"Maybe Mom believed she could control Rosinante. Maybe even you believed she could. But look at the Rosinante of today—do you still think anyone can control him?" Katakuri's voice was calm, but there was an edge to his words. "You must've already received intel on what happened recently at Marineford, haven't you?"
"I'll tell you plainly. The Grey Kingdom challenged the entire Marine Headquarters. Not only did Sengoku personally take action, even Kong joined the fight. And yet, in the end, Rosinante walked away from Marineford without a scratch. Sure, he used the Celestial Dragons to pressure the World Government, but the point is—he had the power to make them compromise." Katakuri's eyes narrowed. "That's what kind of man he's become."
"So then what's your reason for coming back?" Perospero snapped. "To flaunt that your betrayal was the right choice? No matter the excuse, betrayal is betrayal. In Totto Land, disobeying Mama is treason. Even if her decision back then was wrong—it does not justify your betrayal!"
"I didn't come back to flaunt anything," Katakuri replied, expression unreadable. "I'm here to settle things."
"I hope you're prepared," Perospero warned darkly, locking eyes with him. "Mama is furious. I don't know what you're thinking, but I doubt you'll be walking away from this easily."
And with that, he led Katakuri through the heart of Totto Land, straight toward Cake Castle's grand hall.
It didn't take long before Katakuri stood beneath the towering, ornate arches of the throne room. At the far end, seated on her candy-encrusted throne, was Charlotte Linlin—Big Mom. Her expression was cold and stormy, her gaze fixed on her son.
But then, strangely, as Katakuri stepped inside, Linlin's expression shifted. A twisted smile stretched across her face, one that reeked of calculation. It was the grin of a witch about to spring a trap.
"Katakuri... It's been a long time. So—what've you brought me? Good news? Or perhaps a new, delicious cake?" she asked with eerie sweetness. "Better make it worth my while. If the news isn't good enough—or the dessert isn't tasty enough—I won't forgive you~"
It was clear she believed Katakuri had come bearing something worthy of pardon. That was the only possible explanation for his return, wasn't it? Something irresistible—either a gift or an offer—that could soften even Big Mom's fury.
But Katakuri shook his head slowly. "Mama… I didn't come bearing good news. And I didn't bring cake, either."
The moment the words left his mouth, the temperature in the room seemed to drop. Linlin's smile vanished, replaced by a thunderous, seething rage—greater even than when she first heard of his return.
Disappointment. Betrayal. Fury. All of it surged in her.
"You do understand what you've done, don't you?" she growled, her voice a rumbling volcano. "And yet you dare to stand in front of me like it's nothing? Did you think I'd let you go just like that?!"
The entire hall tensed. Beads of cold sweat formed on the brows of every Charlotte child present. They all stared, worriedly, at their brother Katakuri—once the pride of the family, now the traitor at the center of the storm.
"In Totto Land, anyone who defies Mama pays the price," Linlin hissed.
"I know." Katakuri's voice was firm. "That's why I didn't come to beg forgiveness. I came to bring it to an end. I'm leaving the Big Mom Pirates."
The throne room erupted into chaos.
"What are you saying, Katakuri?! Take it back and apologize to Mama!" bellowed Oven, the fourth son.
"Why?! Why are you doing this?!" cried Daifuku, the third son.
"You can't go! Katakuri, no!" voices echoed from all sides—siblings and family members alike panicked.
"Enough!" Linlin roared. The hall instantly fell silent.
Never—never—had one of her children dared say such things. Her fury burned hotter than the sun. She snatched a Homies-made pastry from the table and swallowed it whole, as if to vent her rage on the dessert.
"You know what you're saying, don't you?" she snarled. "Even if you are my son, do you think you can just walk away without consequences?"
"I know exactly what my words mean." Katakuri didn't flinch. "I may have been with the Grey Kingdom for some time, but until now, I hadn't truly joined them. That changes today. I've made my decision. I will become a member of the Grey Nation Pirates. But first, I had to return—to cut ties with the Big Mom Pirates once and for all."
"Katakuri, no—don't do this!"
"Big brother! Are you really leaving us?!"
"Katakuri-sama!"
Cries of desperation echoed from his siblings. The tension thickened like syrup.
"Shut up," Linlin spat, silencing them all with a glare. "You're embarrassing yourselves."
She stared down at Katakuri, hatred and fury searing from her gaze.
"Pirates live free, yes... but you're my son, Katakuri. Leaving me? Leaving Big Mom?"
"I've made up my mind." Katakuri's voice was like steel. "Let's end this today."
At those words, every face in the room turned pale.
Linlin let out a bone-chilling laugh. "So that's how it is. You really do hate me now. Don't blame me for what happens next, Katakuri. This was your choice."
Her voice dropped to a whisper, yet it rang out like a curse:
"Stay… or life?"
A pulse of soul-crushing power swept through the throne room—her Conquerors Haki, fused with the dreadful Soul-Soul Curse.
Most conqueror's haki imposes pressure through sheer spiritual will, stunning the weak and trembling the bold. But Linlin's haki was something far more terrifying—it reached straight into the soul. Her Soul-Soul Curse was a verbal contract with death: if one felt even the faintest fear, their soul would be torn from their body.
And Katakuri… he had grown up under her shadow. That fear, that dread of her power, had long been carved into the very core of his being.
So when that soul-crushing presence descended—
Katakuri couldn't help but feel the cold, primal fear bubble up from deep, deep inside...