Rosinante descended slowly from the sky, his eyes fixed on the short, elderly man before him.
He did not look down on him for his height, nor did he dismiss him for his age.
On the contrary, from the moment he laid eyes on this old man, Rosinante's expression had turned grave.
He was strong—not to the point of making Rosinante feel fear, but certainly not weak. Standing before him, Rosinante had the distinct sensation of being prey about to be devoured.
This was Streusen, the "Gourmet Knight," wielder of the Cook-Cook Fruit. His devil fruit power was extremely dangerous—it allowed him to treat all sorts of things as food and consume them. Combined with the decades he had spent fighting alongside Charlotte Linlin across the New World, his experience and strength were more than enough to pose a real threat.
If it were only Streusen alone, Rosinante wouldn't have minded. The Cook-Cook Fruit might be tricky, but his own Silence Fruit was just as mysterious. However, standing beside Streusen was an even more fearsome monster—Charlotte Linlin herself, now regaining consciousness.
A Charlotte Linlin in her right mind was far more dangerous than one in a frenzy.
"Want to have a fight?" Rosinante asked slowly.
"No. Fighting is for you young folk. Right now, I just want to protect the Big Mom Pirates," Streusen replied.
"That's good. I don't like pointless fights either." Rosinante sat down right there on the ruins.
"Hm? Isn't that my head chef? Why are you here? What happened? Who wrecked my Cake Castle?" Charlotte Linlin sat up, speaking in confusion.
"Linlin, are you feeling better now? Honestly… making this old body come all the way here. You and this young man should talk things over. Don't start a pointless fight," Streusen advised.
He could sense that the youth before him was no ordinary fighter, and he wanted Linlin to treat him with caution.
With their level of power, if they truly fought, the Cake Castle would be reduced to rubble—and even Cake Island itself might be in danger. That was something he wanted to avoid at all costs.
Hearing Streusen's words, Charlotte Linlin turned her gaze on Rosinante.
"You're… I remember you. Rosinante, right? Was it you who destroyed my Cake Castle?" she asked, her voice carrying pressure.
"Not entirely my doing. You put in a lot of effort yourself. You could say it was our joint masterpiece," Rosinante replied with a grin.
"If it wasn't you, then forget it. Rosinante, do you know anything about the nun?"
It was impossible to guess how her mind worked—she dropped the matter of the castle's destruction entirely and went straight to asking about the nun. But she remembered clearly that Rosinante had once claimed to know something about Sister Carmel.
"I do know a few things about Sister Carmel," Rosinante said evenly.
At those words, Streusen's brows furrowed deeply.
No one knew better than he what had happened to Sister Carmel—he had been one of the witnesses. But this was something that must never be spoken of, something Charlotte Linlin must never learn. Otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Utter nonsense. How old are you? How could you know anything about Sister Carmel? That was over forty years ago—you weren't even born yet. Linlin, don't listen to him. He's just trying to trick you," Streusen said quickly.
"You dare lie to me? And about Sister Carmel?!" Charlotte Linlin roared.
Without another word, she threw a punch at Rosinante from where she sat.
Bang!
Rosinante shifted aside in a flash, and her fist slammed into the ruins. Broken stones blasted high into the air under the impact.
The entire Cake Castle trembled from that single blow.
Members of the Big Mom Pirates rushing toward the castle's upper levels felt the quake and looked at each other in shock.
"Hurry! Looks like Mama is still fighting!" Daifuku urged.
"If she's still fighting, it means she's not in danger… I wonder what's happening now," Mont d'Or muttered.
"Doesn't matter—let's get up there. I heard Head Chef Streusen has already gone up. Hopefully he can stabilize Mama's craving illness," Baron Tamago said.
"Then stop talking and move!" Owen barked, sprinting forward.
The rest followed quickly. Katakuri glanced up at the top of the castle before striding ahead as well.
"Hey… if you want to fight, I'll go all the way with you. But are you sure you really want to? The next battle will be to the death!" Rosinante warned, his face turning serious after shifting positions.
"Brat, talking big like a toad puffing itself up! Who do you think you are?" Charlotte Linlin roared in fury.
As the ruler of the New World second only to Whitebeard—hailed as its Empress by the seas—how could she tolerate anyone acting arrogant before her?
Charlotte Linlin stood and began walking toward Rosinante.
Because of the earlier blast, her three major Homies had been scattered who knew where. At this moment, she had no weapons at all.
But that didn't bother her in the slightest—she had never relied on the three Homies to reach where she was today.
Streusen's eyes turned cold as he too stared at Rosinante. Whether the youth actually knew anything about Sister Carmel or not, that topic was absolutely taboo for Linlin.
He didn't know exactly what would happen if the truth of Carmel's disappearance came out, but he was certain it would be disastrous.
Over forty years ago, he had personally witnessed Sister Carmel and everyone at the Sheep's House vanish.
Back then, he had been a down-and-out pirate chef—but in that moment, he immediately realized that Charlotte Linlin could be his ticket back to power and wealth.
So he had taken her to sea, and together they had built the massive Big Mom Pirates and the sprawling Totto Land.
But forty years had passed, and now in his sixties or seventies, Streusen no longer chased after power and riches—he valued the people beside him more.
No one understood better than him just how terrifying Charlotte Linlin could be. If Rosinante spoke of Carmel's disappearance, even he couldn't predict what might follow.
Perhaps the entire Big Mom Pirates would collapse in an instant.
Even if he doubted Rosinante actually knew the truth, it was a gamble he would not take—and could not afford to take.
For most matters, he could stay calm… but for this one, it was absolutely necessary to stop Rosinante at all costs.
Streusen's face darkened.