Although Charlotte Linlin's tea party has been held many times, Kaidou is a special case. He is the first pirate to attend this tea party without any family ties to the BIG MOM Pirates.
In the past, pirates invited to the BIG MOM tea party were always those who chose to join BIG MOM, making Kaidou the first exception in many years.
The people of the Underworld were already seated, all eager to understand the reasons behind Kaidou's actions. Stussy, however, was more curious about what Charlotte Linlin and Kaidou were actually discussing.
At the entrance of the banquet hall, a group of Kingdom flag soldiers solemnly guarded a photograph as they entered the hall. It was a picture of Sister Carmel, the great benefactor in Charlotte Linlin's eyes.
Due to her inherent peculiarity and mistakes made in her own country, Charlotte Linlin was sentenced to exile. Thus, her biological parents took her to a deserted island, where she was later adopted by Carmel.
On the surface, Carmel was an ordinary nun, known for her benevolent conduct and referred to as the "Saint" by the world, having established a "Lamb's House" to shelter homeless children. In reality, she was a human trafficker codenamed "Mountain Witch".
In her youth, she staged a major act with the World Government, saving the Giant Soldier Pirates from execution, earning the friendship of the Giant Race, and later supplying the Navy with giant soldiers, as well as establishing the Lamb's House in Elbaf.
The children sheltered in the Lamb's House were of any race or background, but these children were trained by her as agents for the World Government. She initially noticed Charlotte Linlin's terrifying talent and planned to deliver her to the World Government.
However, Charlotte Linlin's outbreak of Anorexia Nervosa changed everything, and to this day, Charlotte Linlin herself is unaware of what truly happened back then.
The nun's photograph is her most cherished possession, and no tea party is complete without it. If something were to happen to the photograph, Charlotte Linlin would enter a special state.
Her formidable defenses would be compromised at that moment, but anyone who dared to do such a thing would have to face her wrath.
"Linlin, long time no see. Here's your gift."
Stussy handed a prepared small treasure chest to Charlotte Linlin. They were on good terms personally, and Stussy was one of the few who addressed Linlin by name.
"Thanks, Stussy. I'm eager to open it now; your gifts are always so anticipated."
"Linlin, you should wait to unwrap it later; it won't be good if you open it now."
"You're right."
After receiving the treasure chest from Stussy, Charlotte Linlin placed it with the other gifts, planning to open it sometime later.
"But Linlin, it seems you have more new children now. Is that why you're holding the tea party?"
Draped behind Charlotte Linlin was a white cloud, Zeus the Thunder Cloud, a Homie created from Linlin's own Soul Fragment, possessing the power of lightning.
And there were two infants on Zeus.
"Mama~ Mama, this is Galette, and this is Poire. They are sisters, but this tea party isn't because of them; it's about other matters. Some previous incidents might have caused some misunderstandings for you guys."
She was referring to the matter with Kaidou. During the time Kaidou went missing, he had contacted her, offering new fruits as trading items, asking her to act as a mediator to help the Hundred Beasts establish a new commercial route in the Underworld.
Weapons are one of the Hundred Beasts' current businesses. However, without capturing Wano Kuni, their weapons are first-rate but not top-notch, with many competitive rivals.
Compared to weapons, food is also an important business. People may not fight wars, but they cannot go without food.
The nobility of various countries controls most of the resources, and to make money, one must target them. These people do not mind paying high prices for rare and expensive ingredients.
The Berry is now positioned in the high-end market. Kaidou plans to use BIG MOM's tea party to promote the product's reputation, trade with these Underworld people, and use their channels to find what the Hundred Beasts need.
Thanks to news arranged by Morgans, the name of the Hundred Beasts has spread, but the people of the Underworld are still observing. The Hundred Beasts' recent actions have made them seem like dangerous partners.
If a force is eliminated to replace it, the Underworld people could understand. Apart from Stussy, all of these people had just recently won their Underworld "thrones" in recent years.
As for the former kings, they naturally perished in the struggles, but the Hundred Beasts did merely wipe out the headquarters of an organ-selling assassination group and did nothing else. They didn't even know the reason for it, so they naturally dared not rashly associate with the Hundred Beasts.
Everyone was already seated, except for the seat of the Hundred Beasts. Charlotte Linlin smiled brightly, playing with her two children while chatting with those around her.
As for these children's father, he had long been driven out of the New World, although Charlotte Linlin would still show some leniency towards the father of her children.
"Ladies and gentlemen, here are some special pre-dinner sweet treats. The last guest is about to arrive, so you can try them in the meantime."
As they waited, a person wearing a round-topped chef's hat approached. It was Streusen, the head chef of the BIG MOM Pirates' cuisine department, the one who led Charlotte Linlin on the path of piracy.
On the cart behind him were banana mousses, made from bananas sourced from the Hundred Beasts, and they were the highlight of this tea party.
Unlike the bouncing teapot Homies on the table, these banana mousses were ordinary and had not been infused with souls, but their sweet aroma piqued their interest.
The BIG MOM Pirates were top-tier in the New World when it came to making sweets, which was something they acknowledged.
As banana mousses were brought out, Charlotte Linlin placed her children back on Zeus. Food was more important to her, and she could never get enough of these banana mousses.
After hearing from Kaidou that there were other varieties, she agreed to his request for creating commercial ties, with the condition that the BIG MOM Pirates receive a sufficient supply of fruits. She would pay market price, but they must be sold to her first.
However, just as she lifted the mousse to her lips, a series of gunshots rang out from a distance, accompanied by a flash of dazzling lightning.
The direction was right towards the banquet hall.
Charlotte Linlin put down her plate, and the smile from the delicious sweets vanished swiftly from her face.