The tea party was held in the massive open-air pza of Cake Isnd. The Big Mom Pirates had spared no effort iing a grand and luxurious atmosphere. Dozens of tables were set up across the pza, aodating hundreds of attendees, including members of the pirate crew and their huests.

  Maids and waiters moved briskly betweeables, stantly replenishing the desserts and snacks.

  Cudius sat at a table alongside Dofmingo, Gion, and Crocodile. At a nearby table, Stussy was seated with Enel and Mihawk, their presence drawing occasional gnces from others in the crowd.

  "I have to admit," Cudius said, stuffing a small cake into his mouth, "this Charlotte Linlin knows how to put together a proper tea party. The desserts are excellent. But seriously, we get to the main course already? This endless stream of sweets is going to give me a sugar a."

  There was still a smudge of cream on the er of his mouth as he spoke.

  Crocodile, puffing on his cigar and looking unimpressed, mocked, "This is a tea party, not a ba. Did you seriously think there'd be a proper meal? This is a pce for tea and desserts, not a feast. If anyone here looks tired of the food, it's you. But clearly, you're still going strong."

  Cudius ighe jab. He was used to Crocodile's prickly nature and didn't take his ents seriously. Cudius simply shrugged and replied, "What I say? You need energy to work. Speaking of which, aren't you going to eat anything?" He picked up a slice of bread and waved it teasingly in front of Crocodile.

  Crocodile shot him a disgusted gre. "Don't treat me like a stray dog or cat. Keep your bread to yourself."

  "Fufufufufu," Dofmingo chuckled at their banter. He reached rabbed the slice of bread from Cudius's hand, and took a bite. "It's actually pretty good. You sure you don't want to try it, Crocodile?"

  Crocodile hesitated, eyeing the desserts oable with mild suspi. Finally, he shook his head and said, "What if it's poisoned? I'll pass. If something does happen, at least I'll be the one colleg your corpses."

  Hearing this, Gion, who had been about to take a bite of a small cake, paused mid-motion. She frow the dessert, suddenly uain. Before she could decide what to do, Cudius snatched the cake from her hand and popped it into his mouth.

  "Stop listening to Crocodile's nonsense," Cudius said between bites. "Why would it be poisoned?"

  "That was mine!" Gion excimed in irritation, gring at him.

  "I'm just testing it for you," Cudius said shamelessly.

  While Cudius and the others were busy eating and chatting, Charlotte Linlin was on stage, addressing the gathered crowd. She was introdug her "new son-in-w," Tesoro, with an exaggerated sense of pride.

  Tesoro, tall by most standards, looked absolutely diminutive o Charlotte Linlin. He barely came up to her knees, and the sheer differen preseweewo was overwhelming.

  While Tesoro wasn't particurly strong, being only profit in basic Armament Haki, his true talents y in his exceptional business a. That was what made him valuable enough to be here.

  As Charlotte Linlin spoke, the crowd suddenly broke into appuse, following her lead. This left Gion somewhat dumbfounded, unsure of what exactly was being celebrated.

  Cudius, meanwhile, wiped his hands on a napkin and quietly reached uhe table. From a small s wallet hidden in his coat, he retrieved his prized on—the demon bde, Shindō. The seemingly harmless short sword remained sheathed, giving it the appearance of a simple accessory, but Cudius never went anywhere without it.

  He hahe wallet to Gion and said, "Here, get ready. Take out Konpira and pass this to Mihawk. His bck bde, Yoru, is already here."

  Gion nodded, retrieving Konpira from the wallet and pg it uhe table. She wiped her mouth, took the small wallet, and casually walked over to Mihawk's table. Her movements weren't suspicious, this was a tea party, after all, and people were frequently getting up to mingle and chat.

  A few mier, she returo her seat and tossed the wallet back to Cudius. "You're surprisingly prepared," she ented.

  "Of course," Cudius replied smugly. "This wallet has everything—Logia Devil Fruits, ons—you ."

  Meanwhile, from the back of the pza, a massive cake was being wheeled out. T like a small mountain, it was clearly meant for Charlotte Linlin. Tezolo stood nervously by her side, preparing to taste the enormous fe.

  Dofmingo g his pocket watd said, "If my timing's right, they should be arriving soon."

  "Maybe they got stu traffic," Cudius said dismissively, grabbing another biscuit and taking a bite.

  Almost immediately after the words left his mouth, a sharp whistling noise pierced the sky. It sounded like something breaking through the air at an incredible speed.

  "They're here," Crocodile murmured, his eyes narrowing.

  The crowd collectively turheir gaze upward. In the distance, four indistinct shapes were desding rapidly toward the pza. At first, no ohought much of it. Some assumed it art of the eai, perhaps some spectacle Charlotte Linlin had arranged.

  After all, the tea party was a time of celebration, and no one dared provoke Charlotte Linlin during su occasion. Few in the world could challenge her authority, and even fewer would dare try.

  But then, one of the shapes burst apart in mid-air, revealing a figure surrounded by a massive torrent of molten va. The fiery mass hurtled toward the ground, obliterating the enormous cake that had just been brought out.

  Chaos erupted as the ground shook, and molten rock spttered across the pza, sending guests scrambling for cover.

  "WHO DARES?!" Charlotte Linlin roared, her voice eg across the pza.

  Before anyone could respond, another massive magma fist desded from the sky, aimed directly at Charlotte Linlin.

  "Like the dles on your cake, Big Mom?" bellowed Sakazuki's voice as he appeared high above.

  The crowd collectively gasped in reition. That voice, that fiery figure—it was Akainu, the new Admiral of the Marines!

  Charlotte Linlin didn't hesitate. ing her fist in Haki, she punched upward, meeting the molten fist head-on. The collisio a violent explosion of magma into the air, scattering fming debris across the pza like fireworks.

  The festive atmosphere was gone in an instant, repced by sheer panic. Screams and cries filled the air as the once-celebratory pza desded into chaos. Guests fled in all dires, desperate to escape the age.

  Cudius, unfazed, looked down at the table in front of him, which had been partially melted by a stray glob of magma. Gng at the half-bure of biscuits in his hand, he muttered in irritation, "Seriously? I wasn't even doi."

  Gion stared at him in disbelief, then handed him the demon bde, Shindō. "You're unbelievable," she said. "In a situation like this, any normal person would grab their on first. But no, you saved your biscuits. Are you even human?"

  "You just don't get it," Cudius retorted. "The biscuits would've been buro ash. Shindō, oher hand, isn't going anywhere. Priorities, Gion. Priorities."

  Befion could reply, a fsh of golden light streaked across the sky. A massive explosion engulfed Charlotte Linlin's position, and a momehe elega casual figure of Borsalino nded lightly on the ground.

  "Se," Borsalino drawled, his hands in his pockets. "I kicked her, but it didn't feel like I broke through…"

  Moments ter, Kuzan desded from above, nding coolly beside him. Sakazuki joihem soon after. The three Marine Admirals now stood together, their bined presence radiating overwhelming power.

  Charlotte Linlin's massive figure was obscured by the dense smoke from the explosion, leaving her current dition unclear.

  "Huh? Where's Bartholomew Kuma?" Crocodile asked suddenly, frowning. "There were fures earlier. Where did he go?"

  Cudius smirked knowingly. "Doesn't matter. As long as the pn proceeds, it's fine."

  ***

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