Super Card System

Ian’s indifference left Lu Feld a bit embarrassed, but the sly man quickly laughed it off and didn’t seem to mind.

“Ian is quite the cool guy, huh?” A beautiful woman wearing a lady’s hat, sitting across from Ian, rested her chin on her hand and gazed at him with interest.

She was Stussy, the Queen of the Pleasure District. Katakuri had introduced her to Ian earlier, and being called a queen meant that she was undoubtedly the leader of the red-light industry in the New World.

In other words, this woman was the ultimate madam.

Though Ian understood that these grey industries were an unshakable part of human society, it didn’t mean he approved of them. He had only come to the tea party to see what Big Mom wanted to discuss with him, nothing more. He had no interest in mingling with these kinds of people.

Additionally, as a transmigrator, Ian knew who Stussy really was. Despite her youthful and beautiful appearance, she was actually around the same age as Big Mom—essentially an old woman.

More importantly, her true identity was as a member of CP0…

So, Ian simply glanced at her and didn’t say a word, continuing to arrange his napkin and prepare to enjoy the food on the table. He was indeed quite hungry.

Seeing Ian completely ignore them and start eating on his own, the atmosphere in the room became awkward. Stussy’s expression darkened as she let out a cold huff.

Ian, with a piece of beef in his mouth, glanced at him while chewing and suddenly spoke, “You’re the funeral Tycoon Drug Peclo, right? That’s how Katakuri introduced you earlier, wasn’t it?”

“That’s right, it’s me!” Drug Peclo nodded in affirmation.

“A funeral Tycoon… so, have you picked out a coffin for yourself yet?” Ian asked casually, as he focused on cutting his meat, his tone biting without hesitation.

“Urgh!” Sitting nearby, Caesar, who had just taken a couple of bites of food, immediately started choking and coughing violently upon hearing Ian’s remark.

He hadn’t expected Ian to start taking shots at Big Mom’s guests the moment he sat down.

The sarcasm in Ian’s tone was unmistakable, and Drug Peclo was furious. He slammed his hand on the table and stood up, shouting, “You…!”

However, before he could finish his sentence, a chilling gust of wind suddenly swept over his head, forcing him to swallow the rest of his words!

A few strands of hair slowly floated down in front of Drug Peclo’s eyes, landing gently on the table.

It was Drug Peclo’s hair. In the instant he had started to speak, a Flying Slash had neatly sliced off a portion of his lion-like mane from the top of his head.

Drug Peclo inhaled sharply, as he hadn’t even seen how Ian had drawn his sword!Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Even now, the others in the room could still see Ian’s sword resting securely in its scabbard. This meant that Ian’s movements had been so fast, their eyes couldn’t keep up.

As they looked back, they noticed a massive crack in the wall at the far end of the banquet hall. The crack ran deep, and through it, light from outside was filtering in. It was obvious to everyone present that this was the result of Ian’s sword slash. The thick castle wall had been sliced clean through by a single stroke.

Ian’s sword strike conveyed one clear message: “If I wanted to cut you down, I could do it anytime.”

Drug Peclo was left in an awkward position—he didn’t dare sit back down, nor did he have the courage to continue showing off.

Katakuri, his arms crossed and his face showing displeasure, spoke up, “Ian, wasn’t that going too far?”

However, Ian continued eating without showing any emotion. He replied, “Katakuri, let me make something clear: I didn’t come to this tea party because I need something from the Big Mom Pirates, and I wasn’t forced to come here either. No one can threaten me. So, there’s a fundamental difference between me and the so-called ‘guests’ you’re hosting.”

Some things are better stated outright. Ever since arriving on Cake Island, Ian had sensed that something was off. The way the Big Mom Pirates were showing so much respect toward him seemed excessive. Perospero didn’t seem to hold any grudge over Ian taking away part of his lifespan, and even Katakuri was acting unusually familiar.

But Ian knew that the two sides had only cooperated once during the raid on the Golden City, and they weren’t close enough to be acting this way.

So, using this moment, Ian decided to clarify his stance.

I, Ian, am not a subordinate of Big Mom. The relationship between us is merely a “potential cooperation,” and that depends on whether the deal can be reached. So, please don’t assume that I’m on your side!

Although Big Mom and Whitebeard are both Emperors of the Sea, they are fundamentally different people. For Ian, shared ideals are what make a partnership possible, so deep down, he preferred to keep a respectful distance from the Big Mom Pirates.

Hearing Ian’s words, not only did Katakuri freeze, but even Perospero’s heart skipped a beat!

They had discussed this issue when they left Golden City, and as expected, they realized that their mother might have been acting on a wishful assumption. From Ian’s current attitude, they feared that bringing up the topic of a marriage alliance might end disastrously!

However, before Katakuri could respond, a tall woman entered the banquet hall.

The person who arrived was none other than the 14th daughter of the Charlotte family and one of the Big Mom Pirates’ 34 ministers, *Charlotte Smoothie*, the “Minister of Juice.”

Smoothie had a pair of long legs adorned with vibrant rose tattoos—exceptionally long, as she had the bloodline of the Longleg Tribe, making her appear towering, much taller than Ian.

With her long white hair and bangs covering one eye, Smoothie entered the banquet hall, carrying two round glass cups filled with a red liquid of unknown origin. It was clear she hadn’t noticed the tense atmosphere in the hall. She walked over to Stussy, bent down, and placed one of the cups in front of her, saying, “Miss Stussy, here’s the drink you asked for—the one made from the six-legged Mink Tribe…”

After putting down the drink, Smoothie finally sensed the strange mood in the room and paused, confused. “What’s going on? Did something happen?” she asked.

Then, her gaze landed on Ian, Reiju, and Caesar—the three guests who had just arrived at the banquet hall.

In an instant, she recognized Ian.

Katakuri’s eyes narrowed as he mentally cursed, realizing this could be trouble. Using his advanced Observation Haki, he foresaw a brief glimpse of the future.

Just as he was about to stop Smoothie, it was already too late. Upon seeing Ian, Smoothie placed a hand on her hip and asked, “Huh? Black Dragon Ian? You’re the one who’s supposed to marry…”

Before she could finish, Katakuri’s voice boomed, “Smoothie!! Shut up!”

Smoothie looked at Katakuri in shock, completely bewildered as to why he was suddenly shouting at her.

Although she hadn’t finished her sentence, Ian had already caught on. He stopped eating, raised his head, and asked in surprise, “What did you just say?”

Smoothie was about to respond, but Katakuri interrupted once again, shouting, “Enough, Smoothie! This has nothing to do with you! Leave now!”

Confused but trusting Katakuri, Smoothie didn’t argue. Though somewhat displeased, she turned and walked away. However, as she left, she couldn’t resist glancing at Ian once more.

Once Smoothie had left, the others present began to sense that something unusual was going on. Especially Big Mom’s children, who looked at Katakuri, then at Perospero, with growing astonishment.

“No… no way!? Could it be that when Perospero and Katakuri delivered the invitation, they didn’t mention that Mama intended for Smoothie to marry him?!”

Thinking of this, Cracker and the others started to break out in cold sweat. They had assumed that Ian was already aware of this arrangement. And since he had accepted the invitation to the tea party, they believed he had agreed to the marriage. That was why they had been sizing up Ian earlier—because they had already considered him their brother-in-law!

A brother-in-law would be part of the family, but this new family member didn’t seem to care about maintaining the Charlotte family’s reputation. He had been disrespectful to Mama’s guests, which was quite rude.

In fact, Cracker had almost reprimanded Ian earlier for this behavior!

However, only now did they realize that something had gone wrong…

They all remained silent, nervously looking toward Katakuri.

With no one else speaking, Ian couldn’t hold back any longer. He threw his knife down onto his plate with a loud clatter, then looked at Katakuri with a mocking smile and said, “Aren’t you going to explain this to me?”

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