"Isn't Big Mom insane?"
Everyone was confused—everyone except Vane. He had only been momentarily puzzled. For a moment, he thought Big Mom was pretending to be foolish, but no… she truly wasn't.
"Mom, have you recovered?"
Smoothie and the others looked at her in disbelief. Over the past two or three months, Big Mom's behavior had been nothing short of madness. There was no way it was an act. How could one of the Four Emperors—the terrifying matriarch of Totto Land—pretend for so long?
"Mother," Katakuri called softly, his voice filled with worry, joined by several of his siblings.
Big Mom stood tall before them, her enormous figure radiating pressure as she waved them back.
"It's gone, I'm fine now," she declared.
Her words struck them hard. Indeed, her mind had been unstable for quite some time, but this was nothing new. Throughout her life, she had fallen into bouts of insanity many times before. And yet, her monstrous body, second to none in physical defense across the seas, made her nearly invincible. Because of that, she had never cared much about plots against her. Who would dare?
This time, her madness had lasted longer than usual. If not for Vane's arrival, she might not have come back to her senses at all. For a while now, she had been staring at him, sensing a strange familiarity that finally pulled her mind back to clarity.
It was that simple. To her, at least.
But a greater question lingered—why had Vane come to Totto Land again?
The emperors of the sea rarely met one another. It was an unspoken rule in the New World. Even Kaido, who challenged Whitebeard and Shanks out of sheer recklessness, had never visited Big Mom's territory. For ten long years, the two emperors had not met.
The emperor does not meet the emperor.
So why was Vane here? Nothing good could come of it.
"You all, stand back," Big Mom ordered, her tone leaving no room for argument.
Behind her stood over a hundred members of the Charlotte Family. Smoothie hesitated, frowning.
"Mom, he…"
"Smoothie," Big Mom interrupted coldly. "Are you his match? Can you withstand even one of my own attacks?"
Smoothie froze, then lowered her gaze. "…No."
The gap between her and Vane was vast. He was far stronger, monstrously so. Even her elder brother, Katakuri—the pride of their family—was no match for this young man.
Vane's strength was simply overwhelming.
"Then stand back. Do not interfere with our talk. Focus on your duties."
Reluctantly, Katakuri and the others retreated. They remained close, prepared to act should things spiral out of control, but deep inside, they shared one thought: Vane's presence here could only mean trouble.
Soon, only Vane and Big Mom remained in the vast square. Her children lingered on the outskirts, tense and ready.
"Can you put away that golden ability of yours, Vane?" Big Mom asked, a savage grin spreading across her face.
"Of course."
With a flick of his hand, Vane dismissed the glowing constructs, the brilliant aura fading into nothingness.
Big Mom narrowed her eyes. "What exactly is your ability?"
Vane replied evenly. "The King's Treasure."
"The King's Treasure…?" She muttered, unsettled. Such a name was unheard of in the seas. But considering the strange arsenal of powers he wielded, she suppressed her questions.
What truly alarmed her was how much stronger he felt compared to their last meeting. His very presence carried the weight of a conqueror, an aura so overwhelming it was reminiscent of Whitebeard himself, who could crush weaker men with his presence alone.
This boy—no, this man—had grown terrifyingly fast.
Big Mom beckoned with a massive hand. "Perospero, come here."
Her long-tongued son approached nervously. "Mom, I'm here."
"Prepare a banquet table."
"Eh? …Yes, right away, Mom."
Though confused, Perospero didn't question her. Using his Candy-Candy Fruit powers, he conjured a massive, ornate banquet table, surrounded by towering chairs. It was carefully crafted—no detail could be neglected in the presence of two emperors. He quickly ordered his siblings to bring fruit, wine, and delicacies to fill it.
Within minutes, Big Mom and Vane sat facing one another, two of the world's most fearsome rulers. Her massive Napoleon hat loomed over her, Zeus floated lazily at her side, and Prometheus burned brightly at her shoulder.
The tension was suffocating.
Finally, Big Mom broke the silence. Her sharp gaze bore into him.
"Vane… tell me. Why are you here?"
_____
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