Wano Country, Onigashima.
"Wororororo! It's that damn brat again! King, this guy really lives up to my expectations! He's actually planning to clean out the bad apples within the Marines! I'm getting more and more excited about his future performance!"
Hearing this, King glanced at Kaido, whose face was already flushed from drinking and realized he was nearing his limit.
With a smile, he said.
"Kaido-san, you're about to get drunk. But this Marine, Jake, is indeed different from any we've encountered before. Perhaps he really can change the world. However, to me, you are the true sun. Jake is merely a flickering candle in the distance. Kaido-san, you are the only one destined to rule over everything in this world!"
But before King could continue, Kaido had already collapsed onto the bed, snoring loudly.
Watching the now-sleeping Kaido, a helpless smile crossed King's face.
He removed his helmet and stood silently by Kaido's side, guarding him like a shadow.
No one could shine brighter than you, the one who saved me from that laboratory.
*****
Totto Land, Big Mom's Bedroom.
The sound of "munch munch" continuously came from Big Mom's mouth as she devoured food.
A giant cream cake, nearly four to five meters in size, was almost entirely consumed within seconds under her ravenous bites.
The Homies under her command hurriedly delivered more food, knowing full well that if they were too slow, they themselves would end up in Big Mom's mouth instead.
"Mamamamamama! Katakuri, you've been sitting here all day. Is there something you want to talk about?"
Apparently because her stomach was full, Big Mom was in a good mood at the moment.
Seeing her most outstanding son staying unusually close to her today, a faint smile appeared on her face—one of her rare displays of maternal affection.
Katakuri didn't say much about it.
He simply took out today's newspaper and said to Big Mom.
"Mama, here's today's paper. You should take a look. There's a lot of information involved, and I think Totto Land needs to start preparing for the coming storm."
Hearing Katakuri's words, Big Mom licked the remaining cream from her fingers into her mouth, wiped the saliva off her hands with her clothes, then took the newspaper from Katakuri and began reading absentmindedly.
However, the absentmindedness only lasted at the beginning.
When Big Mom finished reading the entire newspaper, the corners of her mouth suddenly curled into an indescribably eerie smile—one so unfamiliar it made Katakuri uneasy.
Big Mom turned to look at Katakuri and slowly said.
"Katakuri, you've met that Jake before, right? Those things behind him in this photo—are they real or fake?"
Though unsure why Big Mom would focus on such details, Katakuri answered truthfully.
"Those things behind him are effects brought by his Devil Fruit. They're not fabricated. I saw them when I confronted him—an extremely unique power that truly feels as bright and warm as the sun."
At this point, Big Mom suddenly froze.
She turned to Katakuri, her voice trembling and choked.
"When I was very, very little, Mother Carmel told me many things and shared countless stories from the Bible. Among them were descriptions like this—angelic. I miss Mother Carmel... but I also hate it when any of you ask me about her!"
As she spoke these words, Big Mom voice switched between three or four different tones, sending chills down Katakuri's spine.
Then, in a voice so gentle Katakuri had never heard before, she said.
"I want to meet this man. I want to see if he's the angel Mother Carmel spoke of in the legends. If he is... then I want to see Mother Carmel again. I have so many things to tell her! When she celebrated my birthday, I had so, so many wishes I wanted to share with her!"
Listening to Big Mom's words and watching the endless tears streaming from her eyes, Katakuri was utterly stunned.
He had never imagined Big Mom would react this way after reading the newspaper.
But immediately after, as Big Mom swallowed another bite of cake, her voice turned cold and rigid again.
"Ah, right. I heard that bastard Kaido is also looking for this guy, isn't he? We can't let Kaido succeed first. If you see any ships from the Beast Pirates, you're authorized to attack immediately. Understood?"
"Yes, Mom."
With that, Katakuri watched as Big Mom lowered her head and resumed devouring her food.
Without another word, he quietly left the palace.
Ever since Big Mom developed Food Craving Sickness, the entire BIGMOM Pirates had practically become a one-woman show.
Although everyone respected and trusted their mother's strength, for a pirate crew that wanted to sustain long-term growth, having a stable captain capable of making rational decisions was absolutely crucial.
Big Mom's intermittent bouts of madness clearly made that impossible.
It was after that point that Katakuri took on nearly all major and minor responsibilities within the BIGMOM Pirates.
He was utterly exhausted.
But as he looked back at the siblings who depended on him for protection, he gritted his teeth and continued to shoulder this burden—one that was never meant to be his—marching forward without hesitation.
As he held the newspaper with Jake's portrait, memories of their first encounter resurfaced.
During their clash of Conqueror's Haki, Katakuri had actually sensed a glimpse of Jake's true intentions.
And his understanding of Jake's real motives was almost pure in its clarity.
That man wasn't just putting on a show—he genuinely wanted to change the world, to overturn this rotting, stinking world!
With that thought, Katakuri tightened his scarf and gave a slight nod in the direction where Jake was.
*****
Meanwhile, at Marine Headquarters in Marineford, Sengoku was receiving a barrage of critical messages from various branches of the World Government.
But he didn't bother reading a single one—instead, he fed each letter one by one into the mouth of his pet goat.
After all, no amount of reprimands could outweigh the value of the gold that had just solved the Marines' budget crisis for the next three to four years.
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