After that commotion, more familiar faces gradually arrived at the banquet.
Doflamingo's signature laugh came from the clouds.
"Fufufufu~ How could a lively banquet like this be without the Heavenly Demon?"
His flamingo-shaped ship crashed into the dock. Doflamingo slid down on his strings and stopped in front of Rhett. His sunglasses glinted coldly. "Mr. Rhett, your most loyal business partner sends his regards. I wish the child health and happiness. Fufufufufu."
"You actually managed to say something nice. You must have practiced for a long time, didn't you?" Rhett's blood mist condensed into a small horn.
But it wasn't over yet.
"SWISH—"
A green slash split the waves. Mihawk's coffin boat... sorry, a small boat that looked like a coffin.
It docked silently.
The world's greatest swordsman carried his black blade on his shoulder. His gaze swept over the port, cracked by Buggy and Shanks' fight. He looked at Buggy, who wasn't carrying a sword. "Boring."
"Mr. Mihawk!" Ann suddenly ran out from the crowd. "Fight me—"
Perona's ghost passed through Ann's body. "Idiot Ann! No fighting while greeting guests! I'm very sorry! I'm not strong enough to hold you back, so I had to do it this way. I'll share my cake with you later."
Ann lay on the ground and gave a thumbs up. That meant she agreed.
Mihawk walked straight toward the barrel area. As he passed Ann, he glanced at her. "Get stronger first. I'll be waiting."
Ann's expression at first was: —.—
After hearing Mihawk's words,
Ann: 0.0
---
A sandstorm swept through the port. Crocodile appeared, a cigar in his mouth. "Hmph. The Golden City... how gaudy."
"Mr. Crocodile~" Tesoro's gold arm suddenly landed on his shoulder. "I hear you've been looking for ancient weapons?"
Crocodile's hook pressed against Tesoro's throat. "Do you want to die, you golden bastard?"
"Gentlemen" Witte's ice rose suddenly bloomed between them. "If you want to fight, take it to the arena"
---
Next came: "Germa 66 — has arrived!"
The giant snail ship capsized three escort ships. Judge and his children descended on technology-laden floating platforms. They knelt before Rhett, showing their loyalty.
Reiju looked up and waved at Rhett. "Uncle Rhett Long time no see"
"Long time no see You've become much more cheerful Get up!"
---
The Kuja Pirates' giant snake ship drew gasps of surprise. Empress Hancock's long hair fluttered in the wind. "Uncle Rhett, this one... has come to give Rati a gift."
The royal ship of Fish-Man Island slowly surfaced. Shirahoshi hid behind Queen Otohime and asked quietly, "Mother, that red-nosed man looks so scary..."
Neptune laughed and shattered a table. "Rhett! I brought hundred-year-old sake from the bottom of the sea!"
Buggy's red nose suddenly flew in front of Shirahoshi. "Little girl! Who are you calling—"
"THUD!"
Shirahoshi reflexively slammed her tail down, driving Buggy's nose into the ground. She bowed with tears in her eyes. "I-I'm so sorry!"
The whole scene went silent.
Shanks covered his face and laughed. "Buggy... you got punched by a mermaid... Hahaha!"
"My nose fell into the sea, you bastard! Go get it for me!" His body began to automatically reconnect. A certain part of Buggy's body would stop working if it touched Seastone. Even though he was stronger now and it didn't stop working immediately when exposed to seawater, it still stopped working.
---
Tesoro came to greet everyone. "Thank you all for doing me the honor of attending my daughter's hundred-day celebration."
Tesoro clapped his hands. Several well-trained servants stepped forward.
"Please follow our servants to your seats."
As more and more ships arrived, the remaining guests were mostly member nation kings. At the World Conference, some kings who couldn't come sent gifts instead. There were also pirates who wanted to show their faces in front of Rhett.
The Golden City was now no different from a country. But it was still very lively. That showed how much influence Rhett had.
---
Tesoro's gold scepter tapped the ground lightly. The entire Golden City instantly lit up with brilliant light. Countless gold petals fell from the ceiling, creating a dreamlike glow in the sunlight.
"Everyone —" His voice echoed through the city via gold speakers. "Welcome to my daughter Rati's hundred-day celebration!"
Doflamingo's sunglasses glowed strangely. "Fufufu... what touching fatherly love~"
"Shut up, flamingo." Enel's gold staff suddenly pressed against his neck. "Cause any trouble here, and this god will drown you first."
"Now!" Tesoro suddenly spread his arms wide. "Let the celebration begin!"
Countless dining tables rose from the gold ground. The Charlotte family's cakes automatically broke into small pieces, landing precisely on each plate. Moria's zombie orchestra played a cheerful rendition of "Binks' Sake."
---
Ace, Sabo, Ann, Kuina, Hiyori, Hizumi, Reiju, and Shirahoshi gathered at one table.
The children sat around a table. Their gold plates were piled high with Skypiea grilled meat and Fish-Man Island special takoyaki. Ace suddenly tapped his cup with a fork.
"Hey! Have you noticed?" He counted on his fingers. "Hancock calls Rhett uncle. Reiju calls him uncle. We call him uncle. Even Shirahoshi calls him uncle!"
Sabo's pen frantically recorded in his notebook.
Ann silently held up three fingers. "Me too."
"We were already including you."
"Oh."
Hiyori and Hizumi looked at each other. "Father said Uncle Rhett looked the same twenty years ago..."
Reiju scooped up a spoonful of pudding. "The technology unit's files show Uncle Rhett's age as 'unknown.'"
Shirahoshi raised her hand timidly. "Um... Father Neptune said Uncle Rhett once taught my father's father..."
"THUD!"
Kuina's bamboo sword suddenly slammed onto the table. "Age isn't the point—" Her eyes burned with fighting spirit. "How many people has he taught swordsmanship? Mr. Mihawk, me, Ann, and that green-haired idiot..."
Mihawk: That was just sparring.
"Achoo!"
Rhett, who was drinking with Shanks, suddenly sneezed. "Who's talking about me?"
Shanks drunkenly put his arm around Rhett's shoulder. "Kuhahaha! It must be Buggy cursing you... hic... that guy stole Beckman's gun earlier..."
Beckman walked past them with a dark face. "Captain, your Conqueror's Haki is leaking."
---
After much discussion, the children summarized one thing. "Uncle Rhett is a playboy. His heart is like a durian. On every spike is someone who calls him uncle."
The children's table was suddenly covered in shadow.
"Kids—" Rhett's face appeared, hanging upside down from above. The blood mist, like tentacles, stole the grilled meat from Ace's plate. "Talking behind people's backs will make you short~"
"Wah!" Shirahoshi was so scared she hugged Ann. Ann disappeared into her.
Sabo's notebook suddenly started writing on its own: [Uncle Rhett is the most gentle~ uncle?]
"Devil Fruits can be used like that?!" Ace's jaw dropped onto the table.
"As for the age problem..." Rhett floated cross-legged in the air. The blood mist formed question marks over each child's head. "Actually, I am—"
"A Time-Time Fruit user?" Reiju's eyes lit up.
"A vampire?" Kuina gripped her bamboo sword.
"A robot from the moon!" Ann pointed at Lieutenant Spaccy, who was hopping in the distance.
If they could go to the moon with balloons, they could come back with balloons.
Rhett's smile gradually turned evil. "The correct answer is..."
Whitebeard's voice came from a distance. "Rhett, this banquet isn't just about eating and drinking, is it?"