"Dessert competition, have you decided what to make?"
"Well, there are quite a lot of desserts I can make, but I don't know which one will best suit the tastes of the locals."
In a hotel, seven people sat together. Vivian rubbed his chin with his hand, and glanced at the four young men who were drinking behind him, and then winked at the other five people except Fujitora.
"Hey, what if I lose the dessert competition? Then I won't be eligible to meet Big Mom?"
Vivian suddenly sighed and said with a very worried expression.
"Can't you just visit them directly with some gifts? Just say you're here to attend a wedding. I don't think they will directly reject someone who comes to congratulate them, right?" A navy major quickly took over the conversation.
"You think too simply."
Vivian shook her head. "Only those who are well-known in the New World are eligible to attend BIG MOM's tea party. We didn't receive an invitation, so at best we can only watch the live broadcast on the screen on the streets outside. It is impossible to meet BIG MOM in person."
“I see…”
The navy lieutenant commander pursed his lips when he heard this.
Just as the four pirates at the back table were frowning, wondering what Vivian and the others wanted to do to meet Big Mom, they heard Vivian say, "Oh, I really want to join the Four Emperors' pirate group."
"Yes, I have heard that Big Mom is the most powerful of the Four Emperors. Even Whitebeard, who is known as the strongest man in the world, had to flee in front of Big Mom. It is easy to imagine who is the most powerful of the Four Emperors."
"It's a pity that there is no way to meet Big Mom in person. Otherwise, with your ability, you would be able to get a position in this pirate group, right? Maybe you can even marry Big Mom's daughter..."
"Hey, no, no, no, I'm still not up to your standards, so don't say that outside. Come on, have a drink, the competition will start in a few hours, let's have a couple of drinks first to get into better shape."
After saying that, Vivian waved to the waiter and started ordering drinks on her own.
In the back, the four pirates who were monitoring Vivian and the others looked at each other after listening to this conversation, and then began to talk in low voices.
"It looks like he's just an ordinary pirate who wants to come to his mother for help."
"But he said he's very strong?"
"Most likely they are the country bumpkins who just entered the New World from the first half of the Grand Line. Over the years, aren't there a lot of people who think they are strong and want to join the Mom Pirates? Aren't most of them just losers who misjudged their own strength?"
"You're just dreaming of marrying your mother's daughters."
He kept complaining.
After observing for a while longer, they saw that Vivian and the others were eating and drinking, and there seemed to be nothing suspicious. So they paid the bill, stood up and left the pub.
"It seems to have left." Fujitora, who was eating, moved his ears and said.
"Yeah." Vivian nodded. "After they go back, those guys will definitely be less wary of us."
Once their identities are discovered by the BIG MOM Pirates, the plan to capture the Blackbeard Pirates on Cake Island will end in failure.
"Please help me buy some ingredients for making desserts later. Just buy according to the list." Vivian said, handing a piece of paper to a lieutenant navy officer. The lieutenant nodded, glanced around, and immediately ran out of the store.
"Now I just hope that nothing goes wrong in the game later." Vivian drank the red wine in the bottle, burped loudly, and said to himself.
...
More than three hours later.
Cake Town, dessert street square.
As if they knew that a dessert competition would be held here, the entire square had already become crowded with people at this moment. People passing by who wanted to watch the excitement gathered together and formed one human wall after another.
Similarly, many pirates who had just landed on Cake Island stood at the front of the team, raised their hands and shouted loudly, cheering for their crew members who wanted to try their luck and participate in the competition.
"There are so many people." Fujitora couldn't help but sigh.
The place with the most people he had ever been to was the casino, and at this moment, this place was several times more lively than the casino, which made him, who recently liked to enjoy tea in peace, feel only a burst of noise.
"Hasn't there been any news from Jinbei and the others?"
Vivian was still dressed with a beard, a white chef's hat, a pink apron, a lollipop in his mouth, and a calm expression on his face as he glanced at the crowd around him.
He has already used the quiet card, and at this moment no eighth person will be able to hear what they are talking about.
"We just talked to them on Den Den Mushi, and no one has found any information about Blackbeard yet."
"I see.. then it seems that I can only meet those guys at the tea party."
Vivian nodded, and then placed all the purchased ingredients on the table of No. 56.
Flour, butter, sugar, salt, purified water, eggs, cream, milk...
With a series of ingredients and seasonings, it is not difficult to see with a little observation that the dessert Vivian wants to make this time is "egg tart".
It has been more than four years since he traveled to the world of One Piece. Naturally, he has eaten a lot of desserts and delicacies, but he has never heard of the existence of egg tarts in this world. This was also the case when he landed on Cake Island, which is famous for its desserts.
So..
“No one can resist the deliciousness of egg tarts. If there is anyone who can resist it, that person definitely cannot be Big Mom.”
Vivian said with confidence.
And at the moment he was muttering, accompanied by a pirate's whistle, the dessert competition organized by the BIG MOM Pirates had officially begun.
...
The other side.
"Finally... I escaped from that damn forest!"
As soon as the Straw Hat Pirates entered the Cake City and smelled the aroma wafting from all around, Luffy and Chopper couldn't help but feel like they were drifting in the air.
"Cheer up, everyone. We are here to bring Sanji back. We need to find out some information about the BIG MOM Pirates first." Nami looked at Luffy speechlessly.
But at this time..
"Hey, why is it so lively over there?" Franky pointed to the square in the distance that was already crowded with people and couldn't help asking.
The words fell.
"Let's go and take a look."
Luffy was already leading the way, holding his straw hat as he ran towards the crowd.