"Conditions? Speak," Charlotte Linlin said, frowning when she heard that Rosinante actually had terms of his own.
How bold. In this world, those who dared to negotiate with her were almost all dead.
Perhaps only a few of those old fossils still dared speak conditions to her and live to tell the tale.
But since in her mind Rosinante would be a dead man the moment he revealed the nun's origins, Charlotte Linlin's expression softened into a magnanimous smile, and she agreed.
Just then, the members of the Charlotte family and Katakuri came walking over.
"Mom, are you alright?" Owen was the first to ask with concern.
"It's such a relief—Mom's come back to her senses!" Daifuku said joyfully.
"Rosinante, state your condition," Charlotte Linlin ignored the rest, fixing her gaze squarely on him.
Right now, she only wanted to know what Rosinante had to say about Sister Carmel's origins, hoping to draw out clues about how the nun and her companions had vanished.
The Big Mom Pirates looked at each other in shock and confusion. None of them understood what was going on.
Rosinante… was actually daring to make demands of their mother—and she had agreed?
"In the future, even though Katakuri will join our Gray Kingdom, I can see that he still has feelings for his brothers and sisters. Our Gray Kingdom does not demand its members sever all bonds. If Katakuri wishes to return to Cake Island to visit family and friends, I hope you won't make it difficult for him," Rosinante said calmly.
Hearing this, Katakuri's expression shifted.
From the perspective of the Big Mom Pirates, Katakuri's decision to leave them for the Gray Kingdom was the ultimate betrayal.
But first, at the time, his mother's own stance had left him no other choice—such was the situation.
Second, in his heart, there had been a growing yearning for freedom, which had driven the thought of leaving the Big Mom Pirates.
Third, he had a good impression of the Gray Kingdom.
It was all these reasons combined that had made him decide to join.
But he hadn't expected Rosinante to make such a request of his mother on his behalf.
Somehow, Katakuri felt a warmth spreading in his chest.
"Alright, I agree. Mamamamama~ As long as your strength earns my recognition, then from this day forward, the Big Mom Pirates and the Gray Kingdom will be allies. If that happens, Katakuri wanting to return to Cake Island for family visits will naturally be no problem," Charlotte Linlin said with a smile.
"But the premise is… your strength must earn my recognition!" she added.
Charlotte Linlin's face wore the broad, hearty grin of a powerful ruler, but deep inside, her heart curled into a sly and venomous smile.
Once Rosinante revealed the origins of Sister Carmel, she would decide for herself how to deal with him and Katakuri. Pirates had no need for such things as honor and promises.
Charlotte Linlin had only ever recognized one thing—power.
"So… shall we talk here?" Rosinante asked, shrugging lightly.
"Follow me," Charlotte Linlin said.
She turned and led the way into the depths of the Cake Castle.
The top of the Cake Castle had been blown apart by the aftermath of the earlier battle, but the interior had not suffered much damage.
This was thanks to the sturdiness of construction in Totto Land. After all, this was the residence of Charlotte Linlin herself—if it wasn't solid enough, a casual movement from her could collapse it in an instant.
Under her lead, Rosinante and the Big Mom Pirates entered a lavish parlor inside the castle.
"Green tea or black?" asked the anthropomorphic tea set Homie that served as the parlor's attendant.
"Black tea," Rosinante replied evenly.
Of course, he had no intention of drinking anything here. If Charlotte Linlin decided to add a little something extra to his cup, that would be the end of him. She was exactly the sort of person who would do such a thing without hesitation.
"You can speak now," Charlotte Linlin said.
The Charlotte family members also turned their eyes to Rosinante. At this moment, she made no move to send them away.
"When it comes to Sister Carmel… we have to go back more than a hundred years," Rosinante began.
"More than a hundred years?" Charlotte Linlin frowned.
"A century ago, there was a pirate crew that struck fear into the entire world—the Giant Warrior Pirates. I believe you, Big Mom, aren't unfamiliar with them?" Rosinante asked.
"The pirate crew from Elbaf. And what does that have to do with the nun?" Charlotte Linlin said.
"Over a hundred years ago, the Giant Warrior Pirates rampaged across the seas. But one day, they suddenly lost both their captains—Blue Ogre Dorry and Red Ogre Brogy. Without their leaders, some of the crew grew careless and were captured by the Marines. They were about to be publicly executed… when a voice rang out, stopping the execution. She persuaded the Marines to pardon them, claiming she would guide the giants herself. That person… was Sister Carmel," Rosinante said.
"Mamamamama~! As expected of the nun—her heart could embrace everything," Charlotte Linlin laughed in delight.
"Hohoho… the giants back then felt just as you do now—deeply moved. They even called Carmel 'Holy Mother.' Around that same time, the first giant Marine, John Giant, appeared," Rosinante said with a mocking edge.
"What do you mean by that?" Charlotte Linlin's face darkened at his tone.
"After saving the remnants of the Giant Warrior Pirates, Carmel established a 'Sheep's House' in Elbaf, home of the giants. The reputation of the Sheep's House was that no matter the race, no matter how much of a problem child they were, under the nun's care they would be reformed and find kind adoptive parents," Rosinante said with a faint, ironic smile.
Hearing this, Streusen's brow furrowed deeply, and the members of the Charlotte family began to realize something was off.
Was there truly a nun in this world who could embrace everything with such purity?
"And aside from the title of 'Holy Mother' known to all, Carmel had another name… Mountain Hag," Rosinante said slowly.
"This codename belonged to a human trafficker who specialized in selling children to the World Government. Orphans made the perfect candidates for spies… wouldn't you say?" Rosinante smiled.