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"Waiting for you? No, just a happy coincidence..."
Du Feld took a drag from his cigar, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"You're an old fox," Tesoro shot back. "You waited here on purpose. You're after something."
Casinos and loan sharks—they were a pair of thieves who were never far apart. Tesoro and Du Feld had their dealings in private, of course, but as for their relationship, it was anything but friendly.
Men like them were the center of their own universes. Everything was measured in money and profit.
When it was profitable, they came together.
When it wasn't, they scattered.
"Just spit it out," Tesoro said. "Why beat around the bush?"
"It's a bit windy out here," Du Feld said. "How about we find somewhere quiet to talk? About... that king."
Tesoro raised an eyebrow.
"Alright."
——————————
In another part of the sea.
Mille-Feuille Island.
Smoothie and the Minister of Meringue, Broyé, who was stationed in the town, were entertaining Stussy.
When she heard that Jin had arrived, Stussy breathed a sigh of relief.
The battle between Jin and Whitebeard had drawn too much attention, including the forces of G-1, G-14, and G-5. That night, Punk Hazard had been at its most vulnerable. She had found an excuse to go back and had managed to see Vegapunk.
Flames licked at the air.
A small boat, powered by fire, was speeding toward the strange, syrupy sea up ahead.
Ace stood at the prow, one hand holding his hat down, gazing into the distance. The wind whipped at his face, as restless as his own heart.
He, too, had been invited to the tea party.
At the time, the Spade Pirates had been on the verge of attacking Whitebeard. To avoid wasting their strength on Big Mom's subordinates, Deuce and Skull had advised Ace to temporarily accept the invitation. And so, a conflict had been avoided.
After that, Ace had completely forgotten about it.
Until...
They had been desperately searching for a doctor for Pops.
And then he remembered.
Fortunately, Skull, a bit of a collector, had kept the invitation.
Of course, Ace had no intention of attending the tea party. He was here to find Jin, to ask if he could borrow his ship's doctor.
And so, with their own agendas, the various players made their way to Totto Land.
——————————
Whole Cake Island.
An island made of giant cakes and cream, shaped like a multi-layered mille-feuille cake.
In the center stood a towering, cake-shaped chateau—the home of Big Mom and her children.
Surrounding the chateau was a city called "Sweet City."
Humans, Fish-Men, Dwarves, Minks, Snake-Necks, Long-Arms, and Long-Legs all lived here.
The only race not to be seen was the one with the strongest warriors in the world: the Giants.
Because of what Big Mom had done to their village all those years ago, the Giants held a deep-seated grudge against her.
Big Mom wanted to resolve the conflict and bring the Giants of Elbaf under her banner.
To that end, she had arranged for Lola to marry the Giant prince, Loki, who had fallen in love with her. But Lola had run away.
And don't ask why Loki, who was even larger than a normal giant, had fallen for the diminutive Lola...
One could only assume that love, like a tornado, had come on fast and strong.
Or that, like Gaban, he had... unique tastes.
Furious and at her wit's end, Big Mom had tried to pass off Lola's twin sister, Chiffon, as her, but Loki had seen through the ruse.
Their relationship had only grown worse.
And the more she couldn't have something, the more she wanted it.
Her obsession with giants was what had led her to team up with Kaido and capture Caesar Clown to develop the "gigantification" drug.
——————————
At the port.
Hearing that Jin was about to arrive, the residents had come out to welcome him, forming a wall of people. But they were all orderly, not daring to step out of line.
"The citizens of Totto Land are certainly... enthusiastic."
At the prow of the ship, Law gazed at the shore, surprised by the scene.
Even from this distance, he could hear people shouting things like, "King Jin, I love you!"
It was like an idol had arrived.
"Hmph," Perospero grumbled. Had they ever welcomed him with such enthusiasm?
The Empress sailed into the port.
"Woooooooooom..."
A long, soul-piercing cry echoed across the island.
In an instant, every single Homie trembled, their scalps tingling, as an indescribable pressure, a presence that towered over all others, washed over them.
"Huh?"
In the Seducing Woods, the rabbit Homie, Randolph, felt a great terror descend upon him, as if something were falling from the sky. "What is that??"
The Homies that always surrounded Big Mom—Napoleon, Zeus, and Prometheus—all turned to look toward the port.
In that moment, the demonic carrier had revealed a sliver of its true aura. And in the eyes of the countless Homies, it was a Lovecraftian monster.
It had suddenly appeared, a twisted, multi-colored canvas of a thing, surrounded by a brilliant halo, a collage of countless monsters.
It was bizarre, terrifying, a thing that could not be looked upon directly...
Although all Homies were anthropomorphic creations, they had a clear hierarchy.
At the lowest level were the ordinary, everyday Homies scattered throughout Totto Land.
At a higher level were the combatants, like Kingbaum, Randolph, and the crane.
And at the very top were the ones created from Big Mom's own soul: the sun, Prometheus; the thundercloud, Zeus; and the bicorne hat, Napoleon.
And even they were terrified.
The fear came from the very depths of their souls.
The reason was simple: the demonic carrier could devour souls. It had even devoured the soul of the Seven Stars Sword.
In the eyes of these soul-based creations, it was a butcher, a mass murderer, reeking of blood. Its mere presence, the sound of its cry... it was all terrifying.
The sudden unrest among the Homies was unexpected.
Katakuri and the others quickly moved to quell the disturbance.
Fortunately, Jin noticed what was happening. He used the power of the Calm-Calm Fruit to make the carrier's aura transparent, to reduce its presence.
After a moment, the chaos subsided.
"What's wrong?"
Big Mom, awakened from her nap by the collective panic of her Homies, was confused.
"Mama! A monster!" Napoleon cried.
"A monster... it's close!" Zeus wailed.
"A very scary monster!" Prometheus added.
"A monster??"
Big Mom unleashed her Observation Haki. She "saw" the situation at the port and assumed they were talking about Jin.
"A monster, is he?" she mused. "Could he really have fought Whitebeard to a standstill?"
Big Mom and Whitebeard had once been on the same crew. She had never doubted his strength.
So when she had first heard that Whitebeard had been defeated, her first reaction had been: Impossible! Absolutely impossible!
But now, thinking about it rationally, it wasn't so impossible.
Katakuri and the others had also been defeated. And while it wasn't a direct comparison, it still proved that this newcomer was no pushover.
"You're getting old, Newgate," she cackled. "To think you'd lose to a young punk like that. Mamamama! I wonder... would a young man like that be willing to become my family?"
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