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Half a day ago.
In the central region of the New World, within the waters of Totto Land—
The headquarters of the Big Mom Pirates: Cake Island!
"Ah~, Lord Wilhelm!"
"Welcome back~!!"
"Master Wilhelm~, you look so handsome!"
"As expected of the 'Trembling Young Master'—so noble and powerful..."
"Master Wilhelm's bounty has now become the highest under Mama, even surpassing Master Katakuri!"
"They say that the beautifully resonant golden bell was brought back by Master Wilhelm from the legendary Sky Island!"
A snow-white vulture soared high above, gliding over the port of Cake Island without stopping.
It flew straight toward the massive cake castle at the island's center, heading directly for the highest level.
The Big Mom Pirates and the Homies stationed around noticed this and were instantly overjoyed. Their faces flushed with excitement as they waved enthusiastically, filled with admiration and awe.
At the top of the cake castle—
A towering bell tower stood proudly.
Bathed in golden light, it was none other than the golden bell that Wilhelm had Smoothie bring back.
Though it was an exquisite treasure, Wilhelm had little interest in it. Without much thought, he handed it over to Charlotte Linlin, allowing her to place it atop the cake castle.
After all, sooner or later, it would be his.
"Mamama~! Wilhelm, my dear child, welcome back..."
The towering figure of Charlotte Linlin sat on the throne in the cake hall.
As the handsome young man slid off Finger's back and strode into the main hall, he spread his arms and grinned.
"You're looking more and more handsome! Not bad at all!"
"My dear Majesty, Ann!"
With his right hand over his chest, Wilhelm bowed to Charlotte Linlin.
"You're still so formal..." Charlotte Linlin chuckled, her mood clearly pleased. "Mamama~! The Poneglyph and the golden bell you brought back this time are wonderful, even though I can't make sense of that thing at all!"
Though she couldn't understand the inscriptions on the clock tower, the soothing chime of the golden bell, which seemed to cleanse the soul, put even the moody and short-tempered Charlotte Linlin at ease.
"It really is wonderful~!"
The anthropomorphic face of "Sun" Prometheus grinned in agreement.
Wearing a baseball cap, the fluffy white "Thundercloud" Zeus added cheerfully, "The golden bell sounds so beautiful!"
"This is a gift just for you, Your Majesty," Wilhelm said with a light smile. "Only you deserve such a noble and magnificent golden bell... As long as Mama likes it!"
"What a splendid gift..."
Charlotte Linlin grinned at Wilhelm's flattering words, though she sighed with regret. "If the timing weren't wrong, I'd love to hold a grand tea party to celebrate! It would also be a great chance to let those underground big shots open their eyes. Mamama~!"
"No need to worry about that. If Mama wants a tea party, we can wait until after this victory and then hold a grand celebration. We'll invite all the major figures over!" Wilhelm said with a smile.
"Mamama~! You're right!"
Charlotte Linlin laughed happily, grabbing a handful of exquisite pastries and stuffing them into her mouth. Then, with interest, she asked, "I heard you brought in a few capable newcomers this time?"
"It was getting troublesome, and I couldn't stay too low-key forever..."
Wilhelm shrugged and said casually, "Since I'm returning to take the role of 'General,' I need to form a fleet. And if I'm going to have a fleet, I need some strong people to make it look impressive."
"But since they just arrived, I let them rest on Juice Island for now. I'll bring them to see you in a few days."
"Mamama~! If you like them, do as you please..."
Charlotte Linlin didn't seem too concerned, but her tone left no room for argument. "However, outsiders can't be trusted. If they want to be part of the Big Mom Pirates' leadership, they must become 'family'!"
Wilhelm wasn't surprised. He replied calmly, "Once this conflict with the Marines is over, I'll talk to them about it. If they agree, that would be ideal."
After all, Charlotte Linlin had always insisted that Shiryu of the Rain and the others marry into the Charlotte Family.
But forcing something unwilling will never yield sweet results. If Shiryu and the others were unwilling, Wilhelm wouldn't push them. At worst, they could strike a deal with Charlotte Linlin's daughters beforehand, pretending to go along with it just to keep her satisfied.
Of course, when it came to the three Smoothie sisters and a few other female members of the Charlotte family who were close to him, Wilhelm would never allow them to be used as mere marriage tools.
"Mamama~! Now that everything is in place, I will officially appoint you, Wilhelm, as the fourth Sweet Commander of the Charlotte Family..."
Looking at the unbelievably handsome young man before her—one who had inherited her talent perfectly—Charlotte Linlin was filled with satisfaction. With a wide grin, she continued, "You will oversee the Island of Love as its Minister of Love!"
The Totto Land sea region, with Cake Island at its center, consisted of 34 surrounding islands.
Most of these islands specialized in a particular type of food, ingredient, or specialty product—such as candy, flour, chocolate, and cream—all governed by ministers personally appointed by Charlotte Linlin.
For instance:
The eldest son, Perospero, was the Minister of Candy, ruling over Candy Island. The second son, Katakuri, was the Minister of Flour, overseeing Wheat Island and its capital, Bolique Fen. The fourteenth daughter, Smoothie, served as the Minister of Juice, managing Juice Island and its town of fruit-bearing trees. The third daughter, Amande, was the Minister of Nuts, controlling Nut Island and its peanut-producing town.
Together, they formed a vast kingdom—Totto Land.
Ironically, despite being unpredictable, cruel, and known for destroying nations over trivial things like food, Charlotte Linlin had originally intended for Totto Land to be a utopia, uniting all races under one nation.
For that reason, Totto Land was also called "All Nations."
Wilhelm's newly appointed Island of Love was quite different from islands like Wheat Island, Candy Island, or Biscuit Island, which were famous for their food production.
Instead, it was a warm, lively summer paradise with a resort-like atmosphere.
Everywhere on the island, young, beautiful, and enthusiastic women could be seen, adding to its vibrant charm.
Visually, it was comparable to Dressrosa—except, unlike Dressrosa, it lacked the massive rocky barriers surrounding its coasts. Instead, its shores were lined with golden sandy beaches.
But what made the Island of Love truly valuable wasn't just its scenery or its culture—it was what lay beneath the surface.
Deep underground, the island held an immense natural iron mine, rich in copper, aluminum, tungsten, and other essential metals.
Normally, mining such deep-seated resources—buried over a hundred meters underground—would be a difficult task. However, thanks to Charlotte Linlin's Soul-Soul Fruit and her absurdly powerful abilities, this problem had already been solved with ease.
This island's resources were exactly what Wilhelm needed.
Totto Land was truly a land of treasures.
With islands representing all four seasons surrounding Cake Island, abundant resources, and everything one could desire available for trade, it was no wonder Charlotte Linlin had fought to claim this territory and held onto it for decades.