Chapter 46 – Fierce Battle
Night had fallen on the second day in Malt Island.
Tachibana Kyūjō sat casually on a bench inside a small island tavern. He sipped a glass of locally brewed citrus wine, nibbling on various sweet treats made from malt sugar—a regional delicacy, apparently.
Meanwhile, far from town, Charlotte Katakuri stood alone on the edge of the beach.
Since Big Mom hadn't arrived yet, Kyūjō wasn't about to let Katakuri go. But he also wasn't forcing him to stay nearby.
After all, Katakuri couldn't fly, and the entirety of Malt Island remained under Kyūjō's absolute observation through his Infinity Perception.
Even if Katakuri tried to run, Kyūjō could catch him before he took three steps.
The first few bites of the snacks were enjoyable… but after a while, the sweetness turned overwhelming—almost painfully so.
"How does a woman like Big Mom enjoy something this sugary…?" Kyūjō mused. He genuinely couldn't understand. Her body was hard as steel—could she still even be called human?
— — —
Time ticked on.
Eventually, once the other patrons had trickled out of the tavern, Kyūjō sensed something through his perception—faint, but unmistakable.
A massive ship was approaching.
The Big Mom Pirates had arrived.
He pulled a wad of Berries from his pocket and tossed them onto the counter without counting. In the blink of an eye, his figure vanished from the bar.
At the same time, Katakuri, still standing by the shore, suddenly heard a soft voice whisper in his ear:
"Your mother's here. Find a ship and leave Malt Island."
"And don't forget… what I told you yesterday."
Katakuri instinctively turned around—but there was no one there.
— — —
Meanwhile, dozens of kilometers from Malt Island…
A colossal ship shaped like a strawberry cake surged across the ocean, its sails adorned with frosting patterns and candy-like emblems.
Standing tall on the sweet-covered deck was the massive figure of Charlotte Linlin, the fearsome Big Mom herself—happily scarfing down stacks of miniature cream cakes, one after another.
Technically, this was Cake Time, not Meal Time, but the distinction didn't matter.
If Big Mom ever went hungry, she couldn't fight. Her cravings could spiral into a berserker frenzy—losing all reason, she would become a walking natural disaster.
That's why her ever-loyal firstborn son, the Candy Minister Perospero, had prepared enough treats to keep her satisfied until she reached the island.
After all… they needed her at her best.
To rescue Katakuri.
— — —
Suddenly—
KRAAAAK!
A violent crack of thunder ripped through the sky above.
But Big Mom didn't flinch—still munching away.
Only Perospero glanced up, unease creeping across his face.
And then he saw it.
His eyes went wide.
A chill ran down his spine.
From high above the clouds, a monstrous slash wrapped in lightning—stretching thousands of meters—descended like the wrath of a god.
A divine judgment aimed straight for their ship.
Perospero opened his mouth to scream—but he was too slow.
Big Mom had already sensed it.
Her eyes darkened with fury, and with a sharp growl, she launched herself into the air, abandoning her meal in a flash.
She hated being interrupted while eating.
With one fierce shout, she ripped the pirate hat off her head and bellowed—
"Napoleon!!"
At her command, the hat morphed into a massive double-edged sword—her living weapon, Napoleon.
Gripping the hilt in both hands, she infused the blade with Busoshoku Haki, black lightning crackling up the edges. Her Haoshoku Haki flared like a storm, surging along with it.
Then she swung.
A tremendous spiral-shaped energy slash exploded toward the heavens.
"Elbaf no Yari: Ikoku Sovereignty!!"
The sheer force of the attack launched her backward, slamming her colossal body into the ship's deck with a thunderous crash.
A crater burst open beneath her, sending her crashing through floor after floor—down to the sixth deck below.
— — —
BOOOOOOM!!!
The explosion shook the entire sea for hundreds of kilometers.
Above Malt Island, the dark sky was swallowed by blinding white light—as if day had suddenly returned.
Two monstrous forces clashed in mid-air:
A lightning-charged sword strike from the heavens, and a spiral beam of royal might from the Yonko herself.
Though both attacks were intangible energy…
They collided with the force of true blades.
It looked as though two celestial swordsmen were locked in a duel in the open sky.
The sight was both awe-inspiring and surreal.
As if time stretched and froze—while also passing in the blink of an eye.
And when it ended… the winner was clear.
The heavenly thunder slash churned through Big Mom's spiral strike, tearing it apart. Then it descended once more—unstoppable, unfinished—aimed directly at the cake ship below.
Even damaged, the slash was horrifying.
The lightning had faded, its edges torn, its glow dimmer than before.
But still—none of the pirates dared raise a hand to stop it.
Because…
Anything that could overpower Big Mom's Sovereignty Attack…
Wasn't something mere mortals could block.
Trying to stop it would be suicide.
— — —
Luckily for them…
They had Big Mom.
The strongest woman on the sea.
And she didn't make them wait.
From within the ship, a tidal wave of Haoshoku Haki exploded outward, shaking the ocean.
Big Mom, her body bruised but unbroken, shot into the sky once again—charging directly into the descending slash!
"Zeus! Prometheus!!"
At her call, two elemental beings roared to life.
Dark clouds surged beneath her feet—that was Zeus, the thundercloud that let her fly and control lightning.
Above her floated a blazing sun—that was Prometheus, the mini-sun that gave her mastery over fire.
In her hands, Napoleon returned—now fully wrapped in surging black Haki and infused with her soul.
With her trio of weapons at the ready, Big Mom entered her true combat form.
— — —
These three weren't ordinary tools—they were Homies, living beings born from her Soru Soru no Mi powers.
As a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit, the Soul-Soul Fruit allowed her to implant fragments of her own soul into objects, granting them life.
Zeus: Controls the weather and lightning.
Prometheus: Controls fire.
Napoleon: Her main weapon, a sentient greatsword.
— — —
Combined with her monstrous physical strength and overwhelming Haki, these three formed an unstoppable fighting style.
Right now…
Big Mom was at her prime—around 50 years old—the height of her power.
In this version of the world, she still fought with brute strength and Haki as her foundation, using her Devil Fruit abilities as deadly support.
A storm was brewing.
And at its heart…
Stood the Empress of the Sea.
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