The moment Michael made his offer, the previously noisy Charlotte Family fell completely silent.
Every member stared at Michael with disbelief in their eyes.
Did this man just say he could cure Mama's Hunger pangs?!
"You... you're not joking with us, are you?" The usually composed Perospero abruptly stood up.
"Do you realize what you've just said?"
"Healing is what I do best—aside from slacking off, of course," Michael shrugged.
"Even Amber Lead Disease, an incurable illness that would normally require the Op-Op Fruit to treat it, only takes me a short time to resolve."
Of course, Michael wasn't entirely sure whether Charlotte Linlin's "Hunger pang" actually qualified as an illness.
It might simply be her overwhelmingly powerful body's desperate craving for energy intake, causing torrents of terrifying stomach acid to constantly torment her from within.
But whether he could cure it completely or not, Michael could certainly alleviate her symptoms...
At the very least, he could guarantee she wouldn't succumb to gluttonous rages for a long time, preventing her transformation from a plus-sized beauty into a plus-sized mad old woman.
Hearing Michael's explanation, Perospero already felt tempted to agree.
Because Mama's Hunger pangs represented a massive liability for Whole Cake Island.
It was the single greatest unpredictable factor threatening the territory's stability!
Having built up their power for so long, he naturally wanted to preserve what they'd established.
Even if Michael's claims were uncertain, at the very least...
Things couldn't get worse.
Michael crossed his arms, observing Perospero and Katakuri's visibly conflicted expressions.
Then his gaze swept across the Charlotte Family members.
"Ah, found one—you'll do."
With these words, Michael stood up and walked into the crowd of Charlotte Family members.
Moving past all manner of bizarre-looking individuals, he singled out one woman.
Of course, as Charlotte Linlin's daughter, this woman also possessed a terrifying height far surpassing Michael's.
"What are you going to do to Brulee!"
Seeing the woman being pulled out of the crowd by Michael, Katakuri immediately became agitated.
Brulee, Charlotte Linlin's eighth daughter, was the sister he cherished most and felt the deepest guilt toward.
But after his instinctive roar, his eyes instantly cleared and he then looked at Michael with an excited gaze.
From that brief glimpse into the future... he had witnessed Michael's abilities!
However, Brulee didn't possess Katakuri's Observation Haki.
Having just seen the man who had clashed with her mother pull her out, she could only close her eyes.
"For Mama, for Brother Katakuri! Do whatever you want! I won't make a sound!"
Michael looked at the woman before him, whose face bore a scar running across it.
This was from her childhood, inflicted by someone seeking revenge on Katakuri.
The still-young Brulee hadn't yet transformed into that witch-like appearance, but the shadow in her eyes and her increasingly eerie demeanor weren't far off.
Moreover, the women of the Charlotte family often looked like entirely different people at their best and worst.
"Stop, stop, stop. Anyone would think I'm about to do something to you."
Michael curled his lip slightly, his Wings fluttering gently, allowing him to meet Charlotte Brulee's gaze.
The next moment, he extended his hand, his flawless face taking on a compassionate expression.
"Holy Healing Art."
As Michael spoke, Holy Light emanated from his palm, gently brushing over Brulee's face.
Under the radiance of the Holy Light, that hideous old scar began to squirm, sprouting new flesh and skin...
Within minutes, Charlotte Brulee felt as though she had been reborn.
Reaching up to touch her face, she found the once-prominent scar had completely vanished.
The witch-like nose, which had grown increasingly red and elongated due to injury and infection, was now restored to its original state.
Every member of the Charlotte family witnessed this miraculous scene.
And this was why Katakuri hadn't stepped in to stop it.
Even though he had foreseen this outcome, Katakuri still rushed to Brulee's side in excitement, gently touching her fully restored face...
"Brother Katakuri, am I dreaming?"
"Brulee, your face... it's really healed!"
Michael couldn't be bothered to watch their emotional sibling moment and instead returned to the table, addressing the stunned Perospero:
"This is my sincerity... letting you understand my abilities."
"So... will you agree to my proposal, Perospero?"
Hearing this, Perospero couldn't help but scrutinize Brulee's face once more.
Smooth as new.
Gritting his teeth, he reached for the two Warlord appointment documents.
Michael flashed a triumphant smile.
"Excellent. A pleasure doing business with ya."
******
"So, until we left Whole Cake Island, Charlotte Linlin never showed up again." Crocodile smirked.
"Compared to Whitebeard, this woman may have superior physical gifts, but something seems off up here."
She tapped her temple meaningfully.
"You're quite the chatterbox now. Why didn't you say all this to their faces earlier?" Michael rolled his eyes.
"As Charlotte Linlin's eldest son, Perospero is naturally the strategist of the Big Mom Pirates and the leader among the siblings. He definitely has the authority to make decisions on matters like this."
"Katakuri, bounty: 1,057,000,000 Belly."
"Perospero, bounty: 700,000,000 Belly."
Stella examined the two wanted posters before starting to fill out the report documents for bounty archiving.
"But Michael, I can understand treating Charlotte Linlin's hunger pangs..." Crocodile frowned as she asked.
"What exactly do you mean by making 'Totto land' legitimate?"
This version of Crocodile wasn't yet the scheming usurper from the original story, but rather a crown princess who had endured tragic experiences.
That's why she couldn't comprehend Michael's second condition.
"It's simple—we're making 'Totto land' into a proper nation."
"Right now, 'Totto land' may control vast territories consisting of thirty-four scattered islands, but its overall regulations are utterly absurd... After all, no normal country would demand citizens to surrender one month of their lifespan every six months, forbid them from leaving, and sentence escapees to death..."
Michael shrugged.
"Although the people's happiness index is decent, these policies still hinder development."
"As the chief steward usually responsible for maintaining the operations of Totto land, Perospero was well aware of the island's current predicament."
What Michael didn't say was that if Totto land didn't transform...
Its only fate would be to drown in the ocean of people's war.