After arriving in the New World, the first place Rosinante went to was Totto Land.
Ten days ago, Rosinante, his entire body concealed beneath a black robe, relied on his ability to suppress his presence and silently walked into Cake Castle without alerting a single soul in Totto Land.
The Cake Castle, which had once been nearly half-destroyed during Rosinante's battle with Charlotte Linlin, had now been completely restored, gleaming as if brand new.
Charlotte Linlin was in the middle of enjoying delicacies prepared by her chefs when she suddenly snapped her head forward.
Because of Linlin's reaction, everyone present, the high-ranking officers of the Big Mom Pirates and members of the Charlotte Family, all turned to look in the same direction.
At some point unknown to them, a figure completely shrouded in a black robe had appeared in the center of the hall.
"Mamamama, Rosinante, you little brat. Your ability to conceal your presence has grown even stronger. You actually slipped in here without making a sound. Totto Land's defensive system was completely useless against you," Charlotte Linlin said, staring at the black-robed figure.
The moment she spoke his name, everyone present was stunned.
Many of the younger members of the Charlotte Family looked at the black-robed figure with curiosity.
"Rosinante? The one who fought Mama last time and nearly destroyed Cake Castle?"
"He snuck in alone? Mama didn't let him in?"
"That's incredible. He entered without anyone noticing!"
"How did he infiltrate this place? Cake Island has countless surveillance systems!"
"So this is Katakuri's captain? He's amazing!"
Everyone was astonished by Rosinante's silent appearance.
Totto Land's defenses might not have been the strongest in sheer combat power, but in terms of surveillance, they were unrivaled in the world.
Countless homie soldiers patrolled constantly, along with buildings, flowers, trees, and various creatures that Linlin herself had imbued with awareness and intelligence, all serving as living surveillance tools.
Totto Land's detection and monitoring system was unique in the One Piece world. Even the World Government could not compare. Sneaking in without leaving a trace was almost impossible.
"I didn't interrupt your meal, did I, Lady Charlotte Linlin?" Rosinante raised his head and said calmly.
"Mamamama, just say why you're here. Since you gave me some very important information last time, I'll forgive the interruption," Charlotte Linlin replied.
The Big Mom Pirates had already confirmed the truth about Mother Carmel being a human trafficker.
Although the World Government had kept that secret extremely well, it was simply too massive an organization. Corruption and leaks were inevitable, and the Big Mom Pirates eventually obtained the truth.
After learning the truth, Charlotte Linlin flew into a rage and directly launched attacks against Navy branches in the New World, destroying several of them outright.
It was precisely the Big Mom Pirates' actions that fueled the arrogance of other New World pirates, who followed suit and began attacking the Navy.
Even captains under the Whitebeard Pirates got involved, and eventually Whitebeard himself took action.
The reason was that Sakazuki, stationed at the Navy's G1 branch, killed one of Whitebeard's subordinate captains. Whitebeard was enraged and erased the G1 branch from the New World entirely. From that point on, the Navy was completely driven out of the New World.
"Heh heh, today I came specifically to invite you to attend the opening ceremony of the City of Nightless," Rosinante said.
"The City of Nightless is opening? Mamamama, if it's about that, you didn't need to come in person. Gathering cuisines and sweets from all over the world and letting all races eat together, what a wonderful idea. I was going to attend anyway. No, I'd say I'm already impatient to go," Charlotte Linlin said.
Even after learning the truth about Mother Carmel, Charlotte Linlin's dream of gathering all races at one table to share food had never changed.
"It would be best if you came. However, I also hope to sign an agreement with you at that time," Rosinante said calmly.
"An agreement? What kind of agreement?" Charlotte Linlin asked, momentarily surprised.
"An agreement concerning the City of Nightless. An agreement that places the City of Nightless under the joint protection of the four great emperors of the sea, including the Big Mom Pirates," Rosinante said.
"Rosinante, you little brat, if you can't even protect your own City of Nightless, why should I help you protect it? And together with that Whitebeard old man and the others?" Charlotte Linlin said coldly.
The moment she heard Rosinante's proposal, she knew this agreement would be anything but simple.
"Didn't you just say you owed me a favor? Consider this repaying that favor. And once the agreement is signed, one tenth of the City of Nightless's annual revenue will belong to you," Rosinante said.
"The Big Mom Pirates' flag isn't something you can borrow so easily. I want thirty percent of the revenue," Charlotte Linlin said bluntly.
"Charlotte Linlin, do you take me for a fool? One tenth, no more. The City of Nightless's income will far exceed what you imagine. And this agreement has another purpose beyond just protection," Rosinante replied.
"What purpose?" Charlotte Linlin asked, puzzled.
"The sea has always called us emperors, but as emperors, we've never formally legitimized that title. This City of Nightless Accord will be the moment the four great sea emperors formally validate the title of emperor. A joint agreement signed in the name of the Four Emperors will carry unmatched deterrence across the seas. Anyone who violates this agreement will be jointly hunted by all four emperors. Don't you think a bounty issued by the Four Emperors would be far more terrifying than any Navy wanted poster?" Rosinante said.
"Legitimizing the title of sea emperor? Not a bad idea. I acknowledge Whitebeard's strength, and I understand Kaido's power. But why do you think you're qualified to stand on equal footing with me? Just because you defeated a half-crippled Golden Lion? Do you really think that's enough to place you among the true emperors of the sea? In the end, you're still just a pirate who hasn't even set foot in the New World," Charlotte Linlin said coldly.
"Why? How about this one punch?" Rosinante said calmly as he threw a punch straight at Charlotte Linlin.