Downstream of the river, a group of pirates scooped them up, looking at their damp appearance, it was clear that they had also just swum up from the river not long ago.
"I told you these guys couldn't succeed, didn't I say so?"
They are the people Perona just talked about, all receiving the same treatment, first being tormented by Negative Ghosts, then thrown directly into the river by Kuma.
They should be grateful that Kuma is now familiar with controlling his strength to take care of children, otherwise that bear hug could have broken their ribs.
The wedding was over, but not completely finished; this was just the first ceremony, with two more to follow, each differing in nature.
Zou's wedding was to let the clan know about this event, while the Outer Island's wedding was a kind of honor; riches not shared at home are like walking in splendid attire at night, sometimes announcing something to the outside world is to showcase one's power.
However, the venue there was not as exquisite as here; there was no need to repeat the vows that had already concluded—it was more of a social event and a show of strength.
Although nominally everyone was blessing the newlyweds, many business issues were discussed privately.
"How come I didn't know... Queen could talk this much nonsense?"
Watching Queen giving a speech on stage, Setsuna's face twitched a few times, and her business smile was barely holding.
Because of discussing certain matters, Queen still served as the host this time, but he didn't keep it succinct before—instead, he took nonsense literature to the extreme.
First praising Kaidou and Arceus, then boasting about the Hundred Beasts Pirates, then showing off himself, finally echoing others before talking about the business.
Sometimes it's not purposely putting him on the spot, but his current words easily bring trouble onto himself.
"Maybe he's been holding back for too long; don't mind, it won't last long."
The Fur Race is not commonly seen outside The Sea, let alone a Fur Race wedding, but those who came did not show any malice.
Getting an invitation and coming here indicated their power relations were relatively close with the Hundred Beasts; no one wanted to cause trouble at this time.
"Setsuna Sister! You're really getting married?"
While Setsuna and Zeraora were whispering, excited shouts came from outside.
"Pekoms? What are you doing here?"
Setsuna immediately recognized Pekoms, which was due to Hichugiskhan's training for her, who believed Setsuna could take his position. As Zou's king, she at least needed to recognize all her people.
Every time Setsuna returned, Hichugiskhan introduced unfamiliar citizens to her, but he was the only king in Zou's history to accomplish this, so Setsuna couldn't inherit this talent.
However, she remembered some key positions, like the captain of the Firearms Team, Miyagi the doctor, and she remembered Pekoms because of his conspicuous beady eyes.
As a Lion Fur, those beady eyes did not match his breed at all, leaving him with no lion-like appearance.
So later Setsuna brought him a pair of sunglasses from outside The Sea; Pekoms himself liked them as they could cover his eyes, but he lost them in the previous sea accident.
"I followed Brother Pedro out to sea, then...."
Pekoms briefly explained his situation and experiences, just as some Chess Soldiers and chefs carried in a massive wedding cake.
"Long time no see, you two, this is a gift from Mama."
Charlotte Moscato, accompanied by Charlotte Burowaie and Charlotte Melise, walked in. They met at the tea party earlier, so they shared a bit of acquaintance.
Their appearance startled some people slightly; this was a pirate wedding, so the Navy certainly wouldn't openly show up, but they'd send in intelligence officers undercover.
Kaidou, Charlotte Linlin, Edward Newgate—nowadays the three most famous Great Pirates on The Sea are Rocks' remnants. Even if they don't appear, the interaction between their men can make people nervous.
They mixed in just to ensure this wasn't a blatant alliance—if such an event happened and they didn't get the information, they'd be in big trouble.
"That's... Minister of Ice Cream Moscato, are these two pirate groups really just business partners?"
Besides these people, there were representatives from different factions in the Underworld. Some only heard of the Hundred Beasts and BIG MOM's relations, and it was rare for Charlotte Linlin to send a normal gift, let alone send her children to congratulate in person.
Although Moscato's status isn't as high as Katakuri or Cracker, he is Charlotte Linlin's child and an important member of the pirate crew; living in the New World, they couldn't possibly know nothing about this.
This business-oriented wedding lasted quite a while, and most of the time was spent boasting. After finishing things here, Zeraora took Setsuna to Zou.
This time Queen didn't accompany them as Zou's ceremony didn't require him as the emcee, so it's better to let him stay here and keep boasting.
Her parents' side is the big deal; although it's impossible to make Zou's back as grand as Ghost Island, it also possesses a unique wild charm.
Through Radio Snail communication, Zou had prepared the wedding and people like Pedro going back to Zou had received news of Pekoms being safe.
However, Pekoms didn't plan to return to Zou; instead, he chose to return to Cake Island as a member of the BIG MOM Pirates. He attended one of the three weddings and asked Setsuna to relay peace to his parents for him, worried that seeing them would make him reluctant to leave Zou.
Moreover, he sneaked out of Zou with Pedro at a young age; if he returned just like that, he'd inevitably face a scolding.
Going to Zou weren't only Zeraora and Setsuna but also Arceus bringing the new generation of Hundred Beasts. On one hand, he was performing the role of the groom's parent's duties; on the other hand, people like Yamato wanted to see what the Land of the Elephant's Back looked like.
Hatch and Ling had Life Cards to return to Zou, so some Thousand-Year Dragons flew towards Zou. Flying was their own matter, but a means of transportation was a question of status; otherwise, some wouldn't bother finding mounts.
The flying process was swift, but when nearing Zou, Arceus's ears caught a muffled voice.
"So tired... How many years has it been.... Is there anyone who can let me rest awhile..."