The "Wind Scar" was Ray's way of testing Big Mom's defenses.
His previous attack, the Poison Flower Claw, had managed to cut her, but the wound on her belly was shallow.
Although the Conqueror's Haki Ray pushed into her body had caused some internal damage, for someone known for her "Iron Balloon," it wasn't a big deal.
Big Mom had so much life force and natural toughness that the damage barely mattered.
It only made her feel a sharp pain, something she hadn't felt in a very long time.
Because the claw attack wasn't enough, Ray acted instantly.
As soon as they separated, he gripped his sword, Tessaiga, jumped high into the air, and swung the Wind Scar at Big Mom with his maximum speed.
This strike worked much better.
As the golden light of the energy wave faded away, Big Mom's body became visible again.
There were now three deep, bloody gashes stretching all the way from her shoulders down to her feet.
Ray did a quick calculation in his head.
'If I hit her with a few more Wind Scars—mix with my Demonic Power and Haki—I can definitely kill her.'
Big Mom, of course, was smart enough to realize this too.
She knew that if Ray landed a few more clean hits, her legend would end right here.
The reason she got hit wasn't because she was weak, but because she was just a little too slow.
She couldn't quite keep up with Ray's speed.
The gap wasn't huge, but Ray was mobile enough to land attacks that felt like they were coming out of nowhere.
She felt a burning rage from the pain covering her body, but she also knew she had to break this deadlock.
Big Mom finally made a hard decision.
"Fine then. Let's perish together, Ray!"
As she screamed this, she swung her massive blade, Napoleon, at Ray one more time.
Instinctively, Ray raised Tessaiga to block the hit.
But this time, it was a trick.
Just before their swords touched, Big Mom suddenly stopped her swing. Instead of hitting him with the sword, she unleashed a massive storm of lightning and fire right in front of her face.
Faced with this sudden explosion, Ray had no choice.
He held his sword sideways to block the wall of thunder and fire.
Taking advantage of the moment, Big Mom used the blast to jump backward and create distance between them.
...
About one minute earlier, Katakuri had arrived at the banquet hall.
His sharp eyes swept across the room.
He saw countless withered, dried-up bodies of elderly people lying unconscious on the floor.
He recognized the clothes on more than half of them.
These were long-serving members of the crew and family.
In that moment, a hot fury rose up in his chest. He knew that his brothers and sisters, having their souls ripped out, were only moments away from dying.
And right now, there was nothing he could do to save them.
A powerful rage and thought of revenge took over his mind.
The Haki inside his body began to spin out of control. He turned his head, ready to charge toward his mother's location.
He was ready to help Ray kill his own mother!
It was the only way to honor his siblings who were about to lose their lives.
But just then, movement about 200 meters away caught Katakuri's attention.
He turned to look and saw a tall woman climbing out from under a pile of rubble.
"Smoothie? You're alright?" Katakuri called out, surprised.
Smoothie, one of the Sweet Commanders, had just woken up.
Hearing Katakuri's voice, she immediately jumped to his side.
"I thought I was dead," Smoothie said, looking at her hands. "When Mama's soul power covered me, I felt true fear. I thought it was the end."
Katakuri looked at her closely. "But your life force... it doesn't seem weak at all. You look fine."
"I can't figure it out either," she admitted.
As Katakuri and Smoothie stood there confused, two more sounds came from the ruins.
One figure was their eldest brother, Perospero.
The other was their younger brother, Cracker, the user of the Biscuit-Biscuit Fruit.
Along with Katakuri and Smoothie, Cracker was one of the strongest fighters in the crew.
Now, the top officers of the Big Mom Pirates stood looking at each other in total confusion. They had all clearly felt the terror of having their souls pulled on, so why did it feel like nothing bad had actually happened to them?
They thought about it but couldn't find an answer.
So, they turned their attention to the loud battle happening nearby.
Just by chance, they looked over exactly when their mother and Ray separated, putting distance between each other.
...
Big Mom sensed that several of her strong children had survived and woken up.
She gave Ray a serious look as she had finally made up her mind completely.
"I never imagined you would push me this far, brat."
Ray didn't rush in to attack.
Since they were far apart now, even using the Wind Scar would be easy for her to dodge in her current state.
He decided to wait and see.
He wanted to know what other secret cards this Emperor of the Sea was hiding.
Ray wasn't worried.
He still had several skills he hadn't used yet. When it came to hidden tricks, Ray currently had far more options than Big Mom.
Seeing that Ray wasn't moving, Big Mom continued speaking.
Her voice sounded different—calmer, deeper.
"Ray, I should thank you. You brought me this sense of crisis, this feeling of death."
"When you struck me with that blade earlier, the pain made my mind start to clear up. It was like a fog lifting."
"Just now, I felt as if I finally woke up from a long, confusing dream that lasted over thirty years."
She stood up straighter, her posture changing.
"Ray, you are strong. Even back in my youth, you would absolutely be considered a top-tier powerhouse. Back in the day, what I loved most was battling powerful opponents like you. Rocks, Newgate, Roger, Kaido..."
Listening to Big Mom speak, Ray almost felt like he was seeing things.
This female Yonko's voice seemed to be getting younger and younger with every word she said.
Ray looked closer and he immediately realized it wasn't a trick of his eyes.
That bloated, obese old woman was actually changing.
Step by step, she was returning to her youthful appearance.
Her wrinkles vanished.
The fat melted away.
Long, wavy pink hair grew out to her waist. Her facial features became sharp and defined.
She had bewitching red lips, smooth and tight skin, and powerful, muscular long legs.
Most importantly, her eyes changed.
They no longer looked crazy or childish.
They revealed deep ambition, but also a human warmth and intelligence that had been missing for decades.
Ray felt that this version of Big Mom was a completely different person from the monster he fought moments ago.
It wasn't just her looks—even her soul felt much clearer and focused.
'Could it be,' Ray thought, 'that Big Mom during the Rocks era was actually a normal person without her mental illness?'
As for how Big Mom turned back into her young self, Ray guessed the reason quickly.
It was likely the Soul-Soul Fruit.
By burning a massive amount of her own soul energy and converting it into life force, she was able to restore her aged body to its prime state.
But a miracle like that couldn't come without a terrible price.
...
In the banquet hall, Katakuri, Perospero, Smoothie, and Cracker stood with their mouths hanging wide open.
They were in total shock!
Smoothie and Cracker were Big Mom's 25th and 26th children.
They had never seen their mother look like this, so they asked in confusion: "Is... is that what Mama looked like when she was young?"
Katakuri, who was older, answered slowly. "Yes. Big Brother Perospero and I both saw Mama's back then. She was indeed dashing and heroic in those days. She was a true warrior queen."
He paused, his eyes narrowing. "But the most important thing isn't her appearance. It's her mind."
Perospero immediately nodded, his candy cane staff shaking slightly.
"That's right. Until before our fifth brother was born, I actually never saw Mom have those 'Hunger pang' fits."
"Back then," Perospero whispered, "Mom was absolutely queen-like. She commanded respect, not fear."
...
In the distance, the young, beautiful Charlotte Linlin stood on top of Zeus.
She heard her children talking and smiled.
It was a genuine, sincere smile.
Seeing that heartfelt expression, Ray confirmed it: his enemy was completely different now.
The monster was gone and the warrior queen from before had returned.
Big Mom froze for a second, her lips moving slightly as if she was whispering something to herself, though no sound came out.
It looked like she was saying a silent goodbye.
Then, she looked seriously at Ray and spoke up to explain herself.
"Kid, when I was in my muddled, crazy state, I did some terrible things to you. I admit that."
She gripped Napoleon, which now glowed with immense power.
"But, the law of the sea is survival of the fittest. I think that foolish version of me wasn't wrong about that. The strong live, and the weak die."
"If you want to kill me today, I accept the challenge gladly."
Her Haki exploded outward, shaking the air.
"Just be careful that I don't end up killing you instead. The current me is far stronger than before."
She smiled, a mix of sadness and battle-lust in her eyes.
"Although... I only have less than half an hour to live."
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Bonus chapter since y'all been a good boys and girls!