At that moment, Yemu was genuinely a little surprised, and a trace of astonishment slipped onto his face before he could hide it.
"Please, come in."
Perospero, on the other hand, was quite satisfied with Yemu's reaction.
So what if Yemu could go toe-to-toe with a monster like Kaidou? In front of Mama, a true force of terror, he still had to put away his pride.
Led by Perospero, the members of the Sky Pirates took their seats on the luxurious talking sofas opposite BIGMOM's throne.
Even though they had already seen plenty of talking plants and animals since arriving on Whole Cake Island, actually sitting on one still felt strange.
From the moment Yemu stepped inside, Charlotte Linlin's gaze had locked onto him, as if he were some priceless treasure. She studied him carefully from head to toe, her expression filled with excitement.
But when she noticed the look in his eyes as he sat down and met her gaze, her expression darkened, and she barked,
"Hey, brat, what's with that look?"
There was nothing flattering in Yemu's eyes at that moment. It was a strange look, mixed with a hint of regret.
As a woman, she was especially sensitive to that kind of gaze.
Yemu didn't bother hiding his thoughts.
"How should I put this… I think I owe you an apology first."
"???"
"At least for now, calling you an old hag back then was definitely my mistake."
"!!!"
In an instant, the entire vast hall fell silent. Perospero, Katakuri, and even the Homies all went pale. Veins bulged visibly on Charlotte Linlin's forehead as her expression twisted.
"You're far more beautiful than I imagined. But…"
Yemu looked at Charlotte Linlin. She was only in her forties, still full of mature charm. Her figure wasn't bloated at all, with pronounced curves and a slim waist. If not for the slightly hardened look that came with age, she would undoubtedly be considered a beauty.
With a hint of regret, he added,
"Desserts and age really are a woman's worst enemies when it comes to beauty."
"...Tch."
Charlotte Linlin suppressed her anger, though her expression remained unpleasant. She grabbed a handful of sweets from the side and stuffed them into her mouth, chewing as she muttered,
"What would a brat like you know about women? On this sea, beauty is the most worthless thing there is."
She took a few more bites, and her face softened into a blissful, almost childlike expression.
"Delicious!"
Only then did everyone in the room let out a breath of relief.
At the same time, they gained a whole new understanding of just how bold this man was.
After Charlotte Linlin seemed to have eaten her fill, Yemu finally spoke again.
"Now we can talk business."
Charlotte Linlin, however, didn't seem in any hurry.
"Mamamama, why the rush? I've saved the truth of your origins as the grand finale for my tea party and wedding the day after tomorrow. If I tell you now, it'd take all the fun out of it."
As she spoke, she looked at Yemu again, unable to hide the excitement in her eyes.
"I still remember how thrilled I was when I first saw your photo in the newspaper. Even after all these years, even though you've changed so much, I'm certain you're that child I saw back then. It's a miracle. I never thought that madman would actually succeed… Mamamama…"
Yemu frowned.
Charlotte Linlin's words clearly hinted at something deeper.
What did she mean by "actually succeed"?
Who was that man? Rocks?
What kind of secret was hidden behind all this?
Yemu had never been the type to let himself fall into a passive position. Frowning slightly, he said,
"You seem to be mistaken about something, Charlotte Linlin. I am interested in my origins, but not nearly as much as you think."
Her laughter abruptly stopped. Charlotte Linlin lowered her gaze, studying Yemu as if weighing whether he was telling the truth.
"Hmph. What a dull brat. Just like that man, no sense of humor at all. Perospero, have Mont-d'Or bring me that book of mine."
"Got it, Mama!"
As Perospero left, BIGMOM casually grabbed another handful of sweets and started eating as she spoke.
"After I discovered your existence, I was already certain you were that child. But the truth is, even I don't know much about your origins. That man was unbelievably meticulous. Fortunately, as one of the participants, I know of another being who knows your identity. And even more fortunately, I managed to find that little thing."
"Let's take it one step at a time."
Yemu remained calm, just as he had said, he wasn't overly concerned about his origins.
"First question. The man you mentioned… wouldn't happen to be Rocks, would it?"
The moment that name was spoken, everyone reacted.
Katakuri from the BIGMOM Pirates, as well as the members of the Sky Pirates, were all visibly shaken.
Yemu had never hidden the mystery of his origins from his crew, but he had never shared uncertain speculations either. There was no point in doing so.
"Rocks… is that the great pirate you mentioned before? Rocks D. Xebec?"
Flare asked what everyone was thinking.
Hearing that, Charlotte Linlin seemed slightly surprised. She gave Yemu a meaningful look, clearly waiting for his answer.
Yemu didn't bother hiding anything.
"Yes. That's him."
Even within the Sky Pirates, knowledge about Rocks was limited. Yemu had only mentioned him briefly back on the Sabaody Archipelago.
It was obvious Yemu knew more, but everyone remembered what he had said before. Sometimes, knowing too much wasn't a good thing. So they had held back their curiosity.
But now, it didn't matter.
Yemu continued,
"I don't know much about Rocks either. Only that his full name was Rocks D. Xebec. Decades ago, he was the king of the seas. How strong was he? You could think of him as the Roger of that era, or even stronger. Back then, he truly ruled the seas."
"The pirates we know today… Whitebeard, Shiki, Kaidou, who we met five days ago, and even Linlin herself… they were all once crew members on his ship."
Hearing this, the members of the Sky Pirates showed clear shock. Even Charlotte Linlin's expression turned nostalgic.
"That powerful… and yet he just disappeared without a trace?"
"The reason is what I mentioned before. Fourteen years ago, Rocks led his crew to attack God Valley, trying to overthrow the World Government. He failed, and his existence was erased by them."
"Failed…?"
No one could quite process it. A man like that had actually failed?
"Yes. Because the ones who defeated him were the future Pirate King Roger and the Marine hero Garp."
As Yemu finished speaking, a trace of disappointment suddenly appeared on Charlotte Linlin's face. Then she muttered something that caught Yemu off guard.
"Looks like I was wrong. That man didn't succeed… or rather, he didn't completely succeed…"