"Waaah~~!!"
Aboard the Thousand Sunny, the entire Straw Hat Pirates stood agape, their mouths hanging open in sheer shock at the sight of the colossal ship before them.
"That ship… it's singing?!"
"La~ la~ la~ I'm a ship~!"
At the bow of the massive pirate ship was an enormous face wearing a crown, something resembling a sunflower—or some other bizarre contraption—cheerfully singing: "A ship, oh ship~!"
The entire ship was adorned with decorations of cookies, cakes, candies, and other sweets, making Chopper's eyes sparkle with excitement.
"Waaah~~!! It looks so delicious!"
"You idiots!!"
Nami and Usopp yelled in panic:
"Are you blind?! Didn't you see what's written on the sail?!"
"Ah—?"
Luffy and the others looked up, only to see an enormous and distinctive pirate flag fluttering in the wind, along with the massive mark emblazoned across the mainsail—
BIG MOM!
"EEEEEKK——!!"
"It's one of the Four Emperors, BIG MOM's pirate ship!!"
Compared to the Queen Mama Chanter, the Thousand Sunny was nothing but a tiny speck!
"Oh—look who it is!"
From aboard the Queen Mama Chanter, a strange head popped out. Wearing sunglasses and balancing a teacup atop his head—it was Baron Tamago.
Back on Fish-Man Island, Baron Tamago had earnestly tried to resolve things peacefully with the Straw Hats, but unfortunately…
After Luffy had loudly declared he would "punch BIG MOM into the sky," the situation had spiraled completely out of control.
Thus, even Baron Tamago had no choice but to face the wrath of BIG MOM and go against the Straw Hats.
"Mm, it's these idiots... Grrr!"
Right beside him, a lion's head wearing sunglasses also poked out—Pekoms lifted his shades, revealing his beady little eyes:
"Heh! We finally found you!"
"Bwahahahaha!!"
Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper collapsed with laughter:
"It's the bean-eyed guy!!"
"Wahaha! He's so cute!!"
"Wait, hold up!"
Usopp suddenly came to his senses:
"This is BIG MOM's pirate ship!"
"They said they're here for us?! Are they here for revenge?!"
"Luffy, run for it!! This is a Four Emperor we're talking about!!"
Panic broke out among the crew. Nami was already shouting for Franky to prepare the Coup de Burst.
"For a no-name pirate crew to dare speak such outrageous words…"
Baron Tamago carefully lifted the teacup off his head, pinky raised elegantly as he took a sip, then shook his head:
"We're not here today to fight…"
"That's right, grrrr!"
Pekoms licked his lips, pulling out an envelope from his coat:
"You lot are getting famous... Word is, you even held your own against the former Warlord, 'Thunder God' Enel?"
He waved the envelope meaningfully:
"For you to spout such disrespectful nonsense back at Fish-Man Island without Mama immediately sending someone to wipe you out—you should be grateful."
"Mm... for lowlife pirates like you, Mama actually holds a bit of appreciation."
Baron Tamago clicked his tongue, adding:
"Soon, it'll be Mama's favorite time of the year—the most magnificent festival in all of Totto Land—the Big Mom Pirates' grand gathering: Mama's 'Tea Party'!"
"And this here—" Tamago gestured to the envelope, "is your official invitation!"
"Tea Party?"
Robin's expression shifted. Nami quickly turned to her:
"Robin, do you know about this Tea Party?"
"Yes…" Robin said seriously. "BIG MOM's Tea Party is a very famous event in the New World."
"The Four Emperors' BIG MOM is utterly obsessed with sweets and tea parties. She demands tribute of sweets and treasures from the countries under her protection—anyone who can offer new, rare, or delicious sweets can earn her favor."
"The Tea Party is when BIG MOM summons her entire pirate crew—and extends invitations to powerful figures from across the Underworld—for the grandest banquet of the year—"
"Wow! The grandest banquet?!"
The moment Robin mentioned a banquet, Nami's heart sank, realizing it was already too late—Luffy's eyes were sparkling with excitement.
"A grand banquet?! I wanna go!!"
"Idiot!! You already said you were gonna punch BIG MOM into the sky! If you go to that Tea Party, you're just asking to die!!"
Nami roared in frustration: "She's not some kindly granny! She's one of the Four Emperors!!"
"BIG MOM is the kind of terrifying person who would send an army to destroy a whole country just for snacks! Her Tea Party is nothing short of a grand carnival for the Underworld!"
Robin's tone grew grave:
"An invitation to the Tea Party is extremely rare in the Underworld. Receiving one means you've caught BIG MOM's attention."
"The intelligence network of the Big Mom Pirates is said to be the finest in the business... Getting invited is a huge honor even among the Underworld's most powerful."
"But... the Tea Party isn't just tea and cakes. More often than not, those who attend don't return!"
"Oh? It seems you know quite a lot about Mama's Tea Party…"
Baron Tamago said with a faint chuckle, clearly surprised. He went on coldly:
"This invitation—"
"Is for you."
"The Navy's influence is rising in the New World. Young pirates who dare to say such insolent things are becoming rarer by the day."
"That's why Mama's offering you a chance—"
Baron Tamago's face turned solemn. He set down his teacup and cleared his throat:
"You have two choices: accept the Tea Party invitation, sail to Totto Land, and pledge your allegiance to Mama..."
"Or refuse—and we'll eliminate you here and now!"
"Let me add," Baron Tamago adjusted his glasses meaningfully, "should you accept the invitation but fail to attend…"
"Then you have no future."
"Anyone who receives Mama's invitation—must attend!"
"That's right, grrrr! For unruly upstarts like you, Mama doesn't mind at all—because she's absolutely certain you'll submit in the end!"
"Otherwise… it's death!"
"What a joke!"
Luffy had quietly listened to Baron Tamago and Pekoms' threats. He adjusted his straw hat, his expression calm.
"Submit? I'm the guy who's gonna punch her into the sky!"
"The Four Emperors? They're all aiming to become Pirate King, right? BIG MOM's no exception!"
In the midst of Nami, Usopp, Chopper, and Brook's tearful despair, Luffy declared loudly:
"I'm the one who'll become the Pirate King!!"
"We'll go to the Tea Party! But I'm going there—to beat BIG MOM down!!"
...
Meanwhile, somewhere else in the New World—at Gran Tesoro, the Golden City.
"Kuwahahaha, Your Excellency, Golden Emperor, look!"
Morgans cheerfully waved an invitation at Gild Tesoro, who was buried in paperwork.
"BIG MOM just sent me an invitation! To the Tea Party... This year's Tea Party is gonna make massive headlines! Shocking news that'll shake the whole world!"
"Hmm... That suits you perfectly, King of News."
Tesoro looked up from his documents, chuckling indifferently:
"I get one of those every year... and I never go."
"Those gluttons enslaved by their appetites... Even the so-called Four Emperors are no different!"
"In comparison, I'm far more interested in my business ventures... Now that—is a glorious conquest. Raiding the treasures of a Four Emperor!"
Tesoro sneered coldly:
"After BIG MOM's big headlines... it'll soon be Kaido's turn."
"You're really planning to attend the Tea Party?"
"Kuwahahaha! It's a battle fitting your style, Golden Emperor!"
Morgans tipped his top hat slightly, his gaze sharp as blades:
"The Fleet Admiral's plotting something big... and as the King of News, there's no way I'm missing that scoop!"
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