"You think you can get away with clever tricks like that?" Baron Eggman said coldly.
"How could I possibly think that?" Rossinante replied calmly. "If the Big Mom Pirates were so easy to deal with, they wouldn't be the Big Mom Pirates. You and I both know that this battle is inevitable. Luring you here was simply to avoid causing any more destruction to the already war-torn Kingdom of Jeromeo."
As his words fell, several figures with grim expressions slowly stepped out from the shadows, surrounding the members of the Big Mom Pirates. There weren't many—only six—but their powerful auras made it clear these weren't mere grunts.
"130 million bounty—Aban. 115 million—Gunslinger Blake. 150 million—Banning. 170 million—Biddel. Another 170 million—Saul. And finally, 190 million—Bins. The Kingdom of Jeromeo really does have quite the lineup," Baron Eggman said in a deep voice.
"Perospero, are these the ones you're relying on? You think this motley crew can oppose Mama?" Perospero scoffed as he licked his oversized lollipop.
"Of course not," Rossinante replied with a calm smile. "I'm well aware that these people alone can't take down Big Mom. But taking down you lot—that's a different story."
"Heh... looks like we're being seriously underestimated," Perospero sneered. "We are the Big Mom Pirates, after all."
"Whether I've underestimated you or not, we'll find out soon enough. Bins—Baron Eggman and the rest of Mama's grunts are yours. Perospero... I'll handle him myself."
"Yes, understood, Your Majesty," Bins and the others replied, drawing their weapons.
"Don't get cocky now—Candy Wave!" Perospero shouted.
Thick syrup-like candy surged together into a swampy mass and rushed toward them.
"Scatter! Don't let the candy touch you!" Rossinante shouted as he leapt back. "Once the candy invades your body, it'll turn you into a candy puppet!"
Even without the warning, Bins and the others knew better than to underestimate the candy. Perospero's bounty was 510 million—he was no joke. They quickly scattered.
Seeing Rossinante leap back, Perospero commanded the candy to surge after him. Capture the king—end the battle.
Rossinante kept retreating, but the waves of candy chased him relentlessly. Then, a towering wave over ten meters high crashed forward, engulfing Rossinante in sticky sweetness.
"I've heard of you... the Silent Blade, Rossinante. Rumor has it you defeated Borsalino in Loguetown," Perospero sneered. "Looks like the rumors were exaggerated. You're nothing special—Perororin!"
"Slash!" A flash of sword light tore through the candy, and a figure burst out of the wave with incredible speed.
"That was close... just a little more and I'd have been swallowed completely," Rossinante said calmly, holding a long blade in his hand. His previous sword had been broken by Sakazuki, so this one had been chosen from the Kingdom of Jeromeo's treasury—said to be one of the esteemed Grade Blades.
"He got out of that? And not a drop of candy stuck to him?" Perospero's expression twisted in disbelief.
Many in the New World had escaped his candy waves, but Rossinante was the first to emerge completely unscathed.
"Tell me, Perospero... do you know why, as the eldest son of the Charlotte family, you were never chosen as one of Mama's Sweet Commanders?"
Rossinante's voice was quiet but sharp.
Perospero's face darkened. "Shut your mouth!"
He was still deeply bitter that Big Mom had never chosen him to be one of her top generals. Having that wound jabbed at openly made his face twist with resentment.
"Candy... hates heat." Rossinante said softly. He snapped his fingers.
Suddenly, a thunderous explosion erupted beneath Perospero's feet. The ground blew apart in a fiery blast, and Perospero was caught in the explosion.
Then, a figure shot into the flames at blinding speed. Moments later, it flew back out, carrying a bloodied, broken Perospero.
The one carrying him was a tall young man with an icy expression and a stormy aura.
"Charlotte Katakuri... one of Big Mom's Sweet Commanders." Rossinante narrowed his eyes. "I didn't think someone of your caliber would come all the way to a small kingdom like Joromia."
"I only came as a precaution... but it seems we underestimated you." Katakuri's voice was low and dangerous. "You knew Perospero's weakness from the start, didn't you?"
"Well, I suppose you could say that," Rossinante replied. "Knowing his ability revolves around candy, it wasn't hard to guess."
In truth, Rossinante had already deduced from the original world's lore that Perospero's candy powers were vulnerable to heat. Anticipating his arrival, Rossinante had buried powerful explosives beneath the ground and muted their flames using his ability. When the time came, he simply released the suppression—triggering the blast that caught Perospero off guard.
"Mama once thought very highly of you," Katakuri said, lowering Perospero gently. Using his Mochi-Mochi Fruit powers, he formed a protective palace of mochi around his brother. "She even considered making you her son-in-law. But now... I'll just have to bring your corpse back instead."
Rossinante's name first appeared on Big Mom's radar when he defeated Borsalino in Loguetown. That single act sent shockwaves through the world. It was that very moment that Rossinante's profile began circulating among the major powers of the New World.
When Big Mom heard that Rossinante had bested Borsalino, she was genuinely impressed. Someone who could overcome a Marine Admiral—even a vice admiral ranked one like Borsalino—was worthy of attention. And when news came that he had established himself in the New World as the King of the Kingdom of Joromia, Big Mom grew increasingly interested in bringing him into her fold.
In fact, this very encounter—Perospero's visit to Jeromeo—had originally been intended as a diplomatic mission. The goal was to recruit Rossinante. If things had gone smoothly, perhaps a full-scale battle could've been avoided.
But Rossinante had already made up his mind. From the beginning, he believed that negotiations with the Big Mom Pirates were pointless. So when Perospero saw Rossinante leading them deeper into the mines, he gave up on diplomacy. Even though Big Mom admired Rossinante's strength, anyone who toyed with the Big Mom Pirates... would not be forgiven.
Boom!
Katakuri launched a kick infused with the power of his Mochi-Mochi Fruit.
The Mochi-Mochi Fruit was a rare and powerful Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that allowed its user to control and become mochi. Its properties were similar to Luffy's rubber fruit—extremely elastic and fast-growing—but with added stickiness and deadly precision.
Katakuri's leg stretched and hardened, coated in black Busoshoku Haki, and hurtled toward Rossinante like a cannon.