Then, Bobbin and Tamago jumped from their ship and landed lightly on Gojo's deck. Their movements were smooth and practiced, showing the confidence of veterans who had spent years sailing under the banner of one of the Yonko.
Gojo, meanwhile, remained seated comfortably in his chair, looking as relaxed as ever. He lazily shifted his gaze toward the two as they approached him.
Tamago was the first to speak.
"We are here to invite you to the tea party arranged by Big Mom, and she has especially sent us here to invite you."
As soon as Gojo heard this, he sat up straight in his chair. There was no surprise on his face, only pure nonchalance. He looked directly at Tamago and asked,
"Well, and what else?"
Tamago blinked.
For a brief moment, he was slightly startled. Ididn't expect him to realize there's more to the message so quickly? Most people would have been too focused on the invitation itself. After all, being personally invited by Big Mom is not a small matter.
Still, Tamago quickly recovered.
"Well," he said, clearing his throat, "Big Mom has also chosen you for her daughter, Charlotte Flampe, and she wants you to marry her. Your age difference is not much, only five years, so you both will make a great couple."
The moment those words left Tamago's mouth, Gojo slowly stood up from his chair.
His expression twisted slightly.
Not in shock.
Not in anger.
Pure disgust.
"Well, don't say such things," Gojo said while making a face. "I could almost puke."
He waved his hand dismissively.
"I don't have any interest in marrying any of her daughters."
Then his expression relaxed once more.
"But I can definitely go to the tea party. It should be a good experience for me. It will definitely be enjoyable, I guess."
Tamago immediately nodded.
"Well, it is absolutely fine as long as you go to the tea party."
There was not even the slightest attempt to persuade Gojo further.
No arguments.
No negotiations.
No insistence.
Nothing.
Seeing how quickly Tamago accepted his refusal, Gojo could not help but chuckle.
He's probably thinking that once I arrive at Whole Cake Island and stand before Big Mom herself, the matter will no longer be my choice. He thinks whether I marry or not will be decided by her, not me. Unfortunately for him, that logic only works on normal people. I'm not normal. Even if Big Mom herself stands right in front of me, the final decision will still be mine and no one else's. And the answer is already decided.
There is absolutely no chance that I will marry one of Charlotte Linlin's daughters. Not only are many of them ruthless by nature, but dominance practically flows through the blood of the Charlotte Family. The thought alone is enough to make me lose interest. Besides, I already have someone like Vivi in my life. Just thinking about her makes the comparison unfair. Compared to Vivi, every other woman feels bland to me—like tea without any flavor. So, I simply don't care much about any of Big Mom's daughters.
After delivering the invitation, Tamago and Bobbin returned to their ship. They jumped off Gojo's deck and landed cleanly back on their own vessel.
The moment Tamago stepped aboard, he gave the order to move.
The Big Mom Pirates' ship slowly stirred. The sails shifted, the crew got to work, and the vessel gradually began moving across the sea toward its destination.
Gojo was naturally prepared to follow behind them.
However, just as he was about to start sailing, he stopped.
His eyes shifted toward the distant horizon.
The relaxed look on his face remained unchanged, but his attention had clearly been captured by something else.
The ship of Tamago had only moved a few meters away when Gojo stopped his own vessel from advancing.
He had sensed another group approaching.
And they were not trying to hide their presence.
A few moments later, dark silhouettes began emerging from the horizon.
One ship.
Then another.
Then another.
And another.
Soon, an entire fleet became visible.
Four ships in total were rapidly approaching this area, cutting through the waves with considerable speed.
Tamago noticed them as well.
His expression immediately became serious.
He grabbed a pair of binoculars and looked toward the incoming fleet.
The moment he saw the flags flying atop the ships, his eyes narrowed.
Those flags belonged to the Beast Pirates.
A dangerous glint appeared in Tamago's eyes.
The Beast Pirates rarely moved without purpose.
And when he focused on the leading vessel, he immediately recognized the massive figure standing at its front.
There was no mistaking him.
The man leading the fleet was none other than Jack the Drought.
One of Kaido's three All-Stars.
A pirate whose name alone was enough to make countless people tremble.
As soon as Tamago spotted Jack standing at the front of the leading ship, his expression changed slightly.
"What is he doing here?" he muttered.
However, the moment those words left his mouth, realization struck him.
"How can I forget?"
His eyes narrowed as he looked toward Gojo's ship.
Doflamingo and Kaido had maintained a cooperative relationship for years. While the exact details of that partnership were not known to everyone, it was common knowledge among powerful pirate crews that the two sides had been doing business together.
And now Doflamingo was dead.
Killed by none other than Gojo.
If Kaido had learned of that news, then it was only natural that the Beast Pirates would seek revenge.
Jack's appearance suddenly made perfect sense.
"This is troublesome," Tamago said quietly.
Standing beside him, Bobbin folded his arms and looked toward the approaching fleet.
"Well, should we save him?"
The person he was referring to was naturally Gojo.
Tamago immediately shook his head.
"No. We don't have to interfere in this matter."
Bobbin glanced toward him.
Tamago continued calmly.
"This is Gojo's vendetta."
"If we attack Jack without permission from Mama, then it will become a serious problem. Not to mention, if we attack Jack, we are not his opponents. He will slaughter us."
His gaze briefly shifted toward the four Beast Pirate ships cutting through the sea.
"And look at their numbers. They greatly outnumber us."
Bobbin remained silent.
Tamago then stated what he believed to be the most important reason.
"And the biggest problem is that if our forces clash with the Beast Pirates here, there is a chance it could trigger a conflict between two Emperors."
His tone became serious.
"That is something we absolutely cannot afford."
Bobbin slowly nodded.
Tamago was leading this mission, and everything he said made sense.
Their orders were only to deliver Big Mom's invitation and escort Gojo toward Whole Cake Island.
Nothing more.
Starting a war with the Beast Pirates was far beyond their authority.
Meanwhile, if Tamago could deduce this much from seeing Jack's fleet, then there was no way Gojo, the man responsible for everything, could fail to understand why Jack had appeared here.
The answer was obvious.
Jack had come for him.
At the same time, Jack had also noticed Tamago's ship.
Standing at the bow of his vessel, his enormous figure resembled a mountain overlooking the sea itself.
His sharp eyes moved from Gojo's ship toward Tamago's vessel.
What are one or two combatants of the Big Mom Pirates doing here? he thought inwardly.
Although he found it strange, he did not think much of them.
Instead, he raised his voice and directly questioned them.
"Why are you here?"
His deep voice carried across the sea.
"What is it that you want from this Gojo Satoru?"
Tamago did not bother hiding anything.
"Well, we are here to invite Gojo to the tea party arranged by mama and nothing else."
Jack listened before snorting dismissively.
Then he spoke as though he were merely stating an unavoidable fact.
"You can forget inviting him."
His gaze shifted toward Gojo.
"He is not going to attend your tea party."
A cruel grin slowly appeared on Jack's face.
"Because I am going to kill him."
The surrounding Beast Pirates immediately began laughing and cheering after hearing those words.
Jack continued.
"And you won't even get his body."
His massive hand tightened around the weapon resting beside him.
"I'll be taking his corpse with me as well."
His eyes then moved back toward Tamago.
"So don't even think about interfering."
A dangerous pressure seemed to spread from him.
"If you interfere, then you will die with him."
Jack truly did not care much about Tamago and his group.
In his eyes, they were not worthy of his attention.
They were merely combatants from the Big Mom Pirates.
Nothing more.
Certainly not people capable of standing on equal footing with him.
As far as Jack was concerned, if they got in his way, he would simply crush them alongside Gojo.
Tamago remained calm after hearing the warning.
He had no intention of fighting Jack anyway.
"Well, we won't interfere."
His answer was immediate.
Jack simply grunted.
Without wasting another word, Tamago turned toward his crew.
"Move away from here."
The order was instantly carried out.
The sailors hurried into action, adjusting the sails and steering the vessel away from the brewing confrontation.
Slowly, the massive cake-themed ship of the Big Mom Pirates distanced itself from both fleets.
Neither Tamago nor Bobbin had any intention of becoming involved in the battle that was about to unfold.
Soon, only the Beast Pirates' fleet and Gojo's ship remained facing one another across the sea.
The atmosphere gradually grew heavier.
The waves continued crashing against the hulls with a rhythmic Splash.