Chapter 667: A Fellow Tribesman?
At the same time, in his room, Ian had just hung up the Den Den Mushi.
He had been contacting Robin and the others on Skypiea earlier, explaining the situation to them. The conflict during the day had erupted somewhat suddenly, with fighting breaking out directly, so Ian hadn’t been able to use the Den Den Mushi to communicate. That was why he had initially thought to have Reiju go and call for people directly.
Through his contact with Robin, Ian confirmed Skypiea’s current position. Robin told him that when Skypiea had stopped during the day, it encountered some high-altitude turbulence and had been blown off course a bit, but it had since corrected itself.
Ian asked Robin to pass a message to Waldo: after daybreak tomorrow, have Waldo continue maneuvering Skypiea to close in on the direction of Whole Cake Island.
Although he had stayed behind, Ian wasn’t sure if anything else would happen at tomorrow’s wedding tea party. He felt that BIG MOM’s side’s attitude was really problematic.
After all, since fighting had already broken out, with the pride of a Yonko, how could they just back down? Even if the Vinsmoke Family had stepped in as mediators, BIG MOM had conceded far too quickly, hadn’t she?
It was almost as if she was deliberately using the excuse to back down gracefully…
So, after returning to his room, Ian had been thinking all along, pondering the reason behind BIG MOM’s actions.
After much thought, Ian felt that with such an attitude, BIG MOM must want something from him. Could it be that the farce during the day, having Smoothie marry him, was similar to the Vinsmoke Family situation?
Ian knew that BIG MOM’s marriage alliance with the Vinsmoke Family was nothing but a trap, designed to wipe them out and seize the Germa Group’s technological power. In other words, for BIG MOM, even though she liked using marriage alliances as a tactic, it was actually just a means to achieve her goals.
On the surface, she claimed that family bonds were stronger and more trustworthy, but in reality, it was just self-deception.
Among her biological children, only those with significant strength earned her favor; the others were often subjected to harsh words, curses, and beatings. When her craving disorder acted up, she might even kill her own children.
If she treated her own children like this, then it was even more imaginable for in-laws or sons-in-law.
In the BIG MOM Pirates, BIG MOM was the absolute ruler. Everyone had to follow her will. Calling her a tyrant was not an exaggeration at all…
Thinking of all this, Ian became even more convinced that his refusal of the marriage was the right choice. He was now almost certain that BIG MOM was likely trying to recruit his Dragon Hunter Pirates! Otherwise, she wouldn’t have used a marriage alliance!
“Tch! Do you really think I’m some brainless pirate?” Ian sat on the edge of the bed, spitting contemptuously on the floor. “I’ll just wait and see what tricks you want to pull tomorrow. If you think I’m a pushover, I’ll show you why flowers are so red!”
Ian had already decided: if BIG MOM dared to bring up Smoothie marrying him again tomorrow, or threatened him with something like family ties, he would have Waldo use the Thunder Stone Cannons from Skypiea to level Whole Cake Island first!
You want Germa’s technology? Let’s see how you handle Skypiea’s technology first…
Reiju was now with her father. They were probably arguing about Ian’s situation. Gaji was superstitious about the BIG MOM Pirates’ power because he didn’t know BIG MOM’s true nature. But if he wanted to believe in BIG MOM’s power, that was his business. If Gaji dared to try taking Reiju back, Ian would directly snatch her away!
He didn’t want to see Reiju go down with Gaji…
Ian flopped onto the bed, ready to rest, when suddenly, for some reason, he thought of Caesar.
Speaking of Caesar, that guy was really unlucky. He had originally wanted to sneak into the tea party with Ian to scam money from BIG MOM. But the conflict during the day had dragged him into it too. The BIG MOM Pirates were still treating Ian as a guest, but it was hard to say about Caesar.
He wondered if that guy was being hung up and beaten right now… Ah, forget it, why bother with him? He wasn’t a good person anyway…
Just as he was about to close his eyes and sleep, a knock came at the door.
Ian sat up in confusion and went to open it.
He thought it was Reiju, but when he opened the door, he saw a girl with twin tails holding a tray, standing outside with a gentle smile.
Huh? Isn’t this Charlotte Pudding? The fiancée of that pervert cook, Sanji… Why is she here?
“M-Mr. Ian…” Seeing Ian open the door, Pudding seemed nervous, stammering, “I-I’m Charlotte Pudding, the thirty-fifth daughter of Mama. I-I was worried you might be hungry, so I brought you some snacks!”
Ian squinted at her for a few moments before stepping aside to let her in.
Pudding walked into Ian’s room, carrying the tray cautiously. She set the tray on the table, fidgeting with her hands in front of her, blushing as she said, “This is a chocolate pie I made. A little sweetness helps with sleep…”
“You’re Pudding, right?” Ian leaned against the wall by the door, arms crossed, pretending to be curious. “Even if you’re bringing a late-night snack, you could have just sent a servant. You’re BIG MOM’s daughter; this kind of work shouldn’t be done by you personally, should it?”
“N-no, it’s not like that!” Charlotte Pudding waved her hands hurriedly. “I-I actually came willingly because… because there’s something I want to ask Mr. Ian…”
“What is it?” Ian glanced at the chocolate pie on the table but didn’t touch it. As soon as this girl appeared, Ian sensed something was off. He wouldn’t recklessly eat food brought by her.
“Well… well…” Charlotte Pudding seemed very shy. After a long pause, she finally stammered, “Mr. Ian, I-I heard you have a rare bloodline. Is that true?”
“Rare bloodline?” Ian asked, puzzled. “What do you mean?”
“I-It’s the Three-Eye Tribe bloodline!” Pudding quickly said. “I heard that in several of your battles, a third eye appeared on your forehead… Many people have seen it…”
Hearing this, Ian was first stunned, then couldn’t help but laugh!
Three-Eye Tribe bloodline? What nonsense! That was the Evil Eye skill from the Flying Shadow card!
But honestly, this was the first time Ian had heard someone ask him this. Those who had seen the illusion of a third eye from his Evil Eye skill were mostly enemies, so even if they guessed, they couldn’t ask him directly.
So Ian was only now learning that some people suspected he had the Three-Eye Tribe bloodline…
And looking at Charlotte Pudding in front of him, Ian understood why she had personally brought him a late-night snack. He remembered that BIG MOM’s thirty-fifth daughter had a rare mixed bloodline from the Three-Eye Tribe.
She came to see him, probably thinking he was a fellow tribesman and wanted to chat with a kindred spirit, right?
But come to think of it, this excuse was really clever. It easily started a conversation!
Ian smiled and said, “Yeah, I do have the Three-Eye Tribe bloodline…”
As he said this, Ian walked to the table, picked up a fork, and began eating the chocolate pie Pudding had brought.
He hadn’t intended to touch it, but now he changed his mind. He wanted to see what this Charlotte Pudding, with her dual personality, was really up to!
While Ian ate the chocolate pie, he had his back to Pudding. When Pudding saw him start eating, a sly smirk appeared on her face, but it vanished in an instant, replaced by her gentle personality.
However, hidden behind her hair bangs, her third eye was wide open…
“R-Really?” Pudding pretended to be delighted. “A-Actually, I also have the Three-Eye Tribe bloodline! W-We’re fellow tribesmen…”
“Oh, is that so?” Ian glanced back at her, feigning surprise. “Don’t lie to me!”
“Really!” Pudding quickly lifted her bangs, showing him her third eye, then cupped her cheeks shyly, saying to Ian, “This is wonderful! I didn’t expect to have a fellow tribesman… You know, Mr. Ian, when I was little, everyone called me a ‘monster’ because of this eye. Even Mama didn’t like me and made me grow out my bangs to cover it…”
As she spoke, Pudding was already in tears, saying joyfully, “Thank you, Mr. Ian. You’ve made me realize that I’m not alone in this world…”
“…” Ian looked at her without saying a word, because he didn’t know if these tears were genuine or just an act. If they were real, that was fine, but if she was acting, then…
This poor girl, hopefully, she was sincere…