Chapter 654: An Unexpected Person
As a breeze sweet enough to cloy blew in from the sea, it signaled that Ian and Reiju's ship had arrived at Whole Cake Island.
Whole Cake Island was the most important stronghold of the Big Mom Pirates in the New World. The island's shape resembled layer upon layer of cake stacked together.
The entire island was filled with a fairy-tale-like style. All the buildings were not only brightly and vividly colored but also looked soft and fluffy.
In fact, Ian's ship had been spotted by the Big Mom Pirates as soon as it entered the waters around Whole Cake Island. However, because the ship flew the flag of the Dragon Hunter Pirates, the Big Mom Pirates knew they were invited guests and did not intercept them. As Ian and Reiju neared the port, a singing ship, also in a fairy-tale style, came to greet them.
"That ship must have been given a personality by Big Mom, right? That's why it's so strange," Reiju remarked, standing beside Ian.
The ability of the Four Emperors Big Mom was no secret in the New World. Her special power to grant personalities and intelligence to inanimate objects was the reason for the bizarre sights on Whole Cake Island.
When the singing ship approached Ian's vessel, a figure leaped from the other ship onto Ian's deck.
This person had extraordinarily long legs. Standing on the deck, he looked like two thin bamboo poles supporting a short, stout body, like a compass. However, his attire was that of a French gentleman in formal wear. He held a walking cane, had two upward-curling black mustache tips at the corners of his mouth, and wore a small pair of sunglasses that barely covered his eyes.
"Captain Ian!" the man said, removing his top hat and gesturing. "I am a combatant of the Big Mom Pirates. You may call me Baron Tamago. I have been ordered to welcome you! Big Mom's tea party will begin tomorrow. She has been awaiting you for some time!"
"Hmm," Ian replied, sizing him up briefly without saying much, just nodding. "Lead the way!"
"May I ask a bold question? Did you come alone?" Baron Tamago asked, curiously glancing behind Ian.
"Correction: there are two of us," Ian said flatly, staring at Baron Tamago. He wondered if this guy was blind behind those sunglasses—wasn't Reiju standing right beside him?
"Ho ho ho, if I recall correctly, this should be Miss Reiju, the eldest daughter of the Vinsmoke Family, right?" Baron Tamago chuckled. "Apologies, but I wasn't aware she was with you..."
"... " Reiju remained silent, not saying a word. However, Ian was displeased. His eyes sharpened, and he said coldly, "What do you mean?"
Seeing Ian's killing intent begin to rise, Baron Tamago quickly waved his hands. "Don't misunderstand, don't misunderstand! I just wanted to confirm which side Miss Reiju represents. After all, the Vinsmoke Family is negotiating a partnership with the Big Mom Pirates. If Miss Reiju is here as a member of the Dragon Hunter Pirates, does that mean the Big Mom Pirates are also negotiating a partnership with the Dragon Hunter Pirates?"
Hearing this, Ian couldn't help but exchange a glance with Reiju. That was a valid point to clarify. Reiju was part of the Dragon Hunter Pirates, but due to her ties to the Vinsmoke Family, misunderstandings could arise.
Before Ian could speak, Reiju interjected, "I am a member of the Vinsmoke Family!"
"Is that so? Ho ho, that's good, that's good," Baron Tamago said with a light laugh. He jumped back onto the singing ship without further comment and started the vessel, leading the way.
On the ship, Ian looked at Reiju with some confusion. Reiju smiled and placed a hand on his. "Don't worry. I just don't want to cause you trouble. I've been away from home for quite a while, and I don't know if my father has reached any agreement with the Big Mom Pirates. If he has, my identity might bring you complications. So for now, let's say I'm just a family member."
Ian was simply attending the tea party. He had no idea what Big Mom would discuss with him there. The situation was completely unclear, and if he rashly got involved in the affairs of the Vinsmoke Family and the Big Mom Pirates because of Reiju's identity, it would be bad.
Reiju, ever the considerate older sister, immediately made the choice most favorable to Ian.
"Alright," Ian sighed. "Let's leave it at that for now."
Reiju smiled faintly, walked to the helm, and turned the wheel. Meanwhile, Ian adjusted the sails. Together, they steered the ship, following Baron Tamago's vessel into the port of Whole Cake Island.
At the port, many ships were already docked. Judging by their shapes and flags, they had all come from outside.
So, after disembarking, Ian couldn't help but ask Baron Tamago curiously, "Did Big Mom invite a lot of people to her tea party?"
"Yes," Baron Tamago replied. "Mother usually holds tea parties at fixed times. Whenever there's a major happy event, she holds an extra one. For each tea party, Mother invites many guests. Most of them are friends connected to the Big Mom Pirates. As for who they are, Captain Ian, you'll see at the tea party."
Although he knew Ian's strength far surpassed his own, Baron Tamago consistently addressed Ian as "Captain," unlike some who might call him "Lord." This was partly because Ian no longer held the title of Warlord of the Sea, and partly due to the inherent pride of a Four Emperors' crew.
Ian didn't dwell on such trivialities as titles. Hearing Baron Tamago's explanation, he stopped asking and, like Reiju, curiously took in the scenery of Whole Cake Island.
Upon stepping onto Whole Cake Island, the sweet air grew even more intense. As they walked, Baron Tamago pointed out various sights.
The roofs of the houses lining the streets were made of chocolate! The walls and pillars supporting the houses were cookies, while the window glass was transparent candy. Even in ordinary homes, the blankets were soft, fluffy marshmallows. People here used rainbow gummy candies as decorations, painted their houses with milk or cream, and adorned them with almonds or hazelnuts.
According to Baron Tamago, Whole Cake Island was surrounded by 34 smaller islands, each governed by a minister, collectively forming the "Totto Land." These outer islands were mostly named after sweets, like Chocolate Town or Milk Town. However, Ian and Reiju had followed the Log Pose left by Katakuri and hadn't passed through those towns.
On Whole Cake Island, aside from the main cake-shaped mountains, most buildings were low. As they walked, the residents they encountered on the streets were also bizarre: Longleg Tribe, Longarm Tribe, Fish-Man Tribe, Mink Tribe—all were present. Ian even saw many races he had never encountered before.
For example, a couple walking toward them both had extremely long necks. As they moved, their necks supporting their heads swayed left and right. This must be the Longneck Tribe, right?
Ian also spotted several people with long tongues, just like Perospero. It was only then that he realized Perospero wasn't oddly shaped—he probably had Longtongue Tribe blood!
Oh, and there was Pudding, Sanji's arranged marriage partner in the original history—she was from the Three-Eye Tribe.
If he hadn't come here, Ian would never have known that the New World contained so many races. Thinking about it carefully, Ian suddenly felt a chill. With all of Big Mom's children, she must have covered every race seen in Totto Land! How many different races had Big Mom married and had children with!?
Damn, that taste was not just peculiar...
Ian glanced at Reiju beside him and decided he still couldn't accept Big Mom's aesthetic. He preferred humans.
Walking and observing, it wasn't long before Baron Tamago led them to a luxurious cake-shaped building.
"Captain Ian, you are honored guests invited to Mother's tea party, so please take a carriage here," Baron Tamago said, tipping his hat.
Ian looked ahead and was instantly dumbfounded. He saw a carriage parked in front of the cake-shaped building, seemingly freshly baked. The carriage was exquisitely decorated, filled with a fragrant, sweet aroma. But what was pulling it was a...
Pig!!!
It really was a pig, and a huge one with a number marked on its belly!
When Ian had heard about taking a carriage, he had assumed it would be a horse-drawn one. But now, it turned out to be a pig-drawn carriage!
"Please!" Baron Tamago said with impeccable manners, opening the door for them and gesturing.
Forget it, stay calm. In this bizarre city, nothing should be surprising. A pig-drawn carriage it is...
Ian and Reiju stepped inside. Just as they were about to close the door, they heard a commotion from behind.
"Damn it! I'm also a guest of Big Mom! Why won't you let me ride in the pig carriage!?"
Ian was intrigued. Someone actually wanted to fight for a seat in the pig carriage?
He stopped and looked back to see who it was. The moment he saw the person, Ian nearly burst out laughing!
Because the speaker was someone Ian recognized.
Caesar Clown! The mad scientist who should have been on Punk Hazard!
This guy had purple-blue hair, two decorations on his head resembling goat horns, a coat that looked like gas swirling around him, and black gloves printed with "CC" on his hands.
At that moment, Caesar was arguing with the guards at the cake-shaped building, trying to win the right to ride the pig carriage.