At the same time, almost all the prominent figures of the Underworld received invitations from Charlotte Linlin. Stussy, however, was a special case. The intelligence agency of the World Government wasn't entirely useless.
They were capable of training brave and invincible photographers and had their own unique intelligence network. From the movements of the Big Mom Pirates, they sensed something was amiss.
The orders Stussy received were simple: if nothing unusual happened, just act as if nothing was going on. If Charlotte Linlin showed any intention of joining forces with Kaido, then attempt to sabotage it within safe limits. If there was any risk, give up on the idea and just keep passing on information.
For a time, the Underworld was bustling. They all had to prepare an appropriate gift. You couldn't show up empty-handed at Charlotte Linlin's tea party.
Ideally, it should be a treasure chest with some unique value. Charlotte Linlin had an obsession with unwrapping gifts, and if the present wasn't good enough, it could easily put her in a bad mood.
But the Beasts Pirates were different. Their approach to choosing gifts was much more casual.
With equality in status, it didn't matter what you gave. The thought was what counted.
For those with higher status, it was even easier. No matter what was given, the recipient would gladly accept it. As for those who caused trouble, that was a different matter altogether.
The others in the Underworld, not being on the same level, had to prepare something special. The Beasts Pirates, at least in name, treated everyone as equals, but Katakuri and the others were well aware that with only one Big Mom, they were far below the Beasts Pirates in standing.
And given Charlotte Linlin's personality, the food ingredients sent by the Beasts Pirates could serve as a kind of special mystery box.
At this moment, Meowna and Wolff were gathering gifts in the forests of Wano Country.
They soon found their target: two very unusual-looking trees. As they approached, the trees moved like treants, and purple fruits on their branches began to drip liquid down.
They looked like carnivorous plants, but were actually kind-hearted Pokémon.
Arboliva - the Olive Pokémon, a plant-based Grass-type Pokémon. Under the right conditions, their bodies could grow continuously, even to the size of ancient giant trees.
The purple fruits secreted a rich, highly nutritious oil, combining the smoothness of animal fat with the freshness of vegetable oil. Even drinking the oil straight didn't feel oily.
Arboliva also shared some similarities with Garganacl. Garganacl could compress salt grains to shoot salt pellets, while Arboliva could fire high-pressure oil spears.
Those seemingly ordinary fruits, when squeezed shut, could even crush rocks. No matter how gentle their nature, if threatened, they would fight back.
While collecting the oil, some splattered onto Meowna and Wolff. If it had been ordinary oil, they would've ended up a sticky mess, but Arboliva's oil can be even used for skincare.
After straightening themselves out, their fur became even smoother. Since the Minks inherited traits from mammals, Arboliva's oil had long become one of the most popular goods among their kind.
With Tesoro and Kojiro each preparing a few things as well, the Beasts Pirates' grand gift package was ready.
As the date approached, various forces gradually made their way toward Whole Cake Island, and Straw Hats were no exception. But they were facing a major crisis. Right now, they were teetering on the edge of starvation.
Sanji's departure left them without a chef, with only the ingredients on the ship remaining. Normally, this wouldn't have been a problem; the food might taste a bit worse, but they wouldn't starve to death.
Law, Nami, and Bon Kurei could all cook, and having learned in the Okama Kingdom, Bon Kurei could even serve as an apprentice chef.
But Luffy made the biggest mistake of his life. He agreed to Bonney's request and let her eat till full.
Known as the "Big Eater," Bonney's appetite was terrifying. She practically ate all the food on the ship by herself, which was enough provisions for the entire Straw Hat Pirates, including Luffy, to eat well for several days.
After that, they split up to act separately. Originally, Luffy and the others thought they'd be able to replenish enough food along the way, but once they entered Totto Land's waters, everything changed.
The scorching sun beat down on the deck as everyone stared intently at the sea, hoping to catch a fish.
The mysterious nature of Totto Land's waters was well-known even in the New World.
The Beasts Pirates' territory was home to a large number of Pokémon—ferocious Gyarados, friendly Lapras, aloof Wailord, and the occasionally trying to fly Wailmer. All sorts of strange Pokémon could be found there.
Totto Land, however, was unique for the nature of its seas: sea of juice, sea of liquor, and even poisonous sea could be found here. Right now, Luffy and the others were in one such special sea.
The ever-changing climate of the New World made it abnormally hot, with bubbles constantly rising from the sea's surface, as if it were boiling. The people on the ship felt as if they were in a steamer.
At this temperature, there were no fish to be found in these waters. The only thing they had left to eat was the cabbage Kanjuro had drawn.
By now, Kanjuro no longer hid his drawing skills, but the limitations of his Devil Fruit meant that no matter how realistic his food looked, he couldn't change the taste. So, it didn't matter what it looked like.
But using his fruit ability still consumed stamina, and even the disgustingly bad-tasting drawn cabbage was now eaten by them.
"Everyone... If we can't get any more food, we're going to starve to death."
When you're down on your luck, even drinking cold water can get something stuck in your teeth. Because of a change in their route, Luffy never got the chance for Pekoms to guide them, and by accident, they had wandered into Big Mom's territory.
Devil Fruit users fear water, but the creations of Devil Fruit users are different. This sea was filled with Homies made by Charlotte Linlin, acting as sea radar to patrol her territory.
Soon, a patrol boat approached. Just as the Straw Hats were preparing to fight, the Homie soldiers suddenly stopped. They detected a special aura from something Nami had dropped.
When they saw the paper slip in Nami's purse, the Homies immediately snapped to attention and expressed their apologies.
"Sorry, it turns out you're Mama's guests, we misunderstood. Why didn't you take the regular route to come in?"
"Uh... We got lost."
"I see. Please come with us. We'll take you to Totto Land."
Homies' intelligence levels varied greatly. These lowest-ranked soldier Homies had limited thinking ability, and anything that could command them would change their attitude.
That slip of paper was none other than the Vivre Card Lola had given Nami, and it was now having a miraculous effect. Just like that, the Straw Hats entered the nearby islands without incident and even got some food.
"This is the Vivre Card Lola gave me. She said her mom was a pirate. Could her mom actually be that Big Mom?!"
For a moment, Nami felt like this journey might not be as dangerous as she thought.
"Lola also told us to say hi to her mom for her, and said with this Vivre Card, her family would look after us."
"Don't be silly, it's not that simple," Law said, dashing Nami's hopes and starting to fill her in on the news.
"Totto Land, that's what this place is called, consists of thirty-five major islands. Besides the core Whole Cake Island, the other thirty-four are governed by her children."
"Big Mom has a certain control over her children. All these years, I've only ever heard of one person who managed to leave Big Mom's control."
Unlike the Straw Hats, Law had always been gathering intelligence in the New World and knew much more about this than they did.
"That person ruined Big Mom's marriage alliance back then and ended up fleeing the wedding. It's something everyone on the sea knows about. If you guys got a Vivre Card of Big Mom out there, it's almost certainly from her.
If Big Mom finds out about this, she might get even angrier. Now that we're already here, the most urgent thing is to quietly find Black Leg-ya."
Law dashed Nami's naive hopes and began organizing a new plan.
At the same time, on the various islands across Totto Land, the emperors of different underground industries began arriving one after another.
They were the rulers of the New World Underworld's various fields. Over the years, the Underworld had gone through several major shakeups, but these people had managed to stick it out and become the last few leaders.
Together, they almost monopolized everything in the Underworld.
The Loan Shark King, Du Feld, who was already middle-aged, stout, and balding, arrived at Cheese Island in the west, where he was received by Mont-d'Or, who was in charge of the island.
Du Feld's main business was loan sharking—he controlled the circulation of dark world currency, holding the largest pool of liquid assets among all forces. Occasionally, he even acted as an angel investor; MADS, back in the day, received his sponsorship.
But he was a ruthless angel; unless there were huge profits to be made, he would never lend out money.
Morgans had also arrived at the Biscuit Island in the northwest part and met with Cracker there. He already sensed that a big scoop was coming, so ever since he'd set out, his beak hadn't stopped flapping.
The Queen of the Pleasure District, Stussy, arrived at Liqueur Island in the southwest, where she was greeted by Minister of Alcohol Zuccotto.
She was an agent of the World Government, a member of CP0, but also a clone of Miss Buckin, technically a double spy under Vegapunk.
It's just that the main body of Vegapunk was already gone, and his satellites had assigned her to cooperate with the World Government, so she was no different from any other member of CP0.
The former Shipping King, Deep-Sea Currents Umit, arrived at Wheat Island, but was greeted only by a Homie.
He seemed somewhat downcast now. Once, he had controlled all sea transportation in the New World's underworld business, with the most extensive network.
Back then, almost all pirates in the New World relied on his services, and he held several secret sea routes, ensuring goods could be delivered safely to their destinations.
But a past decision allowed the Beasts Pirates to break his monopoly; the additional sea routes severely damaged Umit's business. Even staying here was already difficult for him, and this time, he was the most likely to be kicked out.
The Warehouse Kingpin, the Concealer Giberson, arrived at the Ice Cream Island in the southeast part, closely followed by the Major Undertaker, Drag Peclo.
The Beasts Pirates were different. Charlotte Linlin's Homies gave them the green light all the way and led them straight to Whole Cake Island.
Big Mom didn't show up in person, but instead had Katakuri and Smoothie specially receive the people of the Beasts Pirates, displaying a completely different attitude.
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