Perospero, Daifuku, and Oven brought Katakuri and Cracker back to Totto Land.
The two of them were fortunate to be alive. They had spent several days on that island without being devoured by wild beasts. As for the Sea-Prism Stone chains on their bodies, Enel had already reclaimed them. After all, those things were quite valuable.
Katakuri and Cracker's injuries had been left untreated for several days and could not heal overnight. Perospero had no choice but to send them back to their respective islands to recover first.
That was how it worked in the Big Mom Pirates. Any child who held a ministerial title typically had their own personal island. In the outside world, they would be considered kings in their own right.
Katakuri's island was Wheat Island.
His two younger brothers and Brulee were gathered around him, looking at his bandaged body with equal parts sorrow and fury.
"Brother Katakuri—who did this to you? Was it the Shogun of Inazuma? Or did that old Whitebeard act personally?" Oven bellowed in his booming voice.
Or perhaps a Marine Admiral. In Oven's mind, aside from these figures, no one on the seas could possibly defeat Katakuri.
Daifuku's expression was grave. Perospero was still debating whether to report this to Mama. If it truly was Inazuma or Whitebeard's side that had struck, the matter could not be concealed. The second-in-command of a pirate crew being beaten like this was an incident serious enough to escalate into full-scale war.
But Katakuri shook his head. "It was not the Shogun of Inazuma, and it was not Whitebeard either. The person who defeated me—Daifuku, you know him too."
Katakuri himself did not know how to describe what he was feeling. It was a complicated mixture of emotions.
"You mean the Buggy Pirates and the Red Hair Pirates? I had heard rumors they joined forces," Daifuku said. He had already clashed with the Vines crew in Paradise last year, but that crew had not been nearly this strong. In just one short year, those two pirate crews had become powerful enough to defeat Brother Katakuri together?
"Those bastards—daring to provoke the Big Mom Pirates again and again! And they ganged up on Brother with a numbers advantage. We absolutely cannot let them get away with this!" Oven's thinking was similar to Daifuku's. He was certain Buggy's crew had fought dirty, ambushing and ganging up on Katakuri—his senior by a good number of years—through sheer trickery.
Otherwise, how could Katakuri, the pride of the Big Mom Pirates, possibly lose?
Katakuri let out a long sigh. "I lost. It was a one-on-one fight. Cracker lost the same way."
"That—that's impossible!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Oven erupted in a roar.
Brulee grew frantic as well. "If Mama finds out about this, she might strip Brother Katakuri of his Sweet Commander title!"
In truth, losing the Sweet Commander title was not the worst part. The real danger was Big Mom's mood. If the Charlotte Family's pride had been trampled by rookie pirates, Big Mom might not hesitate to take several years of Katakuri's lifespan. That was entirely within the realm of possibility.
At that thought, both brothers' faces darkened.
Fortunately, Perospero was not unreasonable. The cargo was safe, and there was no need to publicize the incident. Even in defeat, Katakuri remained the strongest fighter under Big Mom. If Big Mom actually destroyed him over this, Perospero would have nowhere to turn for comfort.
"Let us keep this from Mama for now. Fortunately, those people were not after the sweets—the cargo is intact. I have already had the others transport it back, Perolin."
Perospero felt mentally exhausted lately. He had been busy to the point of tearing his hair out over the wedding preparations, and now this happened. The damned Buggy Pirates and Red Hair Pirates—once this Tea Party was over, he would make them pay!
Perospero thought this bitterly, though outwardly he said, "Katakuri, you should stay here and recover for the time being. It is fine to arrive a bit late to the Tea Party, but it would be best not to be absent entirely—otherwise Mama will still be angry."
Perospero had it all figured out. The early stages of the Tea Party were not that important. Even if he was absent, given that it was Katakuri, Mama would not say much. Arriving late was acceptable—but it was best not to let Mama discover that Katakuri was injured.
…
On Inazuma, at Seireitei. Because Ren had permanently altered the weather of these islands using the power of lightning, the surrounding seas were plagued by perpetual thunderstorms. As a result, apart from the initial separate island used to receive visitors, the remaining islands were collectively referred to as Seireitei.
In reality, Ren had also formed a natural protective barrier of thunderstorms around Inazuma's outer perimeter. Only Seireitei Port provided a point of entry and exit.
At this moment on Seireitei, Ren was looking at Saori, who had everything running in perfect order. He praised her with admiration: "I never expected your administrative abilities to be this strong, Saori—you are every bit as capable as Keiko. With you handling the worrying, I can finally relax quite a bit."
"Hehe, Sister Keiko eventually shifted her focus to Enkanomiya, so I ended up helping manage a great deal of the Kanjou Commission's affairs," Saori said, genuinely pleased that she could be of use.
However, Saya, who had been sitting nearby with cosmetics she had purchased from the Sabaody Archipelago, suddenly raised her head and asked in a sly tone: "Lord Ren, Lord Ren—how did you phrase that sentence just now?"
"I naturally meant you handle the worrying. You have been a great help in that regard too."
How could Ren not know what this little minx was getting at? Saya had been a mischievous cat since she was a teenager, and now she had even surpassed Master Tomu to become a "Sea Train" before anyone else.
"Oh no, I am still far behind Sister Saori—the two of us combined are no match for you," Saya said, shrinking her head back in mock innocence. "Besides, the rice bowls that Aunt Yuriko and Sister Mari make by hand are still the best."
"They are just rice bowls—your cooking and Saori's are excellent too," Ren said quickly in encouragement. "Though my appetite is rather large. Next time, you can both cook at once, and I will happily eat two servings."
Saori immediately ducked her head and did not dare speak a single word.
"What do you think, Saori?" Ren could not help but ask upon seeing her shy demeanor.
"I—I—I don't know! I—I am processing documents! Yes, processing documents!"
"But didn't you already finish all the documents? Sister, why are you still looking down?" Saya leaned over the desk and peered up at Saori from below. The girl would even set up her own sister without a second thought.
"I—I—I am looking at the desk! This desk—this desk is so very desk-like…"
Saori had become like a schoolchild called on by the teacher in the middle of class. She was already babbling without thinking.
[
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