Cake Island.
"Hey, Katakuri, what are you looking at?"
Katakuri turned around and saw that the one speaking was the eldest son of the whole family, his big brother, Perospero.
At this point, the Big Mom Pirates had not yet formed the so-called "Three Sweet Commanders" structure. As the eldest son, Perospero was, most of the time, helping Charlotte Linlin manage the younger siblings.
That, of course, included Katakuri.
"The World Economic Journal… lately, this so-called 'Shichibukai' has really stirred up the whole New World."
"Hmph, it's nothing but a petty squabble between the Navy and some pirates." Perospero took the newspaper, opened it, glanced at it, and continued,
"Why? Don't tell me you have some ideas? As the one with the highest bounty in the entire crew besides Mother, standing shoulder to shoulder with me as one of her right hands, are you eyeing a Shichibukai position?"
Katakuri shook his head.
"No, just curious." The massive scarf covering half his face shifted slightly. "By the way, how come you have time to come find me? Shouldn't you be preparing snacks for Mother's tea party?"
"Oh, that? Already done." Perospero kept flipping through the newspaper without even lifting his head. "Ever since the Navy and Whitebeard Pirates set up that so-called Neutral Trade Zone on Fishman Island, at least buying Fishman Island's specialty snacks has gotten a lot easier."
Hearing that, Katakuri didn't ask further.
As long as Mother's appetite could be satisfied, that was what mattered most.
Over the years, her ever-growing hunger had truly been a nightmare for all the children.
"But speaking of Fishman Island… I'm really curious about that Marine Vice Admiral called Michael."
"Just an ordinary Vice Admiral… not one of those freaks with the codenames. Other than them, who in the Navy could even compare to you?"
As the two brothers chatted under the rising sun, a hurried voice suddenly rang out in the distance.
"Perospero! Katakuri!"
"There's a strange warship near Cake Island!"
"It's ignoring the currents completely, heading straight for Cake Island!"
The voice belonged to Charlotte Praline, the twenty-first daughter of the Charlotte Family, a half-sawshark mermaid.
She had just celebrated her eleventh birthday and was swimming around near Cake Island when, at the edge of the safe zone, she spotted a warship moving at a steady pace — not fast, but making no sign of stopping.
Not knowing what to do, she came to find the two brothers whose words carried the most weight in the entire Charlotte Family.
Perospero and Katakuri exchanged glances, seeing confusion and shock mirrored in each other's eyes.
Ignoring the currents of the Grand Line, reaching Cake Island directly without using the "secret routes"?
And a warship at that?
These clues lined up in their minds, instantly leading them to a chilling conclusion…
The Navy was planning a surprise attack on Cake Island!?
But only a second later, both of them shook their heads sharply, tossing the absurd idea away.
Impossible!
Had the Navy gone mad? Why would they attack Totto Land for no reason?
Even though Totto Land's residents had to give up one month of their lifespan every six months to live there under Big Mom's rule, everyone accepted it willingly. No one felt it was forced.
Because the Charlotte Family and the Big Mom Pirates truly protected the people of Totto Land.
In fact, in the New World, Totto Land was one of the safest, happiest places to live.
Sure, people had shorter lifespans, but instead of living to a hundred, you might only live to eighty-five.
As long as you didn't go looking for trouble, you could pretty much reach that age safely.
But elsewhere in the New World, surviving to middle age was already a gamble.
All things considered, it was a pretty good deal.
Not to mention, Big Mom hadn't yet turned into the raging monster driven by her eating disorder. She even showed signs of being a caring ruler back then.
Even if the Navy wanted to launch a massive assault on the pirates, the Big Mom Pirates would be dead last on the priority list.
"Are you sure about this, Praline?"
"I'm sure! Absolutely sure! Are you questioning a mermaid's eyesight in the water?"
"Alright, alright, our bad. We'll report to Mother right away… You, hurry home too! Stop fooling around in the sea!"
After giving a few instructions, Perospero and Katakuri rushed toward the Charlotte Family's castle.
This news had to be reported to Mother immediately.
No matter what the other party's intentions were…
It couldn't be anything good.
...
"Holy crap, is the whole island really made of desserts?" Michael walked across Cake Island, sounding slightly disgusted.
"We're just walking right in, like this, onto Charlotte Linlin's Cake Island?" Crocodile's mouth twitched. "You do realize she's, in some ways, a monster comparable to Whitebeard himself, right?"
"We're not exactly waltzing in. I parked the Seraphim way offshore." Michael pointed behind him. "Besides, she might be a monster, but she's still a bit behind Whitebeard."
Not that Michael looked down on Charlotte Linlin — quite the opposite. He actually thought that the current Charlotte Linlin was probably even stronger than the Big Mom who'd become one of the Yonko a decade later.
Right now, her eating disorder hadn't spiraled out of control yet.
She was likely still in a stage where she could suppress it.
But the intel showed signs that her terrifying appetite was beginning to surface. The frequency of her tea parties was steadily rising.
"Whatever… works for me." Enel stared at the cake-covered houses nearby, drooling. "I just wanna die here and never move again."
"Pathetic."
Michael shot him a glance, then kept walking through the forest.
"Someone's coming!" Stella, who had been guiding them from the clouds above the forest, suddenly shouted. "On the outer edge of the forest, a whole group is waiting in battle formation."
"Huh? Our cover's blown?" Michael frowned. "Don't tell me Katakuri got bored, used his Observation Haki, and saw a future where we landed on the island?"
"Back when we were sailing in, my Mantra picked up a mermaid nearby… but I didn't think much of it. Looking back, that must've been their scout."
"...Damn it, Enel! Next time you withhold intel like that, I'll represent the organization and the people and execute you on the spot!"
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