Chapter 197: Chapter 197: Smoothie and Her Sisters Become Devoted Helpers
"Gurararara! I never thought even I, Whitebeard, would experience being underestimated like this."
Whitebeard couldn't help but laugh at himself.
The feeling of being belittled—this was a first for him.
Had this ever happened before? It seemed not.
Whitebeard, a monster who had shown incredible talent since childhood, had been a top figure even in the Rocks Pirates, a crew full of monsters.
Even the domineering and ruthless Rocks treated Whitebeard with respect.
"Mama… One hour… defeat Whitebeard in one hour?" Charlotte Linlin stared blankly at Kuke.
Was this real?
Charlotte Linlin extended a finger, wanting to poke Kuke.
It took him two hours to defeat me.
Could he really beat Whitebeard in just one hour?
Shakky and the others remained silent this time.
Back at Cake Island, they had doubted him too.
In the end, it turned out they had been ignorant.
Now, no matter how crazy Kuke's claims were, they instinctively chose to believe him.
Charlotte Linlin, ready to voice her doubt, suddenly thought of her miserable life over the past month:
Not enough food, poor sleep, and even having to clean her own room.
Rebelling meant getting beaten.
She quietly pulled back her finger, deciding not to remind him.
"Smoothie, do you think the captain can do it?" Galette asked softly, directing her question to Smoothie, the strongest among their sisters.
Logic told Smoothie it was impossible.
She believed Kuke would win, but winning within an hour was hard to imagine.
However, remembering how logic had told her it was impossible for Kuke to defeat her mother in two hours… only for him to do it in an hour and a half… she hesitated.
"What is Mama doing?" Amande suddenly tensed up.
She noticed her mother reaching toward the captain.
Was she planning to attack?
Please don't. Hasn't she learned her lesson after all this time?
They couldn't bear to see their mother humiliated again.
Although, they knew, most of the time, it was their mother's own doing.
But regardless, she was still their mother.
Smoothie and her sisters held their breath, ready to warn their mother not to provoke him.
Then they saw her pull her hand back.
They sighed in relief.
Mama finally learned her lesson.
However, this also reminded them that Mama still didn't see herself as part of the crew.
As long as she didn't integrate, her pitiful situation from the past month would keep repeating.
"For Mama's sake, we need to come up with a plan," Smoothie said.
The four sisters exchanged glances.
Not to help their mother escape.
But to help her accept reality and willingly integrate into the crew. This way, she would truly become one of them and wouldn't keep getting scolded or punished.
"Mama."
The four daughters approached Charlotte Linlin with big smiles.
"What?" Charlotte Linlin looked at her daughters with annoyance.
Earlier, she had asked them to steal some food for her, and they had refused.
A bunch of ungrateful brats.
All they cared about was the captain.
And when I told them to get the captain's powerful genes, they were too scared to act.
Useless, ungrateful brats.
"Mama, do you think the captain can defeat Whitebeard in one hour?" Smoothie asked softly.
Charlotte Linlin couldn't hold back a snicker.
She quickly covered her mouth, glancing cautiously at Kuke. Seeing he wasn't looking her way, she let out a sigh of relief.
Charlotte Linlin pouted confidently at her daughters. "Listen up. Whitebeard is very strong. If he weren't, the Navy would have taken him out long ago. Even Kaido has been aiming for the title of the strongest man but hasn't succeeded. Got it?"
Whitebeard's strength was undeniable.
He was called a "living legend."
Even Linlin herself respected Whitebeard.
She was ambitious too.
Every ambitious pirate in the world knew they had to overcome Whitebeard to become the strongest overlord or the Pirate King.
If Whitebeard didn't exist, either Kaido or Linlin would've claimed the Pirate King's throne long ago.
"There's absolutely no way Kuke can defeat him in one hour. If I'd gone all out last time, I could've held on a little longer," Charlotte Linlin said, giving her daughters a meaningful look.
Now you understand, right?
"But we believe the captain can do it," Smoothie replied.
Charlotte Linlin grew furious.
Ungrateful brats siding with the captain again.
Ridiculous.
"Get lost. Go away." She waved them off irritably.
"Mama, if the captain does it, how about you truly try to integrate into the crew? Stop resisting and accept everything here," Galette said, seizing the moment to share their plan.
Charlotte Linlin's mood soured even further.
Ungrateful brats, trying to convince her now?
"And if he can't?" she asked.
"If he can't, we'll help you sneak food from the kitchen," Smoothie replied.
No matter the outcome, they believed this was for her good.
If Kuke didn't defeat Whitebeard in an hour, they could use it as an excuse to sneak food for their mother. They were confident the captain wouldn't hold it against them.
"Food?"
Charlotte Linlin's eyes sparkled at the mention of food.
Her stomach growled.
"Alright. Just make sure to steal a lot, especially sweets," she said, already salivating.
Smoothie and her sisters exchanged reassuring glances.
They wouldn't let her down.
After convincing their mother, the four daughters slowly retreated.
"You?"
Gion suddenly blocked their path.
Smoothie and her sisters froze.
Had they been caught?
"Vice-Captain Gion, we weren't betting against the captain on purpose," Galette quickly explained.
They only wanted their mother to integrate into the crew faster.
"I know," Gion said, smiling approvingly.
As the vice-captain, Gion was always focused on the well-being of the Sun and Moon Pirates and their captain.
She had been observing Smoothie and her sisters closely, especially since they were established pirates.
"You've done well," Gion said warmly, signaling her acceptance of them as true crewmates.
Smoothie and her sisters felt Gion's kindness and approval.
They couldn't help but smile.
"You now have the right to know some of the ship's secrets," Gion said.
"Secrets?"
The sisters blinked in surprise.
They had been on the ship for a month, but their knowledge of the Sun and Moon Pirates was limited to its members.
They knew nothing of its deeper secrets.
"These secrets will shock you and make you proud to be part of this crew," Gion said with a cold yet confident smile.
Smoothie and her sisters' eyes narrowed.
What could these secrets be?
Elsewhere…
Charlotte Linlin was lost in her food fantasies, wiping away drool.
For the sake of food, Whitebeard must last more than an hour.
She couldn't help but say, "Whitebeard, you're not going to lose in less than an hour, are you? Don't let the seas laugh at you."
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DONT FORGET POWER STONE
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