“Have all the invited guests replied?”
“They have. They’ve all said they will attend the engagement ceremony on time, but the Beasts Pirates haven’t given a reply yet.”
“They’ll come. By the way, has my request been conveyed?”
“Yes, we specifically invited the Zeraora couple to the engagement ceremony.”
“Mamamama~ That’s good. It’s a pity though, you could have had more little brothers and sisters.”
Mentioning Zeraora seemed to make Charlotte Linlin a bit nostalgic. If it weren’t for Zeraora’s special identity, she would have definitely snatched him away for herself at that time. Judging by the strength Zeraora has displayed over the years, if he had decided to marry her back then, their children wouldn’t have been any weaker than Katakuri.
As for this invitation, there wasn’t any particular meaning behind it. Charlotte Linlin’s personality was very fickle; sometimes she was extremely violent, while other times she was as innocent as a child. In her mind, Zeraora was still considered a “friend.”
Also, they were Minks. There weren’t many Minks in Totto Land, and she hoped more Minks would come and settle here.
“Such a shame, Kaido completely refused to marry off anyone. Otherwise, we would already be the strongest pirate crew.”
Thinking about this, Charlotte Linlin suddenly felt a bit frustrated. Aside from finding husbands for herself, she also arranged marriages for her children, their husband/wife each having their own status.
Yamato’s rise had not gone unnoticed by Charlotte Linlin. Naturally, she hoped one of her sons could marry Kaido’s daughter. But when she brought up the topic, it was immediately met with Kaido’s mockery.
Also, she has her own intentions for especially inviting the Beasts Pirates. On one hand, it was to show off her own influence as the status of the guests reflects the standing of the host.
As a pirate, she couldn’t invite the Marines to attend the ceremony, so the guests were all from the Underworld. And right now, in the Underworld, the Beasts Pirates were the biggest player.
On the other hand, it seems she wants to tell her little brother, “Even if you don’t want to ally through marriage, I can find someone even better.”
“Make sure everything is prepared. If anything unexpected happens…”
Charlotte Linlin didn’t say anything further, but her gaze swept over Katakuri and Perospero, and even they felt a chill run down their spines.
“Don’t worry, Mama, we’ll handle everything well.”
For any Emperor of the Sea, their reputation was of utmost importance. For them, losing face was an enormous matter.
While Whole Cake Island was being set up for the ceremony, the officers were already sent out to various locations to collect the annual supply of ingredients.
Although Charlotte Linlin loved tea parties, she wasn’t crazy enough to hold them every day. She knew the islands in her territory had a limited amount of food to offer, so the number of events she held each year was also limited.
If she held events without any limit, the islands under her rule would soon be emptied. But even so, there were still times when islands were punished for failing to provide enough ingredients.
While Charlotte Linlin was busy preparing for the engagement ceremony, the Beasts Pirates also received the invitation.
“Worororo, a marriage alliance with the Giants? That old hag really pulled off something extraordinary.”
Looking at the contents of the invitation, Kaido was deep in thought. He then got up and headed to the Sky Island, where Saul was farming. There was a Giant right here, so he might know something.
“Elbaf and Big Mom??”
Upon hearing this information, Saul’s eyes were filled with disbelief. There wasn’t just one kingdom of giants on the sea, but among them, Elbaf was undoubtedly the strongest. The other kingdoms would also adjust their actions based on Elbaf’s moves.
Jorul’s death was a thorn in the heart of the Giants, and Charlotte Linlin was their sworn enemy. This was no different for Saul.
“Hmm, this is the invitation. This Loki, does he hold a high position in Elbaf?”
A prince may be a prince, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they hold significant authority. A powerless prince might even be living a life less privileged than an ordinary noble.
“Prince Loki… That’s not surprising. The king dotes on him, but I didn’t expect him to spoil him to this extent.”
“It seems this is true after all. Worororo, the seas are becoming more and more interesting.”
He came here just to confirm whether Charlotte Linlin was bluffing or not. As for other aspects, he has no intention of taking Saul’s views into account.
…
“Zeraora and Setsuna? Did she specifically request for them?”
“That old hag probably has plenty of ideas about the Minks, but it doesn’t matter. For now, she’ll still play by the rules—at least, when it comes to me.”
Saul didn’t have the authority to make suggestions, but Arceus did—especially since one of the invited guests was his “firstborn son.”
Kaido had never fully trusted Charlotte Linlin. Even with a marriage alliance, she wouldn’t hesitate to strike, as seen with Germa 66 in the original timeline.
But the Beasts Pirates were different. The code among pirates was based on strength. Even if Charlotte Linlin had designs on the Minks, she wouldn’t act on them at this time, not to mention, her territory already housed a few Minks.
In that regard, she was more like a collector—she didn’t care about the quantity as long as she had some.
“So, you’re saying we should just let them go as usual?”
“Of course. There may have been some minor conflicts, but it hasn’t reached the point of breaking ties. As for the person leading the group, I plan to send Yamato.”
At this point, it was impossible for Kaido himself to attend Charlotte Linlin’s events. This wasn’t like over a decade ago, when his reputation was not as prominent. A meeting between two Emperors of the Sea would send Marines into a frenzy.
However, listening to Kaido’s arrangements, Arceus couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. Yamato’s status wasn’t a problem per se, but Kaido seems to be paying too much importance to it. However, considering that she was Kaido’s “big sister” on the ship, it was reasonable to show some respect.
But sending Yamato to this kind of event…
“Hey, you don’t plan on having Yamato cause trouble and ruin the whole thing, do you?”
“How could that be? Do you think Yamato is capable of something like that?”
“…”
Though it was harsh, it was a fact: reckless tasks might suit Yamato, but unless it involved flipping the table outright, Yamato really wasn’t suited for this.
“I just want her to experience the world a bit. After all, those old foxes from the Underworld will be there too, right? It’s a good opportunity for her to learn. How else will she take over the crew in the future?”
In the past, Kaido might have had thoughts of causing trouble—if he couldn’t have something, why should the other side get it? But now, things are different. To Kaido, the Giants didn’t compare to Dynamax Machamp.
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