"NANI!!!?"
Even Orin, who was usually calm and smiling, couldn't keep his composure upon hearing that.
Veins bulged on his forehead as he glared sharply at the Den Den Mushi with fiery red lips, his jaw clenched tight.
Yet the old hag on the other end didn't seem to notice Orin's shift in expression. She continued to laugh, utterly immersed in her own delusions.
In her mind, she was already picturing a pink-haired boy unleashing Conqueror's Haki Infusion without restraint, sweeping aside all enemies and helping her ascend the Pirate King's throne.
"Ma ma ma ma~ A child who inherits both our talents will definitely become a monster even stronger than you, Orin! The power to rule the world is right in front of us!!!"
Believing herself inspiring, Big Mom looked at Orin with hopeful eyes.
Completely unaware...
Orin was losing his mind inside.
If this had happened in his twenties or thirties, he might've actually considered it.
But now? Charlotte Linlin, who had become a child-bearing machine with a warped figure… even if she wasn't as exaggerated as she would be in her fifties or sixties, she no longer had a trace of her past beauty.
Orin considered himself to have refined taste—and that was a hard no.
And...
What the hell was this about a betrothal gift?!
What did she take him for…
A breeding machine?!!!
Pound signs kept popping on his forehead as Orin's expression grew cold and sinister.
"Then wait for me in Totto Land, Charlotte Linlin. I'm coming for you right now."
"Ma ma ma ma~ If you've thought it through, then that's wonderful..."
Before Big Mom could even finish, Orin hung up the Den Den Mushi with a snap. He didn't quite manage to hold back, and nearly cracked the shell of the receiver.
"So, you're saying you're agreeing to her terms?"
Mihawk remained calm as ever, as if completely blind to Orin's darkened expression. His tone carried a smirk as he spoke.
From the way he said it, he didn't seem all that opposed—he even sounded like he might support Orin.
Meanwhile, Crocodile was puffing on a cigar, her young face filled with disdain.
"Well... I don't really mind, if that's what you want."
Orin: "…"
BOOM—!!!
"What the hell are you two joking about!!!"
A luxurious dining table was instantly reduced to powder as Orin slammed his fist down in fury. His face was twisted with rage as he roared out.
Mihawk calmly caught his plate midair, preventing the steak from falling. He didn't seem the least bit surprised by Orin's reaction.
Crocodile, on the other hand, had a few visible pound signs on her forehead.
"Hey, you bastard... don't tell me you're actually planning to start a war right now."
"Isn't that obvious?"
"Easy for you to say! Even if you're going in solo, the cleanup after a war, the seizure of territory and all that—it's not something you can arrange in a few words!"
"That sort of thing doesn't matter."
Completely ignoring Crocodile's gritted-teeth frustration, the extravagantly rich and carefree Orin pulled out an Eternal Log Pose for Totto Land he'd prepared in advance.
With his full power activated, the Oro Jackson surged forward at ghost-like speed.
"Seriously, there's no reasoning with this guy..."
...
"Ma ma ma ma~ This is wonderful!!!"
"Children, prepare for the tea party!! To welcome our special guest—Orin!!!"
After hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Big Mom was so pleased she devoured two more servings of cream puff towers before issuing orders to prepare for the reception.
Seeing their mother in such a good mood, her children all sighed in relief.
In the end, it was Charlotte Katakuri—the highest-achieving creation of the Charlotte family—who stepped forward first.
He had a vague sense that something was off, but seeing how happy his mother was, he didn't say anything. He simply promised to make all the arrangements.
"Don't worry, Mama. We'll take care of everything for the tea party."
Big Mom looked down at Katakuri's reliable and composed face and nodded with satisfaction.
"Right, bring in all our underground business partners too, Katakuri. This is something I promised Orin!!"
Katakuri naturally agreed. At present, Big Mom's crew didn't have deep dealings with the underground world—it was still in the early stages of contact, far from the cozy ties they'd have twenty years later.
So even if they didn't offer a big cake, abandoning them wasn't much of a loss.
Once she'd given her simple instructions, Big Mom returned to her joy and sweets.
Meanwhile—
In the New World, the announcement that Charlotte Linlin, one of the newly crowned sea emperors, was hosting a tea party was far too big to keep secret.
Aside from her countless Homies, the residents of Totto Land included an endless variety of races and people, a melting pot full of chaos and infiltration.
No one knew how many spies from various factions had wormed their way in.
Once accurate intel was confirmed, these agents—without exception—rushed to report back to their respective superiors.
Two naturally born monsters were about to meet. It was only natural that countless powers were now on high alert.
"What kind of scheme are those two monsters plotting this time!!!"
In the Marine HQ meeting room, Brannew was posting wanted posters of the two sea emperors on a board as he briefed his colleagues.
Admiral Sengoku slammed the table with a dark expression, staring at the two figures on the posters.
As Sengoku's voice thundered with anger, Brannew flipped through the latest intel.
"According to the latest reports, Charlotte Linlin has invited the Black Emperor Orin to Totto Land. It seems the reason is… uh..."
He paused for a moment, then continued.
"It seems... it's to have a child."
"NANI!!!???"
Before anyone else could react, the Vice Admirals were already the most vocal.
"Damn that Orin bastard. He's never going to behave, is he?"
Kuzan muttered quietly, face solemn.
"A child born of two sea monsters would become the greatest threat to justice. It must be crushed in the cradle."
The one who spoke with such ruthless coldness was Sakazuki. In his eyes, even an infant carrying evil blood deserved no mercy.
But just then, a long, drawling voice interrupted the room—
It was Borsalino, trimming his nails with a clipper as he pouted and spoke lazily.
"Oh~ two monsters of the sea, huh~ That's really scary~
But you know~ the World Government hasn't authorized any action yet~"
The room fell silent at those words, and just then, the Fleet Admiral reminded everyone:
"That's right. And the World Government's stance on this matter is—Support!"
"As far as I know, there's already a special task force ready to extract that child full of potential from Charlotte Linlin and bring them back to the highest authorities!"