Luffy, how can you become the Pirate King if you don't work hard!

Franky patted the chains, making a clanging sound.

"What a pity, I'm not a superhuman!"

Franky laughed loudly, clasped his hands together, and the muscles on his arms bulged suddenly. "Franky's Immense Strength!"

He grabbed both ends of the chain and pulled hard.

Although sea stone is incredibly hard, it can only creak under the strain of pure brute force.

"Open it for me!"

Click!

The sea stone chain snapped, and huge fragments fell into the sea, splashing high into the air.

Just then, several naval soldiers raised their muskets, attempting to launch a surprise attack amidst the chaos.

A petite figure descended from the sky.

"What do you want to do to my father?!"

Lili's body expanded rapidly in mid-air, and in the blink of an eye, she transformed back into her giant form.

The shockwave from her landing sent the navy men flying, their muskets clattering and clattering as they fell to the ground.

"Dad!"

Lili turned around, her eyes red-rimmed, and looked at her father. "Are you alright? They didn't do anything to you, did they?"

She looked at her father with concern, wondering if he had been punished for being captured by the navy.

"Lili?"

Panz Fry was surprised when he saw his daughter.

He thought it was just an ordinary pirate encountering the Navy and getting into a fight.

He was also wondering what kind of pirates had such a large navy force that dared to bring their ship close by.

"Thank goodness, Dad, you're alright!" Lili excitedly hugged her father.

Panz Frye stood up, his massive body blotting out the sky. He looked down at the Straw Hat crew and said in a booming voice, "Did you save me?"

"That's right!"

Luffy looked up, grinned, and said, "I heard you're the world's number one pirate chef. Come join my crew!"

Panz Frye paused for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Recruiting me? Who are you?"

Recruiting pirates is commonplace, and as the world's number one chef, Panz Fry has naturally been recruited by many pirates.

Over the years, countless pirates have tried to recruit him, from greenhorns just setting sail to renowned pirates, but he has rejected them all.

Panz Frye's cooking was never intended to serve any particular pirate crew; in fact, becoming a pirate was a last resort.

But the young man in front of him gave him a different feeling.

And his companions behind him.

He scrutinized Luffy closely, his expression gradually changing, before exclaiming in surprise, "You're Straw Hat Luffy?!"

Lily tilted her head. "Yeah, Luffy is the Straw Hat Boy."

Panz Fry turned to look at his daughter in astonishment. "He's the Emperor of the Sea!"

"Emperor of the Sea?"

Lily repeated the word, tilted her head, and then let out a gasp.

"Huh?!"

Her head suddenly swelled up, becoming completely disproportionate to her body, making her look comical – a natural reaction to emotional excitement.

"So Luffy is the Emperor of the Sea?!"

Luffy scratched his head, already used to this reaction. "Well, let's think about it. If it really doesn't work out, we can ask you to make us a volcano dish."

He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence.

His gaze passed over Panz Fry's massive body and landed on the donut-shaped ship slowly approaching in the distance.

Almost at the same time, the Straw Hat crew also noticed something, stopped what they were doing, and looked in that direction.

"What are the Big Mom Pirates doing here at this time?"

Luffy's brow twitched.

Panz Frye's throat moved.

Big Mom?

Isn't that also one of the Four Emperors' pirate crews?

Vivi remarked, "They don't seem to be here to fight."

Usopp breathed a sigh of relief. "It's good that they didn't come here to fight."

Zoro frowned. "How will we know if someone's here to fight if we don't actually fight them?"

Everyone: "..."

This guy's words make such a good point.

"Shut up, you battle maniac!"

Sanji was about to make a sarcastic remark when he caught a glimpse of the ship's design out of the corner of his eye. His lips twitched. "What kind of bizarre design is that?"

The large Big Mom Pirates flag on the ship's sails was particularly eye-catching.

But the ship itself, from bow to stern, is covered in donut shapes, and there's even a giant cream cake model on the deck.

Luffy's eyes lit up. "It looks delicious."

Everyone: "That's enough!"

"What is the aunt's strongest general doing here at this time?"

Gion narrowed her eyes. "Sending Charlotte Katakuri out must be for something important."

A user of the Mochi Mochi Fruit, and the leader of the Big Mom Pirates' Three Sweet Commanders.

Normally, this guy should be on Whole Cake Island.

"Didn't you have enough fighting on Fishman Island?"

Sanji stepped forward, lit a cigarette, and said calmly, "This time, I won't hold back."

Zoro gripped his sword tightly. "Hey, are there only Sweet Commanders and no Emperors of the Sea? This is getting a bit boring."

"I feel fine,"

Luffy carefully examined Katakuri's ship. "It looks pretty delicious, doesn't it?"

good to eat?

Panz Fry glanced at it.

Okay, it does look like a donut.

Is it okay to follow a captain like that?

Panz Frye remembered Luffy's invitation earlier.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the flying squirrel quickly directed the remaining navy to retreat.

He understood that the situation was now beyond his control.

With the Straw Hat Pirates and a Big Mom Pirates executive involved, this was a battle he couldn't intervene in.

"Retreat! Everyone retreat!"

The naval soldiers, feeling as if they had been granted a pardon, hurriedly turned their ships around and fled the area.

Luffy didn't give chase; his gaze was already fixed on the ship in the distance.

Soon, the donut-shaped ship came within close range, and the naval warship made contact with it.

The navy has abandoned the warship and fled far away.

A man with a resolute face slowly walked to the bow of the ship.

He was tall, with purple, tousled hair that fluttered gently in the sea breeze. A thick scarf was wrapped around his neck, obscuring the lower half of his face. He stood tall, confronting the Straw Hat crew.

Charlotte Katakuri.

Behind Katakuri stood a man of similar height and a woman with a scar on her face.

Irving and Brulee.

"Hey, are you here to cause trouble?"

Luffy narrowed his eyes, speaking casually, but in that instant, an invisible sense of pressure quietly spread out.

Katakuri's pupils constricted slightly.

This feeling... it's definitely on par with my mother.

Back on Fishman Island, Katakuri's Big Mom Pirates clashed with Zoro and his crew, while Luffy was dealing with Noah at the time.

I could sense that pressure from afar.

Katakuri stood at the bow of the ship, his gaze fixed on Luffy. After a moment of silence, he slowly spoke, "Straw Hat Luffy, we're here to deliver an invitation."

"An invitation?"

Luffy raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you already refuse before?"

Although Katakuri and his group retreated after the Fishman Island incident, they left behind a Den Den Mushi.

The old lady spoke to Luffy herself, but Luffy refused in front of her and even declared war.

"This tea party is not just about drinking tea."

Katakuri took out an exquisite invitation from his pocket, flicked his finger, and the invitation turned into a streak of light and flew towards Luffy. "This is still a marriage alliance between our Charlotte family and the Vinsmoke family."

Luffy reached out and caught it, then opened it to take a look.

It was written in large, gold-stamped lettering.