Shiro forcibly suppressed the nausea rising in his stomach, barely holding back the urge to vomit.
He took a deep breath and did his best to keep his tone polite as he spoke to Big Mom, hoping to dissuade her from this absurd idea.
"Well… Sister Linlin," he said carefully,
"I don't think the two of us are very compatible. To be honest, the age gap between us is far too large. No exaggeration—you're old enough to be my mother."
He paused, choosing his words cautiously.
"So a marriage alliance like this really isn't appropriate. I hope you'll reconsider and think about other forms of cooperation instead."
"Ma ma ma ma! You're absolutely right, Shiro—I am old enough to be your mother!"
Big Mom didn't back down at all. Instead, the smile on her face grew even wider.
"…What?!"
Shiro shot up from his seat, eyes bulging, his face filled with disbelief.
He couldn't believe what he'd just heard.
Big Mom actually wanted to be his mother?!
This had gone completely off the rails.
The Virtue Pirates were equally stunned. One by one, their eyes widened as they stared at Big Mom in shock. For a moment, the entire banquet hall fell into an eerie silence.
"Shiro, calm down. Sit back down and let me finish."
Big Mom waved her hand, signaling him to relax, then continued explaining:
"When I said 'your mother,' I didn't mean it literally. What I mean is this—Jabal Shiro, you become my son-in-law."
She grinned.
"Choose one of my daughters to marry. Once you do, wouldn't that make me your mother by relation? What do you think of that proposal?"
"…Ah… this…"
Shiro froze.
His mouth opened slightly, but no words came out. Instinctively, his gaze drifted toward Big Mom's many daughters standing nearby, and he began carefully inspecting the girls who might become his so-called bride candidates.
Big Mom truly had no shortage of daughters.
At a glance, dozens of young women stood around them—but most could only be described as… unfortunate in appearance.
Some were obese, others had distorted facial features, and some bore strange birthmarks that made them difficult to look at.
Shiro secretly felt relieved that Big Mom hadn't directly assigned him one of them.
Just as he was struggling to figure out how to respond, conflicted and mentally exhausted, the sound of a cart rolling echoed from the banquet hall entrance.
Everyone turned to look.
Zeff emerged from the kitchen, pushing a cart piled high with steaming food.
The cart was loaded with golden-brown roasted meat, slow-braised cuts so tender they practically fell apart, and smoked meats sprinkled with fragrant spices.
The rich aroma of meat instantly filled the hall, sharply contrasting the overwhelming sweetness from before.
The moment Big Mom's children caught the scent, they forgot everything else and rushed toward the cart.
Some grabbed roasted meat with their bare hands and stuffed it straight into their mouths. Others piled plates high, eager to taste everything.
In no time, the entire cart was emptied.
Each child who ate the meat wore an expression of blissful satisfaction, showering Zeff with praise. Some even suggested he stay with the Big Mom Pirates permanently as their personal chef.
Big Mom herself didn't join in.
She remained seated, silently watching her children devour the food—but the flash of approval in her eyes made it clear she was deeply impressed.
She nodded once toward Zeff, acknowledging his skill.
Zeff, seeing how well his cooking was received, smiled in quiet satisfaction. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he felt a chef's pride swell in his chest.
"Now then, Shiro."
Big Mom withdrew her gaze from Zeff and turned back to Shiro, returning to the topic at hand.
"So—have you made up your mind? Which daughter are you going to marry? You'd better give me an answer soon."
Shiro's expression stiffened again.
He fell silent, his mind racing as he searched for a solution that would reject Big Mom without triggering open hostility.
After a moment, inspiration struck.
A faint smile appeared on his face as he looked at Big Mom.
"Sister Linlin, I really don't want unnecessary conflict between us. After all, our two pirate crews don't currently have any direct conflicts of interest."
He continued steadily:
"How about this—have one of your daughters come aboard my Virtue Pirates for a while. Let us get to know each other first, build some understanding."
"If things go well and we develop mutual feelings, we can discuss marriage then. If not, even if marriage doesn't happen, your daughter would still be a member of my crew."
He spread his hands slightly.
"With that connection in place, our two pirate crews wouldn't easily become enemies either. What do you think?"
Big Mom instinctively rubbed her round double chin, falling into thought.
She carefully weighed the pros and cons.
Letting her daughter join Shiro's crew would allow her to cultivate a relationship with him—laying groundwork for future marriage.
At the same time, it would place a living "observer" within the Virtue Pirates, allowing her to monitor their movements and react early if conflicts arose.
After a brief silence, Big Mom's lips curled into a satisfied smile.
"Ma ma ma ma! Shiro, that's a fine idea."
She nodded approvingly.
"It protects both our interests and gives us room to maneuver. Let's do it."
She gestured grandly.
"You can choose right now. Any of my daughters—whichever you want. I won't object."
Shiro finally let out a quiet breath of relief.
He stepped forward and slowly walked through Big Mom's daughters, carefully observing each woman's appearance and presence.
In the end, his gaze settled on a tall, long-legged beauty with flowing silver hair.
She was Big Mom's fourteenth daughter—
Charlotte Smoothie.
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