Stussy returned to his seat with a grim expression.
Who did it...
How could a thief sneak into the tea party!
What should he do now?
Should he admit his incompetence to Guernica and start Plan B? He had made a promise before, where would he put his face now\...
He was so unwilling that his teeth were about to break.
Bonnie was sitting next to him, not noticing Stussy's expression at all. The little guy was licking his butter-covered fingers with great satisfaction.
She had no idea that she had unintentionally thwarted a conspiracy.
"Lingling!"
She smiled and looked up at BIG MOM. "I can still eat more. Can you give me half of the second cake later?"
"You wish, Bonnie!"
BIG MOM glared at her and fumed. "If you weren't a child, I would have eaten you up long ago... and given you a good beating!"
"How scary."
Bonnie stuck out her tongue and rolled her eyes. "But I'm not eating your share for nothing. I can do you a favor."
"You're such a braggart, little braggart."
BIG MOM snorted in annoyance. "I believe Shano, but you? What can you do for me?"
"Hold out your hand!"
Bonnie giggled. "Let me show you my devil fruit power!"
"You're a Devil Fruit user?"
BIG MOM was a little surprised. After a moment's hesitation, she still held out her right hand.
She wanted to see what Bonnie was going to do.
Even if it was a conspiracy, she wasn't afraid.
Haki might not surpass her fruit power, but her Haki definitely surpassed Bonnie's!
She could break it at any time if she wanted to!
"Begin!" Bonnie giggled, and a pink halo flashed from her palm, instantly enveloping Big Mom's massive form.
Snap!
In an instant, the bloated, corpulent figure vanished, its clothes becoming baggy.
In its place was...
"What's going on!"
"Is that Mom?"
"Is Mom still this beautiful?"
The entire open-air square erupted in an uproar.
"..."
Big Mom glanced down at her slender arms, then around her, seeing the eyes of many people bulging out of their heads.
She finally realized something.
"Napoleon! Come on, let me see what I look like now!"
Big Mom stood up trembling.
"As you wish, Mom!"
The pink captain's hat on her head flew out with a cheer, transforming into a massive broadsword. Big Mom grasped the hilt, staring at the reflection...
and was stunned.
The blade was like a mirror, reflecting a face both familiar and unfamiliar.
Her long pink hair cascaded down like a waterfall, her delicate features were vibrant and charming, her skin was fair and firm, without a single wrinkle, her waist was slender and graceful, and her legs were long and powerful...
Not some old, ugly, fat woman, not some Big Mom.
But...
the Charlotte Linlin who had captivated the world thirty years ago!
"Mah-mah-mah-mah!!!"
Big Mom opened her arms and laughed heartily. "I'm back! I'm all back! Bonnie, you little one, you really gave me a huge surprise!"
It had been so many years since she'd seen herself like this!
"How's it going?"
Bonnie gloated, scratching her nose with her thumb. "I'm awesome, right?"
"Awesome, so awesome!"
BIG MOM lifted Bonnie up and kissed her cheek. With a beaming smile, she asked,
"Hey! Bonnie, is this the Paramecia-type Aging Fruit? It's a real gem. How long does the effect last?"
"I don't know about that. It varies from person to person."
Bonnie scratched her head. "Some people change back in a few days, while others last a month or two. It's not permanent."
"Is that so..."
BIG MOM was clearly disappointed.
She put Bonnie down and sat back on the throne. With a roll of her eyes, she tentatively asked, "Well, Bonnie, don't you really like the desserts here? How about staying on Cake Island? And Mr. Bear, are you willing to leave your daughter here?"
"It all depends on Bonnie," Kuma smiled gently.
BIG MOM looked at Bonnie again.
"No!" Bonnie immediately shook her head like a rattle.
She wasn't!
Endless desserts were certainly tempting, but that meant she would have to stay on this island forever, which was not as interesting as traveling across the sea with everyone!
Doesn't it work?
What if...
BIG MOM's gaze turned to Shano again, and she suddenly smiled slyly:
"Hey, kid, it's normal for a young strong man like you, who is rarely seen in a century, to look down on my daughters and not want to get married, but, if it were..."
"No way." Shano's face darkened.
This damn old woman really dared to think about it!
"It's just a joke, boring kid." BIG MOM curled her lips, looked around, deliberately straightened her chest, and smiled, obviously enjoying the shocked looks of these guests.
Until... she finally noticed that a seat at the adjacent table was still empty.
That was the seat reserved for the representative of the Beasts Pirates.
"Kaido didn't send anyone?"
BIG MOM's face suddenly became gloomy:
"Katakuri! What's going on? Didn't you brothers tell me before that the Beasts would send a representative this time?"
Kaido himself refused again. She didn't really care who the Beasts would send, nor was she interested in paying attention. Otherwise, she wouldn't have noticed the absence of this position until now.
But her not caring is one thing, and being stood up is another!
Are the Beasts ready to bear her wrath?
"I'm not too sure, Mom." Katakuri frowned slightly, "Not even sending an envoy is really too much. How about I call right now\..."
Before he finished speaking.
A red light flashed in his eyes, as if he saw a terrible future, and his face suddenly changed: "Mom! Upstairs!"
"Hmm?"
BIG MOM instinctively looked up, and Shano followed suit. Then, their expressions suddenly changed, and they stood up, clearly sensing something with their observation Haki.
The other guests looked at each other, confused as to what was happening.
The next moment—
"Ullallallalla!!!"
Accompanied by a roar of laughter that resounded through the heavens, a massive, mountain-like black shadow rapidly enlarged within the field of vision, accelerating faster and faster, plummeting towards them like a meteor!
Before it even reached them, the powerful wind pressure sent the entire open-air plaza reverberating violently.
Countless small Homies were blown away, and many guests lost their balance, stumbling to the ground, chairs and bodies alike. Recognizing the presence from the sky, they were instantly terrified.
"That's... Kaido?!"
"Kaido the Beast?! How could he be here?!"
"Damn it! Two of the Four Emperors appear at the same time, is this going to start a war?!"
Some people paled, others trembled. There were rare exceptions, like Morgans, who, eager for chaos, had his eyes light up and excitedly pulled his camera from his pocket.
"Run, run!"
"Get out of the way! Let me go!"
"Help! I don't want to die here!"
The once elegant tea party suddenly erupted in chaos, guests scrambling to escape their seats, some even kicking down the door and desperately fleeing for the stairs.
Shano narrowed his eyes and instinctively took a step forward.
But...
someone was quicker, and moved before him.
"Are you going to destroy my cake castle, Kaido brat?!"
BIG MOM roared furiously, stomping her foot hard on the ground, and using the recoil to soar into the air!
A terrifying Haki instantly erupted from her body, her long pink hair dancing like flames. She used no weapon, simply clenching her right fist, shrouded in black and red lightning, and slamming it into the sky, colliding fiercely with the dark figure!
"Weiguo--!!!"
BOOM!!!
Amidst a deafening roar, a violent shockwave swept across the entire castle's roof!
Tables, chairs, and plates instantly shattered. From the roof to the surrounding walls, massive cracks appeared, revealing the lower levels.
The devastation was horrific.
Katakuri, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his brow.
The future he had just foreseen had seen the entire Cake Castle crumble to the ground, leaving guests and siblings dead and wounded, and bodies strewn everywhere...
CRACK!
The aftermath of the impact gradually dissipated, and BIG MOM landed lightly from the air, gazing across with a stern look.
That was already the very edge of the Cake Castle, where the falling weight had blasted a deep crater.
Amidst the thick smoke and dust, a burly, demon-like figure slowly stood up, then stepped out. Wiping a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth, he raised his head, revealing a ferocious grin.
"Hey, hey, hey, a fist as a greeting?! Stinky old woman, after all these years, you're still so grumpy... huh?"
It was at that moment that Kaido finally got a clear look at BIG MOM's current appearance.
And then everyone watched...
Kaido froze, the mace he held clattering to the ground, his gaze visibly glazed.
His head tilted slightly to the left, then further, then down again, his cheek almost touching his shoulder.
"You are..." Kaido was bewildered. "Linlin? Or her daughter?"
"Can't you recognize her?"
BIG MOM pulled out a cigar from somewhere, lit it, took a drag, crossed her arms, and sneered:
"Indeed, I had gained a lot of weight when we last met. As for my current appearance, I'm afraid it's already very vague and distant in your memory, Kaido brat!"
"It's you, damn old woman!"
Kaido was furious, and then he shuddered. "Hey, sixty or seventy years old, don't act like that... It's weird! That Linlin has clearly disappeared from my memory. What kind of magic did you use? How did you do it?"
Bonnie was startled and subconsciously shrank behind the bear.
She happened to see Smoker next to him. He stared at the two confronting sea emperors, groping in his arms with a frown.
"You don't have to worry about that!"
BIG MOM glared at Kaido and said viciously, "You keep calling me an old woman. I think you haven't been beaten for too long, and you're itching for it, kid! Stop talking nonsense and tell me, what happened this year? Have you finally changed your nature and come to my tea party?"
"Stop being narcissistic, you old woman!"
Kaido sneered, "If you were the only one here, I wouldn't bother to come to this broken place. It's greasy everywhere, and it makes me sick just looking at it... The reason I came here is for him, of course!"
His thick index finger suddenly pointed at Shano.
"..."
Shano was not in a hurry to make a move this time. He sat back in his seat leisurely, crossed his legs, and placed his hands on his thighs. He said lightly:
"Considering that Lingling just asked me for a marriage proposal, it is easy for people to misunderstand what you said, Kaido..."
"Oh, I knew it!"
Kaido laughed wildly, "The rumor is true. They are willing to recruit Shano at all costs... Fortunately, I made this trip specially. Although I always feel that the possibility of success is not high, if this man is really snatched away by you, an old woman, I will regret it for several days and cry for several times!"
"Hey, Shano!"
He bent down to pick up the mace from the ground, carried it on his shoulder, and grinned at Shano:
"You haven't agreed to her yet, it's boring to hang out with a woman. In comparison, the Beasts are more suitable for you!"
"The farce is over. It's almost time for you to come with me. The promise we made in Paradise last year is still valid. As long as you are willing to join, the big boss... no! The position of vice-admiral of the entire Beasts Pirates will be yours! In addition, if you are still thinking about marriage, I have no problem here. I happen to have a daughter..."
"Don't talk nonsense!"
BIG MOM sneered at the side, "With your looks, the offspring you give birth to can only look like demons from hell. How can they compare with my bloodline?"
"Stop looking down on me, you old hag!"
Kaido raged. "You've simply never seen her before. Yamato is quite beautiful! Even more beautiful than you were when you were young!"
Even though that guy was his idiotic "son" who gave him quite a headache, he wouldn't tolerate outsiders looking down on him!
"You!"
BIG MOM's face was equally furious.
Just as the tension was building, a soft sigh suddenly rang out:
"One after another, they're incessant. You're just giving them a little face, and they just keep talking nonsense."
Huh?
The open-air plaza suddenly fell silent. Kaido and BIG MOM simultaneously turned to look at the young man sitting on the sofa.
"Uh-huh..." Kaido narrowed his eyes. "Hey, kid, what do you mean by that?"
"What do you mean?"
Shano lowered his crossed legs and casually spread them apart, leaning back against the sofa.
Then he raised his eyes slightly, looking at Kaido with a cold gaze:
"Linlin's attitude is at least decent. You, you don't seem to understand the situation. Who do you think I am? A small fry who can be ordered around by you at will?"
"I clearly told you long ago that I have no interest in joining your army, didn't I? And yet you come here to harass me. What's the matter, Kaido? Are you deaf... or is it just your brain that's causing you trouble?"
He extended his index finger and gently tapped his temple.
(End of this chapter)