Totto Land, Cake Island.
Charlotte Linlin held another one of her tea parties, and the various Underworld Bosses were sensible enough to present their gifts.
Every year, Charlotte Linlin would collect a batch of rare treasures through these tea parties, but in reality, those treasures were just a drop in the bucket for those Underworld Bosses.
The actual output and exchange of interests had long been negotiated behind the scenes with the Charlotte Family; attending the Tea Party was merely a formal ceremony.
Although they lost some profits, these underworld forces also gained the protection of the Charlotte Pirates. As long as they didn't go looking for trouble, other Pirate Crews in the New World wouldn't take the initiative to attack them, making it a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Of course, regarding the matter of showing face by attending the Tea Party, no underworld boss dared to skip it. Offending the Charlotte Family itself wasn't actually a huge problem; after all, whether it was Perospero or Katakuri, they were still somewhat reasonable. As long as the interests were compensated twofold, they wouldn't necessarily care about these matters of face.
But if you offended that crazy woman Charlotte Linlin, you might as well just find a rope and hang yourself.
Charlotte Linlin might not remember who came to give gifts, but she would definitely remember who failed to attend the Tea Party and bring a gift. Therefore, this superficial work was often more important than the underlying transfer of interests.
"Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma! It's the day of the Tea Party again! How has everyone been doing lately?!"
Dressed in pink clothes, carrying a small pink parasol, and with pink hair... the obese old woman asked the guests below with a face full of smiles.
In her youth, Linlin was also a famous beauty whose name was known across the seas. When Charlotte Linlin wanted to find a husband back then, she didn't need to use force at all; she only had to wave her hand, and crowds of men would automatically come to line up.
Even though Charlotte Linlin would directly discard her husbands after having children, there was no shortage of men who wanted to experience her charms.
Besides, pulling up one's pants and running off wasn't Charlotte Linlin's exclusive patent; there were plenty of men who just wanted to play around without taking responsibility.
After all, Charlotte Linlin only abandoned her husbands, she didn't intend to kill them.
Unfortunately, time is a butcher's knife, especially when that knife is in Oda's hands. The great beauty of her youth had become a complete fat pig at her current age.
Of course, the guests below certainly wouldn't let Mama lose face; one by one, they cheerfully responded to her greeting and kept flattering her:
"We're all doing very well! Mama looks even younger!"
"Yes, yes, Mama is simply glowing!"
"Totto Land has become even livelier; everyone loves the atmosphere here!"
"I've brought a new Tea Party gift for Mama! Would Mama like to open it and see?"
"Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma! Seeing that everyone is doing well makes Mama very happy!"
Charlotte Linlin seemed quite pleased by the flattery, her eyes narrowing into slits as she spoke happily.
Then, Charlotte Linlin clapped her hands, and a large amount of Homies food automatically hopped out and jumped onto the plates, while many Homies attendants pushed out a giant cake.
Compared to Kozuki Hiyori, who didn't much like absorbing others' souls and thus had few Homies subordinates, Charlotte Linlin could collect soul taxes from the people throughout the entire Totto Land sea area. Her soul reserves were staggeringly high, and the Homies she created could almost form an army.
She even went so far as to waste souls by bestowing them upon food; this didn't improve the flavor, it was simply that Charlotte Linlin found it more interesting to eat them that way.
Stella picked up a knife and fork and ate a few puddings, a trace of a smile appearing on her lips as she watched the puddings look either ecstatic or twisted in struggle.
Well, Stella was also one of those who found this way of eating interesting, showing that she wasn't exactly a good person either.
Meanwhile, the various Underworld Bosses began to present gifts to Charlotte Linlin. Looking at the diverse and novel gifts, Charlotte Linlin let out a burst of "Ma-ma-ma-ma," laughing like a child weighing dozens of tons.
At the same time, the Charlotte Family members hosting the banquet also wore smiles, complimenting their neurotic mother until Stella began to present her gift.
"Ma-ma-ma-ma, it's Stella! What gift have you brought me this time?!"
Charlotte Linlin blinked her large, fluttering eyes and leaned in close to Stella; she didn't look particularly cute, but rather a bit terrifying.
Fortunately, Stella was socially adept and tactful, having long since gained extensive experience in dealing with this psychiatric patient. She giggled, pushed Charlotte Linlin's large face aside, and said lightheartedly while covering her mouth:
"Don't worry, Linlin! The gift I have for you this time will definitely satisfy you!"
"Ta-da! A specialty delicious sweet from Wano Country, Shiruko!"
With a casual press on her wristwatch, she opened a small Spatial Bubble. Inside was a giant wooden tub resembling a bathtub, filled with red Shiruko, wafting a sweet aroma.
In the original story, Charlotte Linlin had even gone to war with Queen over Shiruko, showing how satisfied this old woman was with this sweet treat. Not to mention, the one before her had been specially made by Kozuki Hiyori, who found Wano Country's best Shiruko chef, and it had been processed with Vegapunk's high technology, making the flavor naturally richer and more enchanting.
Just from smelling the scent, Charlotte Linlin's mouth couldn't help but secrete a large amount of saliva. The highly acidic saliva, like aqua regia, fell to the ground and even corroded small holes into it.
"The Shiruko smells so good, Shiruko, I want to eat Shiruko!"
Seeing Charlotte Linlin's frenzied state, Katakuri, who was sitting to the side, looked a bit displeased. Generally speaking, everyone knew that Charlotte Linlin loved gourmet food most, but why did few people present it at events like tea parties?
Firstly, it was because Charlotte Linlin had a picky palate, and it was easy for an attempt to please her to backfire. If she found it unpalatable, this capricious individual wouldn't care if you were a business partner or not; it wasn't impossible for her to just rip out your soul.
Secondly, some delicacies were either rare in production, troublesome to make, or from a place that was too powerful. Procuring them once or twice was easy, but having them constantly available was not so simple.
If Charlotte Linlin's Hunger Pangs were triggered and she insisted on eating certain rare ingredients, it would be very difficult even for the Charlotte Pirates to handle.
Thus, presenting rare sweets might seem like flattering Charlotte Linlin, but in reality, it was offending the entire Charlotte Family.
One must know that the ones who actually managed the specific affairs of the Charlotte Pirates were these elder members of the Charlotte Family. If they were annoyed, they had plenty of ways to finish off these Underworld Bosses.
Although Shiruko wasn't considered high-end in terms of ingredients or preparation, a chef who could make it to this level must have at least ten years of experience. Most importantly, the chef was from Wano Country, which naturally made Katakuri feel it was a bit troublesome.
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