One Piece: sign-in to Ryujin Jakka

"Who dares to act so brazenly… at my tea party!!!"

Inside the grand palace, a gratingly sharp female voice suddenly echoed out.

Along with her voice came an overwhelming surge of Conqueror's Haki!

However, perhaps due to the nature of the tea party, not many people fainted as a result.

The grand gates of Whole Cake Island slowly creaked open.

Big Mom's enormous figure emerged.

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!

Each time Big Mom stepped forward, the very ground beneath her seemed to wail in agony.

Behind her floated Prometheus, already ablaze, and Zeus, crackling with electricity.

As Big Mom fully appeared and unleashed her Conqueror's Haki, Roman responded without hesitation.

BOOM!!!

The previously clear blue sky was suddenly split in two!

Behind Roman, storm winds howled. Behind Big Mom, thunder roared.

The sky itself was torn in half between the two figures.

The numerous powerful figures present were all visibly shaken by the sight.

"Is that the mysterious figure's Conqueror's Haki?"

"Why does it feel even more aggressive than Big Mom's?!"

"This level of pressure… it's terrifying!"

Despite their excitement, the onlookers remained cautious.

After all, in these times, getting killed while spectating wasn't all that unusual.

At that moment, Stussy turned to Morgans, smiling. "Looks like I win."

"This is nothing yet. It's just a Conqueror's Haki clash—they haven't even started fighting," Morgans replied.

Stussy simply let out a knowing, "Oh~," as if already seeing the future.

Turning to the phantom beside her—none other than Howard East -she asked, "East, what's your take?"

Holding his stomach, East replied, "I have no clue, but this mysterious man… seems crazy strong."

Stussy leaned in. "Do you think you could beat this mysterious man?"

Morgans' eyes widened in shock and turned toward Ice.

"Stussy, what are you saying? Is this guy really that strong?!"

"I'm just joking~" Stussy said, sticking her tongue out playfully at Morgans.

Roman couldn't help glancing over—not out of interest in her tongue, but because he sensed that Stussy had… other intentions.

With a faint smile, Roman echoed, "Yeah, Stussy is just joking. Look at my frame—do I really look like I could defeat that mysterious man? Hahaha!"

As Phantom East chuckled, Roman's real body, cloaked in shadow beneath the hood, smirked faintly.

Then, as if with perfect mutual understanding, both Big Mom and Roman retracted their Conqueror's Haki.

Big Mom's loud voice rang across the island. "MAMA-HAHA! MAMA-HAHA! So you're the long-rumored mysterious man of the sea?"

"It's me," Roman replied calmly, suppressing his voice.

Big Mom scrutinized him and nodded repeatedly.

"Not bad, not bad. To possess such potent Conqueror's Haki… I bet your true strength is even more formidable!"

Then she turned to command, "Katakuri, prepare a seat."

"Yes, Mama," Katakuri replied, momentarily stunned, but quickly complied.

He personally led Roman to the prime spot beside Big Mom.

At that sight, all the underworld powerhouses were convinced: Roman was boarding Big Mom's ship.

Some even began wondering if they should start investing more in Big Mom.

These underworld elites weren't fools. They saw the tides of the Grand Line more clearly than anyone.

"Stussy," Morgans said, "Looks like he won't be making a move. On the contrary, Big Mom's probably going to rope him into her crew. You're gonna lose."

"Oh~ I'm very much looking forward to it," Stussy responded.

Seeing her reaction, Morgans shrugged and headed to his seat.

Meanwhile, Roman remotely controlled his Phantom to report to Sengoku:

"The tea party has begun."

Big Mom sat atop the grandest seat, surveying everyone. Beside her sat the three Sweet Commanders, along with Roman, Stussy, Morgans, and four other major figures of equal standing. Below them were Big Mom's children, other pirate leaders, and underworld bosses.

"Everyone, welcome to the first Tea Party! Please enjoy yourselves to the fullest!" Big Mom declared, arms wide.

To her, hosting the tea party served three purposes:

Consolidate her influence. Draw strong individuals into her fold. Expand Totto Land.

Only by achieving the first two could the third—her ultimate dream—be realized.

Now, Big Mom had her eyes on Roman. She intended to pull him into her ranks.

"MAMA-HAHA! MAMA-HAHA~ Why don't you introduce yourself? We still don't know your name."

Stussy's eyes lit up at the question, turning to the cloaked Roman.

Roman had long prepared his answer.

"You can call me Zero."

"Zero? Is that… a codename?" Big Mom asked.

"You could say that," Roman replied.

His words left everyone shaken.

Big Mom pondered—if she could recruit Roman, wouldn't she also be getting access to the mysterious organization behind him? After all, anyone tied to someone like Roman couldn't be weak.

Big Mom wasn't the only one who thought this way. But she was the only one bold enough to say it aloud. Because among everyone present—aside from Roman—she was the strongest.

And to recruit Roman, she decided to use her most tried-and-true method—

Marriage Alliance.

Big Mom clapped her hands four times.

Everyone who heard the claps immediately stood up.

And without exception, they were all women.

Big Mom turned to Roman. "Zero, among the ones standing—do any catch your eye…?"