Ren put aside the affairs of Wano and returned overseas.
As for the banquet he'd mentioned to Yasuie — that was real. It was a tea party hosted by Charlotte Linlin. He hadn't expected to find himself on her invitation list.
From another perspective, though, it made sense. After all, Inazuma and Big Mom's Totto Land had no overt conflicts of interest, so her desire to invite Ren wasn't strange at all.
If she could use the tea party to strengthen ties between her Kingdom of Totto Land and Inazuma, that would be a win for her.
"I heard no one can refuse Charlotte Linlin's tea party invitations," Ren said, looking at the invitation in his hand with a chuckle.
He was actually tempted to skip it and see what she could do about it, but on second thought, there was no need to make an unnecessary enemy.
Totto Land was one of his major clients, after all. Showing a little face wouldn't hurt.
His entourage for the trip to Totto Land was set: Yukiko, Moli, and Shutenmaru.
These three weren't just the only Fatui Harbingers under Ren's command — they were also his primary fighting force.
Moli's relentless training over the years had paid off. All three clearly possessed the caliber of the future Three Calamities of the Beasts Pirates.
In this era, this lineup was an absolute killer. No existing pirate crew could match them in top-tier combat power. It was even fair to say that Ren's four-person group alone already had the strength to take on the entire Beasts Pirates.
"Since it's a tea party, I should prepare some gifts. Oh right — those Devil Fruits related to food I obtained a while back, I might as well give them to her. And I'll prepare an extra-extra-large cup of bubble tea — full sugar," Ren said, choosing his gifts quite casually.
In truth, these gifts would please Charlotte Linlin far more than ordinary treasure.
As a woman who loved eating — especially sweets — Charlotte Linlin's craving for food was almost pathological. A few years ago, her Craving Sickness hadn't been too severe.
But as she aged, her appetite had grown enormous. Ren had already heard she'd gone on two rampages due to Craving Sickness in recent years.
As for the food-type Devil Fruits, they were completely useless to Ren. Giving them away didn't hurt at all.
The day of the tea party soon arrived. Ren sailed aboard the Dead Omen and docked at Whole Cake Island.
At its peak, the Kingdom of Totto Land would comprise Whole Cake Island and thirty-four surrounding islands — but it hadn't reached that massive scale yet.
The Dead Omen still carried a number of attendants. Come to think of it, the ship had been modified many times since it was first built. Aside from its outward appearance, it was vastly different from the original.
Big Mom's reception crew spotted Inazuma's flag and readied themselves to welcome the guests. Ren had arrived fairly early — not everyone was here yet.
He presented his prepared gifts, and Big Mom immediately began tearing into them with great enthusiasm.
This was one of her hobbies. If anyone tried to snatch the gift boxes from her, she would instantly fly into a rage. Ren completely understood — in his previous life, plenty of people had enjoyed unboxing deliveries way too much.
"What's this, Devil Fruits?" Big Mom — who wasn't yet particularly unsightly — spotted the Devil Fruits and seemed pleased. But she also noticed a large barrel placed next to them.
She caught a sweet, fragrant scent.
"These are the Wring-Wring Fruit, the Butter-Butter Fruit, and the Cream-Cream Fruit," Ren explained.
Sure enough, Big Mom's expression grew even happier upon hearing the names. But the aroma wafting from that barrel was driving her absolutely mad.
"What about this? What's inside? I smell something so sweet!" Charlotte Linlin, who would be turning forty this year, actually showed a hint of shyness on her already-distorted face.
She blushed like a lovestruck girl, extending her jewel-and-gold-laden fingers as she asked eagerly.
"This is a dessert I invented — a drink called bubble tea," Ren said, telling her she could open it and try it right away.
Big Mom didn't stand on ceremony. She yanked the lid off without hesitation, hoisted the man-sized iron barrel, and began chugging.
Gulp, gulp...
She drained it in one go, and still looked like she wanted more.
"Delicious! Mamamama... hey, Ren, I'll marry off one of my daughters to you — just leave behind the recipe for this thing called bubble tea, deal?" Charlotte Linlin started peddling her daughters without a second thought.
In truth, she'd harbored this idea for a while. Trading a daughter for an alliance with Inazuma was a bargain no matter how you looked at it.
"Let me see, who'd be suitable for marriage... Amande..." She thought for a moment and called out toward her children.
A blue-haired woman with melancholy eyes and an extremely long neck stepped forward.
"Mother, you called." Amande looked exceedingly pale. Yet even her melancholy face showed a flicker of a smile upon hearing Charlotte Linlin summon her.
She had overheard the conversation. Marrying the leader of Inazuma would be a dream come true for her.
He was powerful, ruled a vast organization, and was devastatingly handsome — the husband of her dreams.
Ren, however, had little interest in Big Mom's bizarrely shaped daughters.
"Don't like Amande? She's the prettiest of the four sisters, and she's a rare Snakeneck to boot," Big Mom said, apparently assuming everyone shared her collector's mentality.
If she were actually a beauty, Ren wouldn't have minded collecting her. But a Snakeneck? That was an "ugly, hard pass."
And so, Amande could only return to the crowd in disappointment.
"If you don't like Amande, how about Muscat, or Galette, or Poire..." Big Mom pondered for a moment, then simply abandoned the idea.
These three daughters were actually quite presentable. But the eldest, Muscat, was only six this year, and the twin sisters were just two. She couldn't possibly marry them off.
Charlotte Linlin doted heavily on children under ten — she would never trade them away.
"Let's forget about this, Charlotte Linlin," Ren cut in, sparing her the dilemma.
"Fine. We'll talk about it later then."
"Mamamama — Kaido and the others still aren't here? They're so slow..."
[
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