Seeing Leo's firm stance, Reiju could only acquiesce. Afterward, Leo handed the still-unconscious Sanji and Morgans over to Judge, instructing him to let them go once they woke. He held no particular grudge against Sanji—he was Reiju's brother, after all. As for Morgans, they had an ongoing deal, and the news coo was a vital piece in his long-term plans.
With everything arranged, Leo left Totto Land, taking Charlotte Galette, Charlotte Flampe, Stussy, and Reiju with him.
Below, Katakuri led the few dozen surviving Charlotte officers in the grim task of cleaning up the ruins. An air of profound悲恸 (mourning) hung over the once-cheerful kingdom. A future of terrifying darkness awaited them.
Ten Thousand Meters Above Sea Level
The view was vast and empty, save for a single luxurious airship and a large,浮在空中的柔软云床 (floating, soft cloud-bed) suspended beside it. A gentle breeze brushed through Stussy and Reiju's hair, carrying their subtle fragrance.
"Ca-Captain… must it really be like this?" Stussy asked, her face flushed, her plea almost inaudible. This was so brazen, so open, that even she felt flustered. Recalling the whispered warnings from the other women, her hand unconsciously drifted to her own浑圆丰盈的 (plump and full) backside. It hadn't even begun, yet she could already imagine it, a phantom ache making her wince. The number '4' echoed in her mind—a terrifyingly long duration she'd never even heard was possible.
Lost in her thoughts, Stussy moved her hands,全然忘记了自己身无片缕 (completely forgetting she was utterly exposed). For a moment, Leo enjoyed the view.
"Captain~"
Reiju, as innocent as a blank sheet of paper, was even more mortified. She kept her head down, her eyes darting nervously towards the nearby airship.
On its deck not far away, Nami, Hancock, Vivi, and the others leaned casually against the railing, chatting and laughing.
"The Queen of the Pleasure District, hmm?" Hancock narrowed her eyes, her gaze a tangible, assessing thing as it swept over Stussy's elegant form. She felt a twinge of jealousy, but had to admit this was exactly Leo's type. A real fox.
"Hah! Don't worry so much," Nami teased, munching on sunflower seeds and sipping juice. "You're the captivating Pirate Empress! Afraid she'll steal your spotlight?" As the first woman to join Leo's crew, Nami never had such worries. She always felt Leo's particular fondness for her. The saying was true: those who are favored are always a little fearless.
"This queen fears her?" Hancock scoffed, striking her classic haughty pose. "Just watch. Next time, this queen will conquer Leo with her charm alone." The pose made the other women laugh.
"The eldest daughter of the Vinsmoke family, the Queen of the Pleasure District… Leo's women are each more impressive than the last," Kaya mused, chin in her hands. She, the well-bred lady from Syrup Village, felt rather ordinary in comparison.
"Is… is Leo-brother going to play that game again?!" The giant-sized Shirahoshi coiled her mermaid's tail, her delicate face turning redder than an apple. In her few days on the crew, she'd already 'experienced' it many times from a distance. She didn't understand why, but every time she heard those strange sounds, her body reacted in peculiar ways. She'd asked Shyarly and Keimi about it, but they'd just smiled meaningfully and said nothing.
"Ahem. Shirahoshi, don't worry," Kalifa said, swinging her legs from her perch on Shirahoshi's shoulder. "Once you master the Six Powers, you'll get to experience it too."
"I'll work very hard!" Shirahoshi nodded, her face full of eager, innocent anticipation.
"Where are Galette and Flampe? I don't see them," Tashigi asked, scanning the group. By now, shouldn't the captain be… 'welcoming' the new recruits?
"They're… not in a good mood. They're in their room," Conis whispered nearby. Tashigi nodded, and the women tactfully changed the subject.
"Leo-brother! Get on with it already!" Vivi yelled, hands cupped around her mouth like a megaphone, directing her shout towards the cloud-bed.
"Hahaha! Yeah, Leo, hurry up!"
"Go for it, Leo-brother!"
"We're waiting, Captain!"
A chorus of playful heckling followed Vivi's lead.
"You heard them," Leo said with a roguish grin, looking at Stussy and Reiju before him.
As if making a momentous decision, Stussy took a deep breath. The next second, she lowered her head and began with careful, tentative motions.
Reiju's expression instantly froze in wide-eyed shock.
Three Days Later
A newspaper published by the World Economic Journal swept across the New World like a tidal wave.
Morgans, after waking from his Conqueror's Haki-induced stupor, had immediately contacted his subordinates to retrieve him. Back at his headquarters, he wasted no time. Developing photos, drafting copy, mobilizing the news coos—the process was seamless. His only regret was missing the aftermath shots. He'd even contacted Leo to ask for details, and Leo had selectively filled him in.
With Leo's tacit approval, Morgans worked through the night. The next day, countless news coos took flight, carrying the freshly printed papers to every corner of the world.
Following the series of major Marine movements, another earth-shattering headline ignited the seas:
SHOCKING!LEOSLAYSBIGMOM!SHOCKING!LEOSLAYSBIGMOM!
FollowingWhitebeard,AnotherEmperorFalls!TottoLand′sSovereign,CharlotteLinlin,isDead!FollowingWhitebeard,AnotherEmperorFalls!TottoLand′sSovereign,CharlotteLinlin,isDead!
TheBigMomPirates:ACrewinNameOnly.WhatNow?TheBigMomPirates:ACrewinNameOnly.WhatNow?
TwoEmperorCrewsDestroyed.HasaNewEraTrulyDawned?TwoEmperorCrewsDestroyed.HasaNewEraTrulyDawned?
WhatisLeo′sUltimateGoal?WhatisLeo′sUltimateGoal?
HowWilltheBeastPiratesandRed−HairedPiratesRespond?HowWilltheBeastPiratesandRed−HairedPiratesRespond?
DotheMarinesandWorldGovernmentHaveaCountermeasurefortheLeoThreat?!DotheMarinesandWorldGovernmentHaveaCountermeasurefortheLeoThreat?!
The headlines were explosive. The public's minds were reeling. They'd thought Leo was only opposing the Marines and World Government. Now it seemed he was taking on the entire world order. Marines, World Government, Emperors, Revolutionaries… he'd offended every major power on the seas.
Alongside their panic at his rapid rise, a secret schadenfreude bloomed in many hearts. While they didn't know why Leo attacked Big Mom, antagonizing so many forces was suicidal. Even the legendary Rocks D. Xebec, who only faced the combined might of Roger, the Marines, and the Government, had been reduced to dust and historical footnote. Leo was surrounded on all sides. Soon, there would be no place for him on the sea. The entire world would seek revenge!
What pleased the public most was that by destroying the Big Mom Pirates, Leo had done them a service. Big Mom was notoriously cruel and murderous, viewing human life as trash, and many of her children were the same. With her dead and her crew shattered, countless people would be spared future suffering.
Simultaneously, every force with a grudge against Big Mom was already mobilizing, sending ships to probe her former territories. With Big Mom gone, did a crew led only by Katakuri still deserve the title 'Emperor'? Could one man hold onto all that territory and resources? They would have to ask the blades of his enemies first. Realizing this, people everywhere spread the 'good news.'
New World, Wano Country, Onigashima
"WORORORORO!! Linlin's dead! That old hag is DEAD!!"
Kaido's booming, hearty laughter filled the great hall of Onigashima. Since learning of Big Mom's death, he'd been drinking non-stop, already finishing a third of his warehouse's stock with no sign of slowing.
"Hahaha! Boss, Big Mom's death is a cause for celebration!" a pirate lackey chimed in, voice dripping with sycophancy.
Beside him, the lead Disaster, King the Wildfire, stood silently, his face cold.
"WORORORO… What did you just say?!" Kaido's drinking halted. He looked at the lackey.
The lackey blinked. "Lord Kaido, I said Big Mom's death is a happy ev—"
SPLAT.
Before he could finish, his body exploded into a fine red mist. A killing intent so thick it felt solid instantly flooded the skull-shaped hall. Everyone present felt as if they'd been plunged into an ice bath, shivering uncontrollably. All noise ceased.
King glanced coldly at the remains on the floor. Idiot.
"Linlin's dead… LINLIN'S DEAD!!" Kaido's roar, filled with fury and murderous rage, shook the hall. "LEO! YOU DARED KILL LINLIN!!!" He slammed his sake barrel down, shattering it, liquor spraying everywhere. The anger in his heart was more violent than an erupting volcano.
Outsiders believed Kaido and Big Mom had a terrible relationship, that they never interacted and only exchanged insults over the Den Den Mushi. They talked constantly of killing each other.
But in truth, their relationship was exceptionally close. In the age of Rocks, when the dark king ruled the seas, Big Mom was a captain, and Kaido was a mere rookie. Yet she treated him like a younger brother. Later, at the God Valley Incident, Big Mom came across the Mythical Zoan, Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon. Without a second thought, she gave the world-shaking fruit to Kaido. That act created the 'World's Strongest Creature.' What kind of bond was that?
Furthermore, there was their combined technique, Ocean Sovereignty. In the entire pirate world, only two pairs could execute such powerful combination attacks: the Giant Captains Dorry and Broggy with their Giant Warrior Spear, and Kaido and Big Mom with Ocean Sovereignty. Such a move required perfect默契 (synergy) and absolute trust. It proved their relationship wasn't just good—it was rock solid.
So, seeing Big Mom killed had ignited a fury in Kaido unlike any before. He'd already used his network to contact Katakuri and learned the truth: Leo had exploited Big Mom's food rage, attacking when she was defenseless.
"WORORORORO! Leo… you've done a fine job!!" Kaido laughed uproariously, but the murderous intent in his laughter was unmistakable. "Linlin… I never repaid my debt to you… How could you die like this?!"
"Lord Kaido," King stepped forward, his voice grave. "Leo has entered the New World. Shall I dispatch people to locate him?" Having followed Kaido for so long, he couldn't remember the last time his captain was this enraged. Big Mom's death had struck a deep chord.
"EVERYONE, LISTEN!!" Kaido roared, his laughter cutting off, all trace of mirth replaced by glacial cold. "Mobilize the entire Beast Pirates! Spare no expense to find Leo! I will kill him with my own hands!!"
"YES, LORD KAIDO!!"
The response from the Three Disasters, the Tobiroppo, the Shinuchi, the Gifters, and all the crew members shook the hall. Immediately, the Beast Pirates began operating like a well-oiled machine, their spy network fanning out across the seas.
New World, Red Hair Pirates Territory
"He killed Big Mom… for a couple of women?!" "Is Leo insane?!"
Lucky Roux's face was dark, a powerful aura rolling off his肥胖的身躯 (portly frame). Every Emperor crew had its intelligence network, and the Red Hair Pirates were no exception. While Morgans hadn't reported Leo's specific motive, their own sources had revealed his true purpose for going to Totto Land.
"Heh… Even Rocks wasn't this疯狂 (crazy) back in the day," the sniper Yasopp chuckled, shaking his head. Destroying an Emperor for women was unheard of. With Leo's power and influence, what woman couldn't he have?
"Captain, what's your take on this?" After the initial shock, all eyes turned to Shanks.
While some headlines were exaggerated, the core facts were undeniable: Whitebeard and Big Mom were dead by Leo's hand. Could they assume Leo wouldn't target them? They had to prepare.
Shanks, for once, had shed his usual playful demeanor. His face was serious, pensive. Since Leo set sail, wherever he went, cataclysmic events followed: Crocodile's death, Enies Lobby's destruction, the Celestial Dragon incident, Impel Down, Marineford… killing Garp, Kizaru, Whitebeard, and now Big Mom. The more Shanks thought about it, the more uneasy he became.
"What's your assessment?" Shanks finally asked, turning to the silently smoking Benn Beckman. While he already had a decision in mind, he always valued his first mate's counsel on major matters.
Benn Beckman calmly exhaled a smoke ring. Through the haze, his voice was measured. "Shanks, we should make preparations in advance. Leo acts with lightning speed. We must be ready for anything." Even he had been caught off guard by Leo's sheer audacity.
Shanks nodded. He stood up abruptly, his gaze turning toward the distant silhouette of Mary Geoise. "It's time," he said, his voice低沉 (low and serious). "To have a talk with the Five Elders."
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T/N :
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