"..."
None of the others could express any opinion either.
Because they all knew their side absolutely couldn't match the Konoha Pirates. Rather than negotiating, they might as well lay down their conditions for surrender...
But…
To make a group of chronically proud individuals surrender…
Such a thing was somewhat unacceptable to them!
"We must not surrender!"
Charlotte Flampe was extremely displeased and loudly rebuked: "We still have brother Katakuri. Brother Katakuri can definitely defeat them!"
"..."
Katakuri frowned and said nothing.
For a moment, Katakuri couldn't tell if his sister, who had always idolized him, was a fan or a critic...
Katakuri himself knew his own strength well; his special Paramecia Fruit, the Mochi-Mochi Fruit, allowed him to become elemental like a Logia-type Fruit, and he could transform his body, using Armament Haki to perform various techniques...
However…
How was he supposed to fight the Konoha Pirates!
The crew of the Konoha Pirates were practically monsters. A Vice Captain like Uchiha Madara had almost crushed two of the Four Emperors single-handedly. If he went, he would only die a heroic death…
Fortunately, the other members of the Charlotte Family understood this too. Thinking like Charlotte Flampe, who blindly idolized Katakuri like a foolish fan, wouldn't work, or they'd all end up losing their lives…
"Enough."
"Regardless of what we're going to do…"
"The most important thing right now is still to rescue mom…"
Katakuri's fingers tapped on his arm, his head slightly bowed as he softly shared some recent thoughts: "Based on my observations of the Konoha Pirates, I believe they might not be willing to release mom, and might require mom to join the Konoha Pirates, demanding us to become their subordinates…"
"If the other side poses these terms, under no circumstances can we agree!"
Instantly, someone from the Charlotte Family raised an objection: "If it doesn't work, then we'll fight, gather together and rescue mom!"
"This won't do…"
"We can't do it like this…"
The members of the Charlotte Family began to noisily clamor.
Amidst the noise of the crowd, Charlotte Lingling's seventy-sixth child, and Memory-Memory Fruit user, Charlotte Pudding quietly observed Katakuri's expression.
"Alright."
Katakuri interrupted everyone's words. Looking at the boisterous siblings, he said solemnly, "Let's adjourn temporarily. I have to go for afternoon tea and dessert first."
Katakuri furrowed his brows tightly as he announced a temporary stop to the family meeting under the guise of needing to have afternoon tea.
However…
As Katakuri walked into his mochi house, a figure quietly followed him inside, appearing beside him—it was Charlotte Pudding, who had been observing him during the meeting.
"Brother Katakuri."
Charlotte Pudding stared at her tall brother and directly uncovered the entire truth: "What you said at the meeting is actually the condition you want to propose when negotiating with the Konoha Pirates, right? You plan to surrender to the Konoha Pirates, allowing mom to become a member of the Konoha Pirates, so she won't continue to stay beside us…"
"!!!"
Katakuri's figure suddenly appeared beside Pudding. He looked down coldly at this girl who saw through what he was thinking.
"What nonsense are you saying?"
"I'm not talking nonsense."
Charlotte Pudding shook her head and continued, "Mom has the mindset of a child, and once she acts up, she'll take the lives of other brothers and sisters..."
"Pudding, you're only fourteen, what do you understand?"
Katakuri cut her off with a sinister expression, waving his hand: "Don't waste my afternoon tea time, leave here immediately…"
"..."
Charlotte Pudding could only turn and leave.
However…
Katakuri watched her departing back, slowly shook his head, and planned to enter the mochi house he created to enjoy his afternoon tea and relax a bit.
Only during this time…
Could he manage to relax slightly.
But…
Charlotte Pudding guessed right.
Katakuri felt slightly uneasy and nervous inside, because he didn't know whether what he was doing was right or wrong. Their mother, Charlotte Lingling's eating disorder was getting more severe, and once it acted up, she wouldn't recognize those in front of her, using the Soul-Soul Fruit's abilities to take away people's lifespan, including her own children...
If things continued like this…
One day surely, members of the Charlotte Family would be killed off by Charlotte Lingling, and even the inhabitants of World Tottland Island wouldn't be spared…
Yet…
Katakuri couldn't accomplish anything.
For a long time, he had only wanted to avoid all this as much as possible, prevent his brothers and sisters from dying at their mother's hands, and thus honed his Observation Haki to the level of Future Perception, enabling him to prevent Charlotte Lingling's eating disorder from occurring ahead of time…
Now…
This is a prime opportunity.
The Konoha Pirates are overwhelmingly strong. They have defeated mom Charlotte Lingling. If he could talk to the Konoha Pirates, hopefully they'd take Charlotte Lingling onto their ship. Didn't Mom once join an organization called the Rocks Pirates when she was little?
Katakuri was forty-six years old this year. He knew when he was younger that mom joined the Rocks Pirates, and during that time the family was very safe…