Reid cradled Lati in one arm and lazily leaned against a long table piled high with desserts, watching as Charlotte Linlin was surrounded by her companions and escorted toward the wedding altar.
"What a truly 'blissful' wedding," Reid joked, taking a bite of a cream puff.
Tesoro quietly stacked cakes onto his plate and lowered his voice. "Captain, are we really just going to watch?"
"What else would we do?" Reid shrugged. "You want to steal the bouquet?"
Moria smacked his lips as his shadow silently hauled away an entire chocolate fountain. "Keh heh heh… this old witch's wedding is even stranger than my zombie parties."
Enel snorted, faint arcs of electricity dancing at his fingertips. "Boring."
Lina puffed out her cheeks, clearly still upset. "Then stop eating their desserts!"
Enel replied calmly, "This god is merely sampling local cuisine."
Everyone stared at him in silence.
The wedding march began. Linlin took heavy steps beside her groom, repeatedly glancing back toward Lati.
Watching the scene, Reid let out a soft chuckle. "Looks like Totto Land isn't full of lunatics after all."
Tesoro raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Reid gestured around them. The residents of Whole Cake Island were dancing joyfully, children ran about laughing, and the Homies orchestra played lively music.
Everything here had been built under Linlin's terrifying rule, yet it was undeniable that ordinary people lived more peacefully here than most of the powerless elsewhere at sea.
Reid took another bite of cake, his tone casual. "At least here, they get to live something close to a normal life."
This was not idle talk.
Of course, there was a massive premise behind it. The New World, and the weak.
Living in Totto Land meant surrendering two months of lifespan every year. Someone who might have lived to eighty elsewhere would barely reach seventy here. That sounded grim, but it ignored a harsher truth. In the New World, most of the weak never lived long enough to worry about old age.
Standing on Whole Cake Island, Reid could not help but sigh.
Conceptually, it was a peaceful country. There was no brutal ruling class. Only a single unstable tyrant known as Big Mom.
Her hunger rampages spared no one, friend or foe alike, but they were rare over the course of her long life. And for many, that risk was still better than being stabbed through the heart by pirates the very next day.
Charlotte Linlin was a deeply contradictory figure. Childlike, idealistic, obsessed with building a world where everyone could be happy. Her ideals were sincere, and deep down, she truly possessed kindness.
In One Piece, every character had their own moment of brilliance. Even Blackbeard, whom everyone loathed, once said something unforgettable when Luffy and Zoro were beaten half to death by Bellamy.
"A man's dream never dies!"
Setting everything else aside, Blackbeard was undeniably a pirate. That line alone forced fans to reevaluate him. Later, Big Mom said something equally striking.
"Even pirates need mercy."
For the weak of the New World, Totto Land was, in its own twisted way, a merciful place.
Big Mom could not be called great, but neither could she be cleanly labeled a villain. For many people, good and evil were never absolute.
Just as the wedding reached its climax, something went terribly wrong.
Charlotte Linlin's smile froze. Her pupils shrank violently, saliva dripping uncontrollably from the corner of her mouth. Her fingers trembled as her breathing became erratic.
"Caramel… caramel cream puffs…" she muttered, her voice turning hoarse. "Why… why aren't there any caramel cream puffs…"
The entire venue fell silent.
The members of Crimson Dawn reacted instantly. Golden armor spread across Tesoro's body, Moria's shadows writhed wildly on the ground, and Enel's lightning crackled with menace.
Reid, however, continued holding Lati. The blood mist only tightened slightly around the baby. "Oh? So this is the infamous eating disorder episode."
Linlin's body began to swell as her Conqueror's Haki burst out of control. The overwhelming pressure made the entire island tremble.
"Caramel cream puffs!"
She raised her arm and slammed her fist into the wedding cake.
Boom!
The towering cake collapsed instantly. Cream and frosting exploded like a storm. Guests screamed and scattered, friends cowering in fear.
Perospero trembled from head to toe, but the next second he gritted his teeth and rushed forward, spreading his arms to shield his siblings from their rampaging mother.
"Mama, please calm down!" His voice shook violently, eyes wide with terror, yet he stood firm between Linlin and the others. "The caramel cream puffs are coming! Just wait a little longer!"
Katakuri's Observation Haki screamed warnings at him, but he did not retreat. Instead, he stepped up beside Perospero and spoke quietly.
"Mama, the caramel cream puffs are on their way."
Linlin's massive fist hovered in the air. Her unfocused eyes locked onto them.
"Caramel… cream puffs…"
Sweat soaked Perospero's back, but he forced a smile. "Yes, yes! The chefs are making them! Your favorite caramel cream puffs!"
He turned and shouted at his siblings. "Go get the emergency desserts! Hurry!"
The Charlotte children finally snapped into motion, scattering in all directions to search for sweets.
Crimson Dawn watched in silence, each wearing a different expression.
Tesoro frowned. "He's terrified, yet he still stands in front."
Moria smacked his lips. "Keh heh heh… interesting."
Enel snorted. "Foolish."
The initial calming measures were working. She should have stabilized soon.
But there was one problem.
Reid was still here.
Even when Charlotte Linlin was in perfect condition, she had to grit her teeth to face him. Now, in the middle of a breakdown, the situation was far worse.
Reid suddenly placed Lati into Tesoro's arms as the blood mist erupted violently around him.
"Hey, Linlin. Are you that excited to see me?" His figure flickered within the crimson haze, scarlet eyes glowing with danger. "Since you're already losing control, why not fight me?"
Linlin stared straight at him. Her chaotic gaze shifted.
"Mama mama… Reid… brat…"
Without turning his head, Reid waved his hand. "Take Lati far away."
Tesoro carried Lati to the far edge of the battlefield. He was not worried in the slightest. Their captain did not lose.
Perospero stared at Reid in shock. "You…"
"Do not misunderstand," Reid grinned. "I just think warming up before the hundred-day banquet is a good idea. After that, you'd better work hard for me too."
Linlin's Conqueror's Haki exploded outward.
"Die, brat!"
"Foreign Land!"
The terrifying slash tore through the wedding grounds, but Reid dissolved into mist and avoided it. The blood fog condensed into dozens of ferocious crimson dragons that roared through the air toward Linlin.
"Mist God Style: Dance of Blood Dragons!"
Katakuri immediately grabbed Perospero and pulled him back. "Everyone, retreat!"