In the castle on Cake Island, a massive and intimidating figure sat on a throne made entirely of desserts. The woman wore a pink dress, but rather than looking charming, her appearance was grotesque and terrifying.
Claudius had never actually seen Charlotte Linlin in person before, but the woman before him was slightly different from what he'd imagined. She looked younger than expected.
It was said that Charlotte Linlin had been quite beautiful in her youth, despite her considerable size. Perhaps her peak was during the Battle of the Gods Valley? But years of constant childbirth, as well as excessive eating and drinking, had quickly taken their toll on her appearance, leaving her as the notorious "Big Mom" of today.
At the moment, Charlotte Linlin was devouring a massive doughnut, her expression fierce. Between bites, she asked, "Katakuri, is everyone here?"
"Tesoro has arrived, Mother, but there's still someone missing," Katakuri replied softly.
Charlotte Linlin frowned at this. She stuffed the rest of the doughnut into her mouth, chewing twice before swallowing it whole. Then, in a displeased tone, she asked, "If I remember correctly, today marks the final deadline for my tea party invitations, doesn't it?"
"Yes, Mother," Katakuri answered calmly.
Charlotte Linlin's fury was a terrifying thing, but Katakuri remained composed. He was confident in his position as her most valued child and the head of her Sweet Commanders—second only to her in the Big Mom Pirates.
Charlotte Linlin's expression darkened. She had her own rules, after all. If someone received an invitation to her tea party, they were given ample time to prepare and attend. But once the invitation was accepted, they had to show up.
There had been instances in the past where guests had failed to attend, and the consequences were dire. Families had been wiped out, lives taken. No one who crossed Charlotte Linlin had ever met a good end.
Still, this did not mean that no one dared to defy her in the vast seas. In truth, she picked her battles wisely.
Traditionally, invitations to her tea parties were carefully screened by the Big Mom Pirates. They ensured that only those who had a favorable relationship with Charlotte Linlin—or those they could easily crush were invited. This careful curation created the impression that refusing to attend her tea party was tantamount to a death sentence.
But if Charlotte Linlin had dared to send such invitations to figures like Kaido or Whitebeard, she would be completely ignored and powerless to do anything about it. Could she realistically destroy Whitebeard's entire crew in retaliation? It was laughable.
Similarly, the Marines never received such invitations. It wasn't as if Fleet Admiral Sengoku had ever been asked to attend one of her tea parties. Charlotte Linlin knew better than to court humiliation by inviting those who would inevitably refuse her.
In short, her tea party invitations were nothing more than a form of selective intimidation, targeted bullying disguised as formality.
Because of this, Charlotte Linlin was certain that anyone she invited was someone who couldn't afford to ignore her. Yet now, someone had dared to disregard her? Who would insult her like this?
"Who is it?" she demanded sharply. "Who dares to disrespect me, Charlotte Linlin, and belittle my tea party?!"
Katakuri remained calm as ever. "It's someone you know, Mother—Umit, the shipping magnate."
"Umit?" Charlotte Linlin's eyes widened slightly. She did have some history with Umit, and even with Stussy. They were all orphans who had grown up under the same nun's care.
This revelation left her somewhat surprised. In her mind, she had always considered Umit a close ally. Every year on her birthday, Umit would send a lavish gift, and in return, she allowed him to conduct his shipping business within her territory. There was also the bond of their shared past.
It didn't make sense. Why would someone like Umit, with their longstanding relationship, fail to attend her tea party without so much as a word of explanation?
In truth, Umit had dared to be dismissive of Claudius previously because he believed he still had options, he could always rely on the Big Mom Pirates for support in the New World.
"What's he doing? Why hasn't he come?" Charlotte Linlin asked.
Katakuri shook his head. "I've already sent someone to investigate. We should have an answer soon."
As if on cue, the image of a figure appeared in the mirror within the room. It was Brûlée, Katakuri's younger sister and someone he held dear. She bore a terrible scar across her face, giving her a witch-like appearance. Yet in truth, Brûlée was a gentle and meticulous individual.
"Mother, Brother Katakuri," Brûlée greeted softly. "We've uncovered the details about Umit."
The Big Mom Pirates prided themselves on having the best intelligence network in the pirate world and that reputation was well-earned, even if it only applied within the pirate sphere.
Katakuri glanced at her and asked calmly, "What's the reason? Why would Umit dare to miss the tea party?"
Charlotte Linlin's gaze was inquisitive, but Brûlée seemed hesitant, looking slightly awkward before she spoke. "I don't think he didn't want to come. In fact, he probably intended to. It's just that…"
"Just what?" Charlotte Linlin pressed.
"Just three days ago, while he was traveling in our territory in the New World, Umit was captured by a mysterious agency under the World Government," Brûlée explained. "He was accused of smuggling contraband in massive quantities and was executed in secret this morning."
Charlotte Linlin and Katakuri froze for a moment. What?! Wasn't Umit supposed to be the "King of Shipping"? Didn't he have connections in Mariejois? How could he have been taken down by the World Government so suddenly? And for smuggling of all things?
Umit's entire empire had been built on smuggling. If the World Government had wanted to take action, they could have done so years ago. Why now?
Katakuri frowned and asked, "What kind of agency was it?"
"We're not certain, but we suspect it was one of the Cipher Pol units," Brûlée replied thoughtfully.
"Suspect?" Katakuri murmured. He seemed to consider something before adding, "Could it have been the legendary CP-X?"
"There's a possibility," Brûlée agreed.
Charlotte Linlin's confusion only deepened. "What's this all about?" she asked.
"Mother, CP-X is an extremely secretive agency," Katakuri explained. "While their lower-level operatives occasionally surface, their true core remains hidden. Whenever CP-X takes significant action, it often leads to major upheaval in the seas. Umit's execution might just be the prelude to something much larger."
Brûlée, ever perceptive, chimed in with a sly smile. "Perhaps something's happened in Mariejois? Maybe Umit's 'benefactor' lost power, and he was caught in the fallout."
It wasn't impossible. CP-X operated under the World Government, and if there was instability in Mariejois, they would undoubtedly act to address it. For them, such matters would be of utmost importance.
Katakuri considered this and relaxed slightly. "Perhaps you're right."
Regardless, it seemed to have no immediate impact on them. Charlotte Linlin quickly lost interest in the matter and waved her hand dismissively. "Forget it. If Umit's already dead, there's no point in pursuing this."
Had Umit missed the tea party for any other reason, Charlotte Linlin would have been compelled to retaliate. But since the man was already dead, she saw no value in dwelling on it further.
***
For every 200 PS = 1 extra chapter. Support me on patreon to read 60+ advanced chapters: patreon.com/Blownleaves.
Checkout my new ff: Starting With The Sefirah Castle In The Anime World