Over the next three days.
Whole Cake Island buzzed with activity. The entire Charlotte Family mobilized, and under the diligent arrangements of the eldest son, Perospero, the wedding preparations progressed rapidly.
Nao, meanwhile, spent three peaceful days living like a shut-in.
His luxurious room lacked nothing, and he even found time to measure his current height and weight.
Height: 2.9 meters.
Weight: 178 kilograms.
"Perfect."
The scale nearly broke under him. Stepping down, Nao grinned at his reflection in the mirror, clearly satisfied.
"I've grown another thirty centimeters since the start of the year."
Which meant…
When he got back to the West Blue and kissed that little rabbit again, he wouldn't have to stand on tiptoe anymore.
Just one step away from the standard Admiral height.
...
On the fourth morning.
The wedding ceremony officially began.
Outside the castle, the landscape had been transformed into a sea of flowers.
The event was set to take place on a large open-air lawn several kilometers from the Whole Cake Chateau. A red carpet had been laid down the central aisle, and a luxurious pig-drawn carriage waited at the castle gates.
"Let's go, Father."
Katakuri stood calmly at the carriage door.
"Your dark circles are showing."
Nao, dressed in a crisp white tuxedo, stepped onto the carriage with a chuckle. "You should get some rest."
Katakuri's eye twitched slightly, but he said nothing.
Their mother had been utterly intoxicated with joy these past few days—either obsessing over which wedding dress to wear or micromanaging the baking of the wedding cake.
Surveillance duty had fallen squarely on Katakuri's shoulders.
He hadn't slept in three days.
Frankly, the fact that he was still standing was already impressive.
He boarded the second carriage behind Nao's and followed at full speed down the red carpet road—unaware that, in the exact spot they'd paused moments ago, a faintly glowing, dark red soul marker was flickering.
...
Elsewhere — On the Open-Air Lawn
Around the decorated wedding altar stood over a hundred banquet tables, almost every seat filled.
At a glance, at least two to three thousand guests had gathered.
"Mamamamamama! I haven't seen such a grand occasion in ages—it's absolutely delightful!"
Big Mom, in a white wedding dress, sat on a wide sofa chair, smiling broadly as she received blessings and congratulations from various guests.
When she opened her mouth wide to laugh, she looked just like a mountain suddenly hit by an avalanche, all her fat from top to bottom shaking violently.
Her appearance was… less than elegant.
Even with her status as one of the Four Emperors, It was hard to imagine that just over a decade ago, she was considered one of the most famous beauties in the world.
"Perospero!"
After a bout of laughter, Big Mom turned toward her eldest son, who stood dutifully nearby.
"Any word from Katakuri? Has Nao left the castle yet?"
"Almost here, Mama."
Perospero leaned in to whisper, "The guests are all seated. Just another five or six minutes, and we can officially begin the ceremony."
"Good."
Big Mom nodded in satisfaction.
Just then, a tall, slender figure appeared across the lawn.
Her eyes lit up, and she called out with delight:
"Hey, hey, hey! What took you so long, Stussy? Hurry up, come sit over here with me!"!"
"Coming!"
The elegant woman called Stussy weaved through the crowd with practiced ease, arriving at Big Mom's side. She removed her stylish hat, revealing a radiant smile.
"My makeup took a little longer, I almost arrived late to your wedding, I'm truly sorry, Linlin."
"Mamamama, I wasn't blaming you at all! You've been very busy lately, haven't you? I'm already happy that you could spare the time to attend!"
Big Mom waved her off cheerfully, then pointed to the table closest to her sofa chair.
"Sit here—these are all old friends. I'm sure you haven't seen some of them in years."
"True."
Stussy's eyes swept over the table as she took her seat, smiling faintly.
The guest list was enormous, and naturally divided into tiers.
Only the most elite, those who stood on equal footing with Big Mom, were seated at the main table.
There was Lu Feld, the Loan Shark King.
Drug Peclo, the Major Undertaker.
Giberson, the Storage Tycoon.
All reigning titans of the Underground World.
And then, a particularly unique presence—
Morgans, the president of the World Economy News Paper.
He had rushed to the island the moment the invitation arrived.
Unlike others who were here to curry favor or maintain appearances, Morgans was driven by pure journalistic instinct.
He was certain—this wedding would rock the world.
The headline potential was off the charts.
He had flown here personally to secure an exclusive front-row seat to history.
"Didn't expect to see you here, Stussy!"
Morgans spread his wings and laughed heartily.
"If I recall, Pleasure District's been dealing with a few pirate crews lately, yeah? Surprised you had time to party."
"Well now, how could I miss Linlin's wedding?"
Stussy's voice was syrupy sweet, but her tone was ice-cold.
"As for those troublemakers, I handled them myself. Anyone who sleeps with my girls and refuses to pay… doesn't walk away easily."
"Mamamamama! That's our Queen of Pleasure District—Stussy!"
Big Mom burst into laughter again, just about to say more when something caught her attention.
Her eyes sparkled. She turned toward the grand entrance with a radiant grin.
"Mamamamamama… at last… he's here."
He's here?
Everyone around her perked up, ending their conversations and turning their gazes as one.
At the far end of the red carpet, two pig-drawn carriages had come to a halt.
A tall, striking figure emerged, flanked by attendants, and stepped through the white archway into the ceremony grounds.
"So handsome… he really lives up to the hype!"
"No wonder Linlin went all out for this…"
Several guests fell into swooning stupors on the spot. Even the so-called kings of the Underworld raised their eyebrows, watching Nao's every step with keen interest.
"Rear Admiral Nao…" Stussy's eyes narrowed slightly, a shadow flickering in her gaze.
She looked like a teenager, but her real age was anything but young.
Much like her identity.
To the world, she was the Queen of Pleasure District, a dark underworld ruler on par with the others at the main table—friendly with Big Mom, powerful in her own right.
But in truth—
Stussy was a high-level agent of CP-0, acting on direct orders from the World Government.
Her presence here wasn't personal.
It was mission-critical.
She'd been sent to determine what exactly Nao was planning. If he had no backup plan—then she would be the one to ensure his escape, as discreetly as possible.
But surrounded by predators like these…
That would be no easy feat.
"So…"
She stared at him intently, murmuring to herself:
"What's your play, Natsuya Nao? How do you plan to escape this hell?"