"Mom said you two were each other's first love."
"So, Dad, are you hiding something from us?"
"You two... have you been too idle lately?"
With one hand on each of their heads, Zeraora ruffled their hair. Even he didn't really know why, but back then Charlotte Linlin suddenly went crazy and, for some inexplicable reason, took a liking to him.
But thinking about Charlotte Linlin's standards for picking husbands—which ranged from Fish-Men to Dwarves, with no concern for size or appearance—a lot of things suddenly made sense.
"Dad, are you trying to silence us? Don't tell me there really was something between you two?"
Meowna struggled free from Zeraora's hand, then started fixing her hair and launched a new round of soul-searching questions.
"Don't overthink it. That woman is a collector maniac who just likes different races. I had a bit of a reputation on the sea back then, which caught her attention."
"Later, when she realized nothing was going to happen, she just gave up."
Totto Land was off-limits to most Pokémon; Zeraora was the one exception. But for a time, even that place was off-limits to him.
Charlotte Linlin always saw husbands as tools. She might not go as far as kidnapping for marriage, but "borrowing seeds" wasn't out of the question. During that period, Zeraora didn't even want to set foot in those waters. He didn't want to get targeted by some weirdo.
"Don't let your imagination run wild. If you're that curious, I'll just take you to see for yourselves. This tea party's not like the ones before."
Meowna and Wolff were both properly-raised third-generation, and during their upbringing, they attended a few tea parties, though those were merely large-scale afternoon tea gatherings.
The main events were trying new desserts and playing Charlotte Linlin's make-believe games.
But this time was different. After seeing Charlotte Linlin's real intentions from the message Kaido sent, Zeraora decided to take the kids to broaden their horizons.
He wasn't too worried about safety; unless Kizaru was on the invitation list, nobody could catch up to him.
Besides, Tesoro and Kojiro were plenty strong too. Worst case scenario, he could just open a portal and run.
The Reverse World's range was expanding, and the seas nearby were already connected to it, so safety was basically guaranteed.
And with Kaido saying to just treat it as a vacation, Zeraora relaxed his standards a bit.
Right after he finished speaking, Meowna and Wolff, as if with tacit understanding, started packing their bags, making Zeraora feel like he had been played.
And just then, his Rotom rang. Setsuna was calling.
She was also in the group chat but hadn't said anything, though she'd clearly seen everything Kaido wrote.
"I was just about to call you. I'm thinking of taking the kids out to broaden their horizons, is that okay?"
"No problem. I was going to talk to you about that too. Take Carrot and Bepo with you, have them help keep an eye on the kids."
"Uh, are you serious?"
Setsuna's decision left Zeraora a little doubtful. On Onigashima, Carrot and Bepo as playmates was totally fine, but out in the world, things might not go as smoothly.
Bepo's temperament was pretty much a lost cause. He always seemed timid and subservient when out and about.
Carrot's talent was unquestionable. She was one of the top Minks among the new generation, but her personality was just as unpredictable. She was more likely to run off with Meowna and Wolff to have fun.
"You have a point, I didn't think it through enough. How about letting Wanda come too? She's never been to Totto Land. I've been busy lately, otherwise I'd go with you myself."
On screen, Setsuna was handling a pile of documents. Lately, things had gotten busy on Zou Island.
After some arrangements, Zeraora's simple trip with the kids had turned into a group outing with the kids' companions and his sister-in-law tagging along.
"I mean... do you really need to be so worried? I've never been interested in that woman."
Zeraora wasn't stupid. He could see right through this whole "sister-in-law surveillance" act.
"I trust you, but I don't trust that old woman. She might not have had any ideas about you these past years, but who knows, maybe she'll try to push a daughter on you! It's not like she hasn't done it before!"
Once a rivalry over love is established, it becomes very difficult to dissolve.
The person in the Beasts Pirates who has the biggest personal grudge against Charlotte Linlin is Setsuna; after all, Charlotte Linlin once tried to steal her man.
Next is King. He wears a mask to hide his identity and avoid trouble, but those with enough perception and status could see through him and Shayna.
Especially someone like Charlotte Linlin, whose goal is to collect all races. She's very knowledgeable about rare species, and even had thoughts about King and Shayna.
In King's eyes, Charlotte Linlin is also a trouble, and Shayna felt the same way, which is why the two of them were the first to reply.
You could say the Beasts Pirates are the only force that Big Mom has tried multiple times to arrange marriages with, but never once succeeded. If it were any other group, she probably would have gone to war already.
But for the Beasts Pirates, she couldn't use that approach, and she also couldn't give up on the food they supplied, so things ended up like this.
"I have no problem with it. Just let Wanda get ready, and we'll pick her up when we leave."
Zeraora didn't mind bringing a few more people; it would help him avoid some of the trouble Charlotte Linlin might bring. Even Kaido's line about "lingering feelings" made him a little uneasy.
Decades ago, even if he was reluctant, looking at her wasn't that unbearable. But the current her... she is a special kind of wealthy woman who can directly crush your skull if she is unhappy.
"Right, and pay extra attention to the kids. That woman also has children around Meowna and Wolff's age, right? If she has any ideas, that's absolutely not okay.
This family has a ton of personalities. There are a few good ones, but most of those kids are just nasty.
It's either setting people on fire, dismembering toys, or talking about killing like it's nothing."
"Don't worry, I know. No need to stress."
After the executive group meeting ended, the executives who received orders began distributing tasks. Several messages quickly left Zeraora's hands, and Carrot and Bepo also got the news.
"What is it, Carrot?"
"It's nothing, Teacher Pedro. It's for Big Mom's tea party. Duchess wants me to go along."
"I see. Well, that's the end of today's training, then. You go and get ready."
When it comes to reliability, Pedro is the best choice for traveling. After everything he's been through, he's much more mature than during his sailing days. But Charlotte Linlin's territory isn't a good place for him.
If he were to run into Baron Tamago again, it would only make him angry.
Back then, they exchanged eye for an eye, but in the end, the enemy's eye got healed.
He'd already agreed to Charlotte Linlin's terms, so she'd dropped the issue and stopped pressuring him. In a one-on-one, he couldn't beat Pedro and could only stew in frustration.
But Pedro wasn't one for picking fights. Not seeing each other was the best option. He didn't have any good memories of that territory, so he naturally wouldn't go look for trouble.
Meanwhile, Kojiro also received the news. As a leader, he didn't have to handle everything personally and didn't need to arrange too much. He just needed to pay attention to one thing.
As he turned on the surveillance device outside his house, sure enough, he saw several pink figures getting restless. These Tinkaton loved to hang around his doorstep, which the Bisharps hated.
If he didn't arrange something, a fight would break out between the Bisharp and Tinkaton as soon as he left, and given the difference in strength between species, the Bisharps would most probably get the short end of the stick.
The "No Tinkaton Allowed" sign Arceus had given him was hung on the front door again. After making sure it was secure, he finally left his house.
Over on the Gran Tesoro, Tesoro also received new arrangements.
"Who's-Who, security here is your responsibility for the next few days."
Even if Charlotte Linlin hadn't planned anything, Tesoro was busy with his own consolidation efforts, and Who's-Who, thanks to his agent background, was the perfect right-hand man.
Tesoro's methods were fairly mild, and he was still in the negotiation stage.
"There's no need to talk with the rest of those people, just let them wait."
He knew very well that after the tea party, these people would have no more room for negotiation. They'd either submit or disappear; there was no third option.
"Haha, those guys will regret not accepting your terms earlier. Greed is never a good habit."
Who's-Who was well aware of what Tesoro had been doing lately. It's only natural for a businessman to pursue profit, but now the whole situation is about to change again.
"Uta's concert is about to start, so security will be the same as always. If anything really happens, call this number. You know who's on the other end, but don't use it unless you absolutely have to."
"Yeah, I know. I won't contact that guy unless it's an emergency."
On the other end of the line was Shanks, a man Who's-Who felt complicated about these days.
If not for Red Hair, he'd still be a promising Cipher Pol agent and wouldn't have had to turn pirate. But reality was clear: the World Government didn't seem able to beat the Beasts Pirates, so he actually had to thank Red Hair, or he wouldn't even have this opportunity.
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