Adrian and the others boarded the Star Sea Merchant Guild's private ship, but before Adrian could even finish a cigarette, Number One appeared beside him.
"Sir, please."
"Are the preparations complete?"
"Everything is ready. The ship to pick you up has also arrived."
Adrian nodded silently.
Rosinante, who was beside him, looked a bit puzzled:
"Father, are you going out again?"
"Yes, a private invitation."
Adrian patted Rosinante's head, then thought to add:
"It will take some time before I can return this time. When that happens, Number Two and Number Three, who were previously by my side, will be responsible for your safety."
Number One followed Adrian onto the newly prepared ship. Before leaving, Adrian still reminded Doffy, somewhat uneasily:
"Doffy, take good care of your younger brother."
Adrian left amidst Rosinante's waving goodbye and Doflamingo's cold snort.
Adrian sat inside the ship and took out an invitation from his pocket. The invitation was pink and carried a sweet scent.
Adrian frowned slightly at the time written on it, thinking to himself:
It's a bit late.
A few days later, in a secluded spot on an island somewhere in the New World, Adrian and Number One quietly boarded a ship under the cover of night. Number One silently followed, carrying some items.
After transferring ships once more, Adrian boarded a peculiar vessel. Not for any other reason, but its bow was shaped like a human face, singing, and the ship's decorations were made of food. The overall colors were vibrant, and a cloyingly sweet feeling naturally arose.
A Chess Soldier stepped forward to greet them:
"Please show your invitation."
Adrian silently presented the invitation. The soldier confirmed it, then led Adrian and Number One to a relatively young man dressed in a pink suit with long, slender legs. What was even more noteworthy was that he wore an eggshell below his waist.
"Baron Tamago, sir, the guest has arrived."
"Oh, oh oh, nice to meet you. I am Baron Tamago."
Baron Tamago doffed his hat in greeting.
Adrian nodded in response.
Looking at the rather aloof Adrian in front of him, Baron Tamago didn't show any displeasure. Instead, he spoke with a hint of deference:
"The ship will soon enter the Totto Land waters, and we are expected to land on Ten Thousand Islands by noon."
"Hmm, first, have someone take us to a room to rest."
Adrian didn't seem too concerned; as long as he made it in time, it was fine. He followed the Chess Soldier to rest.
Baron Tamago, left behind, watched Adrian's retreating figure and fell into thought.
This guest was different from previous ones. The reason this task fell to him was reportedly because the guest requested a low profile. He even heard that Big Mama's son, Katakuri, was originally planning to come.
But there hadn't been any large tea parties recently, only one for Big Mama after giving birth to her 48th, 49th, and 50th children, though most of them were only attended by members of the Charlotte Family.
Baron Tamago stopped thinking. As a mere minion in the Big Mama Pirates, he only needed to do his part.
Meanwhile, in North Blue.
"Number Three, why do you think Father hasn't returned yet?"
"Sir has gone to a distant place, so please be patient, Second Young Master."
Number Three, kneeling on one knee, replied.
Rosinante turned to look at the kneeling Number Three, his eyes filled with helplessness. Even if he wanted to ask Number Three to chat with him, it would be boring. Number Three was too focused on etiquette.
Rosinante had also distinguished Number Three's appearance this time. Although he had been with Number One and Number Two before, Number Three's physique seemed more capable. Number Three's face was always expressionless, like an emotionless robot, answering whatever was asked.
Rosinante sat on a chair, dangling his legs, and casually picked up a book from the bookshelf to relieve boredom.
Ten Thousand Islands.
Upon disembarking, Adrian was greeted by Big Mama's second son, Charlotte Katakuri, who was only 20 years old at the time.
Seeing Adrian get off the ship, he naturally stepped forward to greet him, but Katakuri's address startled everyone else nearby.
"Uncle Adrian, you're here."
"Katakuri, you've grown so tall. Long time no see."
Adrian stepped forward and chatted familiarly with Katakuri. Soon, they arrived at the tea party venue.
Although Katakuri was only two meters tall at the moment, he still seemed quite large compared to Adrian.
"Mama, Uncle Adrian is here."
"Ma~ma~ma~ma~~, Adrian, you finally found time to come. I heard you recently had two more sons."
Big Mama, massive in stature and seated at the head of the table, teased while eating dessert.
"Linlin, you know, business is troublesome, so I only adopted two. After all, you've had 50 children this time."
"Nei, nei, Adrian, are you really not considering my old proposal? That way you could have blood relatives!"
Big Mama's expression carried a seductive tone.
"No, Linlin, you know me. Oh, by the way, I brought you a nice gift this time."
Adrian changed the subject, waving for Number One, who was following behind him, to open the box in his hand.
Inside, a Devil Fruit was prominently displayed.
"Oh? You're really generous, Adrian."
"I originally intended to save it for your children, after all, who told them to call me Uncle? And we have our new dessert, try it."
Number One handed the box containing the Devil Fruit to a member of the Charlotte Family, then opened another large box. Before its contents were even visible, a fragrant aroma wafted out.
Adrian sat in the chair next to Big Mama, having Number One hand the delicacies from the box to Big Mama.
The dessert in the box was a cake, specially made by the Star Sea Merchant Guild's internal staff as a gift for Big Mama. Moreover, this type of cake was currently unique, and the box containing the dessert was also specially treated to extend its shelf life, making the cake seem as fresh as if it had just been baked.
Big Mama picked up the sizable cake. Although the cake was quite large for a normal person, it was just a palm-sized bite for Big Mama.
Big Mama stuffed the cake into her mouth. The cake melted in her mouth like ice cream, and the sweet taste instantly filled her entire oral cavity. Big Mama licked her lips in satisfaction.
"How is it, Linlin? Pretty good, right?"
"Ma~ma~ma~ma~, the taste is very much to my liking! Adrian, your desserts are always so much to my liking."
"You flatter me. I'll have someone send you a ship full of them later, but don't eat too much at once; you just gave birth recently."
"Hahaha, I know. I see, Adrian, you've come to see my children again, haven't you? This time I even had triplets."
"Alright, Linlin, let the children start the tea party. I've also been missing your black tea."
"Then let's begin!"
A nearby attendant wheeled in the recently born triplets.
"Oh, oh! Uncle Adrian, you're here."
A lisping voice came, and the speaker was Big Mama's eldest son, Charlotte Perospero.
Perospero walked over with his candy cane, greeting Adrian enthusiastically.
As the eldest son of the family, Perospero, being the older brother to many younger siblings, bore immense pressure. He usually wouldn't appear so unrestrained, but in front of Adrian, it was an exception.
Adrian looked at the grown young man before him, filled with emotion. Puberty in the Pirate World certainly passed quickly.
One by one, the others appeared, all politely calling him Uncle Adrian. Only a few young Little fellows who were still too young to recognize Adrian were a bit shy.
Although these Little fellows seemed shy, they were still Big Mama's children. Normally, they wouldn't even blink an eye when playing games with knives among siblings.
At this moment, Adrian saw a certain little girl and couldn't help but stand up and approach her.
"Brulee, long time no see. The little crybaby has grown into a big girl."
Charlotte Brulee, the Mirror-Mirror devil fruit user, was 15 years old now, and her height hadn't yet reached its rapid growth phase. Adrian gently ruffled Brulee's purple hair.
"Ah-, Uncle Adrian, don't mess up my hair! You said yourself I'm a pretty little girl now."
Brulee complained playfully.
Brulee's nose was red and slightly protruding, like a witch from a fairy tale, but her face had no scars.
Adrian stopped teasing the Little fellow and instead took out a gift box, handing it to Brulee.
"Congratulations on becoming a pretty little girl."
Brulee accepted it, blushing.
Katakuri and Perospero didn't seem to mind much. If anyone else dared to treat their sister like that, they would have beaten them up already. But Adrian could be considered their uncle, and they knew very well in their hearts that Adrian was already over forty years old, an age not much different from Big Mama's.
And Adrian genuinely liked children, especially these children he had watched grow up.
The rest of the tea party went smoothly, with Adrian moving among Big Mama's children.
"Yo, Smoothie, you've grown taller again. This is a gift from Uncle Adrian for you. This sword is very suitable for you."
"Hey, Cracker, don't tell me you're still afraid of pain at this age."
"Mont-d'Or, here, this book is for you."
"You, kid, your name is Bavaroise, right? These boxing gloves are for you."
"Oh! How cute, Linlin even has a Merman child."
"..."
Perospero, Katakuri, Daifuku, and Oven, who were older and felt neglected, declared that they weren't angry, but they were still very happy to see Adrian getting along so well with the children.
They met Adrian when they were seven or eight years old, and the following years of companionship made them truly accept Adrian. Sometimes they wished Adrian was their true relative, as the love he brought was much better than Big Mama's.
They had even tried to make Adrian their father.
Now, they were even a little jealous of the two children Adrian had adopted earlier.
Charlotte Linlin watched the harmonious scene before her and didn't feel angry. The fact that Adrian was invited to such a family-oriented tea party was proof enough. Big Mama smiled broadly at everyone, stuffing sweets into her mouth, then turned her head to look gently at the photo on the table, thinking to herself:
If Mother Carmel saw this, she would surely be very happy!
Adrian really resembles Mother Carmel in some ways.
If Adrian could become her husband... Or if her son could become her son-in-law...
In North Blue, at night.
Doflamingo, looking at the moon alone, sneezed, wondering if he had caught a cold.
Thinking this, Doflamingo took the overcoat Number Two handed him.