"Mamamama, this isn't like you at all, Kaido…"
Charlotte Linlin suddenly grinned wide. This bastard Kaido had caused her so much grief—sooner or later, she'd make sure he paid for it!
"Hmph! Cut the crap!"
Kaido's mouth twitched. Normally he would've exploded at the slightest provocation, but now, no matter how Linlin taunted him, he couldn't be bothered to respond.
After being disciplined by Boros so many times, both Emperors had gradually come to understand his personality and habits.
It was no exaggeration to say that, apart from his overwhelming power, Boros was a completely unqualified leader.
He didn't care about his subordinates' loyalty, nor whether they schemed behind his back for personal gain.
As long as they were strong enough, Boros would tolerate anything.
Realizing this, both Emperors began to develop dangerous ideas. Beating Boros seemed impossible for now… but was there a chance they could use his strength to achieve their own ambitions?
But at the same time, they also realized another issue: they weren't the only ones who might try to exploit Boros.
In other words, before they could make use of Boros, they had to make sure the other Emperor wouldn't get in the way.
"Mamamama, look at you now, Kaido!"
Charlotte Linlin lowered her voice in mockery. But she had no intention of starting a fight here.
Just as Kaido was wary of her presence, Linlin—who also planned to use Boros for her own ends—was troubled by how to deal with Kaido, the troublesome obstacle in her path.
But whatever the solution, it absolutely couldn't happen in front of Boros.
Otherwise, given how well the two Emperors knew Boros, they would never care about who was in the right or wrong—they would simply attack and beat both of them at once.
That's why the usual pirate tricks of framing others or sowing discord were meaningless here. If it were anyone else, their strength would be more than enough to crush them outright. Even someone like King or Katakuri—high-level combatants—would just take a bit more effort to deal with.
But neither Kaido nor Charlotte Linlin had the slightest confidence they could eliminate each other under Boros's watchful eye.
While the two Emperors wrestled with their own thoughts, the cadres of the Beasts Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates lined up along the left and right sides.
The sight of such a symbolic display made the guests' hearts race wildly, especially as they recalled the recent news: Kaido's defeat, the fall of the Beasts Pirates, and Wano being forced to change banners.
Even though they knew how unlikely it was, they couldn't help but form a bold, almost unthinkable guess.
At that moment, Katakuri took a deep breath and stepped forward under countless doubtful, astonished gazes.
"Welcome, everyone, to Mama's tea party. But today's tea party will be slightly different. Before it officially begins, I will, on behalf of Lord Boros, formally announce…"
Katakuri paused for a brief moment, then, under the guests' incredulous stares, spoke the decision destined to shake the entire world.
"The Beasts Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates… will together join the Cosmic Dark Matter Pirates!"
The words had barely fallen when the guests, stunned beyond measure, even forgot the presence of the two Emperors, bursting into cries of shock.
Those under the protection of the Big Mom Pirates—or whose own groups existed within Totto Land's sphere of influence—were left dumbfounded and at a total loss.
Yet a few ambitious individuals revealed excited expressions. The alliance of two Emperors was enough to shake the very foundations of the seas, and the more chaotic the situation, the better it was for them to fish in troubled waters.
But soon, some guests began to realize the real question: what kind of man could make two Yonko crews merge—or rather, willingly join another pirate crew altogether?
And so, more and more eyes turned toward the silent figure of Boros, who since his arrival had radiated an overwhelming presence, yet not spoken a single word.
"…And now, before your very eyes—this man is the captain of the Cosmic Dark Matter Pirates—Lord Boros!"
Katakuri naturally noticed the gazes of the guests, and it just so happened that he had reached the most crucial part of his introduction.
To subdue two Yonko crews with his own power, to force Kaido and Charlotte Linlin—the two Emperors of the Sea—to submit!
Such a crazy feat was something that even Roger and Whitebeard had never thought of, yet Boros, whose origins were still unknown, had accomplished it.
Seated upon the throne, Boros now opened his massive single eye. But in a pirate world where Longarm tribe, Longleg tribe, giants, and Tontattas all existed, having only one eye wasn't enough to make the guests think it strange.
"Big news! Gya gya gya hahahahaha! Truly remarkable big news! This trip was worth it!"
Morgans laughed in excitement under his breath while furiously sending photos and articles back to his newspaper through Image Transponder Snails and Fax Snails.
With his status, it had been a long time since he personally wrote articles, but Boros taming two Yonko crews was clearly news big enough to warrant Morgans' personal touch.
"What a terrifying guy… I'd better add him to the 'refuse all contracts' list right away…"
Scythe on his back, Peclo scratched his hair while eyeing Boros warily.
The reason the Grand Funeral Society, under Peclo's leadership, had become the top assassin organization in the underworld wasn't just because of their efficiency and completion rate.
More importantly, Peclo had a very clear sense of who could and could not be provoked. He kept a list of targets that his organization would reject no matter how much bounty money was offered.
Those on the list weren't just troublesome figures like the Celestial Dragons, who brought endless disaster if touched, but also monsters who could annihilate the entire Grand Funeral Society without effort.
Admirals and Yonko had always occupied the top spots on that list, and Boros hadn't even needed to make a move before Peclo had already marked him down as untouchable.
"Huff… another monster, huh. I wonder who's stronger—this guy, or Kizaru…"
Tesoro, with a cigar in his mouth, remained rather calm. Ever since the death of his beloved Stella, his life had been reduced to nothing but making more money and clinging to his obsession with avenging Stella against the Celestial Dragons.
Even knowing that he was now facing a monster stronger than even the Yonko, death itself was not something that could frighten Tesoro.
"This really is… quite a surprising piece of news."
A flicker of unease flashed across Stussy's beautiful eyes. Even Nami, who had always stayed close to Kizaru, had no idea what connection there was between Kizaru and Boros—so naturally, Stussy wouldn't know either.
Although she had already been swayed by Kizaru, from either the Navy's or the World Government's standpoint, Boros's appearance—along with his consolidation of the two Yonko crews into the Cosmic Dark Matter Pirates—was nothing short of a menacing threat.
"Lord Boros hereby declares to the whole world that he will become the Pirate King! And in the name of the Cosmic Dark Matter Pirates, he declares war on the World Government!"
Katakuri took a deep breath and loudly announced the news that would shake the world.
As soon as the words left his mouth, all the guests at the tea party cried out in shock. Even most of the officers of the Beasts and Big Mom Pirates looked at Katakuri in disbelief.
They hadn't heard anything about this beforehand, but knowing Katakuri's character—and seeing that neither Boros nor the two Yonko showed the slightest sign of disagreement—it wasn't hard to guess who had made the decision.
"L-Lord Katakuri, you must be joking, right?!"
"Declare war on the World Government…?! That's not something to joke about!"
"Please, don't make such a terrible joke!"
…
The first to lose their composure were the factions within Big Mom's sphere of influence, especially the smaller nations and organizations that were practically semi-affiliated with her crew.
If Totto Land went to war with the World Government, the first to suffer would undoubtedly be these peripheral forces.
Thus, even the guests who were usually the most humble before the Big Mom Pirates had no choice but to speak up, desperately trying to persuade Katakuri or Boros to reconsider.
"Silence!!"
Katakuri's sharp command rang out, accompanied by a surge of Conqueror's Haki that instantly subdued the chaos beginning to spread through the hall.
Even among the Yonko crews of the New World, there were few who mastered all three colors of Haki—and rarer still those who possessed Katakuri's unique Observation Haki abilities.
Even Kaido's gaze toward Katakuri grew unusual. It wasn't that he was intimidated by Katakuri's Conqueror's Haki, but rather that he felt a simple envy—that old hag actually had such a good son.
In Charlotte Linlin's eyes, Katakuri was already a damned traitor, but everything was relative.
In Kaido's eyes, compared to his own useless and troublesome "son," Katakuri was the very model of a worthy heir—a flawless successor.
The only pity was that Katakuri hadn't eaten a Zoan-type Devil Fruit. Otherwise, Kaido might have even considered pulling a Whitebeard, taking Katakuri as his foster son.
At the very least, Katakuri could've served as a role model for Yamato, who spent every day deluding herself by pretending to be Kozuki Oden.
°°°
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