terms of strength, his feats were unremarkable.
What use could such a person be?
He hadn't cared about recruiting him and just casually offered 20 million a month—it was up to him to accept or not.
It would be strange if a monster like Shano really cared about someone like that.
Ninth floor, west window.
"The Fallen have arrived."
Stussy, Queen of Happy Street, withdrew her gaze and whispered into a secure Den Den Mushi:
"Guernica, from what I've observed, that Shano doesn't seem like someone who's agreed to the marriage. Are you sure you really want me to proceed?"
"This is a strategic necessity."
CP0's voice responded coldly, "The tea party hasn't officially begun, and the Charlotte Family has only just made their move. Just because he hasn't agreed yet doesn't mean he won't be tempted."
"The Holy Land wants to use the Fallen to disrupt the increasingly solid New World order. That's why even the God of Science and Defense, Saturn, stepped in to mediate between the Fallen and the Navy."
"Under these circumstances, the Fallen maintaining good relations with the Four Emperors—or worse, forming an alliance—is absolutely unacceptable. Do you understand?"
"I understand."
Stussy smirked slightly and pulled a syringe from her elegant little purse.
"So... initiate Plan A—this drug is to trigger Linlin's food cravings, right?"
"Yes. And if Plan A fails, Stussy, don't hesitate. Activate Plan B immediately!"
"Don't worry. I'll do it myself—failure isn't an option."
Stussy eyed the syringe tip and smiled.
"And Guernica—don't use that tone with me. Don't forget, I'm the best intelligence agent we've got."
Meanwhile.
At the dock, a group of burly, biscuit-like soldiers were dragging off a few unlucky souls, tightly bound.
One of them, a red-nosed man in a suit, was bruised all over. He struggled, screaming:
"Hey! Charlotte, you've got the wrong guy! I'm an invited guest! Stealing?! What did I steal? How could I possibly do something so shameful?!"
"Stop whining and behave!"
Cracker kicked him and snorted.
"This is Brother Katakuri's direct order. Anyone from the underground present at the time is a suspect. You, Masol, are no exception!"
But I'm a pirate, not underground!
Buggy wanted to cry but couldn't explain.
He'd recently found a treasure map... which led to Cake Island.
Ordinarily, he'd have given up. This was Big Mom's territory. Trying to dig for treasure here was suicide.
But...
Last time he'd been scared off by the Fallen's flag, and giving up again felt too humiliating.
Buggy couldn't back down. So when news of Big Mom's tea party spread across the seas, he saw an opportunity.
He attacked a small underground group that had received invitations and impersonated Masol to sneak into the Wan Kingdom.
He never planned to attend the tea party—just quietly dig up the treasure and leave.
Keep a low profile, avoid notice. Simple.
So what went wrong?!
Apparently, there had been some incident at the dock—rumors said a thief had snuck into the kingdom and stolen valuable items.
Damn thief!!!
Now what? Was he supposed to count on those idiotic crewmates to come rescue him?
"Report! Master Cracker, we caught his men. They had shovels, sacks, ropes, and other tools!"
Buggy turned his head.
Kabaji, stripped naked, was curled up on the ground, shivering in grievance.
"Report! Master Cracker, another one had two empty treasure chests! Clearly used to carry stolen goods!"
He turned again.
Mochi, second officer, was being held by a biscuit soldier, eyes rolled back, unconscious.
"You fools are going to kill me..." Buggy sobbed.
BANG!
A biscuit fist, coated in Haki, suddenly smashed down.
Before Buggy could react, he was flattened into the ground—screaming, foaming, twitching, with only his red nose sticking out.
"Nothing more to say,"
Cracker retracted his fist coldly. "Pretty clear they're the culprits. Good thing Lord Shano wasn't affected—otherwise I'd have killed that red-nosed freak on the spot..."
"Hey, Mondor! Lock this guy in the library prison. Interrogate him after the tea party!"
"Yes, Brother Cracker!"
The pale-faced man with the red nose responded.
His name was Charlotte Mondor, the nineteenth child, nicknamed "Clerk." His Book-Book Fruit allowed him to trap people inside storybooks.
With a wave of his right hand, a giant book materialized. He flipped to a page showing a barred cell.
Buggy and the others, unconscious, were unceremoniously tossed inside the book-prison by the biscuit soldiers.
Elsewhere, inside Cake Castle.
After a hearty meal at the welcoming banquet, the crew of the Fallen were given the finest guest rooms.
After days of travel, they were all thoroughly exhausted and quickly fell into a deep sleep.
A quiet night passed.
The next morning, the open-air plaza atop the Cake Castle was already extravagantly decorated.
Dozens of long tables, covered in luxurious cloth, were stacked with an array of desserts and drinks. Homies buzzed cheerfully, serving the arriving guests.
Under everyone's watchful gaze, the long-anticipated tea party officially began.
The kings of the underworld arrived at last—Giberson the Storage King, Morgans the News King, Umit the Transport King, Du Feld the Usury King...
These titans, who controlled the lifeblood of every major industry in the New World, all suppressed their usual arrogance.
After greeting Big Mom, seated at the head throne, they quietly glanced at the only empty seat opposite her—on the same level.
These old foxes knew who the real star of this tea party was.
They also understood—the title of "Underworld Emperor" might scare the average pirate, but compared to the man even the Four Emperors respected, it meant nothing.
Linlin was an old acquaintance—she could be casual.
But this was her first formal event with him. She had to show full respect.
"Mmmmmm! What a great turnout of old friends! Welcome! Welcome, everyone! A toast!"
Big Mom laughed heartily, raising her glass. Her enormous figure completely filled the throne.
She wore a puffy pink dress, and though her makeup was thick, the wrinkles could not be hidden.
Some of the newcomers sighed inwardly.
Hard to believe—
This monstrous, gluttonous old hag had once been—just twenty or thirty years ago—the most dazzling beauty on the seas.
But time and appetite devour all.
No one dared show their thoughts. All guests, including the Charlotte children seated below, smiled and raised their glasses.
And at that moment—
With a long creak...
The door to the top-floor banquet hall slowly swung open, pushed from outside by a single hand.