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Chapter 172 Before the Banquet
Chapter 172 Before the Banquet
Amidst the sweetness and tranquility of Juice Island, Bai Yu and his group have quietly lingered for seven days.
In these seven days, Smoothie had already transformed from a proud dessert star into a devoted fan of Uchiha Hakuba.
He stayed by her side day and night, and never stopped studying and seeking guidance. With targeted instruction, his strength improved by leaps and bounds. Meanwhile, the sweet-loving people of Juice Island regarded Uchiha Shiraha as a supreme guest who was above Big Mom's crew.
This story from Juice Island, like the aroma of fruit juice, was continuously transmitted back to the core of Whole Cake Island, through the Big Mom Pirates' intelligence network.
On the morning of the eighth day, as the sky was just beginning to glow with a honey-colored light, a luxurious speedboat made entirely of caramel and chocolate, with the Big Mom Pirates' skull and crossbones flag engraved on its hull, steadily docked at the port of Juice Island.
On the speedboat, two members of the Charlotte family dressed as dessert servers stood bowing respectfully: "Lord Uchiha Shiraha, we have come on Mother's orders to invite you and other distinguished guests to Whole Cake Island to attend a supreme dessert banquet prepared especially for you. Mother is already waiting for your arrival in the castle."
Upon hearing this, Smoothie immediately stepped forward to block Bai Yu's side. Her gentle features instantly regained a hint of the coldness of a general. After a while, she turned to look at Bai Yu, her tone softening instantly and full of affection: "Lord Bai Yu, Mother is personally hosting this banquet, which is the highest level of hospitality in the world. I will accompany you and be at your beck and call."
Bai Yu nodded slightly, his voice calm and even: "Since it is the Third Empress's hospitality, and we came out of curiosity, let's go together."
As soon as she finished speaking, Retsu Unohana, holding her Zanpakuto, walked slowly to Shiraha's side with gentle eyes and a soft expression.
The same applies to the other partners.
The group boarded the boat, and the caramel speedboat left sweet trails in the water on the juice-filled sea as it sped towards Cake Island.
Smoothie stayed by Bai Yu's side the whole time, explaining in detail the layout of Whole Cake Island, Big Mom's preferences, and the core members of the Charlotte family. Her admiration was almost overflowing, and she didn't realize that she had already given her whole heart to the man in front of her.
Beautiful women are only meant for the strong, and so are handsome men.
Meanwhile, Cake Island was already bustling with unprecedented activity.
Charlotte Linlin, the sea empire who has ruled the New World for over a decade, issued an order to welcome Uchiha Shiraha, the guy who received her invitation.
Prepare for the most luxurious, grandest, and most exquisite dessert banquet since the founding of the world.
The entire dessert workshop, candy forest, chocolate river, and jelly plain on Cake Island were all in operation. Dozens of Charlotte's children were all mobilized, each fulfilling their duties, and no one dared to slack off in the slightest.
After all, in the history of Wan Guo, there are very few guests who can be personally invited by their mother and who are even instructed to show their utmost sincerity.
Beneath the central castle of Cake Island lies a vast confectionery processing area stretching for thousands of miles. At this moment, the area is bustling with activity and filled with the sweet aroma of confectionery. Every Charlotte child is giving their all, showcasing their abilities, all to create a feast worthy of the grand banquet their mother spoke of.
Charlotte Perospero, the eldest son and the woman's most trusted advisor, was in charge of overseeing the preparations for the entire banquet.
Dressed in his signature pink suit, he licked the candy cane in his hand, constantly activating the power of the Candy Fruit, transforming countless crystal-clear candies into the beams, dome, carpet, and even exquisite carved ornaments that formed the banquet hall.
Perospero, with unwavering composure, broadcast her voice through the candy megaphone throughout the processing area: "Listen up, everyone! This guest isn't just any pirate; it's Uchiha Shiroha, capable of going toe-to-toe with a Marine Admiral! The cake must be the finest mille-feuille honey cake, the chocolate must be the deepest dark chocolate concentrate from the abyss, and the jelly must be the supreme jelly made from millennia-old fructose. If there's even the slightest mistake, Mom won't let you off the hook!"
With a flick of his fingers, the candies transformed into precise measuring instruments, meticulously controlling the ingredients and texture of each dessert. He pushed his ability to lick the candies to its limit, decorating the entire banquet hall like a candy wonderland, with every detail lavishly chosen, as if afraid of failing to meet his mother's instructions.
Charlotte Katakuri, the second son of Big Mom's crew and the strongest Sweet Commander, has honed his Observation Haki to the point of being able to foresee the future. At this moment, he has shed his usual indifference and is personally overseeing the core area of the dessert shop.
He activated the power of the Mochi Mochi Fruit, transforming the mochi into countless delicate tools, and personally crafted the main dessert for the banquet.
The Wan Nian Tang Xin Glutinous Rice Daifuku is made by pounding each grain of glutinous rice a thousand times. The filling is wrapped with the special honey-brewed fruit jam unique to Juice Island, and the outer layer is coated with the most precious golden thread sugar icing from Cake Island.
He remained silent, yet prepared this dessert, representing the highest level of craftsmanship in the world, with utmost seriousness. Even the slightest flaw in the pattern would be instantly corrected by him. In his mind, someone who could be valued so highly by his elder brother and personally invited by his mother absolutely deserved the highest level of treatment. At the same time, he was also somewhat curious about what kind of strength this guy, who could contend with a Marine Admiral, possessed. After all, he had heard about his sister Smoothie's transformation from Perospero.
As her brother, I'm really curious about how my proud sister has changed so much.
Charlotte Daifuku, the third son, controls the Genie, constantly stirring the chocolate river to extract the richest chocolate liquor. The Genie's whip transforms into a stirring rod, all to achieve the smoothest, most silky texture of the chocolate.
Charlotte Owen, the fourth son, uses the power of the Heat-Heat Fruit to precisely control the temperature of the bakery. He adjusts the temperature of each oven to the perfect degree, and the aroma of the cookies, bread, and pastries he bakes can fill the entire Cake Island.
Charlotte Opera, the fifth child, unleashed her Cream-Cream Fruit powers, causing endless fresh cream to gush out like clouds and be meticulously shaped into various flowers and beasts, adorning every table at the banquet.
Charlotte Brûlée, using her Mirror-Mirror Fruit powers, travels between the islands of Whole Cake Island, bringing all the rare dessert ingredients from Totto Land. The Millennium Jelly from Juice Island, the Supreme Cookies from Cookie Island, and the Dark Gold Chocolate from Chocolate Island all gather on Cake Island in just half a day.
Charlotte Snag, as one of the Four Sweet Commanders, is personally in charge of the security for the banquet, making the defenses of Whole Cake Island airtight and eliminating any potential threats that could disrupt the event.
Even the most playful young children of the Charlotte family used their Devil Fruit abilities. Some used their fruits to grow honey fruits, while others used melting fruits to create dessert sculptures. The entire Charlotte family has always worked together in this way, just to complete the grand banquet that their mother had imagined.
A sweet aroma enveloped the entire cake island, chocolate rivers churned with rich foam, candy forests bore colorful fruits, jelly plains transformed into soft carpets, and the skull and crossbones flag atop the castle fluttered gently in the sweet breeze. An unprecedented supreme dessert feast was beginning to take shape.
During the break in preparation, the children of the Charlotte family gathered next to the candy workshop. Many of the younger siblings, who usually only focused on cultivation, desserts, or play, were filled with doubts.
Most of them didn't pay attention to the newly emerging pirates on the high seas. As for the name "Uchiha Shiraha," they only knew that it was a guest that their mother had specifically requested to be received in a grand manner, but they didn't know what abilities the other party had that could make their older brother so nervous and their mother so concerned.
The impatient Charlotte Brulee spoke first: "Big brother, who exactly is this Uchiha Shiroha?"
Is it worth our entire family mobilizing to prepare a banquet? He's just a newly minted pirate!
The sisters beside her nodded in agreement: "That's right. Our Kingdom of Ten Thousand is the territory of the Three Emperors. What kind of powerful figures haven't we seen? Why treat a newcomer with such courtesy?"
Several younger members of the Charlotte family were even more puzzled. In their minds, their mother was the strongest person in the world, and the Big Mom Pirates were invincible. Even if the other side was strong, they shouldn't have gone to such lengths.
Upon hearing this, Perospero stopped manipulating the candy, his smile slowly fading, replaced by an unprecedented seriousness.
He looked around at his brothers and sisters, his voice low and serious, and recounted in detail the terror and threat posed by Uchiha Hakuba.
"You underestimate this man, and as his children, you are too complacent and too unresponsive to the latest developments in the new world."
Perospero tapped his candy cane lightly, the sound clearly reaching everyone's ears.
"Uchiha Shiraha is no ordinary rookie pirate. His pirate crew is currently the most watched super rookie crew in the New World, attracting the attention of the World Government, the Marine Headquarters, and even the Four Emperors. They are even a hundred times more troublesome than the Worst Generation of yesteryear!"
First, he pointed to the most crucial point, which was the strength of Uchiha Hakuba himself.
"Did you know? This Uchiha Shiraha once fought a Marine Admiral head-on in the waters of the New World and even escaped unscathed! What level are Marine Admirals? They are the World Government's highest fighting force, opponents that even our mothers have to take seriously. Shiraha was able to fight an Admiral to a standstill. This strength is at least on par with Katakuri; he is a true powerhouse of the sea! Furthermore, Smoothie fought him on Juice Island, unleashing the full power of her awakened Jujube-Jujube Fruit, her Haki, and her swordsmanship, only to be ultimately defeated and completely convinced of his superiority. This is the best proof!"
These words caused an uproar. The children of the "aunties" were still too well protected, and most of them, living on the island, did not have a deep understanding of the outside world.
Smoothie, one of the Sweet Commanders and a top fighter in the Big Mom Pirates, was actually defeated? And she's even convinced of her superiority? She can hold her own against an Admiral? Is she as strong as Katakuri?
The expressions of all Charlotte's children instantly turned solemn, their previous disdain vanishing and replaced by deep shock.
Perospero did not pause and continued with the second threat: the two female swordswomen on the ship.
"On Uchiha Shiraha's ship, there are two powerful and extremely dangerous women, namely Unohana Retsu and Artoria."
In fact, both of them are genuine swordsmen, or perhaps even great swordsmen. Swordsmen are rare on this vast sea, and female swordsmen are even rarer. These two are Bai Yu's core combat strength and his right-hand men; their difficulty in dealing with them is certainly no less than that of a general!
Katakuri nodded slightly upon hearing this, acknowledging Perospero's statement. His Observation Haki had already vaguely sensed that the two women possessed a quality that made him wary.
Next, the third key point, which is also the one that the older woman cares about the most, is Nicole Robin.
"Most importantly, on Shiraha's ship is Nico Robin! The only woman who can decipher the Poneglyphs! As you all know, one of my mother's wishes is to collect all the Poneglyphs, find One Piece, and become the Pirate King. Nico Robin is the key to realizing this wish. Why is the World Government so obsessed with Shiraha's pirate crew? It's because of Robin! Her importance to my mother far exceeds your imagination, and this is the core reason why my mother is holding such a grand feast!"
Upon hearing the words "Poneglyphs," all of Charlotte's children understood. This was one of their mother's obsessions: Nico Robin's value was immeasurable!
Finally, Perospero's gaze swept over everyone as he said, "Besides them, there are two other people on board: Matsumoto Rangiku and a little girl named Kanna. We haven't seen them fight yet, and there are no combat records for them in our intelligence. But being able to sail with a powerhouse like Shiraha and being listed as a high-risk individual by the World Government, they definitely can't be ordinary people! The more unknown something is, the more dangerous it is. We must remain vigilant around these two at all times and not let our guard down for even a moment!"
The Charlotte family children no longer held any contempt or doubt; instead, they felt deep apprehension and respect, for this was, after all, a trap.
They finally understood why their mother had personally hosted the banquet and why she had prepared it.
This Uchiha Hakuba is not just a guest; he is a key figure who holds the key to his mother's wish, and someone his mother will definitely deal with after failing to invite him to the banquet.
Katakuri pursed his lips, and with the help of the Mochi Fruit, he finished polishing the last of the Millennium Sugar-filled Mochi Daifuku. His voice was deep: "Give it your all, don't slack off."
These eight words alone determined everyone's attitude.
Perospero smiled again, but this time with a hint of caution: "Alright, everyone get back to work. Remember, for now, maintain enthusiasm towards Bai Yu and his companions. This banquet can only succeed; it cannot fail!"
As soon as the words were spoken, everyone threw themselves back into the preparations for the banquet, working even faster and with a more serious attitude, perfecting every dessert and every decoration.
As the sunset glow intensifies, the sweet atmosphere of Cake Island grows ever stronger. The banquet hall atop the castle is now fully decorated, gleaming with gold and exuding a sweet fragrance.
Charlotte Linlin sat on the throne, munching on a giant cake.
On the caramel speedboat, Bai Yu and his group could already see the outline of Cake Island.
Smoothie stood beside Bai Yu, her eyes full of anticipation.