"That sound just now was..."
"I didn't hear wrong, did I? Was that Mama's scream?"
"..."
A massive explosion echoed from within the darkness-shrouded barrier, causing both sides of the battlefield to halt their movements and turn their gazes toward it.
The barrier formed of black mist began to crumble bit by bit from the top. Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed intently on the center of the dark fog.
Katakuri and the people behind him wore grave expressions. The faint, agonizing scream they had just heard seemed to strongly foreshadow a grim outcome.
Soon, the dark barrier completely collapsed, the wisps of black mist swirling into a vortex and converging toward the center.
"Look! It's the Governor-General!"
"Awesome! We won! The Governor-General defeated an Emperor!"
"Yeah!!"
"This is amazing! We won!!"
The moment Allen's figure appeared in everyone's line of sight, fierce cheers instantly erupted from the crowd.
Sanji bit down on his cigarette, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly. "Hmph, he sure works fast. With this, he's truly become an Emperor of the Sea in name and reality."
"Although I rarely meet my match in major martial arts tournaments, I'm still just a rookie in the pirate world." Ideo stepped forward and chuckled lightly. "To think there'd come a day when I'd become the subordinate of an Emperor."
Thinking back to when Allen invited him to join, the Demon Lion crew was just a newly rising major pirate crew at the time. In just half a year, he never expected them to expand into such a massive faction, and now they had even defeated an Emperor in a head-on clash.
"It's hard to imagine his strength was actually this absurd. Looks like I really dodged a bullet by not getting beaten to death back then," the Longleg Tribe martial artist Blue Gilly couldn't help but grin and sigh in amazement.
When he was defeated by Allen before, he only knew the man was strong, but he had no idea he was *this* strong.
However, while some rejoiced, others despaired.
As the crowd cheered for Allen's victory, on the opposite side...
Katakuri and the Charlotte Family members behind him wore grave expressions, their eyes filled with dread as they watched Allen steadily approach.
"Brother Katakuri... what do we do now...?"
"Is Mama still alive? If she's dead, doesn't that mean we're also..."
"Damn it! If worst comes to worst, we'll just fight them to the death!" Oven shouted with a furious expression, looking as if he was ready to charge forward and risk his life against Allen.
"Don't be reckless, Oven!" Daifuku hurriedly grabbed him.
Katakuri tightened his grip on his trident, his gaze locked onto Allen. "Mama is dead. There is no one left in Totto Land who can oppose you. Whether it's territory or resources, take whatever you want. But my younger brothers and sisters—I will absolutely not allow you to lay a hand on them!"
Katakuri shouted coldly, holding his trident horizontally in front of him, seemingly prepared to lay down his life to cover the others' escape.
"There's no need to treat me like some unforgivable demon. I won't kill you, nor will I drive you out of Totto Land..." Allen's voice was calm as he stopped in front of Katakuri and continued. "Disband the Big Mom Pirates. Plant my flag across Totto Land and all its affiliated territories. Every island will hand over fifteen percent of its net income every month. Just these three conditions. Can you do it?"
Allen looked at Katakuri, his tone flat yet commanding, showing absolutely no intention of leaving any room for negotiation.
But these terms were already generous enough; Allen had only increased the tax rate by five percent compared to the territory's previous tribute.
"Is that really all? You won't lay a hand on anyone else, and you won't force everyone to leave Totto Land?" Katakuri furrowed his brows, finding it somewhat hard to believe.
The price of defeat simply seemed too light—so light that it made him doubt they had just fought an all-out war.
"I don't understand. Aren't you afraid that one day we'll raise an army to seek revenge?" Katakuri questioned.
Allen stared into his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the Charlotte Family members behind him before finally returning to Katakuri.
"People are the most precious resource in the world. Once you realize that, you'll understand. As for revenge..." Allen's mouth curled into a smirk, and he said dismissively, "You're all too cowardly. Otherwise, Big Mom's rule wouldn't have lasted until today."
With that said, he turned and walked away, stating without looking back, "If you have the guts, then come and try. When that time comes, I'll slaughter every last one of you."
"..."
The hot-tempered Oven angrily took a step forward, but Katakuri blocked him with his trident and muttered in a low voice, "Perhaps he's right. I am too cowardly. I always choose to compromise. Protecting the family was just my excuse."
"Brother Katakuri!"
"You're not that kind of person at all!"
"Let's fight them! As long as you give the order, we will absolutely stand on the front lines with you!"
Oven and the others stepped forward and voiced their indignation, completely disregarding the fact that Allen and his crew were still present.
However, Katakuri closed his eyes and sighed powerlessly. "Enough. The battle is over. Let it all end here."
Big Mom was dead. For Totto Land, this wasn't necessarily a bad thing—at least, that was what Katakuri believed.
In the past, Big Mom's existence protected Totto Land from being invaded by powerful external enemies. Now, it was simply replaced by Allen. For many years now, he hadn't believed that Big Mom brought any other benefits to Totto Land.
Soon, the news of Big Mom's death rapidly spread throughout all of Totto Land.
Nami and the others, who were fighting on various distant islands, also ceased their battles. Upon receiving the news, they quickly flew toward Whole Cake Island at the center of Totto Land.
Big Mom's death caused no small amount of panic among the residents of the various islands, but it didn't last long. By the afternoon, the various Ministers of the Charlotte Family had taken charge of their respective territories and swiftly quelled the chaos.
The massive number of Homies did not disappear with Big Mom's death; instead, they were all brought under Allen's control through soul resonance. In the future, they would continue to take on patrol and security duties just as before. Even for Allen's other territories, he would create more Homies to serve as peacekeepers.
That's right. In the final moments of his battle with Big Mom, he had seized and eaten the Soul-Soul Fruit.
Now, Allen had acquired all three major categories of Devil Fruits: Zoan, Logia, and Paramecia.
Regarding his third Devil Fruit, Allen had pondered over it for a long time. The Logia-type Mag-Mag Fruit with its ultimate explosive power, the Paramecia-type Press-Press Fruit that freely manipulated gravity, and the Soul-Soul Fruit were all among his considerations.
Allen had considered almost all the well-known abilities on the sea, but ultimately, he settled on the Soul-Soul Fruit.
In terms of combat power enhancement, not only could Allen use it to manipulate all things in the world, but he could also strengthen himself by consuming his lifespan. During peacetime, Homies could not only be used as labor or island administrators, but he could also continuously create Homie weapons.
Without a doubt, this was a near-perfect Devil Fruit.
Aside from being countered by the Dark-Dark Fruit, it had almost no weaknesses. Moreover, the strength of the created Homies would synchronize with the soul used. For example, Big Mom's thundercloud Zeus, Prometheus, and Napoleon were all created using fragments of Big Mom's own soul. Aside from the inability to turn into elements, their attack power was in no way inferior to the Logia-type Flame-Flame Fruit and Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
Allen didn't need to hesitate; he ate the Soul-Soul Fruit right then and there.
While the chaos across the islands of Totto Land was gradually being suppressed, inside the palace on Whole Cake Island...
Allen and his top executives gathered together, but there was not a trace of joy for their victory on their faces.
"To think they would attack our territory while we were at war with Big Mom."
"Those despicable Marines! Let's deploy our forces, Boss! We absolutely have to teach them a lesson!" the Nyaban Brothers shouted indignantly.
The others also turned their gazes toward Allen.
"Things haven't spiraled out of control yet. Prepare the ship. We set sail back tonight," Allen ordered decisively.
The news that multiple territories had suddenly been attacked had indeed caught them somewhat off guard. But fortunately, the war here had ended quickly.
Those damn Marines. When they got back, he was going to skin them alive!