Totto Land, deep within the New World.
With Cake Island as its core, thirty four islands were scattered around it like stars, each one bizarre, ingenious, and almost absurd in its design.
Chocolate Island overflowed with endless chocolate.
Jam Island was coated in rivers of jam.
Nut Island, Cheese Island, Biscuit Island, Candy Island, each one defied common sense.
These thirty four key islands were all governed by Big Mom's children.
When it came to Big Mom herself, Lucien could not help but feel a strange sense of admiration.
This woman had given birth to thirty nine daughters, forty six sons, and had forty three husbands. A family of one hundred and twenty nine people. The entire force of the Big Mom Pirates was, quite literally, a family business.
Setting aside everything else, Lucien truly respected that accomplishment.
The tribute ship cut through the waves, steadily entering the waters of Totto Land.
At the moment, Lucien was disguised as an ordinary soldier. This ship was transporting sweets from a New World kingdom as tribute to Big Mom.
Three days had passed since he arrived in this world.
The Red Line posed no obstacle to him. With his ability to fly, Lucien had crossed it directly and entered the New World without difficulty.
Afterward, he spent considerable time reaching a random island, where he learned that a local kingdom was preparing to send tribute to Big Mom. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lucien transformed into a soldier and boarded the ship.
Once inside Totto Land, the vessel passed through several islands before heading deeper into the sea, clearly bound for Cake Island.
Perhaps because it was a tribute ship, the checkpoints were nothing more than formalities. Inspections were brief and careless, and the ship entered Cake Island's territory with remarkable ease.
When Cake Island finally came into view, Lucien's interest was immediately piqued.
The entire island resembled a massive, multi layered mille feuille cake, stacked high with cream and decorations.
And these were not props.
The houses, the streets, the buildings, all of them were real cakes, the kind you could actually eat.
Lucien could not help but marvel.
One Piece truly was absurd in the most fascinating way.
The ship docked at the port, where countless workers were already busy loading and unloading goods. Lucien quickly realized that this was far from the only tribute ship. The harbor was lined with them, one after another.
Following orders, Lucien joined the others in moving cargo. Eventually, the group was led to a massive warehouse made entirely of cake.
When no one was paying attention, Lucien slipped into the shadows. In an instant, his form shifted, and the soldier vanished, replaced by an ugly, unremarkable woman.
He quietly broke a hole through the cake wall and left without attracting any attention.
Before departing, he took a bite from the wall.
It was, without question, real cake.
From there, Lucien continuously altered his appearance. He shifted between men and women, young and old, moving slowly toward the center of Cake Island.
The most iconic building stood out unmistakably, as if it had BIG MOM IS HERE written across its surface.
Along the way, Lucien encountered countless races living together in harmony. There were also Big Mom's Homies and chess piece soldiers patrolling the streets. At the sight of them, a flicker of excitement rose within him.
This was the power of the Soul Soul Fruit.
The ability to extract souls and implant them into inanimate objects, granting them life.
This Devil Fruit could not only compensate for Lucien's current shortcomings, but also elevate him to an entirely new level.
Cake Island itself was enormous and densely populated.
Totto Land was said to be a nation that welcomed all races, nearly encompassing every race known in the world.
Longleg Tribe, Mink Tribe, Snakeneck Tribe, and many others walked the streets openly.
Lucien did not act recklessly. Big Mom was not an opponent he could confront directly. A frontal assault here would have a failure rate of one hundred percent.
This was her territory.
The slightest disturbance would result in him being surrounded instantly, and escape might become impossible.
Days passed quietly.
In the blink of an eye, two more days slipped by.
For someone like Lucien, who could control his own cells and become anyone he wished, remaining unnoticed was effortless. Everything unfolded silently, without a ripple.
After three full days of observation, both openly and in secret, Lucien finally set his sights on a target.
Charlotte Anana.
The 39th daughter of the Charlotte Family, and the youngest among them. Only eight years old.
She had a petite frame, wore a light pink dress, and possessed long, pale pink hair. Her appearance was undeniably cute.
Through careful observation, Lucien discovered her dual nature.
In front of others, she was well behaved and sweet.
When alone, however, her heart was dark and violent. She delighted in playing with kitchen knives and dolls, her innocence twisted into something unsettling.
Lucien needed to get close to Big Mom.
Only by getting close to her would he have any chance at all.
Ordinary people could not even catch a glimpse of Big Mom, let alone approach her. Only her children were allowed regular access, and even then, only at specific times.
So, on a night when the darkness was thick and the wind was heavy, Lucien made his move.
An eight year old child, especially one fast asleep, had no chance to resist.
The act was swift and merciless.
Standing beside the pink, delicate bed, Lucien's body began to shrink. His form adjusted inch by inch until he became identical to Anana.
He opened the wardrobe, took out a petite pink dress, put it on, and quickly settled into the role.
He never imagined that one day he would cross dress.
And that it would be as a child.
Not only his appearance, but even his physiology had changed.
Shameful.
Extremely shameful.
Lucien lay down on the small pink bed, hugged the doll tightly, and closed his eyes.
The real Anana had already been reduced to ashes.
That night passed peacefully.
Nothing unusual occurred.
The next morning, a knock on the door woke Lucien.
"Who is it?"
Having absorbed Anana's memories, Lucien's transformation was flawless, from her expressions to her habits.
When he opened the door, two young girls stood outside.
The ten year old Nornande, short and lively, and the thirteen year old Vihas.
"Anana, let's go out and play," they said eagerly.
Clearly, they had come to fetch their little sister.
"Okay."
Lucien agreed without hesitation. This was a perfect chance to further assess the situation.
The three girls skipped along the streets together, blending seamlessly into the island's innocent daily life.
Five days passed in the blink of an eye.
During that time, Lucien gathered crucial information.
The Sweet Commanders, Katakuri, Cracker, Smoothie, and Snack, were not on Cake Island. Neither were Daifuku and Oven. They were either on missions or stationed on the islands they governed.
At present, Cake Island was unusually empty.
Only Perospero, the eldest son, remained, along with several less prominent siblings.
Big Mom herself stayed inside Cake Castle, and Lucien did not see her once during those five days.
Another name stood out during his investigation.
Charlotte Nusstorte.
The twelfth son of Big Mom, Minister of Transportation among Totto Land's thirty four ministers.
He oversaw the movement of materials and supplies and held considerable authority.
A forty two year old man with a thick beard, wearing a black hat and purple clothing, tall and imposing.
The black hat on his head was a Homie, capable of firing countless needles and generating powerful gusts of wind.
Its strength ranked somewhere in the mid to upper tier.
That night, under a sky thick with darkness, a petite figure moved swiftly toward a tower like building.
Nusstorte was Lucien's target.
If he wanted to safely seize Big Mom's Soul Soul Fruit, he would need Sea Prism Stone and sleeping drugs. As Minister of Transportation, Nusstorte had direct control over such materials.
Lucien had confirmed this over the past five days.
Big Mom's body was monstrously powerful. Even a barrage of bullets would barely leave a mark.
But that was not an insurmountable problem.
Lucien planned to administer an overwhelming dose of sleeping drugs, then destroy the photograph of Mother Carmel while Big Mom was unconscious.
That emotional collapse should shatter her iron like defense.
After that, sealing her within Sea Prism Stone restraints, supplying fruit, and waiting for the Devil Fruit to reincarnate offered a high probability of success.
A direct battle was not an option.
If he wanted to win, Lucien would have to rely on planning, patience, and deception.
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