Still has to die?
In the vast council hall, everyone stood frozen.
If Snack had been killed before the stakes were made clear, perhaps it could be chalked up to recklessness.
But now, with the Four Emperors Alliance as a powerful backing—and the taboo of total war already broken—Snack, one of Big Mom's Sweet Commanders, was still slain by Luoyu in a single encounter.
The gap between expectation and reality was simply too staggering.
After all, the formation of the Four Emperors Alliance had painted a grand vision of a pirate empire. Charlotte Linlin's dream had made them feel invincible, as if they could walk sideways across the sea without fear.
But Luoyu's unrestrained, domineering strike—
Shattered that illusion of safety like glass.
"Oven, are you joking? If you're joking at a time like this, Mama will kill you!" Perospero snapped awake and shouted.
He wasn't worried about Oven's life.
What truly alarmed him was that Katakuri's earlier prediction had come true.
Faced with the urgent stares around him, Charlotte Oven clenched his fists, then deflated like a balloon and said bitterly:
"Big Brother Perospero, I'm telling the truth. I'm sure more intel will come in soon. That arrogant bastard really did kill Snack."
"He completely disregarded the Four Emperors Alliance and the threat of all-out war!"
"Honestly, I think anyone else in Snack's place would've ended up the same—dead."
The moment those words fell, the room erupted in chaos.
Whatever confidence they had left was instantly obliterated.
Sure, they could still strut around the seas under the banner of the Four Emperors Alliance.
But against this fearless killing machine—
Who could guarantee they wouldn't be next?
It was like waving a "get out of death free" card in front of a blind executioner.
A heavy silence fell over the grand hall, a suffocating pressure settling on everyone's chest.
All eyes turned to Charlotte Linlin.
Feeling the weight of their stares, Big Mom's expression twisted to the extreme. The wine jug she had already crushed was now ground into powder in her hand.
Then came her hysterical roar:
"Well, well! A rookie Marine dares to trample on the dignity of the Four Emperors?"
"Has Marine HQ grown so arrogant that they think they can withstand our wrath?"
"Fine! Send the order—because the new admiral has ignored the authority of the Four Emperors and killed Snack, I will make him pay dearly for his foolishness!"
"Issue a final ultimatum to Marine HQ—we are declaring total war!"
"And in three days, we'll hold a tea party in Totto Land to stage the execution of the admiral candidate. Let's have our own Marineford War!"
"I want to see if Marine HQ will go all out for a mere admiral candidate like they did for Whitebeard!"
The hall erupted.
No one had expected Big Mom to go so far.
Sitting silently nearby, Kaido's eyes gleamed. He let out a cruel laugh:
"Hahaha, Linlin, you're absolutely right."
"If that brat is so arrogant, then he must pay the price."
"Let the world see if Marine HQ has the guts to go mad like Whitebeard did."
"Let's see if they'll follow this lunatic into madness."
Then Kaido turned to King:
"King, spread the word. If the Marines want to save their own, they'll have to release Jack. Otherwise, even if the gods descend, it'll be a dead end."
"Understood, Boss!" King stood up quickly.
But before he could take more than a few steps, Katakuri suddenly stepped in front of him.
"No. I oppose a full-scale war."
"Do you still not believe me?"
His untimely words poured cold water over the rising flames of war.
Even now, with things this far gone, Katakuri remained solemn and composed.
Many in the room looked uneasy.
The first time he predicted that two Emperors would be coughing blood, everyone laughed it off as a joke.
But now, with his second vision—Snack's death—proven accurate, the fear began to creep in.
To oppose Big Mom's declaration of war at this moment—
Was he insane?
Could it be that the Four Emperors, even united, would be beaten bloody?
All eyes turned to Katakuri.
Big Mom's face was livid.
If not for her deep trust in him, she might've slapped him dead on the spot.
As the tension thickened, Big Mom seethed, unsure what to say.
Then—
"Hmph. Cowards, the lot of you. Don't forget—this plan was mine. I'm the one doing the killing."
A raspy voice echoed from outside the hall.
A man with a katana stepped into the room, his gaze cold and sharp.
Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, one of the Five Elders, swept his eyes across the pirates and said:
"You're all scared of a single Marine brat? And you call yourselves rulers of the sea? What a joke."
"But since you're so afraid, I've brought you some extra help—just to make sure you don't ruin my plans."
As he finished, two figures appeared behind him at the hall's entrance.
When the pirates saw who they were, they froze—then erupted in shock.
Even Gion, bound nearby, was stunned.
She recognized them as terrifying figures from the old era—each capable of shaking the seas alone.
But what shocked her most was the man who brought them—
A member of the Five Elders, someone she had only seen in classified files.
If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she would never have believed it.
The rulers of the World Government… colluding with pirates?
A terrifying thought took root in her mind:
Was all of this… to kill Admiral Luoyu?
If that were true—
Two Emperors. Two Warlords. Countless pirate lords.
And Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro overseeing it all.
This was a death trap.
And yet, according to Katakuri's vision—
The two Emperors would be coughing blood?