This was exactly why Yamato said she wanted to use the Straw Hats and the others as tools. She wanted to use their hands to let Kaido taste the bitterness of defeat. Only if someone Kaido looked down upon managed to beat him would he ever truly admit he had lost. That was why Yamato couldn't do it herself, and neither could the other Yonko.
"Young Lord, have you ever thought about replacing Lord Kaido and becoming the Governor-General of the Beasts Pirates?" Haruko asked curiously. She couldn't help but wonder if the crew would be different under Yamato's leadership.
"Impossible. You know his temper. Besides, the Beasts Pirates were built by that idiot old man. To make the crew change, you have to start with the old man himself. Otherwise, I would have dragged him down from that throne long ago. It is precisely because it's a waste of time that I haven't made a move," Yamato said with a shrug.
In a way, she and Kaido were very similar. Both were incredibly stubborn people who would never change their minds without a very special reason. Hearing this, Haruko was deeply moved. Even though her Young Lord seemed indifferent to the crew's business, she had actually been thinking about their long-term future for a long time.
Suddenly, the ground shook and flames shot into the sky.
"Die, Straw Hat! Jinbe!" Big Mom screamed. She held Prometheus in her hand and smashed her fist toward the duo, cracking the earth beneath them. Just a moment ago, Jinbe had completed the ceremony to leave the Big Mom Pirates in front of everyone. Now, he was officially Mama's enemy.
"The people of the Big Mom Pirates really are terrified of her. Even with so many of them here, no one dares to move. If they all attacked together, they could easily take down Straw Hat and Jinbe," Haruko murmured. To her, the scene was strange. Dozens of powerful officers were just standing there watching a Yonko take action personally. Even Katakuri, the second-in-command, simply held his weapon and stood on guard.
"Haruko, go get our weapons back. We can head home after watching the show for a bit," Yamato instructed. Haruko nodded and immediately turned to leave.
Yamato looked toward the head table through the flickering flames. "How did that photo get broken again?"
She saw a figure walking toward the table, raising a hammer high before letting it fall. With a loud crack, the photograph was smashed into tiny pieces. Everyone in the venue froze as they looked over.
"He... he smashed the Mother's photograph!"
"Who is that guy? How dare he touch that picture!"
The crowd was stunned. That photo was Big Mom's most precious possession. They could only imagine the horror that would follow once she saw it in pieces. There was no doubt about it; Big Mom was going to go berserk.
"Damn it! Who is that bastard?" Big Mom's children cried out in a mix of shock and rage. Even the calm Katakuri looked worried. He didn't even need Observation Haki to know that something terrifying was about to happen.
Hearing the noise, Big Mom turned around and stared at the shattered frame. Her pupils shrank and her entire body went stiff.
"Mama!" Her children broke into a cold sweat.
Big Mom looked up, her eyes glazing over as she began to sway. "The Mother... Mother's... photo... photo..."
Even though she was clearly in shock, her children still didn't dare to get close to her. Instead, they turned their anger toward the intruders.
"Capture them all! Let Mama deal with them later!" They swarmed forward, surrounding the Straw Hats and Jinbe. At the same time, Perospero followed the original plan, trapping the Vinsmoke Family in place with his candy Maiden.
"What are you doing, Perospero?" Judge yelled, turning pale.
Perospero laughed loudly. "Don't panic, it'll all be over soon."
In that moment, Judge and his children realized they had been set up. This wedding was nothing but a trap for the Vinsmoke Family. Only Reiju seemed to have expected this; she closed her eyes and waited for the end.
Soon, Haruko returned to Yamato's side with their weapons.
"The whole place is a mess," Yamato said, still casually eating dessert from a plate. She looked over at Katakuri. Her "eldest disciple" didn't seem angry at all. He remained perfectly calm. Even with Big Mom losing her mind, he just stood there watching.
"He's grown up. But it looks like he doesn't care much about what happens to Mama," Yamato noted.
"That's probably because even if she's in shock, no one can hurt her. Her 'Iron Balloon' body isn't just for show," Haruko replied.
"Iron Balloon, huh? It fits. It's like she naturally has the powers of an Ancient Zoan," Yamato smiled. In terms of pure physical talent, Big Mom was likely the strongest woman to ever live. Even Yamato would have to admit defeat if she didn't use her own Devil Fruit powers.
"I wonder if my disciple has his own plans," Yamato's eyes flickered as she watched Katakuri. He was being far too quiet. "Is he imitating me? If so, that's not bad." She could tell he was thinking for himself now.
Nearby, the Straw Hats were struggling. "Why hasn't she started screaming yet? Did the plan fail?"
"Let's try it again!" Luffy shouted. They decided to show the broken photo to Big Mom one more time to trigger her memory. When Luffy held the shattered pieces right in front of her face, she finally snapped.
"Aaaaaah!"
Big Mom let out a deafening, soul-crushing scream. Massive sound waves mixed with a terrifying burst of Conqueror's Haki exploded through the venue. Most of the guests fainted instantly. The few who stayed awake were left dazed and tortured by the noise.
Sanji saw his chance and rushed forward to save his family.
"Young Lord, how did you know to bring earplugs?" Haruko asked in surprise. If Yamato hadn't given them to her, her head would be ringing right now.
"Hehe," Yamato grinned, showing off her white teeth. Haruko realized then that her Young Lord must have seen this coming.
On the other side of the chaos, Bege saw Big Mom's "Iron Balloon" defense drop. This was the opening he needed. He and his men stepped forward, aiming rocket launchers at the Yonko.
"Bege, you traitor! You actually betrayed us!" The Big Mom Pirates finally realized who the inside man was.
"Fire!" Bege sneered. He and his subordinates pulled their triggers, sending three specialized rockets flying toward Big Mom.
Just as they thought they had won, Big Mom's eyes cleared. Pure rage consumed her. "Straw Hat... I won't forgive you!"
As she spoke, the rockets suddenly burst into flames in mid-air and fell harmlessly to the ground. The assassins stood there, dumbfounded.
"The operation failed! Retreat!" Bege shouted. He turned and ran, followed by the Straw Hats. They headed toward Caesar, who was waiting with a mirror to take them into the Mirror World. This was Brulee's power, and they had kidnapped her just for this escape.
However, Big Mom's scream was so powerful that the mirror in Caesar's hands shattered into pieces. Their only way out was gone.
"It's time," Katakuri said, finally moving. He used his Mochi-Mochi powers to hand out earplugs made of rice cake to his siblings. "You've had your fun. You've been acting crazy long enough, but now it's our turn. Don't even bother asking us to wait."
Katakuri walked toward the group, step by step, with his siblings following behind. The Straw Hats and Bege's crew were now completely surrounded.
"Young Lord, are these the 'tools' you chose? I don't think any of them are getting away today," Haruko said. She couldn't see a way out for them. They were facing the entire elite force of the Big Mom Pirates—all eighty-plus of her children. To make matters worse, Big Mom was starting to calm down. Once she regained her senses, the intruders would be like fish on a chopping block.
"Don't be in such a rush, Haruko. Just watch. They are my tools, so they won't die here. They still have help," Yamato pointed across the field.
Haruko saw the Vinsmoke Family breaking free. They had managed to put on their Raid Suits. With their gear, their power was incredible—enough to fight against the Sweet Commanders.
"I see. Even though the Vinsmokes were ready to give up, Straw Hat didn't give up on them. That's definitely his style," Haruko noted. It was Sanji who had saved them.
"Haruko, look! A giant castle man!" Yamato pointed at Bege, looking excited. Bege had transformed into a massive fortress with cannons and tank treads. To a kid, it was the coolest thing in the world.
"Young Lord, you aren't a child. Why are you so excited?" Haruko asked, confused.
"Hehe, my heart is young. I'm basically still a kid," Yamato chuckled. Haruko just shook her head.
Under the protection of the Vinsmokes, the Straw Hats rushed into Bege's castle body. But they were still trapped. If they didn't break out soon, they would be wiped out.
The screaming finally stopped. Big Mom had regained her senses.
"Mama," Katakuri and the others gathered around her. She didn't say a word, but her rage was palpable. Her eyes were bloodshot and a massive pressure rolled off her body. Her children were dripping with sweat. Even Katakuri felt the weight of her presence.
"I'm still so far from her level," Katakuri thought. "Even with Advanced Conqueror's Haki, I'm no match." He realized that while his training had made him stronger, the gap between a commander and a Yonko was still a vast chasm.
"Maybe I'll never reach that level," he thought, his mind drifting to Yamato. He realized just how strong she must be to stand on equal footing with people like his mother. They were both children of the Yonko, but Yamato had taken a different path. She wasn't living in her father's shadow anymore; she was a peer to the Emperors themselves.
"If I had met her sooner, maybe things would be different. But there are no 'ifs' in this world. I have my own path to walk." Katakuri pushed the thoughts aside and focused on the battle ahead.
The Straw Hats currently had a combined bounty of over 3,000,000,000, but against an enraged Big Mom, numbers didn't seem to matter.
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