Though Charlotte Linlin showed unusually warm hospitality towards Michael, her children still eyed him with wariness.
As they passed through many structures on Wholecake Island, members of the Charlotte Family peeked out, curiously observing the Marine walking side by side with their mother.
"Mamamama, that trade buffer zone you and Whitebeard set up has been wonderful news for me. Getting my hands on sweets has become much easier than before."
As she walked, Charlotte Linlin lowered her head slightly to speak to Michael.
Michael, initially puzzled, gradually grew accustomed to this behavior.
But to everyone else, this was the strangest sight they had ever witnessed.
Their usually stern and scary mother was being... amiable... to an outsider?
Were they hallucinating?
Only Perospero and Katakuri, her eldest sons and most trusted subordinates, understood what their mother's current demeanor truly signified.
Thus, along the way to the rear garden, they discreetly summoned members of the Big Mom Pirates, whispering instructions.
Michael noticed these subtle maneuvers at a glance but paid them little mind.
Soon, amid the cheerful conversation between Charlotte Linlin and Michael, everyone arrived at the tea party venue.
Charlotte Linlin took her seat first, then gestured for Michael and Enel's group to join her at the same table.
With a clap of her hands, an endless stream of desserts and drinks emerged from the castle.
"Please, have a seat! My Marine friends!"
"Hahaha, in that case, we won't stand on ceremony!"
Michael chuckled, then nodded at the three before taking his seat beside Charlotte Linlin.
"Michael, what do you think of this place?" Charlotte Linlin flashed him a domineering yet radiant smile, her beauty still in full bloom.
"Wholecake Island? It's truly a dazzling place... I just wonder, staying in such an environment every day, wouldn't one get diabetes?"
"...I meant Totto land, the entire Totto land."
Even Charlotte Linlin felt a moment of awkwardness now.
"What about Totto land? Why do you ask?" Michael was somewhat puzzled.
"Could it be that the Big Mom Pirates, like the Whitebeard Pirates... want to cooperate with the Marine? Though your idea isn't bad, unfortunately, Totto land's location and resources aren't suitable."
"...I have no interest in so-called trade zones, just a simple inquiry." Charlotte Linlin leaned forward on the table, her smile carrying a faint hint of... seduction.
"For example, how would you feel about living on Whole Cake Island?"
As soon as these words were spoken, even Crocodile and the others sensed an unusual atmosphere...
"Living on Whole Cake Island? If I were an ordinary person seeking a peaceful life, then Whole Cake Island would indeed be a good choice... Though I'd have to offer my lifespan, in return, I'd gain near-absolute safety." Michael took a sip of the black tea on the table, completely ignoring Stella's frantic eye signals.
"So overall... it's one of the best places in the New World."
After getting a clear answer from Michael, Charlotte Linlin's stunning face revealed undisguised greed and desire.
She reached out and placed her hand on Michael's.
"In that case..."
"Why don't you stay on Whole Cake Island, with the Charlotte family?"
"Become my thirty-eighth husband!"
"Pfft!"
Michael spat out the tea he had just sipped.
Though Big Mom was indeed breathtakingly beautiful now...
He really had no interest in such an arrangement!
Moreover, as a transmigrator, who could understand Charlotte Linlin better than him?
Addicted to childbirth!
She literally birthed an entire Emperor's crew!
"Uh, Ms. Linlin, I think there's some misunderstanding we need to clear up..."
"Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding? You don't actually think you can leave after stepping onto my Island, do you?" Charlotte Linlin's lips curled into a beautiful yet maniacal smile.
"Do I look like I have no pride?"
"You have your pride..." Michael shook his head, Holy Flame igniting on his Wings, causing the air around him to distort slightly from the intense heat.
"And I have mine."
But instead of deterring Charlotte Linlin, Michael's display only made her gaze at his... wings with even more infatuation.
She kept muttering under her breath...
"The wings on his back, the flames all over his body... Just as Whitebeard described!"
"The supposedly extinct... Lunarian race!"
Michael's lips twitched...
So, Charlotte Linlin mistook him for the same race as "King the Conflagration"!
Though, coincidentally, apart from the color, this race's appearance wasn't just somewhat similar to Michael's usual form...
It was identical.
And this race, like the giants, was one that Charlotte Linlin had yet to collect.
Michael calmly withdrew his hand and then pulled out a Den Den Mushi, dialing a number…
"Brrr brrr brrr brrr! Click!"
"Gurararara! Michael, you damn Marine, what do you want?"
"Whitebeard, just wait. Next time, I'll burn everything you own to ashes!"
After cursing him, he immediately hung up.
Then he turned his head and looked at Charlotte Linlin.
"Though you're beautiful and tall, you're a pirates. We're not compatible—forced affection isn't sweet..."
"No worries, I've forced plenty of affection! Whether it's sweet or not, who would know better than me?"
Charlotte Linlin grinned and reached out for Michael again.
But at that very moment—
"Desert Spada!"
"Ice Thunder Storm!"
Two fierce attacks from Logia users struck Charlotte Linlin's arm…
Yet aside from tearing her clothes and revealing her flawless skin beneath, they left no damage at all.
Crocodile and Stella, the ones who had attacked, narrowed their eyes, their expressions were grim.
Michael sighed.
Who was Charlotte Linlin?
The woman with the greatest innate talent in the One Piece World, whose physical prowess surpassed even Whitebeard and Kaido.
No more absurd constitution than hers had ever appeared.
Merely Logia-based attacks could hardly harm this woman.
Enel scratched his head beneath his headscarf and viciously crunched the cookie in his mouth…
"So, we're starting a fight now?"