Sea Calendar Year 1516. Sardo Kingdom, Royal Palace. In a magnificent reception room, Tesoro and Gilm sat side by side on a long sofa, chatting while drinking black tea.
"The Germa Kingdom has brought five non-World Government member countries under its rule. Recently, Judge even proactively provoked a conflict with the Rubunir Kingdom... His action was a bit rash; that country is a World Government member. I think the World Government will definitely not sit idly by to stop the Germa Kingdom's expansion..." Gilm mumbled, stroking his chin.
Tesoro gently sipped from the luxurious teacup while smiling and explaining.
"Vinsmoke Judge isn't a reckless person. He might just be testing the World Government's bottom line! Of course, even if Germa wins the war, Judge won't bring the Rubunir Kingdom under his rule. He can also demand that the other party cede territory and pay compensation..."
"I see!" Gilm nodded in understanding.
Swish! In the void, a red light flashed, and a spatial folding door quietly opened.
Seeing Sephiroth walk out of the door, the two quickly stood up, bowed slightly, and respectfully called out, "Master!"
"You suddenly contacted me, saying you had something important to discuss in person... What's the situation?" Sephiroth stepped to the single sofa, sat down, and his gaze fell on Tesoro.
"Master, it's like this... Not long ago, Big Mom Charlotte Linlin sent someone to deliver an invitation. She wants to invite you to her tea party..." As he spoke, Tesoro placed a pink envelope on the table in front of him. "Big Mom's tea party...? I don't have any relationship with Big Mom, why is she inviting me?"
Sephiroth picked up the envelope, tore it open, and took out a black invitation card from inside. The first thing that caught his eye was the flag pattern of the Big Mom Pirates, a waving skeleton wearing a top hat, with pink curly hair and lipstick. Sephiroth opened the invitation card and looked at the content. It only said that he was invited to attend the wedding of her third son, Charlotte Daifuku, and the time of the wedding tea party. It didn't say why he was invited.
"When the envoy sent by Big Mom entrusted me to give you the invitation, that person also asked me to convey Big Mom's words to you. Big Mom said: 'I already know the true relationship between you and the Umbrella Corporation.'"
Master, Big Mom seems to have guessed something..." Tesoro said cautiously.
"True relationship...?" Hearing this, Sephiroth couldn't help but narrow his eyes slightly, and he began to quickly think in his mind.
In this world, the Big Mom Pirates' intelligence network was first-class, with extremely wide connections that covered both the underworld and the legitimate world. If they were determined to investigate him, some things might not be hidden. In other words, Sephiroth's background was very likely to have been figured out by the Big Mom Pirates!
"Master, what should we do now?" Tesoro asked tentatively. The worst-case scenario was that Sephiroth and the Umbrella Corporation's secrets had all been discovered by the other party.
If the Big Mom Pirates exposed the matters of Sephiroth and the Umbrella Corporation, he would be targeted by the World Government! Although Sephiroth possessed the power of the Float-Float Fruit, which allowed his territory to float in the air and made him unafraid of encirclement and suppression, he didn't want to give up the industries that the Umbrella Corporation had operated for many years.
The current situation likely meant the Big Mom Pirates wanted to use this as a threat, taking the opportunity to get something from the Umbrella Corporation... Sephiroth casually tossed the envelope and invitation card in his hand onto the table. He narrowed his eyes and said thoughtfully, "Have someone investigate how much information the Big Mom Pirates know, and how they found out... Big Mom's tea party? It's not a problem to go. I want to see what she's up to..."
After finishing the important matters, Sephiroth opened his personal space and took out a Devil Fruit with brown skin resembling a pear, and a silver ring. "Master, what kind of Devil Fruit is this?" Gilm asked curiously.
"This is the Ripe-Ripe Fruit... Fuse it with the ring," Sephiroth said casually. This was a Devil Fruit he had recently hunted. Since he wanted to try using the power of the Ripe-Ripe Fruit for certain experiments, he had Gilm perform the item synthesis.
Angel Island, mountaintop villa. In the living room, Sugar, wearing a white polka dot long dress, sat on a single sofa made of white clouds. She held a bamboo basket full of purple grapes in her left hand, her right hand reaching into the basket, embedding her slender, white, and tender fingers into the plump and round grapes. Then, starting from her little finger, she sequentially put the grapes from her fingers into her mouth to eat. Next to the single sofa, a spatial door quietly opened, and Sephiroth stepped out. "Does Master want to eat grapes?"
Sugar handed the grapes strung on her fingers to Sephiroth. The latter bit off the grapes, chewed them a couple of times in his mouth, and then instructed:
"Eating so many grapes every day and often not eating meals will lead to unbalanced nutrient intake. This is not good for your health, eat less in the future, and eat normally..."
Hearing this, after eating the grape on her right thumb, Sugar said somewhat resignedly:
"Anyway, ever since I ate the Hobi Hobi no Mi, my body has stopped growing. Unbalanced nutrition doesn't matter anymore!"
Monet, wearing white stockings and a black knee-length maid skirt, walked into the living room carrying an empty bamboo basket after hanging up the laundry in the garden. She happened to hear their conversation.
So, she also advised:
"Sugar, Master is right. Unbalanced nutrition is not good for your body..."
"Ah ah ah! I won't listen, I won't listen... I have lost the possibility of growing up to be a beautiful and mature woman. I can only be a little girl forever, so I don't need to care about this kind of thing at all!"
Sephiroth reached out his right hand and gently stroked Sugar's slightly curly, light green, medium-length hair. He smiled and asked:
"Then if I can make your body grow and become a mature woman, will you be obedient..."
Sugar's face turned slightly red, and her eyes were full of anticipation:
"Ah! Really? My body can still grow..."
"Of course. Do you want your body to age ten years, or twenty years?"
As he spoke, Sephiroth opened his personal space and took out the ring containing the power of the Ripe-Ripe Fruit, which he put on his left hand.
Sugar said playfully:
"Then let me grow ten years older! After all, at twenty years old, wouldn't I be older than Monet is now..."
"You guy, I'm not old, I'm mature! Mature! I'm only twenty-four this year, okay!"
Hearing this, Monet's forehead immediately twitched with veins. With a gnashing expression, she stepped up to Sugar and reached out her hands to pinch her face, not too hard or too soft. Soon, red marks appeared on Sugar's face.
So, she could only quickly beg for mercy:
"Wuwuwu-! I'm sorry! I said the wrong thing..."
Hearing this, Monet immediately snorted coldly and released her hands that had been pinching Sugar's face.
Seeing that the two had finished their playful quarrel, Sephiroth then extended his left hand wearing the silver ring and placed it on Sugar's head.
As a special power emanated from the ring, Sugar's body, which was originally only eight or nine years old, began to grow rapidly, and her originally
"You clearly said you would make me a mature woman, not a girl..."
And Monet too. "Uh!? This... Okay!" Sephiroth nodded helplessly and agreed.
He opened his arms and embraced Monet and Sugar...