The news that the Revolutionary Army's logistics convoy had been attacked quickly reached Ghidorah's ears.
When he learned it was the work of Kaido's former subordinate Jack—and that Jack had even joined Charlotte Linlin's crew—two enormous shadows rose from the Red Line and soared toward the New World.
Perhaps outsiders didn't understand the meaning of this, but the upper echelons of the Kingdom of Joy knew full well:
That guy was finally making a move.
And this time, it wasn't just him—there were two of them.
Another storm was about to sweep across the seas.
New World – Whole Cake Island
As the last remaining Yonko, Charlotte Linlin's days were far from easy.
Not only was her territory constantly being eroded, but she also had to contend with a Whitebeard restored to his prime.
And yet, in the middle of this two-front crisis, another piece of despairing news arrived:
Jack—of all people—had gone and provoked that monster's faction.
"Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma! That damned Jack, causing trouble everywhere! I should never have let him leave in the first place."
On her massive throne, Big Mom's expression darkened as she listened to her children report.
"Mom, now isn't the time to punish Jack. We should be thinking about what we'll do if that man shows up!"
One of her senior officers spoke up from below.
"Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma… My children, there's no need to panic.
Yes, we have a grudge, but he won't necessarily get angry over something so small."
"Nononono—"
Quinn suddenly stepped forward, his layers of fat trembling as he swayed.
"Mom, you can't judge that guy by normal logic. Back at Onigashima, he…"
Quinn recounted the incident when that man had brazenly attacked Onigashima without warning. Fear flickered in his eyes as he concluded:
"Even in his Azure Dragon form, Kaido-sama wasn't his match. I say… when he gets here, we should just submit to him. That way—"
Before he could finish, Charlotte Linlin's expression hardened.
"Quinn… What nonsense are you spouting?
I don't care how strong he is—Charlotte Linlin hasn't reached the point where I can't swing my blade.
If he thinks I'll bow down, he's dreaming."
After all, she was a ruler of the sea. The idea of submitting to anyone was unthinkable.
She was not like Whitebeard—he had already let go of ambition, caring only for family above all else.
"Bad news, bad news!"
A panicked underling stumbled into the audience chamber, shouting:
"Mom! Reports from the outer seas—there's a flame monster in the skies above our waters!"
A flame monster?
Everyone froze for a moment.
On the throne, Charlotte Linlin's gaze sharpened.
"Wasn't it supposed to be a golden monster?"
"No, no! This one… it's a terrifying beast that can ignite and burn everything!"
"A flame monster, hm?"
"Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma… There's no flame monster in my Whole Cake territory!"
She rose from her throne, her heavy footsteps shaking the floor as she strode outside.
"Hey—can you behave yourself? Stop wrecking things. This island's going to be ours eventually.
If you destroy it, that brat Sabo's going to nag me again."
In midair, Ghidorah looked down with mild annoyance at the low-flying, rampaging Rodan.
After spending so much time together, the creature that outsiders saw as terrifying and awe-inspiring was, in Sabo's eyes, simply family.
And because of that, Ghidorah had long since lost all "dignity" around him—Sabo would pester him about anything without hesitation.
Rodan snorted at the words, full of disdain, and was about to climb higher into the sky—
when, in an instant, he sensed an immensely powerful soul signature.
Though he knew little of this world beyond what Ghidorah had told him, he instantly guessed: this must be the female Yonko.
"Heh… now this is getting interesting."
Feeling Charlotte Linlin's presence, Rodan shot upward and arrowed straight toward the massive cake-shaped island.
Just as Big Mom stepped outside, she saw a black shadow racing toward her from the distance.
At supersonic speed, the shadow grew larger and larger.
In its wake, vast plumes of smoke rose into the air, and everything beneath its flight path burst into flames and melted away.
Watching her beloved Cake Island melting in huge swathes, Charlotte Linlin's eyes grew sharp and stormy.
"That damned thing!"
"Zeus!"
With a roar, the giantess summoned a white cloud into her hand. Fueled by her fury, it turned black and swelled in size.
The thundercloud rose into the sky, lightning crackling.
BOOM! BOOM!
Bolts of raw lightning shot from the cloud, instantly striking the airborne Rodan.
"Ehh—what's this?"
Rodan let out two strange cries as the electricity coursed over him. Compared to his leader's lightning, this was nothing more than a tickle.
WHAM!
Ignoring the lightning, Rodan swooped down toward them—only for the very ground of Cake Island to melt like candle wax under his touch.
With no choice, he flapped back into the air, fixing his gaze on Charlotte Linlin below.
"So you're Charlotte Linlin?"
"Wow, you're even uglier than I expected."
…!!
At those words, the faces of everyone below went pale.
Even pirates know—a woman's appearance is the last thing you insult. And Charlotte Linlin…
Her eyes instantly went blood-red. She raised her other hand.
"Prometheus! Burn him alive! Zeus—strike him dead!"
Having lost all reason, the Yonko shrieked like a madwoman, hurling her fury.
Lightning and towering waves of fire erupted at once, surging toward the monster in the sky.
"Hah! So it's not just young women who have more chest than brains—looks like the old ones aren't too bright either."
Rather than fear, Rodan's eyes gleamed with hunger.
And when he saw Prometheus in her hand, that look was exactly the way a starving thug stares at a steaming bowl of braised pork.
High above, in the cloud tops, Ghidorah shook his heads.
Those two cloud pets of yours… they're about to be someone's dinner.
And indeed, as the firestorm filled the sky, Rodan opened his massive beak.
A colossal suction force blasted forth—like the pull of a black hole.
The raging flames twisted into a blazing red dragon, drawn into his mouth and swallowed whole.
In moments, the fire that had blotted out half the sky was gone.
In Big Mom's hand, Prometheus drooped weakly.
"H-how… is that possible?!"
The minds of everyone below went blank.
In this day and age…
was there really a creature that could feed on fire?
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