Cover Story: Momonosuke— Finale "Tear Stains"
A new morning dawned in Shimotsuki Village.
Zoro woke to find half his pillow damp.
The green-haired boy blinked, dazed, and wiped his mouth.
Did I dream of something tasty last night? Why else would I drool so much…?
"Time for breakfast, you little brat!"
The sliding door banged open, and Kuina stepped in, scowling.
Their eyes met. She froze.
"Wait… are you crying?"
"Huh?"
Zoro blinked and realized… there were still tear trails clinging to his eyelashes.
Embarrassed, he turned away, face flushed, under Kuina's knowing smirk.
Damn it… what kind of dream did I even have last night?!
...
"About that…"
Nao had also been blown back by the impact, skidding nearly a hundred meters before regaining his footing. He looked at Katakuri and shrugged.
"…To be honest, I don't know either."
At first glance, Nao looked worse for wear than Katakuri.
His uniform was shredded, exposing a muscular, battered chest, and even half his flowing black hair had been singed away.
But upon closer inspection, those wounds were rapidly healing—visibly regenerating before one's eyes.
Even his hair was slowly growing back.
If the battle paused for a meal's length of time, he'd likely be good as new.
More terrifyingly—
Unlike Katakuri, who was panting heavily, Nao's breathing remained calm and steady.
As if he hadn't just gone through a full day and night of brutal combat.
"Tch… Still so confident and smug…"
A red glint flashed in Katakuri's eyes. "Let's see if I can take you down before sunset—or if you'll wear me out like you did to Dugalio!"
Before sunset.
This was the deadline he had set for this battle in his mind. After this time, reinforcements from G-1 Branch could arrive at any moment, and then they would be the ones in danger.
With this thought, Katakuri finally stopped conserving his strength and, pouring all his power into it, unleashed one of his strongest trump cards!
"Peerless Mochi: Donut Chant!"
A thunderous roar erupted from his throat as his muscles swelled and veins bulged with power.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
Dozens of giant mochi donuts appeared midair, each one sprouting titanic arms like pillars from the sky, crashing down toward Nao like an avalanche!
"Under thirty… and you've already developed your Devil Fruit to this level…"
Nao muttered under his breath, eyes glowing with battle spirit.
"…Impressive."
"But perfect timing!"
He stepped forward boldly—activating Breaker's Edge in an instant!
He dodged the deadliest wave of attacks, then struck head-on with a devastating sword slash, enhanced by his ability to deal 40% bonus damage to Devil Fruit users!
BOOOOM!
The sea quaked. Storm winds howled.
At the point of impact, a shockwave exploded outward like a white sea serpent, tearing through the waves and surging into the distance.
Even the Marine warship—stationed kilometers away—was tossed violently like a leaf in a hurricane.
"Nao…"
Shia stood at the ship's bow, eyes locked on the distant battlefield.
She hadn't slept a wink all night.
Her fingers gripped the rail so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
You must… you must win!
...
After an unknown period, the terrifying, apocalyptic storm gradually dissipated and ceased. When the two figures fell, their states were even more dire than before.
Katakuri still subtly held the upper hand, but for a moment, neither could claim victory.
"This bastard…"
Katakuri panted hard, locking eyes with Nao.
Monster. He's a goddamn monster.
He'd fought through the New World for over a decade alongside Big Mom, but he'd never encountered someone so impossible to pin down.
Unwilling to give up, he gritted his teeth again and roared, charging out with his trident, Mogura, to fiercely clash with the already prepared Nao.
The fight continued for over ten more hours. As time passed, the scene of the rising sun was unconsciously replaced by brilliant fiery clouds.
Shit…
The sun's about to set… and I still haven't won…
The thought of imminent Marine reinforcements gnawed at Katakuri.
He grew more reckless, more aggressive—resorting even to blow-for-blow exchanges.
But nothing worked.
Nao absorbed every strike like a tireless beast—endlessly resilient. His stamina… seemingly limitless.
—
On the pirate ship shaped like a cake, several kilometers away—
"I can't take it anymore—lick~"
Perospero, the eldest Charlotte son, was even more on edge than Katakuri.
He paced frantically across the deck, then spun around and snapped:
"Hey! Smoothie! Oven! We're jumping in—no more delays! Lick~ We need to help Katakuri take that guy down, lick!"
"Eh?!"
Smoothie looked up, flustered.
"B-But… Brother Katakuri said not to interfere! He'll get mad if we join in…"
"Mama will get even madder if we don't!"
Perospero glared at her.
"That idiot's always going on about 'man's pride' or whatever—but this isn't the time to be stubborn!"
"Besides… whose rage do you fear more? His, or Mama?"
Smoothie and Oven exchanged a look.
Just imagining their mother in a fury sent chills down their spines.
So after a moment's hesitation—they nodded.
"…Sorry, Katakuri."
Oven sighed and waved toward Zeus, who circled the mast.
"Let's go. Zeus! Get over here and pick us up!"
"No need! Already on it!"
Zeus didn't land.
Instead, he zipped excitedly back and forth across the deck, voice gleeful.
"I can feel it! That presence… it's getting closer!"
"What presence…?"
Perospero frowned—then froze.
His whole body stiffened.
He spun toward the horizon, eyes wide in disbelief.
"…No way…"
Far off in the distance, a massive black silhouette surged through the sea.
A colossal ship, dwarfing even their cake ship by hundreds of times, cut through the waves like a predator.
Black sails flapped. A giant grinning pink skull adorned the mainmast. A massive sunflower-shaped figurehead sang a cheery tune…
From afar, it looked like a monstrous beast sleeping on the ocean's surface.
The Queen Mama Chanter.
"MAMA?!"
Oven gasped, face pale.
"She was on Whole Cake Island! Why is she here?!"
"And… why didn't she contact us first?!"
Perospero's face turned to ice, cold sweat running down his back.
"Because… she never trusted us in the first place…"
—
Back at the battlefield—
Katakuri and Nao broke apart from yet another clash, both instinctively pausing.
They stared toward the incoming ship.
"Mama…" Katakuri muttered, his expression twisted with unease.
"…Big Mom's flagship?"
Nao's eyes narrowed. His face turned grim.
He gripped his sword tighter as the shadow approached.
Damn it. I stalled this long on purpose… how the hell did she arrive before Akainu?!
This wasn't in his plan.
Whole Cake Island was nearly ten thousand kilometers away—twice the distance from G1 Branch.
He'd gambled on dragging the fight out, knowing Akainu's reinforcements would arrive first.
But now—
"Katakuri!"
A thunderous voice rang out from the ship.
A colossal figure leapt from the Queen Mama Chanter's deck, racing through the clouds on Zeus.
Her voice was heavy with fury and disappointment.
"What the hell is going on?! Why haven't you—!"
BOOM!
The clear skies darkened.
Thunder rumbled. Black clouds swelled.
BIG MOM descended with terrifying force, landing between the two men like a goddess of wrath.
"Why haven't you brought me my Nao yet?!"
CRACK!
A massive lightning bolt streaked across the sky, illuminating her twisted, furious face.
"BIG MOM…"
"One of the Four Emperors… Her bounty exceeds 4 billion berries…"
On the Marine warship, chaos erupted.
Marines stumbled back in fear. Even the commanding officer paled.
"Damn it…"
The captain trembled.
"How… how could even she come here herself…"
"Mama."
Katakuri bowed his head slightly, saying nothing else.
He had no answer.
It took weeks to sail here from Whole Cake Island—and yet Big Mom had arrived just two days behind them.
She must have followed right after their departure, unable to wait—regardless of how this battle played out.
Her outburst wasn't entirely blame—it was the result of intense longing. An obsession bordering on a craving.
He knew her too well.
As expected, once she saw Katakuri lower his head, she moved on, turning toward Nao.
She stared.
Her rage melted away, replaced by something else—
A greedy, ravenous delight, as if she'd spotted her wedding cake.
"…"
Nao shivered under her gaze.
When he recalled her earlier outburst—"Bring me my Nao!"—his scalp tingled.
This was the first time in twenty years since entering this world that he'd faced a Yonko in person.
Young Linlin had been a stunning beauty.
But in middle age—at 48—her figure had started bloating, the elegance fading.
Her current form was a halfway point between the once-gorgeous woman and the grotesque mountain of flesh she'd become.
"Wonderful… absolutely wonderful…"
Big Mom looked him up and down, eyes gleaming.
Her hands cupped her cheeks like a giddy schoolgirl.
"Mamamamamama~ You're so much more handsome in person than in the papers, Natsuya Nao… You were worth every mile of this journey…"
That look—that expression—
Nao's whole body tensed.
It felt… disturbingly familiar.
He quickly pulled up his system panel and checked the message box.
Sure enough:
[Charlotte Linlin has been initially captured. Ambiguous relationship established.]
[Player receives first stage point reward: 150,000 points.]
[Romantic relationship not yet established. Player, please continue to strive and complete the final capture as soon as possible to receive the second stage reward.]
1Just the first stage reward for "capture" was as high as 150,000 points.
Although he was in a perilous situation, seeing this, Nao couldn't help but twitch his eye slightly.
He had inexplicably picked up a huge sum of points, an absurdly large amount. It not only surpassed the reward from Gion back then, but even far exceeded Garp's…
He sighed, preparing for a desperate fight, and was about to close the system panel.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, he was surprised to see that, right after the previous message, another line of text appeared in the message box:
[New Side Quest "Conquer the World's Strongest Woman" has been triggered. Please check the Quest Log.]
Quest Title: Capture the World's Strongest Woman
[This is ultimately a world where the strong prey on the weak. The comparison of individual strength is far more important than anything else. And currently, the undisputed holder of the title "World's Strongest Woman" is undoubtedly Ms. Charlotte Linlin, right before your eyes.]
[With such a peak towering before you, how can you not try to climb it?]
[So, young man, bravely go and conquer her! Capture her heart, and walk hand in hand with her into the hall of matrimony!]
[Quest Content: Within 30 days, complete the final capture of Charlotte Linlin and walk with her into the wedding hall.]
[Quest Reward: 600,000 points, S-rank Gift Box 1, Shop 80% Off Coupon 1.]