The blast of Haoshoku Haki slammed into Tachibana Kyūjō like a howling tempest—yet to him, it felt no more threatening than a passing breeze.
Kyūjō merely tilted his head with a look of mild disappointment.
If you're trying to protect your sister, Katakuri...
Power like that won't even leave a scratch.
But in the very next instant, his awakened perception flickered—and something in his expression shifted.
—No. It wasn't over yet.
Within his Awakening, he suddenly sensed the entire landscape within several kilometers… start to change.
The ground itself turned sticky, elastic—like mochi.
Mochi Mochi no Mi… Awakening?!
Kyūjō blinked in surprise, his gaze sharpening in silent admiration.
This was the first time he had ever seen someone awaken their Devil Fruit power right in front of him.
And the most ridiculous part?
It was happening… because of him.
"Ugh… don't tell me I'm starting to sound like Kaido-sensei…" he muttered internally, shaking his head.
No use thinking about that now.
The soft, squishy terrain began trying to pull him down, like it wanted to swallow him into the earth itself.
On the other side of the battlefield, Katakuri's expression had hardened—his gaze tense and unwavering.
But this wasn't an attack.
He was only using his awakened powers to manipulate the mochi under Smoothie's feet, pushing her farther and farther away from the battlefield.
"Smoothie, take Opera and Moscato. Leave the island—now!"
"The farther you go, the better! Don't ever come back!"
With his Future Sight, Katakuri could see it clearly.
Even after pushing himself to this point...
They still didn't stand a chance.
Kyūjō stomped down, breaking free from the mochi's grasp, then launched himself into the air with Geppo, hovering dozens of meters above the ground.
He didn't chase after Smoothie.
He simply looked down at Katakuri, voice cold as steel.
"Stop this now. You can see it, can't you?"
"…None of this is going to work on me."
"Cease the expansion of your Devil Fruit ability. I'll let them go."
"But if you keep pushing…"
"All of you… will die right here."
His tone dropped to absolute zero.
He wasn't showing mercy to Smoothie. No.
There were still innocent civilians on this island.
If Katakuri continued spreading his awakened power, even if Kyūjō won...
Not a single innocent life would be spared.
To regular people, some Devil Fruit abilities were nothing less than a full-blown natural disaster.
Thankfully, Katakuri hadn't lost his sense of reason.
His duty to the siblings who were still alive outweighed his vengeance for the one who had fallen.
He stopped expanding the mochi territory and maintained only what was already there, choosing not to attack further.
But his glare never dropped its guard—ready to strike if Kyūjō made a single move.
Only when he sensed Smoothie had left the range of his Kenbunshoku Haki...
Did he raise his arm and form another black trident from mochi.
He was just about to lunge—
When Kyūjō raised a hand, palm open.
"Wait. There's no need to fight."
"I don't want to kill you. Let's wait… for Charlotte Linlin to arrive."
Katakuri's brow twitched.
What is he talking about?
Was the Navy planning to start an all-out war with the Big Mom Pirates?
Were there other Admirals hidden nearby?
Even though Kyūjō's strength was overwhelming…
In Katakuri's eyes, his mother—Big Mom—still reigned supreme.
He didn't believe even someone like Kyūjō could defeat her.
"…What do you mean?" Katakuri asked in a low, dangerous tone.
Kyūjō simply raised both hands casually.
"Exactly what I said. I don't want to kill you. But don't make me."
"Better to wait for your mother."
"And one more thing—starting today, this island is under Marine jurisdiction. If Totto Land wants to avoid war, move your borders."
"Regardless of your reasons, you are never to set foot on Malt Island again. Pass that message to your siblings."
"The blade in my hand doesn't care who your mother is—or your father."
Since the day he was born, no one had ever spoken to Katakuri like that.
No one… except for Big Mom herself.
But now, facing this man—
He swallowed his pride and said nothing.
Because to do otherwise…
Would mean death. Official source is NoveIＦire.net
Whole Cake Island – Big Mom's Headquarters
The home of Charlotte Linlin, one of the Three Emperors of the Sea.
This fantastical island, shaped like a massive layered cake, overflowed with surreal beauty.
Rivers flowed with fruit juice and fizzy soda. The buildings were made of chocolate and shortbread. Even the rain that fell from the sky was made of candy—each drop a different color of the rainbow.
It looked like a dream.
But beneath the sugary wonderland...
Inside the grand castle at the island's heart, Big Mom was—shockingly—not hungry.
She sat peacefully for once, cradling a tiny baby in her massive arms. One of her children—who knows which number by now.
Charlotte Perospero, her eldest son, burst into the room, face pale with panic.
Fortunately, the sight of her cradling a child seemed to awaken a rare motherly instinct. She didn't lash out immediately.
"Ma~mamama…" Big Mom chuckled lightly, turning to her son.
"What's got you in such a rush, Perospero?"
The candy-coated man nearly tripped over himself.
"Mama! Smoothie just called me through the Den Den Mushi!"
"Cracker… Cracker was killed! By that Marine!"
"And Katakuri… he's been captured!"
"Please, Mama, you have to save Katakuri—!!"
The mountain-like woman stood up in an instant.
She flung the baby in her arms toward Perospero like tossing away a pillow.
Her meaty eyes blazed red. Her towering body trembled with rage, an invisible storm of malice brewing around her.
Her jaw unhinged, wide enough to devour a full-grown man in one bite.
"...Where. Are. They?"
And when she got angry…
It wasn't the death of her son that made her rage.
It was because someone had tainted her name.
Someone had defiled her reputation.
Charlotte Linlin – BIG MOM
Captain of the Big Mom Pirates
One of the Three Yonko of the New World
The only female Yonko
Wielder of the Soru Soru no Mi (Paramecia – Soul-Soul Fruit)
Feared as the Natural Calamity
Dubbed the "Demon of Elbaf" by the Giants
Her power was monstrous. Her fighting instinct—overwhelming.
Big Mom was at the absolute peak of her strength.
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