Chapter 15: On Custody Rights
"You've gotten a lot stronger, Katakuri. Looks like you could have handled this situation on your own."
Nanamo shook her arms, grabbed a pirate flag planted nearby, and wiped her hands.
Her battle ended almost simultaneously with Katakuri's. From this moment on, the Fat Bottle Pirates had completely disappeared from the sea.
"No, Big Sis. Having your help saved me a lot of trouble... What are you looking for?"
Katakuri walked over, retrieved his trident, and turned to see Nanamo rummaging through a pile of supplies nearby.
"The pirates' treasure, of course. What else would I be looking for? Isn't this their base?"
"Uh..."
Katakuri had forgotten due to her fierce combat posture earlier that this older sister of his was actually a bit of a miser, always showing a keen interest in the spoils of war.
Although they were siblings, the difference between Nanamo and the rest of the Charlotte Family was quite significant.
Nereus and Charlotte Linlin had separated very early on, and their relationship hadn't lasted long.
Nanamo spent most of her time with Nereus. While she played with them, she felt more like the neighbor's kid.
For Katakuri, this big sister wasn't a stranger, but his understanding of her was limited.
"Relax, relax. We'll split it fifty-fifty. Don't worry. Hermes! Stop watching from the sky! Come down and help!"
"No, that's not what I meant..."
Ignoring Katakuri, Nanamo rummaged around and found several treasure chests. Without even opening them to see what was inside, she picked half of them randomly, like opening blind boxes.
Then she tossed them toward Hermes, who had just descended.
Seeing the flying chests, Hermes opened its mouth and swallowed them one by one. The cloud's body grew two sizes larger.
Its body structure was complex, essentially a combination of all types of Sky Island clouds. Inside, it had a special stomach made of Ball Clouds and Swamp Clouds.
Ball Clouds were spherical clouds capable of holding items, while Swamp Clouds had properties similar to a swamp, allowing them to contain quite a few things.
Although it didn't possess a special spatial storage ability, it could function as a portable pocket, a role Hermes often fulfilled.
"Princess Nanamo, please be careful. These guys were too weak—abnormally weak. Someone of this level daring to ambush Mama's children... I feel the mastermind hasn't made a move yet."
As an elemental lifeform, Hermes had no fixed form. Its eyes rolled around its body, carefully scanning the surroundings.
Although Homies possessed intelligence, Hermes was made of various clouds. If it were an animal, like the Kung Fu Dugongs in the original timeline, there might be a possibility of cultivating Haki.
But for Hermes, such a thing was as difficult as ascending to heaven. This was why Homies generally only provided support in combat.
Without Observation Haki to sense the surroundings, Hermes could only use its eyes to look.
"Mamamama~ Hermes, you're still as cowardly as ever. Don't worry, there are no enemies left nearby."
A familiar voice came from the side, causing Hermes to drop its guard immediately. The voice belonged to its creator, Charlotte Linlin.
But Hermes still spoke up to defend itself:
"Mama, this isn't cowardice; it's prudence! I need to protect Princess Nanamo's safety!"
"Then your prudence is a bit excessive. I thought it was some formidable opponent that made Perospero contact me in such a rush. Turns out it's just a bunch of small fry."
Charlotte Linlin came here because Perospero had eventually followed Hermes's advice and called her.
However, the scene before her made Charlotte Linlin feel she had wasted a trip.
Zeus, wearing a baseball cap, floated over to Hermes. Although they were different types of clouds, their natures were more similar.
"Hermes, did you eat something delicious? Share some with me~"
Zeus's voice was lazy. Gluttonous by nature, it immediately noticed Hermes's round belly filled with treasure. But to Zeus, anything in a stomach could only be food.
Hermes remained silent, drifting silently away, seemingly embarrassed by this senior who always thought about eating no matter the time.
Zeus chased after it relentlessly, and the two clouds began circling each other in mid-air.
Charlotte Linlin ignored Hermes and Zeus. This was just how Homies were; she was long used to it.
...
"Mamamama~ Katakuri, you truly are my most outstanding son. You've improved quite a bit since last time."
"Mama, about Brulee..."
"She won't die. It's just a minor injury; nothing to worry about."
After getting revenge, Katakuri continued to worry about Brulee's condition, but Charlotte Linlin appeared indifferent.
Since she wasn't dead, an injury was nothing in Charlotte Linlin's eyes. Moreover, compared to a daughter weak enough to be targeted for revenge, she favored the powerful daughter standing before her.
"Nanamo... how does it feel living with that guy Nereus? Isn't it time to come back and live with Mama? Your brothers and sisters are all here. This is your true home."
Charlotte Linlin placed great importance on the custody of her children.
More accurately, for Charlotte Linlin, it was a matter of pure control.
Charlotte Linlin had a specific obsession with her children. She might not necessarily like a child, but whatever that child did had to fall within the scope of her demands.
Children were forbidden to disobey her. They had to execute assigned orders perfectly; failure would result in punishment.
For example, the original Four Sweet Commanders were reduced to Three Sweet Commanders because of a single failure.
Charlotte Linlin was still young now, so this situation was manageable.
In her old age, Charlotte Linlin would take this philosophy to the extreme.
Normally, Charlotte Linlin would never yield custody to anyone else. Nanamo was an exception.
Of course, she had tried to take the child back initially. The fundamental reason for this situation was simply that she couldn't beat Nereus in a fight.
In the ordinary world, people settle distribution disputes in court. These two settled their breakup with a fistfight.
Hearing this question, Nanamo froze for a moment. After blinking, she replied rather tactfully:
"Well... actually, living with Papa is pretty good. I think things are fine the way they are."
Charlotte Linlin's question made Nanamo awkward. It wasn't the first time she had asked; this situation arose almost every time they met.
She didn't want to follow Charlotte Linlin's wishes, yet she constantly faced this inquiry. Since the other party was her mother, she couldn't just ignore her.
"...Mamamama~ Is that so? Then let's leave it at that for now."
Nanamo's answer caused Charlotte Linlin's face to darken, but the gloom vanished in an instant. Charlotte Linlin smiled again quickly, looking just like a benevolent mother.
However, in Katakuri's eyes, this "compromise" meant something entirely different.