Chapter 665: Night Falls
“He actually calmed her down?”
Watching Gaji walk back, Ian was somewhat surprised. From a distance, he hadn’t heard what Gaji said to Big Mom, but he did see the Germa people offering Big Mom some snacks.
Seeing Big Mom happily devouring sweets and the subordinates gradually withdrawing, Ian could only accept the fact.
Damn it! Don’t do this to me, I wanted to kick a ball... ah, no! I wanted to fight!
What are you guys doing, meddling in someone else’s battle like that!?
“Alright, Big Mom won’t bring up the marriage proposal anymore,” Gaji said to Ian after returning. “Also, she asked me to tell you that if you obediently wait until tomorrow’s tea party and wedding are over, she’ll tell you a secret about Kaido.”
Ian rolled his eyes. Though extremely annoyed, since Big Mom’s side had made a concession, he couldn’t keep pressing the issue.
In truth, if he really wanted to start a war with the Big Mom Pirates, no one could stop him. He could just go straight for Big Mom herself. But in a fight, momentum is everything. With the Vinsmoke Family interrupting like that, his drive naturally deflated.
Moreover, thinking about it now, Ian felt that starting a war with the Big Mom Pirates right now really wasn’t the right time. A very important person was absent—that old man Fujitora!
How to put it? As the vice captain of the Dragon Hunter Pirates, without him, it was no exaggeration to say the Dragon Hunter Pirates would lose at least a third of their combat strength.
Going to war with a Yonko crew was no small matter; impulsive decisions couldn’t be made.
Now, Fujitora had gone to Wano Country, and Ian had no idea how things were going there. If what Big Mom said about knowing a secret regarding Kaido was true, then learning that secret might help in dealing with Kaido and assist in resolving the situation in Wano for Fujitora.
“Fine then, I’ll wait until tomorrow’s tea party is over,” Ian said after some thought, making his decision.
Gaji nodded without another word and prepared to leave with Ichiji and the others. But before departing, he called out to Reiju, “Reiju, you’re coming with me too!”
Reiju glanced at Ian, who nodded at her and said, “Go ahead!”
Reiju thought for a moment, then followed Gaji.
The banquet hall was destroyed, so any feasting was out of the question. Big Mom’s subordinates needed to repair the damaged castle, so they sent someone over to cautiously escort Ian to a room to rest.
Ian couldn’t be bothered with the hateful glares from Big Mom’s children, so he left on his own.
What he didn’t know, however, was that after he left, in a high room of the Whole Cake Island castle, Arest also withdrew his gaze from the window.
“What a shame…” Sitting in his own room, Arest thought regretfully. “The Vinsmoke Family showed up at the worst time. If they’d come a bit later, once Ian made a move on Big Mom, things would have been irreparable. Then all I’d have to do is watch Big Mom take him out…”
“But…” Arest gently stroked the cover of the Bible in his hands, reconsidering. “It’s not necessarily a bad thing. At least the seed of conflict has been planted. From here on, things will be much easier…”
With that thought, Arest felt relieved. A mysterious smile crept across his face as he lay down on the bed, closing his eyes to rest. He planned to conserve his energy for what he intended to do tonight.
Some time later, in Big Mom’s room in the Whole Cake Island castle, Katakuri and the other children gathered.
“Mama!” Smoothie said angrily as she entered. “Not only did you not teach that insolent brat a lesson, but you also let him stay and attend the tea party!?”
“Smoothie, are you raising your voice at me!?” Big Mom sat on a massive sofa, her face turning cold at the words.
She had already finished the Fish-Man Island snacks Gaji brought, so her mind was clear. Seeing her expression, Smoothie immediately realized this and hurriedly waved her hands, saying, “No, Mama! I wouldn’t dare raise my voice at you…”
Big Mom’s children were quite terrified of her.
“Enough, Smoothie!” Big Mom said. “I know you’re furious that Ian rejected the marriage with you, but your marriage isn’t as important as my plans. Do you understand that?”
“Y-Yes!” Smoothie lowered her head reluctantly.
“But don’t worry,” Big Mom glanced at her. “Winning him over and making him an asset to the Big Mom Pirates was decided long ago, and that won’t change! You’ll marry him eventually!”
“R-Really?” Smoothie’s eyes lit up as she looked up.
She actually really liked Ian. The strength he displayed today had truly amazed her. Even Katakuri, her brother, was no match for him. Where else in the world could she find a husband like that? So she was the most eager to hear Big Mom say that.
“But Mama!” Cracker interjected. “That kid is already on guard against us now. That’s going to be tricky!”
To their surprise, Big Mom suddenly burst into laughter. “Mama Mama Mama! You might not realize it, but the Vinsmoke Family showing up was actually perfect timing. I was just wondering how to find a graceful way to de-escalate the situation. If that kid had really attacked me, I’d have had no choice but to kill him. But when Gaji came and talked him down, it gave me an excuse to let him off for now!”
“W-What do you mean?” Cracker and the others were confused.
“Hostility, wariness—none of that is a problem at all!” Katakuri explained from the side. “Have you all forgotten about Brulee’s ability!?”
Hearing Katakuri’s words, Big Mom’s children suddenly understood. Right! How could they forget about that girl Brulee!
Charlotte Brulee, Mama’s thirty-fifth daughter, a rare mixed-blood Three-Eye Tribe member, and a user of the Memory Fruit. With her Devil Fruit ability, she could freely extract memories from a target’s mind and modify or edit them!
This was why Big Mom and Katakuri believed Ian’s hostility and wariness weren’t issues. If they sent Brulee in, she could completely delete Ian’s memories of today’s events, or even alter them, implanting a beautiful memory of him already being in love with Smoothie, so he would have no resistance to their wedding.
Once they understood Big Mom’s plan, everyone agreed that the Vinsmoke Family’s arrival had been incredibly timely.
If a fight had actually broken out, things would have been irreparable. An enraged Mama would have surely killed Ian, or if Ian realized he was no match for her, he would have fled Whole Cake Island at high speed and never returned. With his flying ability and the incredible speed he’d shown, no one in the Big Mom Pirates seemed capable of stopping him.
“The Vinsmoke Family did us a huge favor!” Charlotte Oven sneered. “Though it’s probably because Ian has taken a liking to that woman from the Vinsmoke Family that he’s resisting marrying Smoothie. But one thing at a time…”
Big Mom snorted coldly at that. “Hmph, if Gaji still wants support from my crew, he’ll have to take that girl away from Ian afterward. If he doesn’t, then Smoothie, you can just kill her yourself. I doubt Gaji would dare say anything!”
“Understood!” Smoothie licked her lips. “Even if you hadn’t said it, I would have done it myself… I’m really looking forward to tasting what kind of juice I can squeeze out of her…”
“We’ll have Brulee make her move tonight!” Big Mom decided. “That three-eyed girl looks disgusting, but I have to admit her ability is very useful. Let’s get Ian settled early—I don’t want tomorrow’s wedding to be disturbed!”
After the arrangements were made, Katakuri and the others left Big Mom’s room. Charlotte Brulee covered her mouth and whispered with a snicker, “Mama doesn’t really care about Chiffon’s wedding, does she? She just wants to eat the wedding cake, right? Ever since Chiffon’s sister Lola ran away from her marriage, Chiffon has never been favored by Mama. As Mama’s daughter, she won’t be killed, but dreaming of getting Mama’s blessing at the wedding? That’s impossible!”
Cracker also chuckled. “Isn’t that right? If Mama weren’t planning to use her to recruit Capone Bege and his crew, why would she bother holding a wedding tea party at all?”
“Shut up, all of you! Don’t discuss this in the hallway!” Katakuri scolded.
At Katakuri’s reprimand, everyone fell silent and slowly made their way down the corridor and left.
After they had all gone, a figure appeared from around the corner. Capone Bege watched Katakuri and the others’ retreating backs, his face dark and expressionless, the cigar in his mouth flickering on and off…
Time passed bit by bit, and night soon descended upon Whole Cake Island.
And tonight was destined to be a night full of trouble…