Arriving at Whole Cake Island and Katakuri

"So this is Whole Cake Island?"

Minos and Talon gazed at the island in the distance, which looked like something out of a fairy tale. Rainbow-colored juice rippled across the sea surface, clouds in the sky frolicked and played, and the rainbow encircling the entire island shifted its hues, letting out giggles and laughter.

Even from this far away, a sweet fragrance rushed toward them. Roofs made of cream, houses built from chocolate, ground paved with cookies—it was a fantastical sight unseen even in fairy tales.

But as he took in the distant beauty, Minos only felt his teeth ache—anyone forced to eat sweets for every meal, day in and day out for nearly half a month, would have the same reaction!

Oh, people in the Pirate World were probably slower to feel it. Especially Big Mom and her children—they practically treated sweets as their lifeline. How did these guys not have high blood pressure, high blood sugar, or cavities?

"Aaaah, isn't this way too girly?" A loud voice boomed beside him. Minos turned to glance at Talon standing next to him and helplessly curled his lips.

It was a good thing people in the Pirate World were thick-skinned; otherwise, with just that one remark, he'd probably get beaten to a pulp by the Charlotte Pirates.

Hmm... eighty percent of that was probably because Charlotte Linlin still had a childlike heart... Minos turned his head to look. Charlotte Linlin had a smile on her face, her cheeks even slightly flushed—had she taken Talon's words as a compliment?!

"Mama mama mama! That's right, this is the most beautiful, most maiden-hearted country in the world! Whole Cake Island, where all races can gather joyfully!"

Hearing Charlotte Linlin's words, Talon rolled his eyes and wanted to say something more, but Minos stomped on his toes. With a howl of pain, he ended up saying nothing at all.

Did this guy really think Charlotte Linlin was easy to talk to? Her reaction was just too slow to catch on. Among the Four Emperors, Charlotte Linlin was the hardest one to deal with!

Even Kaido was far easier to talk to than Charlotte Linlin! Though Kaido's temper was rough, he had plenty of patience for fighters he admired and always treated them well. Not like Charlotte Linlin, who was so emotional that once she got angry, she didn't care about anything—she'd even tear apart her own biological son!

Luckily, Talon wasn't truly stupid, or at least not that stupid. After Minos stomped on his foot, he seemed to snap out of it, shut his mouth, and said nothing more.

The ship gradually arrived at Whole Cake Island. A mass of fresh flower Homies was welcoming everyone on the shore, and standing there were three of Big Mom's children, each with a distinct presence and imposing air.

The one in a black leather jacket with a scarf covering his mouth was probably Katakuri. That guy with the absurdly long tongue, always licking a lollipop, was likely Big Mom's eldest son, the Candy-Candy Fruit User, the Candy Minister whose name he didn't know.

And there was a long-legged woman—truly long-legged. Just her two legs looked three meters tall, taking up nearly three-quarters or even four-fifths of her total height. Clearly a woman of the Longleg Tribe.

That should be Charlotte Smoothie, one of the Sweet Commanders, the Dehydrator with the ability to squeeze all moisture out of anything.

Seeing her children, Big Mom was clearly quite pleased. Then she grabbed Minos, who was watching the commotion on deck, stepped onto Zeus the thundercloud, and flew toward Cake Island.

"Mama mama mama mama! My good children! Your queen has returned!"

Charlotte Linlin laughed loudly as she landed on the island, her voice shaking Minos's ears with echoes.

"Welcome back, Mama. Hehehehehehe." That rather eccentric Candy Minister stepped forward first, grinning at Charlotte Linlin. "We've prepared a grand banquet for you, with your favorite cake!"

"Mama mama mama mama, as expected of Perospero, my smartest eldest son." At the word "cake," drool immediately dripped from Charlotte Linlin's mouth. Minos, still clutched in her hand, hurriedly dodged, watching the saliva hit the ground and erode it like sulfuric acid, sending up wisps of smoke. He swallowed hard.

Was this woman really human? Looking at the small holes eaten into the ground, Minos felt deeply suspicious. This stuff was way stronger than concentrated sulfuric acid. With that kind of liquid in her stomach, a normal human would have been corroded clean through long ago.

Charlotte Linlin couldn't hold back anymore. Though she'd been at sea for a while, and the chefs on her ship were top-notch, they could never match the full facilities of Cake Island. Now, hearing the word "cake," she simply couldn't restrain herself.

The Minos she had treasured was casually tossed toward Charlotte Katakuri: "Katakuri. This is a new crew member assigned to your ship! Oh, and that Oni brat too."

Minos felt the world spin. By the time he came to his senses, he was lying against Katakuri's chest.

Katakuri was a giant of four or five meters. At that moment, he held Minos with one hand, and their eyes met. Then the Mochi-Mochi Fruit user set Minos straight down.

Hmm, he even crouched down considerately; otherwise, Minos's feet wouldn't have touched the ground at all.

These guys were way too tall. Looking at Big Mom's three children, Minos sighed inwardly. Compared to them, even Talon counted as a shorty, and Minos was barely a little dot.

"A new recruit brought by Mama? That's rare." Katakuri remarked, then asked, "You're a special race too, just like that Oni brat, right?"

It was simple enough. With Charlotte Linlin's personality, she wouldn't bother with ordinary people!

Either you were strong, or you were a special race. Otherwise, that crazy woman Charlotte Linlin might save an ordinary person when she was in a good mood, but she'd never let them join the Charlotte Pirates.

As for Minos's strength—Katakuri had already sized him up when they touched. With that level of power, being a squad leader of a Ten-Man Squad in the Charlotte Pirates was already his limit. Definitely not worth their Mama giving him instructions before the banquet.

"Uh..." Minos scratched his head, then yanked off the white cloth wrapped around his forehead, revealing his third eye. "I'm a member of the Three-Eyed Tribe!"

Katakuri stood there motionless, looking at the evil eye on Minos's forehead. "I see. So you're a member of the Three-Eyed Tribe. That's rare."

"Sister Brulee should be delighted—she has a real companion now. But... your eye seems a bit different from a normal Three-Eyed Tribe member's."