The table shattered as Vane flipped it without hesitation. A fierce aura radiated through the room, and all eyes locked in a tense standoff. It didn't matter who struck first.
Vane didn't wait—he made the first move.
With a powerful step forward, the ground beneath him cracked like brittle glass. He charged straight at Big Mom. Despite the distance being just over six meters, he was in front of her in an instant.
He whipped his right leg up at lightning speed, coating it with the power of the Gura Gura no Mi. A transparent shockwave shield enveloped his foot as it crashed into Big Mom's stomach.
"Mama!"
The sun Prometheus and thundercloud Zeus screamed in unison. Without Big Mom's control, they were nothing more than harmless weather phenomena, like a fairy tale's golden sun and fluffy cloud.
"Godfall!"
Big Mom looked down at Vane, who had already slammed his foot into her midsection. The immense force of the quake burst through the air, but her expression didn't even twitch.
The atmosphere splintered. Cracks spread out like spider webs, and Big Mom's massive stomach was momentarily compressed. But to Vane, it felt like he was kicking a giant rubber ball, not a person. Her sheer physical resilience stunned him.
The ground trembled violently—like a full-scale earthquake—making it nearly impossible to stay upright.
"So that's her level of durability. This is a first for me."
Vane grinned. He pushed his leg forward harder, and Big Mom's body finally gave. She hunched over and was launched backward like a fired cannonball, crashing through multiple buildings. The entire front section of the cake castle collapsed under the immense force of the shockwave.
"Mama!"
A few of her children who hadn't yet fainted shouted out. They stared in the direction she'd flown, then fell silent, their gazes slowly returning to Vane.
The fractured ground beneath them looked ready to collapse with just one misstep. Every surface was covered in cracks.
Vane glanced at them but said nothing. He knew Esdeath would handle them. Still, the terrifying pressure Vane emitted had paralyzed them. They couldn't help but compare his presence to their mother's. It was that overwhelming.
And they weren't wrong.
Right now, Vane stood on equal footing with Big Mom.
The only difference between him and a recognized Pirate Emperor was political power. But Vane didn't care for titles. With Kalifa and Esdeath already on his ship, he had no interest in adding more to his crew...at least for now.
After sending Big Mom flying, Vane lifted into the air and left the castle behind. He exchanged a glance with Esdeath, giving her a subtle nod.
Whether or not she joined the fight was up to her.
But Big Mom wouldn't go down easily. Even if her children were outmatched, even if she stood alone, she was still a monstrous force.
How terrifying must a woman be to earn a Navy bounty as a child? Born with inhuman strength, called a monster from the age of five, Big Mom wasn't raised—she was unleashed.
When Kaido was still a rookie, she was already a core member of Rocks D. Xebec's infamous crew.
Big Mom finally crashed into the town area of Cake Island. The earlier clash of Conqueror's Haki had frightened the residents into fleeing. Now, the place was deserted.
The surrounding buildings, mostly constructed using her children's Devil Fruit abilities, could be easily rebuilt. Even if the entire castle was destroyed, a new one would rise the next day.
Her massive body landed with devastating impact, reducing a candy house to rubble.
"He dared to strike first… My castle…"
Big Mom sat up. Despite the chaos, she appeared completely unharmed—her clothes weren't even torn, only slightly dusty.
Her unnatural body was like a self-replicating fortress—no training, no effort. Just pure, monstrous growth.
Vane's earlier kick, powered by the [Investment System], had been incredibly strong—something that would cripple most top-tier pirates. Even someone like Katakuri would have been unable to absorb it. But Big Mom? She barely noticed.
Among the Four Emperors, Whitebeard and Shanks had more "normal" physiques. But Big Mom and Kaido were on another level entirely.
Vane hovered about six meters in the air, while Big Mom—nearly nine meters tall—rose to her full height below him. He wasn't particularly tall, standing noticeably shorter than both Kalifa and Esdeath, who were over 1.7 meters.
Big Mom's hair crackled with fury as she stared at him like a deranged witch.
She coated her fists in Armament Haki.
"You'll pay for wrecking my island!" she roared, lunging forward with a titanic punch.
Vane didn't bother replying. He met her punch head-on.
Compared to Big Mom's massive fist, Vane's looked childlike. But size wasn't what mattered—power did. And Vane wasn't lacking in that.
He infused his fist with Armament Haki.
Big Mom's durability surpassed even Whitebeard's. Her toughness rivaled Kaido's, whose body couldn't be pierced by a sword unless it was a devastating attack like the one from Kozuki Oden.
Vane knew he couldn't match her in raw physical endurance—not yet. The body he'd received from Whitebeard via the [Investment System] wasn't even at its peak.
But he wasn't holding back.
The fists collided, and Haki clashed. Thunderous energy erupted in every direction. The shockwaves flattened buildings, sending debris flying like shrapnel.
"You're strong," Big Mom said with a crooked grin. "If you make it out of here alive, I might just acknowledge you as the Fifth Emperor."
"Old woman, you should stop grinning. It's hideous."
Their fists separated as the impact dispersed. Big Mom staggered back three steps, while Vane slid back over a meter.
This wasn't like his fight with Katakuri, whom he had dominated. This was Charlotte Linlin, a force of nature, vastly stronger than any of her children.
As the dust settled, Zeus and Prometheus floated toward Big Mom again.
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