Amidst the heavy sound of footsteps, a dozen giants appeared. Though their number wasn’t large, considering they were Giants, this lineup was already grand.
Among the accompanying group, she even spotted someone vaguely familiar.
“Charlotte Linlin, we bring the friendship of Elbaf.”
Among humans, Charlotte Linlin’s size was undoubtedly enormous. However, compared to these Giants, she looked somewhat tiny. After all, for Giants, 12 meters was the baseline. Anything less, and you were considered a dwarf among Giants.
Elbaf was known as the world’s strongest country, its immense power acknowledged by all. Even when facing an Emperor of the Sea, the leading giant showed no respect. In fact, he still harbored hatred for the demon who had killed Jorul.
If it weren’t for the orders of the King of Giants, he would never have followed Loki here.
But the king doted on Loki too much. When he learned that his son had fallen in love with Charlotte Linlin’s daughter, he agreed to this union and sent this lineup.
“Mrs. Linlin, where is Lola? I’ve been waiting for this day for too long.”
Pushing aside the guards in front of him, Loki approached Charlotte Linlin, behaving courteously, with a simple bouquet of flowers in his hand.
His encounter with Lola had been a chance meeting, but from that moment, he had fallen deeply in love with her.
Had it not been for Lola’s mother being Charlotte Linlin, he would have disregarded his father’s orders and come directly to propose.
“Mamamama~Mamamama~ Lola has also been waiting for you for a long time. She should be changing into her wedding dress right now.”
However, things weren’t going as smoothly at Lola’s residence.
Crash!
With a stomp, Charlotte Daifuku shattered the floor beneath his foot, his eyes filled with disbelief.
“What did you say?! Lola ran away?!”
They were all Charlotte Linlin’s children, and they knew their mother’s nature well. When her eating disorder flares up, even her own children standing in her way would be killed without hesitation.
Everyone in the Totto Land knew how much Charlotte Linlin desired the Giants. Lola choosing this moment to flee from her marriage was nothing short of publicly humiliating Charlotte Linlin. If she were caught…
“Yes, Lola…she…”
“Damn it! When did this happen?!”
“It’s been a while, right when you were all busy welcoming the guests…”
“Chiffon! You knew about Lola’s plan, didn’t you?”
This was Whole Cake Island, Charlotte Linlin’s territory. As the one getting engaged, there was no way Lola could have left secretly unless someone had been covering for her.
“…”
“Do you realize the trouble you’ve caused?!”
“What’s going on?”
“Brother Katakuri, Lola…she…”
Katakuri was in charge of escorting Lola’s wedding carriage to the venue. Hearing the commotion inside, he entered. When he heard Daifuku’s explanation, his forehead broke out into cold sweat.
He was worried not only about Charlotte Linlin’s impending rage but also about his sister. All of his siblings were dear to him.
He understood well what kind of consequences this would trigger, but he had no choice but to report it to Charlotte Linlin, as he lacked the authority to make a decision on what to do next.
…
Upon receiving the news, Charlotte Linlin found an excuse to leave the venue temporarily. She didn’t say a word, but all of her children knew that she was already on the verge of exploding with fury, barely holding it in due to the situation.
Upon learning that Lola had run away, Charlotte Linlin immediately ordered her to be brought back. However, according to intelligence from the surrounding sea, Lola had long since left Totto Land and her whereabouts were now unknown.
“Chiffon, you will pretend to be Lola. No, from now on, you are Lola.”
“But, Mama…”
“No buts, this is an order!”
Charlotte Chiffon and Charlotte Lola were identical twin sisters. Their voices and appearances were nearly indistinguishable, a fact that Charlotte Linlin intends to exploit for her goal.
Faced with Charlotte Linlin’s order, Chiffon didn’t dare to resist. She could only board the carriage and head to the engagement venue. But the moment Loki saw her, his expression changed.
The look in his eyes held no affection, only coldness and sadness.
“You are not Lola.”
“I…”
“Mamamama~ What are you talking about? She is my daughter, Lola.”
“Yes, I am Lola. Dear, what are you saying?”
Under the pressure of Charlotte Linlin’s aura, Chiffon lied.
“Appearances can deceive, but her walk, her breathing, the way she stands—all of it is different from Lola. This small trick can’t fool me. Do you remember what kind of flower I gave you when we first met?”
“Wasn’t it… the flowers you’re holding right now?”
“I didn’t give any flowers that day. So, Lola doesn’t want to marry me, does she?”
Though Loki looked like a hulking giant, and he fell head over heels for Lola at first sight, he is also a romantic at heart; after just a few interactions, he had already memorized everything about her.
Not even Lola’s other siblings could tell the difference so clearly.
“Charlotte Linlin, this is deception. You have betrayed Elbaf’s friendship. Goodbye. No, I doubt we will ever meet again.”
Loki, clearly heartbroken, recklessly exposed everything in public. He then left with the rest of the Giants, leaving behind an enraged Charlotte Linlin and confused guests.
Unbeknownst to them, Stussy, watching from a hidden spot, smiled.
Lola’s escape had been completely top secret because the World Government had helped her. Before she arrived here, an undercover agent on Whole Cake Island had discovered Lola’s intention.
The World Government had no desire to see the Big Mom Pirates form an alliance with Elbaf, so they used their resources to help her escape from Totto Land.
Meanwhile, Yamato brought up an astonishing theory to Zeraora.
“I’m afraid there’s a mole here.”
“Miss Yamato, what makes you think that?”
“How could someone quietly escape from here without anyone noticing? She had to have help. When we return, we should investigate this thoroughly.”
There was nothing illogical about her reasoning, but it was beyond Zeraora’s expectation that Yamato could deduce this from such a trivial matter.
“Miss Yamato, I think Lord Arceus would be very pleased to see you like this.”
“Huh? Why? It’s just that back in the day, I also wanted to sneak out, but I didn’t have a single opportunity. Since they’re all Emperor of the Sea, I figured it must be the same here, so that’s why I think there’s a mole.”
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