While Doflamingo was still speaking with the Gorosei, the less-injured Trebol and Diamante silently approached.
"Doffy, are we really going to go back on our word? If that terrifying man comes for us again…"
When Doflamingo finally hung up the Den Den Mushi, his face expressionless, the two exchanged uneasy glances before Trebol cautiously voiced his question.
They had seen firsthand just how frightening the great pirates of the New World could be. Even Doflamingo had been no match for that monster. Diamante, usually brimming with confidence, had been utterly cowed by Katakuri.
"Go back on my word? Don't make me laugh! Spread the order—starting today, suspend all other business. Put everything into weapons production! Triple the output in the shortest time possible!"
Doflamingo snarled, baring his teeth. He had endured enough of the condescension from the Gorosei and the Celestial Dragons.
Though he hadn't managed to strike a deal with Katakuri, he had already decided to gamble everything.
He would drag the Gorosei and the Celestial Dragons into the abyss, and when they fell, he would see if they still dared to look down on him.
"A-aye, understood, Doffy!"
Trebol instinctively wanted to object, but faced with a Doflamingo teetering on the edge of a rampage, he dared not defy him.
And just as Doflamingo resolved to betray the Gorosei and board the Cosmic Dark Matter Pirates' ship, the New World was already roiling with chaos.
The combined authority of two Yonko was terrifying beyond compare. Even back when Roger became Pirate King, countless pirates still tried their luck against him.
But none would ever dream of challenging two Yonko at once—let alone bowing to a man who had defeated two Yonko, the "Cosmic Overlord" Boros.
From every corner of the New World, countless pirates began sailing toward Totto Land. Under the banner of declaring war on the World Government, the Cosmic Dark Matter Pirates launched a limitless recruitment campaign, forging an unprecedented, massive pirate alliance.
Every day, countless pirate ships entered Totto Land's seas, absorbed into the ever-expanding super-pirate fleet. At the same time, ships continuously departed, spreading across the New World to recruit more crews into their ranks.
If not for the fact that the Big Mom Pirates could produce endless amounts of food on their own, the sheer number of pirates—now already exceeding two hundred and fifty thousand—would have devoured a nation's worth of supplies in no time.
Even more terrifying was that their numbers continued to grow. No one knew exactly how many pirate crews had ever existed in the New World, but at this rate of expansion, it wouldn't be long before the answer revealed itself.
"Mamamama! What a sight this is—something the world has never seen before!"
Thanks to her "good behavior," Charlotte Linlin had temporarily regained the right to move about freely. From atop the Cake Castle, her greedy gaze swept over the sea of people swarming the harbor.
Even though the Big Mom Pirates once held power second only to the legendary Sky Pirates, she had never witnessed such a massive army before.
If she could seize command of these hundreds of thousands of pirates, who would dare say she wasn't Pirate King?
But as the thought crossed her mind, Linlin's face grew dark. The dream of becoming Pirate King was within reach—yet the greatest obstacle was that she had already become someone else's subordinate.
This enormous fleet, though partially drawn by her own name and reputation, truly belonged to that one-eyed monster Boros.
To claim the fleet for herself, she would have to break free from, or even defeat, Boros.
And beyond him loomed Kaido, waiting for the chance to decide who would rule. Still, compared to the unreasonable monstrosity that was Boros, Linlin would rather risk her life against Kaido any day.
"Lick-lick… It truly is an incredible sight, Mama. But with so many arriving at once, our stores of food nearly ran dry…"
Standing beside her, Perospero's expression was a mixture of excitement and unease.
When Linlin had been defeated by Boros, he had not rebelled like their brother Snack in an attempt to rescue her.
Yet, as the eldest son, he had at least not betrayed her as Katakuri had, which kept him within Linlin's tolerable limits.
Thus, once she regained some freedom due to her "good conduct," she naturally chose to keep Perospero—the one who had always advised her—close at hand.
"That won't do at all! How could we let our guests go hungry? Where has all the food gone? Which wretched fool failed to deliver enough tribute?!"
Linlin's bloodshot eyes glared at her son. Unseen, a murderous aura seeped out, filling the air with crushing pressure.
Though it wasn't directly aimed at him, the terror in her presence made Perospero's legs tremble violently, sweat soaking through his back.
If Sister Carmel was the ultimate taboo topic, then mentioning food shortages in front of Linlin was a forbidden line of equal danger.
Perospero wished he could rewind time, slap himself across the face, and stop those words from leaving his mouth.
"N-no, Mama! There's still plenty to eat! It's just that so many guests arrived all at once! We've already filled the gap—everyone's working hard to make more food, and shipments are pouring in from every corner! Nobody will go hungry, I promise!"
He waved his hands frantically, panic written all over his face, fearing that even a moment's hesitation might brand him as the one hoarding food.
Linlin scrutinized her eldest son for a long, dreadful moment. Just as his stiff smile was about to crack, she finally turned her head away.
For all her gluttony and rage, Linlin was not entirely without thought. If her rule were maintained by brutality alone, the Big Mom Pirates would never have grown into the most powerful of the Four Emperors' crews.
Yet, in the short span since regaining her "freedom," she had already sensed through those around her that her position was beginning to slip.
Though she still held the rank of "Supreme Combatant," second only to Boros himself, both her former crew and the newly recruited pirates had started to see her not as the once-mighty Empress of the Seas—
but merely as Boros' subordinate.
At first, Charlotte Linlin was ready to explode on the spot, to let those hateful traitors once again witness her terrifying wrath.
But the bitter lessons from before made her change her mind. A senseless rampage would only be suppressed by that damned one-eyed monster. If she lost again, not only would she fail to regain her former status, she would also lose even more of her intimidation.
"Mamamama, so that's how it was. Mama almost wronged you, Perospero."
Her face bloomed with an almost "innocent" smile, as if that suffocating aura of terror a moment ago had not come from her at all.
From her days as a Rocks pirate to becoming an Emperor of the Sea in the New World, Charlotte Linlin relied on far more than her peerless physique and unmatched combat strength.
Anyone foolish enough to think Big Mom was easy to fool would always meet a miserable end.
"Ahahaha… Mama, don't say such things…"
Perospero forced a hollow laugh, only to realize afterward that his back was soaked through with cold sweat.
Fortunately, Linlin did not erupt again. After enjoying a feast with Perospero at her side, she returned to Cake Castle.
There sat Boros, as ever, upon the throne—his single eye closed, as though uninterested in anything.
But not far away, Kaido sat battered and bruised—a vivid example of why no one dared trifle with Boros.
"Damn it! Let me go! I want to set sail!"
A raucous voice broke out as King, Queen, and Jack dragged the still-struggling Yamato before Boros.
Back when Kaido and the Beasts Pirates were crushed by Boros, Yamato had believed she would finally be free.
But Boros had never come to liberate Wano. By defeating the "Great Demon King" Kaido, Boros had simply replaced him—becoming an even more terrifying Demon King.
The samurai of Wano, who had barely managed to endure under Kaido's rule, now suffered heavier blows than ever before.
As for Yamato, who loved to cosplay as Kozuki Oden and dreamed only of going to sea—she was now forced to serve as a senior combatant of the Cosmic Dark Matter Pirates.
"Mamamama! Truly worthy of being your daughter, Kaido!"
Charlotte Linlin laughed with schadenfreude.
Though she could never forgive Katakuri's "betrayal," after seeing Yamato—the very image of a dutiful daughter—Big Mom had begun to show a touch more tolerance toward her own children, including Perospero.
In any world, there is no easier way to empathize than by comparing who has it worse. And when the object of comparison was Kaido—an Emperor recognized even by Linlin—she could even find a sense of superiority.
"Hmph."
Kaido grunted irritably, drowning his humiliation in liquor.
On any other day, if not outright fighting, he and Linlin would at least be bellowing at each other by now.
But fresh from being thoroughly beaten by Boros, Kaido—for once—had enough sense not to provoke another thrashing. At least until he drank himself blind again.
Linlin grinned wide at the sight, but did not press the matter further.
Before long, Charlotte Cracker and Charlotte Smoothie of the former Big Mom Pirates arrived, both nervous as they lifted their eyes toward their mother, uncertain what orders Captain Boros intended for them.
°°°
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