Soon, two cake ships sailed side by side into the harbor, followed by an unfamiliar large ship anchored there.
"Standing on the cake ship... is Minister of Candies, Perospero!" Some sharp-eyed guests had already spotted Perospero disembarking from the cake ship and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
"What! It's really Perospero!"
With more attention drawn, the entire shoreline erupted into a commotion.
Especially when they saw the figure coming from the castle towards the large ship, the surprise deepened.
"To have Minister Perospero leading the way... It's unbelievable," someone muttered in disbelief, lowering their voice instinctively, "And with the other big shot getting alarmed, what kind of people are on that pirate ship?"
His question quickly found an answer as Nicholas and his crew disembarked from their ship, causing many people's expressions to change.
"It's Nicholas!"
Some couldn't contain their shock and exclaimed, "Nicholas and his pirate crew! How can such big shots appear here!?"
"Yeah, this guy is said to have had some issues with other division commanders when he was with the Rox Pirates," someone added unconsciously, but then realized they were on Cake Island and wisely fell silent.
But the implication of his words was clear to others, and in fact, it was the same doubt lingering in their minds at the moment.
It could be said that the seas were currently in a state of internal conflict within the Rox Pirates, with figures like Shiki, Whitebeard, Charlotte Linlin, and the emerging Kaido being former members.
Especially after the recent battle between the Whitebeard Pirates and the BIG MOM Pirates, despite the latter's defeat, the former suffered considerable losses, shaking the entire New World.
This was also why many factions chose to wait and see rather than attend the tea party on Cake Island.
The presence of such monsters on the island raised concerns among the guests. Whether they were here to ally with the BIG MOM Pirates or cause trouble, it would be a significant event that would resonate throughout the New World.
If the two sides were to form an alliance, it would undoubtedly shake the balance of power in the New World. And if there were any conflicts, it would only further destabilize the already chaotic situation...
Realizing this, the guests fell into silence, with some exchanging meaningful glances, seeing the gravity in each other's eyes. Many had already begun instructing their subordinates to prepare to leave. After all, if these monsters were to clash, there would be no safe place on the island.
Meanwhile...
On the fourth floor of the Cake Castle, in a sunny and luxurious guest room, a figure stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the harbor where Nicholas and his crew were.
"Haha, this is quite lively!" The woman who spoke had short golden hair and an elegant figure. Her blue eyes reflected the image of Nicholas's face as she murmured to herself:
"With this guy around, it seems that Linlin's tea party won't be so simple."
Being able to call Big Mom "Linlin," this seemingly young woman with short golden hair was obviously not as simple as she appeared.
Indeed, she was Stussy, known as the "Queen of Joy" in the pleasure district, one of the emperors of the underworld.
She was on Rocks's crew with the codename "JUNE"
Of course, this was only on the surface. Her true identity was a secret member of CP0, the world's highest intelligence agency, responsible for gathering first-hand information for the World Government.
After all, as one of the world's largest entertainment venues, Joy District had guests from all over the world every day. Coupled with its unique nature, it was undoubtedly a hub for intelligence.
Glancing at Stussy, who was dressed as a plague doctor and part of Nicholas's team, her expression grew icy and menacing.
…
"It's really intriguing," Stussy's gaze wandered over Nicholas, her face flushing slightly.
However, while she observed Nicholas secretly, he seemed to sense something and suddenly turned his head. His sharp gaze crossed thousands of meters to meet hers directly.
"This guy has such a perceptive Observation Haki..."
Stussy was startled internally, but there was no panic on her face. Instead of looking away, she licked her lips and gave Nicholas a gentle and sweet smile before gracefully turning away from the window.
...
"Captain Nicholas?"
Noticing Nicholas suddenly stopping, Perospero, who was leading the way, couldn't help but be curious and followed his gaze upwards, but saw nothing.
"What's the matter?" Perospero licked his candy cane curiously.
"Oh, just a thought that occurred to me when I saw that Snake guy, Snek," Nicholas replied casually.
"Oh, what thought?" Perospero asked, intrigued.
"I was wondering if snakes have two 'things' since they have two heads," Nicholas said, causing Perospero to gape in disbelief. What kind of question is that?
"Forget it, you probably wouldn't understand, little guy. But if they do have two 'things,' it means Linlin's kitty will have double the fun, right? No wonder that guy was so cocky earlier. Turns out he has considerable assets."
Nicholas felt like he had discovered something profound, and the more he thought about it, the more it made sense.
As he pondered this, the group followed Perospero and the oversized version of Katakuri into the interior of the castle.
It could be said that the castle was built entirely like a fairy tale.
The decorations in the lobby were luxurious and elegant, but the most eye-catching were the homies.
It could be said that the candles, lampshades, tables, chairs, doors, windows, and even the stairs all had souls infused within them. When people stepped on them, the wooden boards of the stairs would sing one after another, and even the characters in the oil paintings on the walls danced or curiously watched the unfamiliar Nicholas and his crew.
The reason fairy tales were fairy tales was because they didn't happen in reality. And when fairy tales intertwined with reality, it couldn't help but feel absurd.
The guest rooms arranged for them were on the third floor, all luxurious suites. It's worth noting that only people of a certain status could stay in the Cake Castle, while other guests were mostly arranged elsewhere on Cake Island, and only the tea party could enter the Cake Castle.