Chapter 353: The Relationship Between Red Count and Charlotte
"Mom's food craze is acting up! Get her out of here, now!"
Perospero acted swiftly because he knew exactly what this state meant.
When Mama was like this, she couldn't distinguish between friend or foe.
Unless she got her cake, she wouldn't regain her senses.
And fighting in that state? Perospero didn't believe Mama could beat the Red Count while like this.
At his command, the children of the Charlotte Family moved quickly.
They began carrying the already-prepared cakes from the Queen Mama Chanter, Big Mom's ship.
The moment the aroma of cake filled the air—
Charlotte Linlin, who was rampaging through the harbor, immediately took notice.
"Cake! Cake! I want cake! Give it to me now!"
She stood up, her massive body stomping forward, causing the ground to quake with each step.
"Mama, wait for us!"
Seeing her run off, Prometheus, Napoleon, and Zeus instantly retracted from combat and followed her into the sky.
The Red Count stood still, motionless.
He had no intention of giving chase.
Even if he caught up, he wasn't confident he could actually kill her.
With her monstrous physique, overwhelming power, and strange soul-based abilities—
The Red Count felt the risk of being killed instead was far greater.
Once Linlin boarded her ship, Perospero immediately ordered the cake to be placed on deck.
"Hurry! Set sail and get out of here!"
He began directing the crew.
Linlin threw herself at the cake, scooping large pieces with her bare hands and stuffing them into her mouth.
To keep her pacified, the kitchen kept bringing out more cakes in waves.
Charlotte Linlin smiled blissfully as she gorged herself.
Perospero finally let out a deep breath of relief.
He looked back toward Karmei Island.
Luckily, the Red Count hadn't pursued them—otherwise things could've turned ugly.
"Let's go. We're heading back to Totto Land. This operation failed. We'll wait until Mama fully recovers before acting again."
Upon hearing this, many of the younger children were still trembling from fear.
Katakuri stepped forward to calm them.
"Don't be scared. Mama would never hurt us."
But his reassurances didn't help much.
Some of the children his age or younger were still visibly shaking.
With Big Mom's crisis resolved,
Everyone who had watched the events unfold via visual Den Den Mushi let out a collective sigh of relief.
Though many lower-ranking crew members had died, Charlotte wasn't particularly distressed.
After all, those were pirates recruited from the sea—not core members of the Rockefeller Pirates.
As long as the officers remained, everything was recoverable.
Still… Charlotte remembered this grudge.
…
"The crisis is over…"
Carter, seeing the enemy retreat, collapsed to the ground.
Three days of battle had pushed him to his limits.
Now that the pressure was gone, he instantly lost all strength.
Others collapsed as well.
Swordmaster Stanley looked around at the aftermath and blushed slightly before spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Cough!
He clutched his chest as blood streamed from the corner of his mouth.
Then he gave a weak smile. "I'm getting old…"
And he fell forward.
At first, no one noticed.
Until Carter sensed something wrong.
"Stanley!"
He rushed over and picked him up—but Stanley was already lifeless.
"How can this be? He was fine just a moment ago…"
Isaac and Paul ran to his side.
Seeing Stanley's still body, sorrow welled up in their hearts.
As fellow swordsmen, they shared a deep bond.
It was thanks to Stanley's guidance that they'd broken through to the Swordmaster realm.
His death was a heavy blow.
Even Charlotte, who had just been relieved a moment ago, darkened when he heard the news.
"This is a case of the flame burning out…"
He immediately understood.
And he sighed deeply.
"Give him a proper burial."
Charlotte's voice came through the Den Den Mushi.
A crewman handed it to Carter.
Carter nodded solemnly.
Though Stanley had only joined five years ago, during that time—thanks to Charlotte's arrangements—countless swordsmen had come to seek his guidance.
Many owed their swordsmanship progress to him.
His death stirred deep emotions, even in those swordsmen currently traveling with Charlotte in the West Blue.
On the rooftop, the Red Count quietly observed the mourning crowd, keeping his distance.
He had no interest in being caught up in such meaningless emotions.
Though he heard Charlotte's voice, he made no move to approach.
He was waiting—for the moment Charlotte returned to the New World.
Then, he would surprise him.
…
As time passed, the battle of Karmei Island became widely known.
Though the conclusion had been unexpected, many still credited the Red Count with the victory.
His fame soared once again.
While his bounty was still lower than Charlotte Linlin's, the public assumed it was only because he lacked a massive organization behind him.
Many now sought to join the Red Count.
Unfortunately, no one could find him.
It was as if he had vanished.
The end of the battle reminded the world once more—
Just how terrifying pirates truly were.
Despite the prolonged conflict, the Marines hadn't made a peep.
In fact, they seemed to intentionally downplay the incident.
In the first half of the Grand Line, news of the battle barely circulated.
But one faction was paying close attention.
The Marines began investigating the relationship between the Red Count and Charlotte.
What kind of connection was deep enough for the Red Count to come to Karmei Island's aid?
In their intel, the two had only interacted for about a year—and that was eight years ago.
No one knew what kind of bond they truly shared.
But even that was enough for the Marines to take it seriously.
"He must be eliminated."
Sengoku—alone in his office—said as he read the report from the New World.
Other factions were also stunned by the report.
Especially Shiki.
Upon learning that the Red Count—his long-admired rival—had intervened to protect Charlotte's domain, his desire to recruit him burned even brighter.
But he hadn't seen him since the last rejection.
The Red Count had vanished without a trace.
For now… Shiki could only bide his time.
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