The old chief looked at Enel. Seeing that he did not object, he understood. Then, the old chief looked at his tribe before lowering his head and saying, "If we choose the first option, will you treat my people well?"
"I can only say that your lives will be better than before. At the very least, you won't have to live in this sunless place," Aeridar said with a smile. He knew they had compromised.
"Then, on behalf of the Shandian tribe, I offer you our loyalty," the old chief said with a sigh. He slowly knelt down.
"Chief!" Wyper and the other Shandian warriors exclaimed.
"Enough, Wyper. We don't have a choice, do we?" The old chief held up a hand, meeting Wyper's eyes.
Wyper froze, unable to say a word.
The old chief was right. They had no choice. They couldn't bear the risk of extermination. By compromising, they would not only get Upper Yard back, but their people might also be able to live a better life.
"Don't worry. With Enel's and my strength, either of us can exterminate the entire Shandian tribe. Since I need you, I will not mistreat you," Aeridar said, shrugging his hands. "Besides, Wyper, descendant of the great warrior Kalgara, do you want to come to the Blue Sea with me and see what it's like?"
"The Blue Sea?!" Wyper's eyes widened.
....
New World, Whole Cake island.
It was an island made of layered cakes and cream, shaped like a giant cake, which made it look delicious. This was the base of the Yonko Big Mom, Charlotte Linlin, and the headquarters of the Big Mom Pirates.
The entire Totto Land, with Whole Cake Island as its core, was comprised of 34 islands that included every race in the world (except giants). It was a pirate kingdom ruled by the Big Mom Pirates and the Yonko, Charlotte Linlin.
Inside the Whole Cake Chateau's main hall, a large woman sat on a throne. She wore thick lipstick, light purple eyeshadow, a large pink dress, and red high heels. She was the Yonko, Big Mom, Charlotte Linlin!
"Ma ma ma ma ma! Excellent, very good! This Royal Honey Mille-feuille is so delicious!" Charlotte Linlin said, looking at the pastry on the table with an extremely happy expression.
It was a large white cake with pale yellow honey on the surface and between each layer, glistening like amber. It was very fragrant, and just smelling it made one's mouth water. "Mama, this is a pastry unique to the Casimirs Kingdom. The honey on top is from the golden bees that are unique to their country, and this is even royal honey from the queen bee, which is why it's called Royal Honey Mille-feuille. I heard it's specially made for the Celestial Dragons," Perospero said, turning the candy cane in his hand as he explained.
"The Casimirs Kingdom, you say… Then tell them to send us some every month," Charlotte Linlin said casually after taking a bite of the Royal Honey Mille-feuille and smiling in satisfaction.
"Um… Mama, the royal honey used in this Royal Honey Mille-feuille can only be obtained in July, and the amount produced is extremely small. The Casimirs Kingdom doesn't even have much left for their own royal family after they send some to the Celestial Dragons every year," Charlotte Galette (the 18th daughter of the Charlotte Family), with pink hair, lipstick, and fair skin, wearing a purple cape, a red miniskirt, and a brown ornament on her head, said awkwardly.
"Hmm?"
Charlotte Linlin's movements stopped. Her eyes became bloodshot, and she laughed menacingly. "Since it's so rare, tell them to send me one hundred pounds every year. If they can't, I believe the scent of the burning Casimirs Kingdom will be very fragrant. Ma ma ma ma ma ma!"
"But Mama, the Casimirs Kingdom is one of the World Government's member nations, and the
Marines' G-5 base is not far from there," Charlotte Moscato (the 16th son of the Charlotte Family), wearing a blue knight suit with a pink pattern and carrying an ice cream cone-shaped sword on his back, said with a look of distress.
"They're just Marines." The cold-mannered Charlotte Katakuri suddenly spoke up. "If we can't get it from them, we can always rob the tribute intended for the Celestial Dragons. This is the New World. The Marines don't rule here…"
"Ma ma ma ma ma! Fine, you can handle that." Charlotte Linlin nodded and asked, "By the way, have all the invitations for the tea party been sent?"
"Mama, they have all been sent. Aeridar isn't in Clifford, but I've already delivered it to Gilbert Arlan," Perospero replied. As the eldest son of the Charlotte Family, he was usually in charge of this kind of thing.
"Gilbert Arlan… I remember that handsome boy. He's pretty strong, too. Smoothie, wouldn't he be a good choice for a husband?" Charlotte Linlin said, looking at a tall woman.
This woman had a slender figure, a hat, a scarf, and long hair that reached her legs. She wore gloves and black patterned boots and had a long sword with a spiral sheath on her back. She was one of the Three Sweet Commanders and the Minister of Juice, Charlotte Smoothie (the 14th daughter of the Charlotte Family).
Smoothie's hand tightened around her cup. The image of a blue-haired man flashed in her mind. "Mama, if he can beat me, that's all that matters," Smoothie said, swirling the goblet in her hand as if she didn't care.
"Ma ma ma ma ma! Smoothie, my dear daughter, then we'll talk about it later. That boy Arlan is not that much weaker than you," Charlotte Linlin laughed and waved her hand.
"Kukukuku! Gilbert Arlan… He's a very difficult man," Perospero said with a chuckle.
"Arlan… if he were to be my brother-in-law, he'd be more than strong enough." Charlotte Cracker's eyes flashed with a hint of wariness. He had fought side-by-side with Arlan and had a good understanding of his incredibly powerful martial arts and Devil Fruit abilities.
Since Arlan was the one in charge of the main affairs of the Clifford Kingdom and the Chris
Pirates, he often dealt with the members of the Yonko pirate crews. He had even been to Whole Cake Island and met Charlotte Linlin once and had exchanged blows with several of the Charlotte Family's Ministers. Even the Yonko Big Mom had to listen when his strength was mentioned.