Chapter 659: Comparing Big Brother and Big Brother
"Mamamama!" Hearing Arest's question, BIG MOM burst into laughter and said, "Don't you think he's a young man with great potential? Even if he has a good relationship with that old man Whitebeard, so what? As long as he hasn't explicitly stated that he's joining the Whitebeard Pirates, there's still a chance to win him over!"
"So, you invited him to the tea party because you want to recruit him into the BIG MOM Pirates?" Arest asked.
"Of course, I have high hopes for him!" BIG MOM said.
Arest tilted his head, thought for a moment, and said, "But do you think he'll accept? After all, people are saying that Ian might become the next Emperor. Under those circumstances, do you think he'd join your crew?"
BIG MOM's expression suddenly darkened. "Hmph, over the past twenty years, how many pirates in this New World have been hailed as potential new Emperors? But where are they now?"
Before Arest could answer, BIG MOM pointed at the seat beneath her and continued, "To sit on this throne of the Four Emperors, whether it's me, Whitebeard, Kaido, or Red-Haired Shanks, which of us hasn't faced challenges? Yet here we are, still sitting on it. Those challengers have long since sunk to the bottom of the sea."
Arest understood BIG MOM's meaning. Pirates entering the New World all see challenging an Emperor as an honor, because to become the Pirate King, one must first overcome the mountain that is the Four Emperors. But for the established Emperors, while they might feel threatened by Ian's rise, it's just a threat to them. They have enough confidence and pride to deal with Ian's challenge.
BIG MOM wasn't afraid of Ian's challenge, but because she saw potential in him, she chose to try recruiting him first. If Ian refused, then what would happen next was predictable.
Elimination. For a challenger with such potential, if you can't recruit them, you eliminate them early.
"If he wants to become an Emperor, I can make it happen!" BIG MOM picked up a sweet cake from the table, tossed it into her mouth, chewed happily, and waved her hands as she spoke. "But only after he helps me claim the throne of the Pirate King!"
That was BIG MOM's true intention. She had sent Perospero and Katakuri to deliver the tea party invitation to Ian, and while they told him she could help him become an Emperor, they never specified when. Ian's performance on the battlefield, where he could stand against Kaido, gave BIG MOM hope of defeating the other Emperors. She believed that if Ian became her right-hand man, her path to becoming the Pirate King would be within reach.
Recently, BIG MOM knew that Kaido had been making frequent moves in Wano Country. She had intelligence that Kaido's ambitions in Wano weren't just about avenging the rumored "killing of his friend," but also because there was a red Road Poneglyph there. Although BIG MOM wanted to seize that Road Poneglyph, Wano was on Kaido's turf, far from the BIG MOM Pirates' territory, making it hard to operate. So, she decided to wait and see, planning to snatch the Poneglyph from Kaido after he found it.
This was also why Katakuri and the others hinted to Ian that Mama could help him take down Kaido. In BIG MOM's heart, she had long coveted the Poneglyph Kaido was about to obtain, and a battle was inevitable.
Watching BIG MOM immerse herself in her own plans, Arest said nothing, but his heart sank to the bottom.
He hadn't expected BIG MOM to value Ian so highly. With Whitebeard's support behind Ian, if he also gained the backing of the BIG MOM Pirates, no one in this sea would dare touch him—not the World Government, not the Marines. From then on, they could only pretend not to see Ian's existence.
Arest couldn't accept that outcome. In his mind, Ian was a demon, someone who had to be eliminated.
Lord, this evil is worth fighting! That was roughly his sentiment.
So, he felt he had to do something to ruin the relationship between Ian and the BIG MOM Pirates.
As for whether Ian would refuse BIG MOM's recruitment, Arest thought that was impossible. No one would refuse help from an Emperor. And as for BIG MOM not specifying when she'd help Ian become an Emperor, Arest didn't see that as a problem either. Ian was too young; he had plenty of time to wait.
Anyway, putting himself in Ian's shoes, Arest thought refusal was out of the question.
He just forgot that he wasn't Ian, and Ian wasn't him. He didn't really understand Ian at all.
After chatting idly with BIG MOM for a while longer, Arest excused himself, claiming he was tired, and returned to his room. Once there, he began to ponder silently.
Meanwhile, Ian and Reiju were being led by Katakuri and Perospero into the castle's banquet hall.
BIG MOM's tea parties always invited many guests, and this time was no exception. When Ian and the others entered, they saw that several people were already seated in the hall.
The guests were being entertained by the Charlotte family's children: the third son, Charlotte Daifuku; the fourth son, Charlotte Oven; the tenth son, Charlotte Cracker; the eighth daughter, Charlotte Brûlée; and the eighteenth daughter, Charlotte Galette. When they saw Perospero and Katakuri enter, they stood up and called out, "Big Brother, Second Brother, did you pick up your guests?"
Perospero was fine, but when they called out to Katakuri, the Charlotte siblings were noticeably warmer.
In truth, despite BIG MOM having so many children, each looking vastly different, the Charlotte family was very united internally. Katakuri, the second brother, set an excellent example.
Among his younger siblings, Katakuri was the perfect big brother—handsome, strong, calm, wise, and nearly flawless. He treated every sibling equally and cared for them diligently. Throughout the Charlotte family, Katakuri was the most beloved brother. Everyone adored and respected him, calling him the pillar of the BIG MOM Pirates.
Perospero and Katakuri greeted their siblings present and then introduced Ian.
In fact, when Ian followed Katakuri into the banquet hall, the Charlotte family members and the guests at the tables had already guessed his identity. They had been secretly sizing him up. But when Katakuri formally introduced Ian, they couldn't help but marvel at his youth.
Unlike the so-called Supernova pirates, Ian, though young, had already proven his strength. Almost everyone who had watched the live broadcast of the New Edd War was shocked by the strange and powerful move he used upon appearing—that flash piercing the sky, which not only killed tens of thousands of Marines but also forced the three Marine Admirals to struggle just to defend themselves.
Moreover, his record as a Warlord of the Sea set him apart from the Supernova pirates in people's minds. They believed he was on an entirely different level from those young pirates.
However, the Charlotte siblings still felt a bit uncomfortable with Ian. His bounty of 1.2 billion Berries had surpassed that of their perfect brother, Katakuri. In their minds, Ian's strength was probably about the same as Katakuri's, so why was his bounty higher?
Thus, their gazes toward Ian gradually turned hostile. Cracker, the Biscuit Minister, in particular, felt this way, but since Ian was a guest, they didn't say anything rude.
On the other hand, the guests at the tea party were very eager to see Ian. A short, stout man with a scar on his forehead, wearing small round sunglasses, a cigar in his mouth, and a flashy fur coat, was the underworld's King of Loans, "God of Fortune" Lu Feld. After Katakuri finished the introductions, he immediately waved at Ian and said, "Lord Ian, come sit over here!"
Ian frowned slightly, ignored him, and first surveyed the seating arrangement at the banquet table. Then he found an empty seat and sat down. Reiju followed and sat to his right.