Standing behind the bar at Shakky's Rip-off Bar, Shakky didn't even notice the cigarette burning down between her fingers.
"That guy… how did he know?"
Rayleigh's whereabouts had always been highly concealed. Even the Marines, with all their intelligence networks, had never successfully tracked him down. Yet, Solomon Carl had waltzed in and pinpointed it effortlessly.
Shakky exhaled slowly, her sharp instincts analyzing the situation.
"What does that monster mean by saying that? Is he leaving Sabaody?"
If Carl had no intention of departing, then he wouldn't have given such a direct warning.
Sabaody Archipelago: Mass Pirate Capture Underway
Under Coffey's lead, the Marines utterly overwhelmed the new wave of pirates who had just arrived at Sabaody.
"Monster!"
"What the hell is with that guy?! Why is he so fast?!"
"Idiot! That's not speed at all!"
"It's like he's phasing through space… like a ghost!"
Coffey's Mark-Mark Fruit ability was on full display. What should have been a mobility-based Devil Fruit was practically evolving into something akin to instant teleportation. His strategic placement of marks across Sabaody allowed him to appear and disappear in the blink of an eye, striking down enemy after enemy.
Boom!
Another muffled impact echoed as Coffey's Shigan (Finger Pistol) punctured a pirate's defenses, sending him crashing into the rubble.
His eyes gleamed with excitement. "I really have become stronger!"
Despite not having mastered Haki, the combination of his fruit abilities with the Rokushiki martial arts made him a terrifying force against ordinary pirates.
It was a massacre. The wave of fresh pirate crews in Sabaody was wiped out like weeds before a storm.
From the shadows, those criminals who had chosen to stay low shuddered in terror.
"I knew it… The moment that demon Solomon Carl returned, these idiots were doomed."
A cigarette trembled in the hands of an underworld leader.
Beside him, his subordinate whispered in dread, "Boss, it's a good thing we stayed put… otherwise—"
Indeed, while some outlaws had chosen to hide, others had foolishly believed themselves invincible.
Those ones were already dead.
By the time Coffey and his squad hauled the captured pirates back to the Marine base, Carl had also returned from his visit to Shakky's bar.
Marine Base: An Unexpected Call
Inside his office, Carl reclined lazily in his chair, cigar in hand, exhaling thin trails of smoke into the dimly lit room.
Buru-buru-buru-buru—
The Den Den Mushi on his desk rang suddenly. He raised an eyebrow before answering.
"Hey~ Carl, it's me~"
Carl's eye twitched. The voice alone was enough of an identifier.
The Den Den Mushi's expression twisted into a smug, perverse grin.
Kizaru.
"Old man, what do you want?" Carl sighed, tapping his cigar against the ashtray.
"Two things~ The first one is about that little capsule you gave me when you were last at Marine Headquarters," Kizaru drawled, dragging out his words.
Carl exhaled another stream of smoke.
"The 'E.S' capsules?"
These were the infamous Energy Steroid (E.S.) pills, which Carl had confiscated after crushing Hody Jones and the New Fish-Man Pirates in Ryugu Kingdom.
A powerful but fatal stimulant, the E.S. granted massive power at the cost of rapidly deteriorating the user's lifespan.
"I already had them sent to Vegapunk," Kizaru continued. "And wouldn't you know it, the good doctor seems very interested in them~"
Carl scoffed. "Hmph. He can have them. I'm not dumb enough to use that junk."
While the raw effect of the E.S. pills was impressive, their drawbacks were far too severe. Not even the strongest pirates in history could survive the body-wrecking toll they demanded.
"And the second thing?"
Kizaru chuckled. "Oh~ This one's actually because of you~"
Carl narrowed his eyes.
"King Neptune of Ryugu Kingdom has finally made up his mind… Marine forces are going to be officially stationed on Fish-Man Island."
Carl's brow furrowed. He had a bad feeling about this.
"Old man… what are you getting at?"
Kizaru hummed, voice filled with amusement. "Oh~ You see… King Neptune specifically requested that you handle the garrisoning process~"
Carl fell silent.
"To put it simply, I'll be sending another Marine force to manage things long-term," Kizaru continued lazily, "but for now, you will be leading the first deployment down to Fish-Man Island."
Before Carl could protest, the Den Den Mushi clicked off.
The room was quiet again.
Carl sat in his chair, smoking his cigar in deep thought.
"That old man Neptune really is decisive when he needs to be."
By allowing Marine presence on Fish-Man Island, King Neptune was openly siding with the World Government.
That also meant that Jinbe's Sun Pirates—who had once sworn loyalty to Neptune—would likely cut ties with Fish-Man Island altogether.
New World – Cake Island
"I WANT MY SNACKS! GIVE ME SNACKS!!!"
In the heart of Totto Land, the towering figure of Charlotte Linlin—also known as Big Mom, one of the Four Emperors—was on the verge of a catastrophic hunger rampage.
The castle trembled as her thunderous voice echoed through the halls of Whole Cake Chateau.
The massive Sweet General Charlotte Perospero wiped his sweaty brow, trying to calm his mother.
"Mama, please! The chefs are preparing the Mille-Feuille Cake as we speak!"
Linlin's face twisted in rage, saliva dripping from her mouth.
"I DON'T CARE!!! I WANT IT NOW!!!"
Her eyes turned wild, pupils constricting as her monstrous form swayed. The very air around her grew heavy with the oppressive presence of her Haoshoku Haki.
Every member of the Big Mom Pirates braced themselves.
They had seen this before.
The storm was coming.
A Loud Roar Shakes Totto Land! Big Mom on the Brink of Disaster!
A deafening roar erupted across Whole Cake Island, sending tremors through the entire land.
The sheer force of Charlotte Linlin's voice created an invisible wave of Haoshoku Haki, striking fear into everyone nearby.
The residents of Totto Land, already familiar with these outbursts, trembled in terror.
"It's over! It's happening again!"
Members of the Charlotte Family huddled together, their faces pale with dread.
"Mama's eating disorder is acting up!"
They had witnessed this horror before. If Linlin didn't get what she craved, the consequences would be catastrophic.
"What exactly is Mama looking for?" A tall, broad-shouldered man with purple hair, a scarf covering his mouth, and piercing eyes spoke in a grave tone.
It was Charlotte Katakuri, the strongest of Big Mom's children and one of her Three Sweet Commanders.
His younger siblings turned toward him nervously.
"Brother Katakuri, we don't know either!"
"The head chef, Streusen, has already prepared more than a dozen kinds of desserts, but nothing is satisfying Mama!"
Katakuri exhaled sharply and stepped forward. "I'll handle this."
As he moved toward the Whole Cake Chateau, the anxious eyes of his siblings followed him.
Inside the Chateau – The Rage of Big Mom!
Within the grandiose Sweet Throne Room, the tension was suffocating.
At the center of the chamber sat an enormous woman, her pink hair cascading down her shoulders, a three-cornered bicorne hat resting atop her head.
She wore a pink polka-dot dress, but despite the cheerful colors, her expression was twisted with rage.
Drool dripped uncontrollably from her gaping mouth, pooling onto the floor. Her massive fists clenched tightly, shaking the palace walls with every involuntary twitch.
Seated before her, looking utterly helpless, was Streusen, the legendary chef and founder of the Big Mom Pirates.
His face was etched with despair.
"Damn it… what in the world does she want to eat?!"
He had already exhausted his culinary expertise, presenting a variety of rare delicacies—cream puffs from Mille-Feuille Island, éclairs from Ganache Town, mochi cakes from Jam City—yet nothing had appeased her.
And now, time was running out.
Linlin's fingers twitched erratically. Her breaths grew heavier.
If her hunger pangs spiraled out of control, she would go on a rampage, destroying everything in sight—friend or foe.
The entire kingdom of Totto Land could be reduced to rubble in a matter of minutes.
Step… step… step…
The sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the tense chamber.
Streusen turned, relief flashing across his face.
"Katakuri! It's you! Thank goodness—there's nothing more I can do!"
The Sweet Commander's eyes darkened. "You don't know what she's craving?"
Streusen wiped his brow. "I've made over a dozen different types of desserts, but none of them have worked!"
His voice dropped to a whisper. "Get ready to run. If this keeps up, she'll completely lose control… and then no one will be safe."
Katakuri knew that all too well.
A Big Mom hunger pang episode wasn't just a temper tantrum—it was a natural disaster, a force of destruction so severe that even the most powerful beings in the world feared it.
But Katakuri didn't hesitate.
"I'll try to stop her."
He stepped forward.
Streusen instinctively reached out, as if to stop him. "Katakuri, wait—"
But the commander ignored him, walking directly into Big Mom's line of sight.
His crimson eyes flickered with the power of Advanced Observation Haki.
His voice resonated, as if bypassing her rage and speaking directly into her soul.
"Mama. What do you want to eat?"
A faint tremor ran through Charlotte Linlin's massive body.
For the first time since the episode began, her wild, bloodshot eyes focused.
A dim spark of awareness returned.
She tilted her head slightly, blinking sluggishly at Katakuri.
Slowly, a twisted smile curled on her lips.
"Katakuri… it's you."
Then, her voice boomed throughout the chamber.
"Quick! Prepare me some snacks from Fish-Man Island!"
The moment the words left her mouth, her eyes glazed over again.
The brief moment of clarity was gone.
The air grew thick with her Haki, suffocatingly heavy. Her body trembled violently, and the floor beneath her cracked under the pressure.
She was teetering on the edge.
Katakuri turned sharply to Streusen.
"Did you hear that? Fish-Man Island snacks."
Streusen swallowed hard and nodded. "I'll get them immediately."
Without wasting another second, he bolted out of the room.
Katakuri remained where he was, standing firm at the palace gates. His normally stoic expression was grim, sweat trailing down his forehead.
If Streusen wasn't fast enough…
Or worse—if the taste wasn't right…
Whole Cake Island would be in ruins before the day was over.
The Final Gamble – Can They Satisfy Big Mom?
Just as Linlin's breathing grew erratic, Streusen rushed back in, holding a massive silver platter stacked with carefully prepared sweets.
"I got them! I got them!"
The entire room froze as he called out.
Linlin's monstrous eyes snapped toward him.
"Huh?! Fish-Man Island snacks?!"
Her expression twisted with manic hunger.
"FISH-MAN ISLAND SNACKS! MY SNACKS!!!"
Her massive jaws snapped open.
Without hesitation, Streusen leaped into the air, tossing the entire plateful of sweets straight into her mouth.
A deadly silence followed.
Then—
A deep, guttural moan escaped Big Mom's lips.
She chewed slowly, savoring the taste.
For a fleeting moment, pure joy washed over her face.
"This taste… it's this…"
The tension in the room eased ever so slightly.
But then—
BOOM!!!
A thunderous roar shook the entire Whole Cake Chateau.
Her face darkened again.
"No… this isn't right!!"
The air shuddered under her Haki once more.
"IT TASTES SIMILAR… BUT IT'S NOT THE ONE FROM FISH-MAN ISLAND!!!"
Even so, the edge of insanity faded slightly.
Her hunger pangs had not fully subsided, but the immediate crisis was averted.
Her breath steadied.
Katakuri and Streusen exchanged glances.
They had bought time—but not much.
Big Mom slowly stood up, her gigantic form towering over everyone.
The very air twisted and warped around her, radiating an unnatural, crushing aura.
"I WANT THE REAL FISH-MAN ISLAND SNACKS!!!"
Katakuri clenched his fists.
If they didn't get them soon…
Whole Cake Island was doomed.
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