The man who came in through the hall was exceptionally tall. Even Bright, who stood over four meters tall, only reached somewhere below his chest.
He had a fierce face and wore strangely textured armor, with a longsword at his waist and a shield in his hand. A horned helmet sat atop his head, and his black beard extended all the way down to his abdomen.
Bright's gaze turned solemn.
"Damn, a real monster has shown up!"
Tesoro knocked down Umit's last bodyguard with one punch, his voice low.
This was no man who could be casually dealt with.
"Oh, it's Cracker!"
Stussy smiled as she waved at the newcomer. "What a coincidence. If I'd known you were here too, I should have invited you to the banquet."
"A banquet?"
The man called Cracker strolled over, completely ignoring the bodyguards sprawled across the floor. His sharp eyes flicked toward Umit, lying at Bright's feet. "After taking care of a group of pirates who didn't know their place, I came here intending to bring Mother a gift. I didn't expect to run into such a lively banquet."
He stopped walking.
Looking down at Bright from above, he said, "So, what's going on here?"
Bright looked up at him.
Charlotte Cracker, one of the highest-ranking officers of the BIG Pirates, one of the Sweet Commanders, and probably an expert on the level of a Shichibukai.
Could he call this bad luck?
Of all times, he had run into this guy now.
Bright glanced at Stussy.
This woman's thoughts were in turmoil too. She had clearly been completely unprepared for Cracker's arrival.
Wasn't this planned by CP0?
So it really was just a coincidence?
What rotten luck.
"Hahahaha, as you can see, Cracker—"
Just as Stussy was considering how to deal with Cracker