Times had changed.
They could no longer afford to look the other way. Look at what had befallen the Beasts Pirates at the hands of this newcomer.
If the Four Emperors showed no response at all, would it not send the message that any pirate entering the New World could provoke an Emperor's crew with impunity?
They must set these young upstarts straight from the very start! Shoot the bird that dares fly first—crushing El now was without doubt the surest, most efficient course of action!
"Katakuri, Cracker, Smoothie…" Big Mom began calling out their names.
"The three of you will go."
"Ah?"
"Mother… surely…"
Perospero's tongue uncoiled far beyond its usual length, his eyes bulging in utter disbelief.
"Mother… is this not taking things too far? Sending all three might make it seem as though we place far too much importance on aiding the Beasts Pirates."
Katakuri, Cracker, and Smoothie were the "Three Sweet Commanders"—the absolute equals of the Beasts Pirates' three All‑Stars, the Calamities.
"Fufufu… we must strike decisively! I stand with Mother's decision!" Smoothie spoke up.
She was Big Mom's daughter by a long‑legged tribesman, and had inherited her father's extraordinary height.
As the Paramecia‑class Wring‑Wring Fruit user, she could draw out and absorb moisture from anything or anyone, sapping her foes while strengthening herself—living beings and inanimate objects alike falling prey to her power.
"Brother Katakuri… what say you?" Smoothie turned to him.
Katakuri, Big Mom's second son, was the strongest of the three Commanders.
His Observation Haki was legendary, honed to heights few could reach—some claimed he could even glimpse fragments of the future several seconds ahead!
That alone was almost on par with a supreme Devil Fruit ability, and he was already a fearsome Paramecia wielder in his own right.
His Mochi‑Mochi Fruit set him apart from other Paramecia types, granting destructive power and attacks rivaling the Logia class.
His place as the undisputed leader of the Sweet Commanders was secure.
"Hmm…" "From what I can see, there is no flaw in this choice."
So great was his mastery of Observation Haki that all turned to him for counsel.
Thump, thump! The third Commander, Cracker of the Biscuit‑Biscuit Fruit, rapped his biscuit armor twice in agreement.
Cracker appeared as a burly, unshaven brute—yet that was not his true face.
In truth, very few had ever seen his real appearance.
Even within the Big Mom Pirates, knowledge of his actual form was limited to her oldest and most powerful children.
The World Government and Marines knew scarcely more; they had issued his bounty solely on the likeness of the giant armored figure, unaware that it was merely a construct.
"Mother… how far do you intend to go?"
"Shall we lend the Beasts Pirates only modest aid, or strike with full force and put an end to this El directly?"
The speaker was tall, lean, and girded with a massive sword—the true Cracker.
That hulking, bearded warrior was nothing more than a puppet he had woven from his biscuit powers.
Yet even that puppet possessed formidable strength, for Cracker could merge his own being with his creations, fighting from within them to unleash their full might.
His question was the crux of their next move.
"I say we commit only enough strength to make a show of it," Perospero shook his head.
"After all, this is not our quarrel. Kaido's nature being what it is, we shall earn no gratitude no matter how much we do for him!"
His words rang true; the two crews had never been allies, only rivals. Still, none but Big Mom herself held the final say.
"Hmm…"
"Hmm…" Big Mom seemed distracted, paying their debate no mind.
"Grrr… is it not time for my midday meal?"
"Have you finished preparing my cake?"
For Big Mom, nothing took precedence over food—no crisis, no command, no alliance.
Even her own children would face death if they delayed her meals; such tragedies had already occurred within the crew.
She had slain her own blood over such slights!
"Quickly! Hurry and prepare it at once!"
"Mother is hungry!" Chaos swept through the ranks.
No one dared ignore her hunger—for it was a matter of life and death!
In the wake of this sudden commotion, it was clear she would give no further instructions.
Yet even without her direct orders, Katakuri and his fellows possessed the judgment and authority to decide their course as they saw fit.
In an Emperor‑class crew such as the Big Mom Pirates, even the highest officers were renowned across the New World as forces unto themselves—capable of standing alone against any foe.
To send all three Sweet Commanders at once spoke volumes: at least while her wits were clear, Big Mom meant to treat this threat with the utmost gravity.
But now, in the grip of her hunger, she would issue no further clear commands.
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