After that chaotic farce, familiar faces began to appear one after another.
A signature laugh echoed down from the clouds.
"Fufufufu… How could the Heavenly Yaksha miss a party this lively?"
The flamingo shaped pirate ship slammed into the dock with a loud crash. Donquixote Doflamingo slid down a rope and landed in front of Reid. His sunglasses glinted coldly.
"Mr. Reid, your most loyal business partner sends his regards and wishes your child good health. Fufufufu."
"Hearing blessings from you must have taken a lot of practice," Reid replied, his blood mist condensing into a tiny trumpet.
Was that not enough yet?
A green beam sliced across the waves.
The coffin like little boat of the world's greatest swordsman drifted silently to shore. Yes, coffin like. Sorry about that.
Dracule Mihawk rested the black blade on his shoulder, swept his gaze over the harbor wrecked by Buggy and Shanks, then glanced at Buggy, who carried no sword.
"Boring."
"Mr. Mihawk!" Ann suddenly rushed out of the crowd. "We…"
Perona's ghost popped through Ann with a soft whoosh. "Stupid Ann! No fighting while greeting guests! Sorry, I am not strong enough, this was the only way! I will share half my cake with you later."
Ann fell flat on the ground and raised a thumbs up to show she agreed.
Mihawk walked straight toward the barrel area. As he passed Ann, he spared her a glance.
"Come back when you are stronger. I will be waiting."
Ann's original expression was blank.
After hearing that, it turned into this.
Ann: 0.0
A sandstorm rolled into the harbor. Crocodile appeared with a cigar between his lips.
"Hmph. Golden City. How flashy."
"Mr. Crocodile," Tesoro's golden arm draped over his shoulder, "I heard you are searching for an ancient weapon."
Crocodile's golden hook chimed against Tesoro's throat. "Want to taste death, you shiny idiot?"
"Gentlemen," Vista's ice rose bloomed between them, "if you want to fight, take it to the arena."
Right on cue.
"Germa 66, present!"
A gigantic snail ship overturned three escort vessels. Judge and his children descended on futuristic floating platforms and knelt before Reid in a formal show of loyalty.
Reiju lifted her head and waved. "Uncle Reid, long time no see."
"Long time no see. You look more energetic now. Get up already."
The giant serpent warship of the Kuja Pirates drew gasps from the crowd. Empress Boa Hancock let her long hair flutter in the wind.
"I, humble Uncle Reid admirer, have come to deliver congratulations to Lottie."
The royal ship of Fishman Island slowly surfaced. Hiding behind Queen Otohime, Shirahoshi whispered,
"Mother, that red nosed man looks scary…"
King Neptune laughed and smashed a table with one hand. "Reid! I hauled up every barrel of century aged wine from the seafloor for you!"
Buggy's red nose suddenly flew in front of Shirahoshi.
"Hey, little girl! Who are you calling scary…"
Bang!
Shirahoshi reflexively lashed her tail and smacked Buggy's nose into the ground. Then she bowed with tears in her eyes.
"I am so sorry!"
The entire venue fell silent.
Shanks covered his face and burst out laughing. "Buggy… You actually got beaten by a mermaid. Hahaha!"
"My nose fell into the sea, you jerk. Go fish it out for me!" Before the words even finished, Buggy's body began to reassemble on its own. Some of his parts lost strength when touching Seastone. Even though he was stronger now and did not collapse instantly in seawater, the drain was still inevitable.
Tesoro stepped forward to greet the guests.
"Welcome, everyone, to my daughter Lottie's hundred day celebration."
He clapped his hands, and several well trained attendants came forward.
Please follow the staff to your seats.
As more ships arrived, the remaining guests were kings from allied nations. They were reliable figures at the World Conference. Some could not come in person but sent gifts instead. There were also pirates hoping to show their faces in front of Reid.
Golden City now felt like a nation of its own, yet it still brimmed with vitality. That energy itself was a reflection of Reid's presence.
Tesoro tapped the ground lightly with his golden staff. The entire Golden City lit up in dazzling brilliance. Countless golden petals drifted down from the dome, reflecting dreamlike halos in the sunlight.
"Everyone," his voice boomed through golden speakers across the city, "welcome to my daughter Lottie's hundred day banquet!"
Doflamingo's sunglasses flashed with strange light. "Fufufu… What touching fatherly love."
"Shut it, Flamingo," Enel said coldly, his golden staff resting against Doflamingo's neck. "Cause trouble here and this god will sink you first."
"Now," Tesoro suddenly spread his arms wide, "the carnival begins!"
Countless dining tables rose from the golden ground. The Charlotte Family's cakes automatically broke into neat pieces and landed precisely on every plate. Moria's zombie band struck up the cheerful tune of "Binks' Sake."
(I will list the dishes later.)
Ace, Sabo, Ann, Kuina, Hiyori, Izumi, Renju, and Shirahoshi gathered around one table.
The children sat together, golden plates piled high with Sky Island grilled meat and Fishman Island style takoyaki. Ace suddenly tapped his glass with a fork.
"Hey, did you notice?" He counted on his fingers. "The Empress calls him Uncle Reid, Reiju calls him Uncle Reid, we call him Uncle Reid, and even Shirahoshi calls him Uncle Reid."
Sabo scribbled furiously in his notebook.
Ann quietly raised three fingers. "Me too."
Yes, you.
"Oh."
Hiyori and Izumi exchanged a glance. "Dad said Uncle Reid already looked like this twenty years ago."
Reiju scooped up a spoonful of pudding. "The tech department files list Uncle Reid's age as unknown."
Shirahoshi raised her hand timidly. "Um… Father said Uncle Reid once taught my grandfather's father…"
Bang!
Kuina slammed her bamboo sword onto the table. "The point is not his age!" Her eyes burned with fighting spirit. "The point is how many people he has taught swordsmanship. Mr. Mihawk, me, Ann, and that moss head…"
Mihawk: We were conducting live combat training back then.
"Achoo!"
Reid suddenly sneezed in the middle of a drinking contest with Shanks. "Who is talking about me?"
Shanks slung an arm around his shoulders, drunk and grinning. "Hahaha! Must be Buggy badmouthing you. Hic. That guy stole Beckman's gun."
Ben Beckman walked past them with a dark expression. "Captain, your Conqueror's Haki is leaking again."
After heated discussion, the children reached a conclusion.
"Uncle Reid is a heartbreaker. His heart is like a durian. Every single thorn has someone calling him Uncle Reid."
A shadow suddenly fell over their table.
"Kids," Reid's face appeared upside down above them. Blood mist reached in like tentacles and snatched Ace's grilled meat. "Talking behind someone's back will make you grow shorter."
"Wah!" Shirahoshi yelped and hugged Ann. Ann was completely swallowed by the hug.
Sabo's notebook suddenly wrote on its own:
[Uncle Reid is the gentlest uncle in the world ♦]
"Devil Fruits can be used like that?" Ace's jaw dropped straight onto the table. Literally onto the table.
"As for my age," Reid crossed his legs and floated in midair. Blood mist formed question marks over each child's head. "Actually, I am…"
"A time space Devil Fruit user?" Reiju's eyes sparkled.
"A vampire?" Kuina gripped her bamboo sword.
"A robot from the moon!" Ann pointed at Lieutenant Spacey bouncing in the distance.
If you can ride a hot air balloon up, you can ride a hot air balloon back down.
Reid's smile slowly twisted. "The correct answer is…"
Whitebeard's voice rumbled over. "Reid, this banquet is not just for me to eat and drink, right?"