LightReader

Chapter 8 - Chapter 8

The others, while attractive in their own ways, weren't particularly outstanding in talent or strength.

Take Charlotte Custard, the sixth daughter of the family.

She was older, yet looked as youthful as a maiden.

Brown eyes, violet hair adorned with a flower, fair skin, a slender figure—her looks were genuinely striking.

Charlotte Broyé, Brulee's sister.

Sweet-faced—polar opposite to Brulee's witch-like mien.

Charlotte Cinnamon, Smoothie's younger sister of the Longleg tribe.

She wore her fiery red hair in a high, flowing ponytail; fair-skinned, tall, and slender, she carried a strikingly valiant air.

Charlotte Mozart—set aside the two hornlike braided cones flaring from either side of her head like a jester's cap, and she was a beauty as well.

Prim—if you ignored everything below the waist—had bronze skin and sea-blue eyes, like an exotic princess, with stunning features.

Unfortunately, she was a half–octopus mermaid, eight rosy tentacles in place of legs.

It was… a bit niche. Hughes, never one to shy from the unknown, felt an urge to "research."

There were also the Longarm sisters, Marble and Myukuru…

For all that Hughes was an exceptional scientist,

physically speaking he was still only human.

As he surveyed the parade of daughters one by one, the Charlotte men wore a bystander's smirk, curious which "little sister—or big sister" he'd choose.

Most of the Charlotte jewels, however, looked distinctly unenthused.

They couldn't openly defy Mama, so they prayed in silence that Hughes wouldn't point at them.

Their ideal partners were the cream of the crop in fame, strength, and looks—

not a lab-bound, absent-minded scholar.

Even if Hughes's reputation and appearance exceeded their needs, his strength lagged too far behind.

They would not accept a partner weaker than themselves.

It would be humiliating.

"Well? My daughters are fine women, aren't they? Do you have someone in mind?" Charlotte Linlin rumbled once Hughes had finished his circuit.

"Indeed—my eyes are nearly dazzled. Far too many temptations."

"Mamamama, good. Then who's your final choice? I'll have a grand wedding arranged at once and seal the bond."

"It is a vexing decision. Lady Linlin, would you like our partnership to grow… even closer?" Hughes said, amused.

"Hah?" Charlotte Linlin's broad face went blank.

"Could I marry more than one?" Hughes grinned.

"Mamamama—what a greedy boy."

"But can that small frame of yours handle it? My daughters are no delicate, helpless flowers. They're monsters, you know." She could hardly be happier to tighten the bond.

A few daughters was a small price; weren't children meant to serve the family at critical moments?

No sooner had she finished than the crowd below erupted.

"Shameless!"

"Looks decent, but he's a scumbag!"

"Sisters, absolutely not—he's dreaming!"

"…Still, his work can shake the entire world—unprecedented. If we became his wives, would the world remember us as well?"

Whoever the "genius" was that said it, a few eyes around them flickered with interest.

"This kid is greedy. Heh—does he think my sisters are cabbages in a market?" Perospero sneered.

"If Dr. Hughes insists, Mama will agree," Katakuri observed coolly.

It was gigantification, after all. With it, Totto Land's grand puzzle could finally be completed.

And once they had the power of giants, the Big Mom Pirates would have the capital to claim the summit of the seas.

Even if Hughes wanted every woman in the family, Mama wouldn't blink.

Compared to the strength gained through political marriages, a giant corps made everything else expendable.

"But what about our sisters' happiness? How could I let them share a husband and swallow that grievance?" The thought left Perospero irritable.

"If it comes to that, the Charlotte family's face will be in the mud." He sighed.

"Then what? Tell Mama to seize this arrogant brat, slap on the shackles, and if he won't brew the giant serum, we give him a proper lesson?" Oven growled, hot-blooded and impulsive as ever.

"If he were a coward clinging to life, we could do exactly that—enslave him and make him work."

"But did you see even a flicker of fear when he faced Mama?"

"Or any other handle—say, family—we could grab?"

"Dr. Hughes is completely alone."

"More importantly, he's the real thing—a once-in-centuries genius."

"Any outside power would treat him like fragile treasure."

"When he's fully folded into our crew, his standing in Mama's eyes won't be below the head chefs—likely higher," Katakuri explained to his brothers.

"One is the bedrock of our stability. The other is the edge that makes our family glorious."

"So long as Dr. Hughes bears no malice toward the family, show him respect when you meet him."

"If your own foolishness offends him and Mama blames you later, the loss will be yours."

"So we're welcoming an ancestor into the family now? Damn it—truly grating," Oven swore.

(End of Chapter)

[Check Out My P@treon For 20+ Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!] [[email protected]/Draumel]

[Thank You For Your Support!]

More Chapters