"If she says she has a way to deal with my condition, then there's no need to wait for the next full moon..." Ortoren muttered after a moment of thought.
He had originally planned to spend one last full moon here before leaving, but now that Charlotte Linlin claimed she might have a solution, why not go to Whole Cake Island directly? He could spend the full moon there and see for himself if her claim held any truth.
Of course, it's not like Ortoren just blindly believed everything Katakuri said. Charlotte Linlin herself suffered from food addiction and frequent psychotic outbursts—she'd lose it at the drop of a hat. Could someone like that really cure him?
But then again, he had nothing to lose. Even if he went to Whole Cake Island and lost control as usual, it'd be the Big Mom Pirates dealing with the fallout. Didn't bother him either way.
Besides, considering how long Charlotte Linlin had lived with her condition, maybe she actually had some useful insight from one fellow lunatic to another?
As they say, a chronic patient becomes a good doctor—but a doctor can't heal themselves. So even if she couldn't fix herself, maybe she could fix him... Yeah, that sounded plausible. Not that Ortoren was eyeing the gift she supposedly prepared for him. Not at all.
Still, it did make him curious. Back when Katakuri first invited him to Whole Cake Island, he'd made up a pile of excuses and tossed out all sorts of unreasonable demands. And yet, Charlotte Linlin actually sent him a thousand-pound stone. So what was she planning to give him this time?
Now that he thought about it... he was actually kind of looking forward to it.
"Alright, so when do we leave?" Katakuri asked eagerly the moment Ortoren agreed.
Ortoren didn't have anything tying him down, so he slapped his thigh and said, "No time like the present. If it works for you, let's head out today."
Katakuri, worried Ortoren might change his mind, didn't hesitate. Taking him back had been the entire point of coming to Terian Island anyway.
"We're good to go anytime. Let's head out now!"
"Cool, give me a sec. I'll go pack up and see if there's anything I need to bring," Ortoren said as he stood and walked into the house in the courtyard.
Even after Ortoren disappeared inside, the smile on Katakuri's face didn't fade.
"Katakuri nii‑san, is that guy really that strong?" Cracker, who'd been ignored the whole time, finally found a chance to chime in.
"His war hammer's right over there. If you don't believe me, try lifting it," Katakuri said, picking up the large water jug on the table and taking a sip.
Cracker, a bit skeptical, rolled his shoulders. "Fine, I'll give it a shot. A weapon forged from five blocks of thousand-pound stone? That's heavier than a standard three-masted ship. I don't buy it…"
With that, Cracker walked over to the forge and grabbed the hammer's handle.
He gave it a hard yank. The hammer shifted slightly.
That alone showed how strong he was—being Charlotte Linlin's son, he clearly had some serious power.
But when he couldn't lift it with one pull, Cracker's expression darkened. Maybe Ortoren really was born with freakish strength. He stopped underestimating the task, gripped the handle with both hands, and tensed the muscles under his cookie armor. Taking a deep breath, he hauled upward with everything he had.
The massive war hammer did budge a bit, but after just a few seconds, Cracker's face turned beet red, like he was holding his breath so long his capillaries might burst.
Still, pride wouldn't let him drop it. Gritting his teeth, he steadied the hammer and carefully placed it back where it had been.
After finally letting go of the hammer handle, Cracker exhaled hard, panting for several seconds. When he turned his head, he saw Katakuri watching him with a faintly amused expression.
Already flushed red, Cracker grew even more embarrassed. A little annoyed, and almost childishly pouty, he muttered, "Nii‑san!"
He looked like a forty-something man acting like that. If Ortoren had been around to see it, he'd have slapped him silly just from the cringe.
But Katakuri was clearly used to his siblings acting this way around him. He laughed and said, "Now you get it, right? Just that strength alone makes him powerful enough—and that's not even counting the steel body he inherited from Mama."
Hearing that, Cracker had to admit, he was starting to be convinced. The Charlotte family's bloodline was known for raw strength, but even his big brother Katakuri—the so-called "greatest masterpiece"—hadn't inherited Mama's "natural divine strength." Cracker knew that well.
And as for Mama's steel body? So far, none of her children had inherited that trait—not one.
The only one who had... was Benn Ortoren, who didn't even bear the Charlotte name.
The Charlotte family were pirates to the core, raised with the belief that strength is everything. Part of why Katakuri earned the love and respect of his siblings was his character—but the other part? He was strong enough to deserve it.
At that moment, Cracker didn't even realize he was already starting to acknowledge this... previously unknown brother.
Not that Ortoren had any clue what was going through his head. And even if he did, he wouldn't care. Whether Cracker accepted him or not—what difference did it make? Just don't get on his nerves. If he did, Ortoren wouldn't hesitate to drag him off to work the docks. And if he couldn't handle the job, well... he'd break his legs.
...
While Katakuri and Cracker were chatting, Ortoren came walking out of the house with a long sword in hand, sheathed in an ornate scabbard. He didn't seem to be carrying anything else.
Noticing Katakuri's slightly confused look, Ortoren scratched his head and said a little sheepishly, "I checked inside, but there's really nothing worth taking. Just this sword—it belonged to my old man. I figured I'd give it to her as a gift when we get to Whole Cake Island."
Back when he lived here with his father, Ortoren didn't exactly contribute to society. His dad had been a Great Pirate—there was no way a guy like that was going to live quietly or take on a regular job, even in retirement.
With a role model like that, Ortoren hadn't turned out any better. Once, he mentioned working at the docks, doing heavy lifting to earn some money. His old man just scoffed, saying he had no ambition. A real man should live by plundering—what kind of skill was brick-hauling?
Ortoren tried arguing, saying honest labor was the most honorable thing. That nearly made Seronis cough up blood from rage. After that, Ortoren gave up trying to reason with him.
Their livelihood on Terian Island had mostly come from... Seronis playing the local thug, collecting protection fees at the port.
But he'd been gone for a while now, and any savings they had were long gone. Neither of them had the habit of saving money, so at this point, Ortoren truly had nothing left.
"A gift?" Katakuri perked up. The fact that Ortoren was even thinking about such a thing suggested his feelings toward Mama might not be as bad as he'd feared.
What he didn't know was that this had actually been a part of his old man's dying wish. Right before he passed, he held Ortoren's hand and said that if he ever had the chance, he hoped Ortoren would give that sword to Charlotte Linlin—so that in some small way, even in death, he could still protect his goddess.
Ortoren didn't want to think too hard about the absurd mindset his father had. After all these years, he'd grown used to the guy's nonsense. Whatever. If that's what he wanted, so be it.
It was one of his last wishes, after all. May as well get it done.
...
(50 Chapters Ahead)
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