Author's Note:
An original character whose name came up quite a while back is finally making her appearance. Please enjoy.
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"I'm tellin' ya, Left Minister! 'We don't have any' ain't gonna cut it, GAOO!!"
"However, this upheaval was entirely unexpected for us as well, and there was simply no way to prevent it... Could you not find it in yourselves to overlook this just this once..."
"Your 'internal strife' ain't got nothin' to do with us! The condition for lending you our Pirate Flag is 10 tons of 'sweets' per month! That's the 'agreement' between us and you people!"
In the heart of Fish-Man Island. Right beside the Sweets Factory, the Left Minister was desperately trying to placate a single man who kept raising his voice.
But this man, who looked like a lion, or rather was a lion for all intents and purposes, refused to listen to a word of it. He radiated pure menace.
Apart from the fact that his eyes behind those sunglasses were adorable when he was trying to be intimidating, every word he uttered, every gesture he made, carried enough pressure to grind down the spirits of the Left Minister and the Fish-Men and Mermaids watching from all around.
That man was Pekoms, a combatant of the Big Mom Pirates.
And the other one, the man sitting behind him observing the situation, was Baron Tamago. They had come to Fish-Man Island as emissaries of the Four Emperors' own Big Mom. To collect the 'sweets' that were the price of their business arrangement.
The 'sweets' that should have been ready for collection were nowhere to be found, leaving both sides in a difficult position. That was the current state of affairs.
"Calm yourself, Pekoms... Intimidation will not conjure sweets from thin air."
"But we can't just go home empty-handed, can we? And the ones who'd suffer from that ain't just us... it'd be them even more, right?"
"I am well aware. But fortunately, we are not entirely without time... If we can resolve this peacefully, nothing could be better, Soir... Left Minister."
"Y-yes?"
"It appears some manner of trouble has occurred, but causing 'the worst-case scenario' over it is not our intent either... We too have no wish to see Fish-Man Island reduced to sea foam, Soir."
Baron Tamago, speaking of terrifying things in a polite tone.
The Left Minister understood all too well that those words were not a threat. They were simply the future that would genuinely come crashing down if this negotiation went badly. His cold sweat would not stop.
"Fish-Man Island's sweets are among Mama's particular favorites... She is looking forward to enjoying them at the Tea Party four days from now, Pon. If we set sail tomorrow morning, we should just barely make it in time, Soir... I shall speak with Parfait-sama myself, so please, with all haste..."
"My... did someone call for me, Tamago?"
A voice rang out across the scene, belonging to a third party who had not been there moments before.
Hearing that voice, clear as a bell, Pekoms startled visibly, and Baron Tamago, though he managed not to show it outwardly, felt his heart skip as well.
The Left Minister was no different, of course, and given the circumstances, the anxiety on his face only deepened.
The owner of that voice came walking briskly through the crowd of onlooking Fish-Men, seemingly unbothered by the concentrated stares.
She appeared to be a young girl, mid-to-late teens at most. About the same height as an ordinary human. She wore an outfit that looked like a Gothic-style dress modified with bare shoulders for ease of movement: luxurious in design yet with a hint of wildness peeking through.
Her figure was striking. Despite her slender frame, the generous swell of her bust and hips, contrasted with a tightly cinched waist, was clearly visible even through her clothing.
But what drew the eye most of all was her hair.
That bright blonde hair was not merely long and voluminous. It was styled into impeccable, elaborate vertical ringlets.
Six of them, to be precise: two in front and four in back.
The two in front, along with two of the four in back, were about the size of water bottles. The remaining two in back were thick enough to fit an arm through.
With such a distinctive appearance, the girl drew every eye as she walked.
Her name was Charlotte Parfait.
One of the daughters of the Four Emperors' Big Mom, also known as Charlotte Linlin. A Grand Executive of the Big Mom Pirates, one of the four Sweet Commanders. To Pekoms and Baron Tamago, she was their superior officer.
"Well, well, Parfait-sama... Have you finished your stroll already, Jour?"
"Yes, it was so dreadfully boring I cut it short and came back. What on earth is wrong with this country? I came all this way, and every single cafe and boutique is closed."
Arms folded, she let out a sigh. Her expression was thoroughly displeased, unmistakably sulky.
"I came here planning to treat myself after a job well done, eat delicious food, buy lovely clothes, and splurge to my heart's content... Ugh, what a total bore!"
"How unfortunate... You have my deepest sympathies, Boupre."
"And what's more, it's strange, Tamago. It's not as if there are no people in the town, yet all these fun-looking shops are closed en masse. And yet the atmosphere in the air is somehow... festive. As though some grand party is being held somewhere and everyone's been dragged off to it."
Hearing that, the Left Minister nearly flinched but caught himself at the last moment.
Several of the soldiers around him and some among the citizens, however, did show reactions that suggested they knew something.
"Here I am, come to Fish-Man Island to make a positively magnificent contribution to the local economy, and I'm being left out while everyone's off partying somewhere? Not cool at all... Well, whatever. If that's how it is, I'll just finish my business and head home. Anyway, Tamago, it looked like you were having some sort of dispute just now. What's going on?"
"Ah, well, you see..."
"Heeey, Sweets Factory!"
"Oh my? That's..."
"! L-Luffy-kun!? Why are you here..."
***
The timing could not have been worse. Straw Hat Luffy and his two flanking companions happened to wander by.
And then, as if deliberately trying to cause trouble, Luffy went on about how he had eaten sweets to his heart's content, and how they were so delicious he'd love to eat more if there were any. Naturally, Pekoms and the others were not about to let that slide.
While Pekoms pressed the Left Minister and Luffy with "What's the meaning of this!?", Parfait watched the scene with a knowing, amused grin. She said nothing, staying silent as she looked back and forth between Luffy, Pekoms, and the Left Minister, whose behavior was growing more and more suspiciously flustered by the second.
She had noticed Sanji gazing at her with hearts in his eyes, and Zoro keeping a wary eye on her while skillfully concealing his guard. But she paid them no particular mind.
"I seeee... I'm starting to get the picture."
That murmur from Parfait was so quiet that no one besides herself could have caught it.
"In any case, Left Minister, as I said before, we shall wait until tomorrow morning... Please have the sweets ready by then. That is the absolute limit of our concession, Jour."
"B-but as I keep saying, the large-scale cooking equipment inside the Factory has been destroyed, and repairing it will take time... At the very least, two weeks until delivery..."
"That is not possible, Soir."
Baron Tamago flatly refused, and when Luffy and the others asked what would happen if the sweets could not be produced, he informed them that should the agreement collapse, Fish-Man Island would be destroyed by the formidable forces of the Big Mom Pirates.
Luffy and the others erupted in fierce opposition, naturally. A country destroyed over sweets? This country had only just been saved! If it were meat, maybe he could understand, but...
Some parts of that objection were a bit odd, but watching Luffy's attitude, one person let out a laugh: "Ohohoho..."
It was Parfait, who had been silently watching events unfold.
"What? What's so funny, tube-roll lady? And man, your hair's insane."
"""Hey!"""
"Oh my, barging right in with the bluntest rudeness imaginable... Well, never mind."
For the record, the ones who reacted angrily to Luffy calling her "tube-roll lady" upon first meeting were Baron Tamago, Pekoms, and also Sanji. Business as usual, in a sense.
"Pardonnez-moi? Just as you say, it was all so utterly ridiculous that I couldn't help but laugh. You seem to be much more of a good boy than the stories would suggest, 'Straw Hat Luffy.'"
"...Who the hell are you? You related to the tube-roll old dude?"
"I haven't the faintest idea who this individual with such a peculiar nickname might be, but... My name is Charlotte Parfait. I am the daughter of 'Big Mom,' the very person you were just calling small-ba... well, disparaging a moment ago."
Hearing that, even Zoro and Sanji were visibly surprised.
Being suddenly confronted with the daughter of a member of the Four Emperors would shock anyone. But Luffy, on the other hand, merely reacted with "Huh, is that so?" and didn't seem fazed in the slightest.
Rather, as if thinking this worked out perfectly:
"Then you tell 'Big Mom'! Fish-Man Island's having a rough time right now and they don't have sweets, so tell her to wait a bit longer! If you're her daughter, you can convince your Mama, right?"
"Please don't equate us with your average parent-child relationship. And in the first place, why should I have to do anything of the sort? When you're the ones at fault... isn't that right, Left Minister?"
"! That's..."
Pinned by her sharp gaze, the Left Minister could not retort.
Instead, though perhaps not intentionally taking his place, Luffy continued as eloquently as ever.
"The ones at fault are Hody and his gang, right? They attacked out of nowhere and wrecked the town and everything!"
"Certainly, some portion of responsibility lies with those ruffians... the 'New Fish-Man Pirates,' was it? But even so, this entire incident is squarely the Ryugu Royal Family's failure."
"? Why?"
"The problem is that they let it happen and allowed it to escalate to this magnitude. From what I hear, King Neptune was well aware of the existence of Hody Jones and Vander Decken long before this. They were obviously dangerous elements, clear as day. And yet they were left unchecked, with nothing done about them until the day the incident actually occurred. All while holding the position charged with maintaining the nation's security. If that isn't a failure, what is?"
"But the territory of the Ryugu Kingdom is vast and visibility is poor, and the reach of the Royal Family and National Army simply doesn't extend all the way to the Fish-Man District..."
"The fact that you chose to accept that situation with 'well, it can't be helped' instead of working to improve it was your own decision. You could have sent in spies to gather intelligence on the internal situation, among other measures."
Parfait cut him down with a single stroke.
"For those who govern, failure is a sin. After all, it directly translates into 'damage' not just for yourself, but for your people, your subordinates, those you are meant to protect. If you don't even possess that awareness... then perhaps the problem starts right there, for someone entrusted with an entire nation?"
"That's..."
"You should have acted before it came to this, exercising authority or whatever it took. Fortunately, this time you were narrowly saved by benevolent allies. I won't say the outcome itself was bad, but that doesn't mean you should be allowed to escape responsibility, does it?"
"What's all this 'responsibility' crap you keep going on about? Shirahoshi's Dad was trying his hardest too!"
"He's the King, so of course trying hard is the bare minimum. I'm saying it's meaningless if you try hard and don't produce results."
"A lady where wild and elegant coexist..."
Watching Parfait fire back at Luffy's complaints without a moment's hesitation, Sanji let that slip almost involuntarily.
The Fish-Men and Mermaids watching from the sidelines were thinking much the same thing.
"And furthermore," Parfait continued.
"There seems to be more 'responsibility' that needs pursuing, doesn't there? Not just the Royal Family... but this country itself."
"...?"
As she spoke, Parfait walked closer to Luffy and leaned in close.
An ordinary man would have reacted in some way to a beautiful woman like Parfait coming that close, whether by getting flustered or pleased. But Luffy just floated a question mark above his head, wearing a puzzled expression as if to say, 'What are you doing?'
As though experiencing enough agitation for Luffy's share, there was a certain cook grinding his teeth and muttering "Why Luffy... I'm so jealous..." but that was beside the point.
Having drawn close enough that their lips might touch if she came just a little nearer, Parfait spoke.
"...Hmm... You smell of sweet confections. And not just that. Meat, fish, all manner of fine cuisine... A little bit of alcohol too? You ate and drank to your heart's content, didn't you? Was the feast enjoyable?"
"Hm? Oh yeah, it was crazy fun! The food and the sweets were all amazing!"
"Is that so, is that so? How wonderful for you. Actually, I simply adore Fish-Man Island's sweets myself! Madeleines are my favorite. That rich, creamy texture packed so densely into the batter, spreading through your mouth with every bite... They're absolutely delicious, aren't they?"
"Oh, those shell-shaped things? Yeah, those were great! I like the roll cake ones, and the round flat ones, and the crunchy sandwich ones, I like 'em all!"
"Yes, yes! They're all delicious, aren't they? I see, so you did eat the sweets after all."
The Fish-Men were all making faces that screamed 'Straw Hat, nooo!!' but unfortunately, none of that registered with Luffy, happily recounting delicious memories.
Taking even that spectacle as one more piece of 'evidence,' Parfait maintained her smile as she slowly turned around, facing the Left Minister who stood frozen like a frog caught in a serpent's gaze.
"I believe I've worked it all out. This country recently suffered upheaval from the insurrection led by the ruffian Hody Jones, and various locations including the Sweets Factory sustained damage. That was subsequently quelled and resolved with their cooperation, and a grand feast celebrating that victory, or rather, the resolution of the incident, is currently underway. I don't sense large crowds gathered in the town, so... the venue would be the Royal Castle, I presume?"
"And," Parfait continued.
"When the Factory was damaged, the sweets inventory was not completely nonexistent. There are no reports of Hody's Crew being sweet-lovers who looted them, either. In other words... the inventory of sweets that, while insufficient to reach 10 tons, certainly did exist... was served at the celebratory feast and entirely consumed. Despite being earmarked for delivery to us, the 'Straw Hats' were given priority. That is what happened, correct?"
Having been seen through from one to ten, neither the Left Minister nor the citizens could say a word.
The three on Luffy's side, meanwhile, were simply going "Oh, so that's what happened," accepting the facts they'd just learned. So that was why the Left Minister and the citizens had panicked when Luffy mentioned eating sweets.
The panic had been because the very people who must not overhear had overheard.
"Well, color me impressed. You folks on Fish-Man Island have some nerve. I can understand wanting the heroes who saved your country to be happy, sure. But there are still things you simply must not touch... And yet you had the gall to divert the very sweets meant for us, the Big Mom Pirates, of all people. Were you perhaps looking to pick a fight?"
"No, nothing of the sort, absolutely not!"
"I knoooow, it wasn't intentional, was it? I'm sure it was just the heat of the moment carrying you away... But are you aware that such things tend to lead to ruinous consequences? If you don't want King Neptune to become a completely useless king who destroyed his own country, abbreviated: 'Useless King,' then I suggest you have a word with him. ...Well... it's probably too late for that already."
Hearing that, the Left Minister went pale.
The truth he had wanted to keep hidden had been exposed, including the very fact that he had been trying to hide it. The situation and their standing were deteriorating rapidly. The 'worst-case scenario' that had crossed his mind during the earlier conversation was now bearing down upon them, and he could not help but understand it.
Standing behind Parfait, Baron Tamago watched all of this and let out a single sigh.
That breath carried the resignation of 'This may already be beyond saving.'
Parfait turned back to Baron Tamago, herself tinged with a certain resignation, and posed a question.
"What do you think, Tamago?"
"The situation is extremely grim... No, past grim. I'm afraid it must be called 'regrettable,' Pon. If there were at least some sweets available for delivery, things might have been different, but..."
"Precisely... Breaking the agreement and on top of that, making light of us and treating us with such disregard... Even someone besides Mama could justifiably be furious over this. Pekoms, have you reported to Mama?"
"Earlier, when I first got word that there might not be any sweets, I sent in a preliminary report. Not directly to Mama, but by now the report should have reached..."
Ring ring ring ring, ring ring ring ring...
Speak of the devil, as the saying goes.
The Den Den Mushi that Baron Tamago had prepared began signaling an incoming call.
This was presumably from Big Mom herself. Perhaps dreading the scolding to come, neither Baron Tamago nor Pekoms moved to answer it.
Seeing that, Parfait's expression seemed to say 'Can't be helped, can it.'
With a weary sigh, she reached for the receiver...
Click!
"Hey! You, are you Big Mom!?"
"""!? !? !?"""
Before she could pick it up, Luffy snatched the receiver from the side and shouted into it.
What followed was a spectacular exchange of fighting words.
Leaving everyone around them behind, Luffy went and picked a massive fight with the Four Emperors member on the other end of the Den Den Mushi.
And before anyone knew it, a decision had been reached: in consideration of the 'treasure' that Luffy's group possessed, which they had reclaimed from Caribou, this particular breach of contract by Fish-Man Island would be specially pardoned, and Fish-Man Island would not be destroyed.
Instead, the 'target' for destruction would be changed to the Straw Hat Pirates. That was what had been decided.
Understanding that the benefactors who had saved their island had, once again, shielded them and shouldered an enormous burden on their behalf, the citizens of Fish-Man Island were struck with horror.
More than a few were so shocked they sank to their knees, tears welling in their eyes.
Of course, Luffy himself did not care about any of that in the slightest. Far from it:
"There's no way I'm leaving it in the hands of someone dangerous like you! In the 'New World,' I'm gonna send you flying, and I'm making 'Fish-Man Island' my Territory!"
He piled on even more provocations.
After that, a brief silence fell, and to most of those present, it felt unbearably terrifying. But after a few seconds, a laugh drifted through: "Hahahaha..."
"You've got spirit, Straw Hat... But talk is cheap. The sea's crawling with Rookies who are nothing but bluster and momentum. The question is whether you're just another fool who doesn't know his place, or someone with the caliber to make it to the 'New World'... I'll have my daughter put you to the test."
"!"
"""...!?"""
"You're there, aren't you, Parfait!? Get on the line!"
Called by name, Parfait, who had been watching without interjecting, stepped forward and took the receiver from a still-huffing Luffy.
"Good day, Mama. It's Parfait."
"You heard all that, didn't you? This brat here is full of pep and picked a fight with me... Says he's gonna beat me and take 'Fish-Man Island.' I couldn't care less about a brat's nonsense, but... it's no fun getting disrespected like that, either. Parfait, play with him a little."
"Oh my, are you sure? You went to the trouble of making a promise to meet in the 'New World' and everything."
"Ha-hahaha Mamamama!! If he's the kind of guy who'd be finished right there, then challenging me was a pipe dream from the start! Well, I suppose we should set a time limit at least. I'll leave the details to you."
"Understood, Mama. Very well then."
Click.
Setting down the receiver and ending the call, Parfait turned to face Luffy and the others with a fearless smile.
"You heard her. On Mama's orders, I'll be serving as your 'opponent' for a little while. Is that acceptable, Straw Hat Luffy-san?"
"Yeah, bring it on! I'm not gonna lose!"
Roughly dropping the treasure he had been carrying with a heavy crash, Luffy stood before Parfait without the slightest flinch, staring her down head-on.
Parfait deepened her smile with amusement, impressed by his complete lack of intimidation.
Sanji, positioned diagonally behind, was trying to stop him with "Oi Luffy, wait, she's a lady..." but Zoro held him back. Zoro himself was also probing Parfait's presence, gauging the depth of 'strength' that lurked within.
Parfait, for her part, was well aware of Zoro's scrutinizing gaze and intent.
"Shall we move somewhere else? If we fight here, the Factory, already damaged as it is, will only get more destroyed."
Even as she said this, Parfait radiated a pressure that seemed to say 'right here, right now.'
The Left Minister and citizens, of course, but even Zoro and Sanji, who stood their ground and felt it firsthand, were visibly startled by the presence she had suddenly unleashed.
What was about to begin was, in essence, a prelude to the fight against Big Mom herself.
Or perhaps a warm-up act, a mere 'game,' decided on a whim by Big Mom.
And yet the fact that even this 'game' was against an opponent radiating this much Spirit, still far from going all out, forced an undeniable understanding upon Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji alike.
What kind of people they had just picked a fight with. What kind of opponent now stood before them.
The level of the sea they were about to enter, the 'New World,' and the level of the 'Four Emperors' who reigned there. Through the coming battle, Luffy would come to know just how immense that truly was.
"This is terrible...! I must report to Your Majesty, and to his companions...!"
Left behind, the Left Minister and the others watched in stunned silence as Parfait's group and Luffy's group departed.
He, his subordinates, and some of the citizens were struck with horror upon realizing that the hero who had saved their country was now about to face an even more terrifying opponent.
Big Mom herself, whom Luffy had been provoking, was one thing, but even more immediate was Parfait, who was about to fight him right now.
She did not hold the position of a Grand Executive of a Four Emperors crew for show. She too possessed power so overwhelming that merely fighting her was cause for despair. Even without having witnessed it firsthand, everyone knew.
"We may have no right to say this... But even so... please endure, and don't do anything reckless, Luffy-kun... Parfait-dono is on an entirely different level from Hody or Decken...!"
Big Mom Pirates, Grand Executive... one of the four Sweet Commanders.
Thirty-fifth daughter, Charlotte Parfait.
Bounty: 1,093,000,000 Berry.
The Monster with a bounty exceeding one billion, smiling as she prepared to deliver a 'baptism of the New World' to an impetuous Rookie, was visible in the distance. Far away, yet unmistakably there.
To be continued...