"Leo, you arrive uninvited. State your purpose clearly." Big Mom's voice grew low and dangerous. If this was just a social call, they could part amicably. She might even improve relations with the rising star. But if he meant trouble… her Totto Land was not a place one could simply waltz into and out of.
Leo's gaze pinpointed its targets, and he let out a light chuckle. "I want those two."
Everyone followed his line of sight.
They landed squarely on the Charlotte Family's Minister of Butter, Charlotte Galette, and the Minister of Honey, Charlotte Flampe.
The expressions of the observing guests twisted into something strange and incredulous. He came here, challenged Big Mom's authority… for two women? How utterly pathetic.
Big Mom was taken aback. She'd considered many possibilities, but this was not among them.
"Mama~!"
"Mama~!"
Being singled out so publicly, the mature Galette and the youthful Flampe panicked, instinctively moving closer to their mother. A cold dread began to spread through their hearts.
Big Mom narrowed her eyes, a dangerous glint flashing in their slitted depths. Was she, the master of Totto Land, one of the Four Emperors who ruled the seas, being compared unfavorably to two of her daughters? Anger simmered, but she was not ruled by impulse.
"Leo," she said, her voice deceptively calm. "I will allow you to take them."
"Mama, no!"
"Mama, please!"
Galette and Flampe whipped their heads towards Big Mom, shaking them in pleading denial.
"SILENCE! You do not speak unless spoken to!" Their protests were cut off by Big Mom's sharp, merciless rebuke. The two women flinched, bowing their heads in instant, terrified submission.
In Totto Land, there was only one voice that mattered: Big Mom's will.
After a cold glance at her cowed daughters, Big Mom continued. "Leo, on one condition. You will marry them both here, in Whole Cake Island, in a ceremony witnessed by the world. You will publicly announce that the Leo Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates are henceforth allied. Do this, and I grant your request."
Oh? Hearing the condition, a scornful smile played on Leo's lips. Who said Big Mom was a fool? Anyone who had held the title of Emperor for so long was a formidable player. She clearly wanted to use his power to bolster her own crew's strength. It was well-known that among the Emperor crews, the Big Mom Pirates were considered the weakest. But with his help? They could leapfrog to the top, forcing even Kaido and Shanks to tread carefully. A clever scheme, he had to admit.
Hearing this, Galette and Flampe exchanged a look of pure despair. Just days ago, they had mocked Pudding for becoming a tool of political marriage. Karma was a swift and cruel beast. Pudding's ceremony wasn't even over, and now it was their turn. But even if they refused—which they couldn't—they had no right. As Big Mom's children, it was their duty to solve their mother's problems and contribute to the Charlotte Family. In Mama's eyes, aside from a select few exceptional children, the rest were merely links to maintain the family's power and forge alliances. Most importantly, if they truly angered her… she would kill them.
"Mamamamama! Leo, think it over carefully." Big Mom spread her arms wide, grinning. "If we join forces, no one on the seas will be our match!"
In her view, only an idiot would refuse. She wanted to use his power, true. But her Totto Land Kingdom was also a colossal entity. It would be a great asset to him as well.
"It seems the Big Mom Pirates will have double the happiness today!"
"With Leo joining them, who could ever stand against them?"
"Hahaha! The title of strongest Emperor crew is about to change hands!"
The guests whispered among themselves. They, too, could see no reason for refusal.
Hearing the murmurs, Big Mom's mood improved immensely, her grin stretching nearly to her ears. "Mamamama! Leo, if you have no objections, then this matter is—"
"I refuse."
Leo's light chuckle and shake of his head cut her off.
The reaction was immediate. Jaws hit the floor across the chapel. In the next second, pure dread spread across countless faces. The expressions of the Charlotte Family officers darkened completely. No one had ever dared refuse Mama's offers. And this one was mutually beneficial!
"Leo…" Big Mom's eyes became slits again, her smile twisting into something sinister and terrifying. "What did you just say?"
She must have heard wrong. To refuse her, in front of everyone?
Leo looked at her with open disdain. "Big Mom, you misunderstand. This isn't a negotiation. It's a notification." His voice turned icy. "Out of respect for you being Galette and Flampe's mother, let me take them, and Totto Land remains standing today. Otherwise… you'll bear the consequences."
A symphony of sharp, inhaled breaths filled the hall. Every person present paled. In this moment, they witnessed firsthand Leo's sheer, unadulterated arrogance. He would declare war on an Emperor… for two women?
"Hahahaha! Now that's the Leo I know!" An ecstatic Morgans, already positioned in a prime spot, raised his camera and snapped away furiously. He was profoundly grateful for his foresight in bringing plenty of film.
"Leo, shut your mouth!"
"How dare you!"
The four Sweet Commanders roared in unison. How dare he threaten Mama!
"Mamamama… Good. Very good!!" Suddenly, Big Mom threw her head back and laughed, a harsh, grating sound. Her (grotesque) face was shadowed with malice. "Leo, I gave you a chance. You're the one who failed to grasp it! Everyone… ATTACK!"
At her command, a sea of Charlotte Family members surged forward, surrounding not just Leo, but the entire Vinsmoke family, cutting off any escape.
"Big Mom! What is the meaning of this?!" Judge's aged face darkened in utter confusion. Leo was the one who provoked her! What did this have to do with him? Were these people insane?
"Heh… Father, you still don't see it?" Ichiji was the first to understand, shaking his head with a cold laugh. He finally realized why the Big Mom Pirates had confiscated their raid suits at the entrance. The signs were there all along. They were the fools, dancing in Big Mom's palm.
"So that's how it is." Niji's laugh was bitter, self-mocking. If he guessed correctly, even if Leo hadn't come today, Big Mom would have moved against them. They had been pawns in her game from the very beginning.
Yonji shot a glare at Big Mom. "You planned to betray us from the start, didn't you?!"
Big Mom scoffed, her voice dripping with mockery. "Mamamama! Judge, what do you take yourself for? You think trash like you is worthy of an alliance with the Big Mom Pirates? Once I wipe you all out, Germa's technology will be mine for the taking."
Judge's face flushed crimson with rage.
Big Mom piled on, voice thick with schadenfreude. "Judge, even your sons are smarter than you. You call yourself the head of the Vinsmoke family?!"
Finally pushed past his limit, Judge bit back. "Big Mom! You're a Four Emperor! How can you go back on your word in front of so many people?!" He truly couldn't believe it. After a brief, silent fury, cold clarity washed over him. He had been a clown for Big Mom's amusement this whole time. His dream of unifying the North Blue was just a fantasy. Looking at the(storybook) kingdom before him, Judge felt nothing but profound irony. Pirates were pirates. Concepts like honor or fairness meant nothing to them. He'd prided himself on being a shrewd judge of character, of having everything under control. To be outmaneuvered by this… this obese hag. But there were no second chances. The empire he'd built over a lifetime was about to crumble to dust, and he would pay with his life.
"BIG MOM!!" Judge snarled through clenched teeth, his gaze venomous.
Yonji, Niji, and Ichiji stood impassive. Remade by Judge into emotionless cyborgs, they faced their impending deaths without a flicker of feeling.
Reiju said nothing, her desolate eyes fixed on Leo. So he had only come for Galette and Flampe. A wave of infinite disappointment washed over her. It didn't matter. Even if she couldn't become his, she would be dead soon anyway, finally free from that icy, merciless family. Let it all end here. Reiju closed her eyes quietly, ready to meet her fate.
Big Mom ignored Judge, her cruel gaze locked on Leo. "Leo, you disappoint me!" she rasped. "Today could have ended perfectly for everyone. Why must you oppose me?!" Her voice rose to a shriek. "Since you refuse to see reason, don't blame me! MAMAMAMA! KILL THEM ALL!!"
With her order, her face contorted into a mask of pure cruelty. After slaughtering these nuisances, she could still enjoy her delicious wedding cake.
"You only understand when you're staring at the coffin," Leo murmured, shaking his head with a cold smile. He felt not an ounce of pity for Big Mom. Calling her cruel was an understatement. Countless had died for her whims. A woman who would murder her own children in a fit of rage deserved no mercy, even if she was the mother of his targets. The Paramecia-type Soul-Soul Fruit… he would take it as compensation.
"Wide-Area: Divine Punishment."
A devastating electric field materialized instantly over Totto Land.
"EVERYONE, TAKE COVER!!" Katakuri's eyes flashed red, his Observation Haki screaming a warning. But it was too late.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Thunderbolts as thick as tree trunks, wild beasts of pure silver-white lightning, descended in a mad, indiscriminate frenzy. The entire island was bathed in a blinding, argent sea. Leo stood at its center, a thunder god descended, his form blazing with silver light. He looked down upon the chaos with an impassive face and gently pressed his right hand down.
RUMBLE—! CRACKLE—!
Like venomous serpents, arcs of lightning crisscrossed the terrain, rampaging and destroying everything in their path. The very ground shook. Several massive cake castles collapsed with thunderous roars. Countless Big Mom Pirates, unable to react, were struck directly, their bodies convulsing before they fell, eyes rolled back. Many unlucky guests were also caught in the onslaught, screaming in agony.
"LEO, YOU'RE INSANE!"
"Damn you! It's Big Mom you're fighting, why attack us?!"
"A complete madman! Everyone, run!!"
"Dammit, I never should have come!"
Screams and panic erupted. High above, Leo remained expressionless. The kind of people Big Mom invited were no saints. With his Observation Haki guiding the strikes, each bolt found its mark. One after another, Big Mom Pirates were scorched, their flesh cracking open. The sound of piercing shrieks soon filled the skies over Whole Cake Island.
"Whether you live or die is up to fate now," Leo stated calmly. He hadn't gone for total annihilation. After all, many here were Galette and Flampe's siblings. Their bonds with each other ran deeper than any with Big Mom. If they survived this lightning baptism, they earned their lives. This was his final act of mercy towards the Big Mom Pirates.
Big Mom herself, however, was a necessary exception. She was the source. The core of the rot. She had to die.
A few other small groups were spared: Morgans, still snapping pictures; Galette and Flampe; Stussy; and the entire Vinsmoke family.
Seeing the bolts carefully weave around her, Stussy let out a resigned, self-mocking smile. No need to guess. She was undoubtedly on Leo's list too. She came for the spectacle, only to become the main course.
"Leo…" Stussy watched the figure who dominated the sky, a sly, intrigued light entering her eyes. She licked her lips thoughtfully.
"What?" Judge stared, confused for the second time today. What was happening? Was Leo… sympathizing with them?
"Don't bother guessing, Father." Ichiji's cold voice cut in again. "He's obviously after Germa's technology as well."
In the eyes of these major players, the only thing of value the Vinsmoke family possessed was their science. Hearing this, the faint spark of hope that had flickered in Reiju's heart was instantly doused. She had let herself hope for too much, again.
"LEOOOOOO!!!"
A boiling, terrifying murderous aura erupted from Big Mom's body, descending upon the battlefield like a physical weight. She stared at the ruins of her colossal wedding cake, at her storybook castle now riddled with holes.
"My cake…" she muttered, her voice trembling. "Leo… why would you destroy such a delicious cake? My wedding cake is gone… everything is ruined…"
Her eyes glazed over, the pupils shifting into distinctive yellow (ring) patterns.
"Dammit, not now! Of all times!" The faces of the Charlotte officers paled in unison.
Food Rage. Mama's eating frenzy had been triggered.
In this state, Big Mom lost all rationality, becoming a force of pure, indiscriminate destruction. She wouldn't recognize friend or foe. She would kill anyone in her path.
"EVACUATE THE WEAKER ONES! NOW!"
"Brulee!"
"Flow: Mochi!"
Katakuri bellowed, slamming his hands onto the ground. The power of the Paramecia Mochi-Mochi Fruit awakened, instantly turning the solid floor into a soft, undulating sea of mochi. The sticky substance yanked at his younger siblings, pulling them towards safety.
"Hurry! In here!"
A woman with a pronounced nose, looking like a storybook witch, appeared from a shadowy corner—Charlotte Brulee, the 8th daughter. She immediately used her devil fruit power, creating a portal to the Mirror World. As the user of the Paramecia Mirror-Mirror Fruit, she could create giant mirrors that sucked in anyone who touched them.
Knowing her ability, the officers didn't hesitate, diving into the mirror headfirst.
Clap-clap-clap-clap!
Near Cracker, one biscuit soldier after another was created from thin air. Cracker manipulated his armored creations, ordering them to scoop up his siblings and sprint towards Brulee's mirror.
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T/N :
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