The large open-air square instantly fell silent.
BIGMOM raised an eyebrow and turned her head, her gaze lingering for a few seconds between Shano and Kaido.
Meanwhile, Kaido squinted his eyes.
After a moment of silence, he opened his mouth and erupted into thunderous laughter, "Wuhihi! Talking like that, you're really arrogant, brat!"
"But that's good! Young people should be like this, with this kind of boldness to match my expectations!"
Kaido slammed the Wolf Fang Club into the ground and unhooked the Wine Gourd from his waist, causing the entire Cake Castle to tremble, and the cracks on the ground grew a few more.
"However, I can't pretend I didn't hear the insult. Since you dared to say it in front of me, you must have already made up your mind!"
"Hey! Kaido!"
BIGMOM shouted displeased, "Watch your step! At this rate, the castle will really collapse! Get out of my sight! If you want to fight, do it somewhere else, definitely not on my territory!"
"Stop babbling, old hag!"
Kaido unlocked the Wine Gourd and took a big gulp, growling viciously, "Don't you see? The Vice Admiral I'm interested in doesn't want to leave with me. This matter must be dealt with quickly; nothing is more important than this!"
"Change places? All the nearby dozens of islands are your territory! Should I fly with this brat for several hours again?"
Last year at Paradise, when Shano was willing to move the fighting location from Water Capital to Judicial Island, it was already a gesture of goodwill.
Do it a second time?
He doesn't have the patience!
"No need to bother!"
BIGMOM turned her head and shouted:
"Hey! Brulee! Where is Brulee?"
No one responded.
The children of Charlotte wouldn't flee like ordinary guests; they remained atop the castle, helping maintain order.
Upon hearing this, they began scanning back and forth but found nothing.
"Mama, Brulee fell seriously ill and is resting in bed, unable to attend the tea party. I mentioned it to you two days ago and helped pass on her apology gift, remember?" Katakuri frowned slightly and spoke.
"Who wants to remember that kind of thing!"
BIGMOM impatiently interrupted and looked to the other side, "What about Mont-d'Or? That guy should be here!"
"I'm here, mama!"
Mont-d'Or, with a white face and red nose, hurriedly squeezed out from behind the crowd.
"Mahmahmahmah, Brulee's Mirror Mirror Fruit can't be counted on, but luckily you have the backup Book-Book Fruit!"
BIGMOM grinned wide, "Go, use your ability to create a storytelling world, let those two have their fight in there!"
"Huh?"
Mont-d'Or pointed to himself in surprise, "Me?"
He turned his head, seeing both Shano and Kaido's gazes focused on him, cold sweat poured down his face, "Mama, aren't you overestimating me a bit?"
"With Lord Shano and Master Kaido... even the slightest resonance from their battle, I could be knocked out cold, and if that's the case..."
"The resonance? Don't worry about that! I'm still here, I'll block it for you!"
BIGMOM smacked the back of his head, "Don't waste any more time, start working immediately!"
"Understood, mama!"
Mont-d'Or, seeing stars from the hit, nearly went to meet the sisters, dared not utter another word, he slapped his hands to activate his ability.
Buzz!
The next moment, a whopping ten-meter tall thick volume appeared floating over the vacant lot.
After opening, it stopped on a page, one side filled with text, the other turning into a deep black hole.
Just like an entrance.
"Hey, brat!"
Kaido glared at Shano, "If I win, obediently follow me and become the Vice Admiral of the Hundred Beasts Pirate Gang! A man's word is his bond, no problem with that, right?"
"Can you do it?"
Shano sneered.
"Wuhihi, you'll know when you come in!"
Kaido grinned, not bothering with more words, picked up the Wolf Fang Club, and strode into the black hole.
Shano made a gesture to his subordinates first, indicating there was no need for concern, and they could wait here. Then he glanced at the cover of the book.
—"Four Seas Fantasy Fairy Tales Collection".
Fairy tales?
Interesting.
His gaze flickered slightly, not lingering any longer, he followed Kaido, stepping into the storytelling world constructed by the Book-Book Fruit.
…
The moment they touched the pages, it felt like plunging into endless darkness.
After about a second or two, their senses began to return, darkness receded like a tide, the surroundings came into clear view.
Shano found himself standing in a thick forest.
Sunlight spilled through the cracks in the leaves, casting dappled shadows, birds chirped near his ears, the air filled with the fragrance of dirt and flowers.
Everything was there, yet nothing felt real, hazy as if shrouded in a fog, like scenes from a dream.
Not far away, there were several small huts in the forest.
On the windowsill lay a bitten apple, and a pale-skinned snow-white girl with black hair tied in a red bow, stood at the door singing happily.
Surrounding her were seven dwarves, not taller than Chopper, holding hands in a circle, smiling, dancing to the melody…
Boom!
The Wolf Fang Club surged with purple-black lightning, smashed into the ground, all the forest huts along with the girl and dwarves twisted and screamed as they turned into countless ashes blown away by the wind.
"Oh? The place is quite spacious!"
Kaido retrieved the Wolf Fang Club and glanced around: