Be My Son-in-Law!

"Is he really that formidable?"

Snag furrowed his brow.

It wasn't that he doubted Brother Katakuri's prophecy—quite the opposite. It was precisely because he firmly trusted this pillar of the Charlotte Family that he couldn't help voicing his disappointment. For someone like Snag, who aspired to turn the "Sweet Three Generals" into the "Sweet Four Generals," this was a crushing blow.

If his guess was right, the one riding in that carriage was the so-called [Black Prince], said to be only twenty years old. Twenty... just twenty, and already able to make Brother Katakuri wear such a grave expression. How enviable!

"Snag."

As if seeing through his ambitious younger brother's dark thoughts, Katakuri spoke again: "Jealousy won't help you go further than yesterday. Only effort—effort will bring you closer to the ideal in your heart. Don't let pointless emotions cloud your eyes."

"I understand, Brother Katakuri."

Snag lowered his head, momentarily calming down, reining in the jealousy swelling within him.

The Queen Mama Chantilly was entering port.

Now, the distance to the dock was very, very close. The luxurious carriage, inlaid with gold, silver, and jewels, came into clearer view for the pirates.

"Brother Katakuri, leave the vanguard to me!"

The voice came from a burly man wearing a bull-horned helmet, with a long beard, clad in black-and-white cookie-patterned armor. He held a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. Judging by his appearance alone, he was one of the Sweet Three Generals on the Navy's bounty posters.

Totland's Biscuit Minister, known as "Thousand Hands," also called the "Biscuit Knight"—Charlotte Cracker.

"Cracker, you want to go?"

This time, Katakuri didn't refuse.

He trusted the abilities of this younger brother, whose strength was second only to his own in the family. Especially since Cracker's fighting style was well-suited for taking the lead and probing an enemy's depth.

But this time, it wasn't up to him alone.

"Mother, may Cracker handle this prey?"

The pillar of the Charlotte Family turned around, looking up at the massive mountain of flesh—no, rather, the tall, stout woman—seated high on a giant, fairy-tale-style throne. She wore thick lipstick and light purple eyeshadow, a red pirate hat with yellow trim, and a loose pink dress with red polka dots.

She was—

Charlotte Linlin.

One of the Pirate Emperors dominating the New World, the queen of the Totland Kingdom, captain of the BIG Pirates. A Mad Emperor who would wage a war of annihilation for the sake of sweets.

At this moment, Her Majesty the Mad Emperor was focused on devouring the desserts served in a steady stream by the chefs. Devouring, not eating—this wasn't a misused metaphor; on the contrary, it was the most accurate description.

With that ferocious, greedy, intoxicated smile, and that abyss-like gaping maw, it was impossible to think she was dining. This scene was more like a beast in human skin, consuming everything tangible.

"No!"

She roared loudly.

Crumbs of pastry flew forward with the sound waves. The three Generals standing on the bow deck subtly shifted their steps, dodging the crumbs stained with saliva as corrosive as sulfuric acid.

An unexpected refusal.

Katakuri fell silent for a moment. Though surprising, it wasn't unprecedented.

"That's my prey."

Having temporarily sated her craving for sweets, the Mad Emperor stopped eating. She looked down at her sons and daughters standing on the deck, a delighted smile spreading across her face. "Katakuri, that's my dessert. No one touches it—not even my sons!"

"Mother, we wouldn't touch your dessert. We only want to deliver it to you."

Katakuri knelt on one knee, and behind him, his younger siblings dropped to their knees in unison.

"Mama~~"

Charlotte Linlin let out a cheerful laugh.

"Katakuri, don't you dare lay a hand on the prey I've set my sights on. Such a delicious dessert... mama, I've never encountered one before!" Her joyful laughter echoed across the deck. As her children, Katakuri, Smoothie, Cracker, Snag, and the others could tell that Mother was truly happy.

It had been a long time since they'd heard her laugh like this.

If memory served, the last time was when the Pirate King Roger was executed?

Just then, As the Queen Mama Chantilly docked, the carriage waiting at the port finally stirred.

"Your Highness, are you sure you want to do this?"

"Of course."

"Even if one wrong move costs a life, you don't care?"

"I can't wait to do it."

Yes—

He couldn't wait. Aleus lifted the carriage curtain and stepped out, his feet landing on the ground paved with large granite blocks. He rolled his wrists, emerald-green eyes burning with a flame both fervent and calm.

After defeating Umit without much effort, Aleus had been haunted by a lingering confusion.

He was deeply puzzled about what level he currently stood at. He urgently needed a touchstone to test his own mettle, but the problem was that even Umit couldn't help him clearly define his position, leaving him unable to find a suitable benchmark for the time being.

He even wondered if he should wait until the Shipping Network matters were settled, then go challenge Whitebeard.

Unexpectedly, before he could act on that thought of challenging Whitebeard, another Pirate Emperor had already appeared before him.

"Your Highness, that's a Four Emperor. This time, it might really be the end."

Fran stood beside His Highness Aleus, smoothing the wrinkles on his sleeves while still trying to persuade him not to take such a risky move.

"Enough, Fran, you talk too much. Instead of worrying about me, worry about yourself first! The enemy isn't just a Pirate Emperor, but also the loyal subjects of our Mad Emperor. If you don't leave quickly, you might have to fight too. If you don't want to get involved, stay far away."

Aleus flicked his sleeves.

Good.

His mental state was excellent, and his physical condition was at its peak.

"Huh?"

Fran, dressed in a Maid Outfit, widened her eyes and pointed a finger at her own nose. "I have to fight too?"

"After all, they're the Four Emperor's subordinates. Fran, take cover for now! You're not a match for those monsters yet."

"I understand, Your Highness."

The maid finally gave up on persuading him. She had tried the whole way without any effect, and continuing now would probably be useless. Staying here might even get in the way and hinder His Highness Aleus's movements.

So, "Then, Your Highness, please forgive me for withdrawing first."

With that final apology, a pair of magnificent wings, wreathed in illusory golden-red flames, suddenly sprouted from the maid's back. She flapped them and shot into the sky like an arrow from a bow, fleeing in the opposite direction from which the BIG Pirates had come.

The entire BIG Pirates naturally saw Fran flying away.

However, Without Mother's say-so, no one dared to act first. If Mother thought they were trying to steal her prey, they'd definitely get eaten.

"Now then, I can finally stretch my legs a bit."

Aleus withdrew his gaze from the sky and turned his attention to the massive pirate ship, which looked like it had sailed straight out of a fairy tale, slowly docking at the pier. His eyes landed on the figure appearing on the bow deck—BIG, like the most vicious and ugly witch from a fairy tale.

The next instant, The air in midair was torn apart with a mournful shriek.

A mountain of flesh.

Crashed down from the sky.

The pier, built from large granite blocks, was smashed into a massive crater. The entire dock trembled from the terrifying impact, and the dust kicked up swept in all directions like a storm. At the center of the crater stood a woman as burly as a giant.

"But really, it's hard to imagine! How did someone go from being a beauty to this?"

Aleus reached out and dispersed the dust flying toward him. He didn't take a single step back, only tilting his head slightly to look up and down at BIG, who stood a full eight hundred and eighty centimeters tall. She was truly massive! A head taller than even Whitebeard. At his own two hundred and five centimeters, standing before BIG made him feel like a second-rate cripple.

"Kid, was it you? Who killed Umit."

BIG looked down at this handsome young man.

Not bad!

Too bad she already had human children, or she might have caught him to be her husband.

"I did it."

Aleus nodded with a smile.

"...Kid, you've got guts! No fear at all facing me, mamama~~~" BIG let out a loud, piercing laugh that went on for a while before dying down. Then the smile faded from her face, and her bloated flesh twisted into a terrifying, ferocious expression of rage.

"Kid!"

"You killed Umit and cost me a guest at my tea party. I was planning to eat you, but since you're so good-looking, I'll give you a chance. You'll be my son-in-law. As long as you become one of us, I'll spare your life."

Aleus was dumbfounded.

Good grief, What was this all about?

This development wasn't going the way he'd imagined. Shouldn't they start fighting on sight? Why had it suddenly turned into a recruitment for a son-in-law?

It wasn't just Aleus who was stunned. Even Katakuri and the others aboard the Queen Mama Chantilly were nearly thrown off balance by Mother's sudden, bizarre move. Snag's mouth, hidden beneath his scarf, gaped wide open in utter shock.

"Brother Katakuri, is this... okay?"

In his surprise, Snag instinctively looked to Katakuri, whom all the siblings regarded as their anchor.

They were supposed to kill Aleus, the murderer of Umit, to calm the unrest in the Dark World. But Mother had suddenly pulled this stunt. If it caused the big shots of the Dark World to lose trust, things would get troublesome.

"What's the problem? As long as Mother thinks there's no problem, then there's no problem."

Smoothie, tall and long-legged with beautiful wavy white hair, said coldly.

"Snag, your spirit is too small. Don't think too highly of those rats in the Dark World. In front of Mother, anyone who dares to disobey can just die. The New World is the Four Emperors' New World, not the New World of those rats in the Dark World."

"I understand, Sister Smoothie."

Snag shrank his neck.

Among the Sweet Three Generals of the BIG Pirates, the one he feared most was this cold-hearted older sister—she would drain every drop of moisture from a subordinate who made a mistake, dry them into a husk, and hang it from the bow as a warning to others.

Well, as long as you didn't screw up, Smoothie wouldn't just slaughter her men for no reason like Mother did.

"A son-in-law recruitment! I wonder which sister Mother plans to have this Black Prince marry?"

Cracker cut in.

"Hard to say! This Black Prince is said to be only twenty now. The sisters around his age in the family are just Chiffon, Mable, and a few others. It's not great for me to say this as their older sister, but... that Black Prince might not take a liking to Chiffon and the rest."

Smoothie furrowed her brow slightly, pondering which sister Mother intended to marry off.

If Galette were a few years younger, or if Purin were a few years older, either could be used to win over this Black Prince. But Purin was only ten, still too young, while Galette was just twenty-five—the age gap wasn't actually that big...

"Chiffon and Mable... yeah, that really doesn't match!" Cracker glanced at the strikingly handsome Aleus standing on the dock and laughed without restraint. If those sisters were still in Totland and hadn't come along, mocking them to their faces like this would definitely earn him a beating from Brother Katakuri. But now—

"Cracker, shut up."

Katakuri only scolded him once, but Cracker obediently stifled his laughter.

He then continued, "What Mother does is her business. What we need to do now is handle our own tasks. Cracker, Snag, go tell the ships behind to retreat further and not get caught up in Mother's fight."

"Isn't this distance enough?"

Cracker looked back at the numerous Tart Ships anchored outside the port, not having entered with the Queen Mama Chantilly. This was already a precaution to keep Mother from tearing apart her own home when she got too carried away.

"Just do it."

Katakuri offered no explanation.

Cracker didn't dare argue further with Brother Katakuri and went with Snag to direct the Tart Ships behind.

"Brother Katakuri, could it be that this Black Prince dares to refuse Mother?" Smoothie's eyes flickered with surprise.

"Just wait and see."

Katakuri said simply, his sharp gaze fixed on the figure on the dock confronting Mother.

Refuse?

Or accept?

His Observation Haki couldn't 'see' that far into the future, but erring on the side of caution, he had already made preparations assuming Aleus would refuse.