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Chapter 448: The Rebellious Son Humiliates Big Mom in Public
"What the hell? It was just a joke? And here I thought I finally got the chance on hitting an Emperor's face." The crimson aura surrounding Garp hissed out. He clicked his tongue in extreme dissatisfaction, his face screaming disappointment.
Golden Lion cursed under his breath, sliding his twin swords back into their sheaths and rolling his eyes. Kizaru pouted, retracting the light from his fingertips and sitting back down in his corner to sip his hot tea. Enduring the intensely regretful stares of the heavyweights, Big Mom braced herself and shuffled two steps forward. She pushed the massive sack of gold and jewels further across the bar, her attitude suddenly as respectful as a little girl visiting the city to see a noble for the first time.
"…Boss."
"I heard you sell a miraculous thing called 'dungeons' here… Something that can grant incredible power." She didn't even dare refer to herself as "I, the Queen" anymore. She couldn't sense any powerhouse strength from this guy, but she knew she would be eaten alive by these monsters behind her.
Blake set down his black coffee. He looked up at the towering Yonko. He obviously knew exactly what had just transpired. These old fossils had completely turned his shop into an NPC hub to grind affinity points. He tapped his knuckles against the solid wood counter, the sharp sound making Big Mom flinch. Staring at the mountain of treasure, Blake offered the polite, genial smile typical of a businessman.
"Visitors are customers. Since you brought the money, of course you can buy a ticket."
Blake snapped his fingers. The heavy sack of treasure vanished into thin air, directly converted by the system into an equivalent Beri balance.
"System valuation: 350 million Beri," Blake declared.
The fat on Big Mom's face twitched. She had emptied out the most valuable antiques and jewels from the Totto Land treasury, and here it was only worth a bit over 300 million? But she didn't dare haggle. If a mere gatekeeping Vice Admiral could wipe the floor with her, she had absolutely no leverage to flaunt her Emperor status here.
"Boss, I want to buy the highest-tier dungeon!" she demanded, her voice urgent. All she could think about was Katakuri's unkillable, infinitely evolving Demon God Body. With that kind of power, she could trample Garp, Whitebeard, and everyone else beneath her feet.
"A high-tier dungeon ticket is 100 million Beri, mid-tier is 10 million, and low-tier is 1 million. However, the high-tier dungeon is currently on cooldown. If you want to play the high-tier, you'll have to line up and wait until next month." Blake took a sip of his coffee.
Big Mom froze, her massive face flushing beet red. A dignified Yonko actually had to line up to buy something? She glanced around the room. Garp was cracking his knuckles, looking fully prepared to step up and teach her the rules. Kizaru had set down his teacup again, golden sparks sizzling at his fingertips. Big Mom swallowed another dry gulp of saliva.
"Lining up… I'll line up then!" she spat out through gritted teeth.
"This is your VIP savings card. Balance: 350 million. Find a seat and wait. The drinks menu is on the table; order whatever you like." Blake pulled a black card from under the counter and casually tossed it to her. It traced an arc through the air and landed perfectly in Big Mom's massive palm.
Having said his piece, Blake lowered his head and went back to studying the new dungeon data on the system interface. Gripping the thin Black Card, Big Mom felt like she was dreaming. She turned around, her massive frame feeling somewhat cramped in the tavern. The problem now was: where was she supposed to sit?
Although Blake had expanded the tavern's dimensions with spatial magic, it was currently packed to the brim with deities. To her left sat the Marine Headquarters top brass. Sengoku was arguing with Garp about whether "that thing" could be mass-produced. Akainu was scowling and smoking a cigar, throwing dirty looks at the pirates. Big Mom had zero desire to touch that Marine hornet's nest. To the right was the Whitebeard Pirates' table. If she dared sit there, Whitebeard absolutely wouldn't mind using her as a punching bag. Further back, Shanks and Beckman were huddled together, researching something called a "Caped Baldy."
Big Mom's gaze swept across the room once more before landing on a small square table in the corner. Sitting there was a tall man wearing a scarf that covered half his face: the former head of the Sweet Commanders, with a bounty of 1 billion 57 million Beri, Charlotte Katakuri.
Katakuri was calmly holding a plate of Blake's special caramel donuts. He ate quietly, entirely stripped of the stiff rigidity he used to maintain his "perfect image" alone in his mochi shrine. Sitting beside him, her beautiful face restored, was Charlotte Brulee, holding a cup of hot milk and looking at her brother with pure happiness. Big Mom's eyes darkened instantly. This rebellious son. Not only had he betrayed the family, he took several of her high-potential children with him, and even injured her with his bizarre Demon God Body during their last clash. She wanted nothing more than to skin him alive.
Yet, in this tavern brimming with monsters, Katakuri's small table was the only place she could safely sit. Taking a deep breath, Big Mom marched over on her thick legs, her footsteps thudding against the floorboards. She shoved her way right to their table, unceremoniously pulled out a sturdy oak chair, and dropped her massive weight into it. The chair groaned under the strain.
"Mama…" Brulee violently flinched. The hot milk nearly sloshed over the rim as she hurriedly shrank behind Katakuri. Her voice was laced with unconcealed terror. Big Mom's tyrannical shadow ran so deep that even though Brulee now possessed the power of Dimension Domination, she was still terrified of her mother to the bone.
Katakuri set down his donut. Taking a napkin, he slowly and methodically wiped the powdered sugar from the corner of his mouth. His crimson eyes looked calmly across the table at Big Mom. No fear. No anger. Just the cool indifference reserved for a stranger.
"You're frightening Brulee, Charlotte Linlin." He couldn't even be bothered to call her "Mama" anymore.
"Katakuri, do you honestly believe you can survive on these seas without my protection?" The fat around Big Mom's eyes twitched fiercely as she suppressed the urge to flip the table. She lowered her voice, heavy with threat. "Look around this room. Marines, Whitebeard, Red-Haired… every single one of them is a cannibalistic monster. Trying to lead these useless siblings of yours alone, you'll be swallowed whole until not even your bones remain."
She tried to crush Katakuri's psychological defenses with harsh reality. She knew this son too well. His greatest weakness was his love for his family. If she seized upon that, she was confident she could drag this top-tier fighter and his Demon God Body back to Totto Land. Katakuri didn't even bat an eyelid. He picked up his black tea and took a sip.
"Charlotte Linlin, your era is over." His voice was flat, devoid of any fluctuation. "In this tavern, your proud Yonko title doesn't even qualify you to buy the cheapest beer. When you were driven to a dead end by that Marine Vice Admiral outside, why didn't you remember that you were a monster reigning over the New World?"
His words were like a sharp knife, stabbing precisely into Big Mom's most agonizing wound. Her face instantly turned a sickly pallor, her heavily painted lips trembling.
"YOU UNFILIAL BASTARD!"
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