Perospero would never dare to hang up on her of his own accord—
the only explanation was that the Den Den Mushi had been cut off by some irresistible force.
And the last thing he mentioned—the "Terror Ghost"...
Wasn't that Davy Jones's pirate ship?
Charlotte Linlin tucked the Den Den Mushi away, her face a mixture of rage and anxiety.
Though she often found Perospero's chatter irritating, he was still her eldest son—her own blood.
She would never just stand by and let something happen to him.
Mounting the cloud "Zeus," to which she had given part of her own soul, Big Mom urged him forward at full speed while staring desperately toward the sea.
Zeus, carrying Charlotte Linlin, roared across the harbor skies, whipping up fierce winds below.
Meanwhile, the ships of Katakuri, Smoothie, and Cracker had only just finished weighing anchor—they hadn't even set sail yet.
The harbor below was a scene of chaos, full of shouting and confusion.
"Too slow," Linlin snarled. She could no longer wait. Reaching out, she grabbed a handful of Zeus's cloudy form.
Zeus understood immediately—he climbed higher into the sky before accelerating forward once more.
Soon, Big Mom and Zeus saw a sight upon the sea that was beyond eerie.
From afar, a wall of gray-white sea fog rose up like a magician's curtain, completely blocking the view ahead. Yet it did not reach high enough to conceal the thunderclouds above.
The black clouds looked like overturned ink, and from within them sharp violet lightning snaked and writhed like dragons, striking violently down upon the waters.
The whole place resembled a sealed, black prison, where some cruel and inhuman execution was taking place.
Even the crackling of the thunder was enough to make one's scalp prickle and skin crawl.
Zeus's eyes widened, but since Mama gave no order to stop—or to turn back—he had no choice but to press on.
"Enough of this cheap trickery!" Charlotte Linlin's face darkened like cast iron, her features twisting with fury.
"Let's see how I tear apart your illusion!"
She raised an arm, snatched the pirate hat from her head, and gave it a hard shake—
from within the Homie "Napoleon," a gleaming blade sprang forth!
Zeus, now filled with renewed confidence, shot toward the wall of fog like an arrow.
Big Mom stood upright atop Zeus, gripping Napoleon's blade with both hands.
At once, the weather shifted violently.
The skies dimmed.
The waves beneath Zeus surged like a bloodthirsty beast, roaring and gnashing their fanged crests.
The overwhelming force surrounding Charlotte Linlin gathered upon Napoleon, her very breath radiating a destructive aura strong enough to shatter a warship.
Her eyes widened as she roared:
"Ikoku Sovereignty!"
BOOM—
With a mighty swing, Linlin unleashed a devastating slash infused with her overwhelming Haki.
It was the same obliterating strike she had learned from the giants of Elbaf—
and even the giants themselves dared not claim they could surpass her power in that single blow.
The attack ripped through the sea, shaking the waters apart—everything in its path was forced aside.
The thick wall of fog was naturally torn asunder, opening a massive gap.
Through that rift, Linlin could glimpse the chaos within—cannon fire flashing wildly—
but for a moment, all movement froze under the sheer force of her attack.
At the breach in the fog, Charlotte Linlin stood like a descending demon god.
She gave a cold snort.
Gripping Napoleon in her left hand, she opened her right—
and in an instant, a fireball burst forth, blazing with intense heat.
Zeus carried her to the gaping rift in the fog.
Linlin seized the fireball Homie "Prometheus" and hurled it fiercely into the mist!
BOOM—
Prometheus flared violently, his flames lashing like swords and spears, cutting through the fog and illuminating the darkness within.
But he dared not go further—inside, torrential rain was pouring down, and water was his greatest nemesis.
Inside that enclosed cage of fog and thunderclouds, it was pitch-black—
rain and wind howled madly, and slaughter erupted on all sides.
Perospero's fleet was mired in exhaustion and despair.
The breach torn open by Ikoku Sovereignty and Prometheus's flames finally gave the surviving ships a glimmer of hope.
"Mama! Mama's here!" they cried, their voices breaking.
"We're saved! Mama came to save us!"
The shattered fleet abandoned all thoughts of counterattack.
One after another, ships surged through the opening, escaping from hell.
The Terror Ghost, the Northern Sea Kraken, the Sea Beasts, and the Deep-Sea Division—having achieved their objective—
began to sink back beneath the waves, vanishing into the depths.
Charlotte Linlin, gnashing her teeth, swung her sword several more times, sending deadly slashes across the sea—
but she failed to catch even a trace of her foes.
Soon, the clouds, lightning, winds, and rain began to fade, one after another.
In a short while, the sea was calm again.
The sky turned bright blue, the sea serene and glassy—
a scene of utter peace, as though the carnage just moments ago had been a nightmare.
Aboard one of the surviving ships, Perospero, still alive after his brush with death, turned back to gaze upon the tranquil sea.
If not for the wreckage of his flagship—destroyed and devoured by the Terror Ghost—
he might have thought he had been hallucinating.
A few broken fragments of ship hulls floating on the waves were the only proof that the horror had been real.
Moments earlier, in desperation, Perospero had ordered everyone to abandon ship.
They had not fallen into the sea, however—
using his Candy-Candy Fruit, he instantly created a Candy Sea Cow, strong enough to carry everyone to safety.
The syrupy creature, moving under Perospero's will, rescued many of the Charlotte Family who had also abandoned ship.
As for the unrelated combatants and soldiers—
the sea cow could only carry so many.
Perospero had no choice but to leave them to their fate.
He and his surviving kin made it aboard another vessel,
but their Den Den Mushi had been lost—leaving them unable to contact Mama again.
Many others were not so lucky.
Caught off guard, they and their ships were sunk—annihilated.
The slaughter within that cage was complete.
Charlotte Linlin stood upon Zeus, gazing down at the sea.
For the first time, she felt a pang of helplessness—
the same despair that Cracker had felt the night before.
That vile, cowardly Davy Jones—
he had been hiding beneath the sea all along!
Furious, she swung her blade again and again, unleashing waves so massive that they nearly capsized the surviving ships.
Fortunately, the Sweet Commanders' fleets finally arrived.
Katakuri, Smoothie, and Cracker approached their mother together, urging her to calm herself.
Then, they began searching for Perospero, fearing for his safety.
Through her Kenbunshoku Haki—which extended across the battlefield like a sixth sense—
Charlotte Linlin soon located Perospero and turned her gaze toward him.
Perospero swallowed hard.
He knew that the blame for this "slaughter within the cage" would fall squarely on his shoulders.
But he did not shrink back—
he stepped forward and knelt at the bow of the ship.
When the others saw that he was alive, they all sighed in relief.
"Mama, I…" Perospero dropped his candy cane staff.
His long tongue hung out as he knelt, drenched and wretched like a beaten dog.
"It's my fault… I'll accept any punishment…"
He didn't make a single excuse.
Katakuri's eyes suddenly widened.
That made two times now—Davy Jones was manipulating Mama's temperament!
Just as he was about to speak, Mama's voice cut through first.
"All ships, return to the harbor immediately!
Fortify every side! I will not allow another mistake!"
Charlotte Linlin cast a brief glance down at Perospero but did not erupt in fury. Instead, she issued her orders.
"Count the dead and the losses. I want exact numbers at once."
Perospero looked up in astonishment and exchanged glances with Katakuri, Smoothie, and Cracker—
they understood instantly.
Though impulsive and tyrannical, Big Mom was still one of the sovereigns of the New World.
She too sensed something was wrong—and so she held back her anger, choosing not to humiliate Perospero in front of everyone.
Otherwise, his subordinates might lose faith in him.
As Katakuri and Smoothie had advised earlier—
any punishment should wait until after the coming battle with Davy Jones.
"Yes, Mama!"
The Candy Minister and the Sweet Commanders replied in unison.
Charlotte Linlin took one last look at the sea—
for the first time, it felt strange to her.
Then she swept her great cloak behind her, recalled Prometheus, set Napoleon back upon her hat, and mounted Zeus, flying back toward Totto Land.
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