As the second son of the family, Katakuri understood Charlotte Linlin better than most of his siblings.
Not only because he had been born early—
but also because his strength meant Linlin sometimes brought him along for training and practical experience.
He spent more time near her than children with mediocre talent ever did.
👁️🗨️
Charlotte Linlin herself had a peculiar habit:
toward children under ten,
she often showed unusual gentleness.
Even if they treated her arm like a slide,
she would not mind.
And if her children voiced opinions,
she would even listen—
provided she herself had not already decided what to do.
Once Linlin had made up her mind,
then:
children's opinions no longer matteredtheir thoughts were ignoredrefusal was unacceptable
If any other sibling had answered Linlin the way Nanaimo just had—
they would already have been slapped unconscious,
dragged home,
and forced to reflect.
💥
Maybe having a father... isn't such a bad thing?
That thought briefly crossed Katakuri's mind.
But he quickly pushed it away.
He roughly understood why Linlin behaved this way.
Based on:
Linlin's own reactionsthings Nanaimo had casually mentioned before
Katakuri had formed his own conclusion.
Nereus genuinely respected Nanaimo's freedom of choice.
If one day she chose to live with Linlin—
he would not forcibly stop her.
That understanding was close to the truth.
Because Linlin could not defeat Nereus directly,
and therefore could not simply seize custody,
she had shifted to a softer strategy.
A kind of gentle persuasion policy.
He still remembered what Linlin once told the older children when Nanaimo was absent:
"Listen carefully—you must all respect your eldest sister exactly as you respect me!
When Nanaimo comes here to play, you follow her wishes!
And none of you are allowed to tell her what I said today!"
She had even instructed the older siblings to keep watch over the younger ones.
When not suffering from food cravings and while fully rational,
Charlotte Linlin was actually very calculating.
Designing plans.
Showing restraint.
Waiting patiently.
All of that came naturally to her.
🎭
As for Nanaimo herself—
she simply did not think this deeply.
The biggest reason was still straightforward:
she had been raised by Nereus from the start.
Naturally she felt closer to him.
Nereus also never forbade contact with Linlin.
After all,
on this sea,
having both parents alive and knowing both their names was already uncommon.
And life on Nereus's side was simply more comfortable.
Because:
Nereus had only one childthe fish-men and mermaids around him all treated her with care because of him
Just like Hermes calling her:
Princess Nanaimo
Over there—
she truly was treated like a little princess.
👑🌊
As for Charlotte Linlin's side...
Even Nanaimo herself could not clearly count how many siblings she had.
Linlin's childbirth frequency had once been described by Gloriosa as:
"like popcorn."
Every year,
another younger brother or sister seemed to appear.
Visiting like going to a neighbor's house was fine.
Actually living there full-time?
Just imagining it gave Nanaimo a headache.
😵💫
Nothing special happened afterward.
She checked on injured Brûlée,
played around for a while,
then returned to Nereus's side.
But after Nanaimo left,
Linlin suddenly turned toward Katakuri.
"Katakuri. Between you and Nanaimo right now—who do you think is stronger?"
Katakuri paused.
"Mother... you know big sister's condition. If I fought her... I probably couldn't even break her defense."
Linlin's question left him momentarily speechless.
Because against Iron Balloon—
at his current stage,
he had no answer.
His damage output was effectively:
zero.
He simply could not imagine how to defeat that elder sister right now.
⚔️🛡️
"Mama~ mama~ Naturally. She's the only child who inherited my defense."
Linlin had expected exactly that answer.
For the moment,
she still looked like a mother praising her daughter.
But as she continued speaking—
her tone slowly sharpened.
"A child should stay with her mother. That's only natural, isn't it? Damn Nereus... if not for you... how could Nanaimo possibly choose otherwise..."
Her voice carried obvious irritation now.
Katakuri wisely said nothing.
Even now—
before old age turned Linlin fully unstable—
this was not a topic he wanted to enter.
Because with Linlin,
one careless sentence could instantly provoke anger.
😶
Not long after—
back at Nereus's residence,
Nanaimo had already returned.
She found him in the study.
The bookshelves were lined with many books and illustrated volumes.
A closer look revealed titles like:
The Legend of DraculaDark NightHotel Transylvania
Many centered around vampires.
Clearly reflecting certain interests.
📚🦇
Compared to the slight discomfort she felt around Linlin,
Nanaimo looked entirely relaxed here.
She planted both hands on the desk—
and hopped up to sit directly on top of it.
"Dad, I'm back. Did something major happen? On the way here I saw lots of people preparing ships and supplies."
There were always many pirates on Beehive.
But usually they acted separately.
Large-scale coordinated movement like this was rare.
"Mhm. You could say that. This matter... marks the end of an era, and the beginning of a new one."
"An era?"
The word clearly puzzled Nanaimo.
She did not fully grasp its meaning—
but immediately showed eager curiosity.
Almost as if she wanted to take part.
✨
"Too soon. That's not a place for you yet."
"What do you mean too soon? I'm strong, Dad! Ask anyone! Today Katakuri and I wiped out an entire pirate crew by ourselves!"
"Nanaimo. This is different."
Nereus himself did not even know every detail of God Valley.
What he knew came only from fragments:
the outcomecertain major eventsincomplete memories from another life
By himself,
he feared nothing there.
But bringing Nanaimo?
That risk was too high.
"I understand..."
Seeing Nereus's expression turn serious,
Nanaimo stopped arguing.
That face meant one thing clearly:
his decision would not change.
"Don't look disappointed. You just need more time. Right now you're still too young.
When that day comes—
I'll take you to witness the summit of the world."
Then he added:
"Later I'm holding a small meeting to arrange what comes next. Stay and listen too."