Roger had made up his mind. He needed a reason to send Rayleigh out, even if he could not leave himself. He was confident in Rayleigh's abilities. But before he could find a suitable excuse, Daifuku burst back into the room, panic in his voice.
"Mama, something terrible has happened! There's trouble on Pot-Baked Dessert Island where Owen was stationed!"
Instantly, the room fell silent. Linlin lowered her head, her expression darkening.
Long Bread was the first to speak. "Calm down. What happened to Owen?"
Daifuku swallowed hard. "The people there said Owen's ship was docked at the shore, but Owen and all his subordinates are gone. There's only… only…"
"Only what?"
"Only blood. Blood everywhere, on the shore and on the ship. Owen and his men must have been attacked."
"What?"
Hearing this, the Big Mom Pirates stood, fury spreading across their faces. Only Katakuri remained calm, his voice steady.
"Daifuku, you tried calling Owen's den den mushi first, right?"
Daifuku nodded. "Yes. But Owen didn't answer. So I called his residence instead. They went down to investigate and told me what they found."
"No sounds of conflict beforehand? That suggests the enemy was overwhelmingly strong. They must have overwhelmed Owen instantly. Otherwise we would have heard something earlier."
Katakuri's gaze shifted coldly toward Roger and the others.
"When you came here, Captain Roger, did you pass by Pot-Baked Dessert Island?"
His implication was clear — he suspected Roger was responsible.
Tension snapped tight. The room's eyes turned accusingly toward Roger and his crew.
Buggy bristled. "Hey! We didn't stop at any island when we came here!"
Shanks stood, giving Buggy a nod of support.
Suddenly, the teacup in Linlin's hand cracked under pressure and broke to dust.
Seeing Linlin's fury rising, Roger spoke in a deep voice. "We came directly to Cake Island. We didn't stop anywhere on the way."
Still, doubt lingered. Shanks stood taller.
"We didn't do it. Stop accusing us without proof!"
Katakuri's eyes narrowed, and he released Conqueror's Haki. The air around him snapped with pressure, but it had no effect on Shanks — or even Buggy. They stood firm. Heat flared inside Roger. Since arriving on Cake Island, he had restrained himself again and again, but this indignity pushed him past his limit.
With a sudden eruption of red and black lightning, Roger's Conqueror's Haki smashed into Katakuri's Haki, forcing the latter to stagger backward. Perospero grabbed him just in time.
Linlin threw the table aside and lunged at Roger with her sword without hesitation.
This time, Roger responded immediately, deflecting her with a swift backhand strike infused with Armament Haki. The clash rocked the surrounding garden, sending fragments flying. Shanks and Buggy were blasted backward by the shockwave.
Linlin drew Prometheus and pointed Napoleon toward Roger before swinging again. "Emperor Sword, Breaking Blade!"
Roger blocked and flowed around her, firing off a series of razor‑sharp slashes. Linlin's body ignited with Armament Haki, allowing her to absorb the attacks with her own defense. Her body earned its reputation as nearly impenetrable.
From above, a bolt of thick purple lightning struck toward Roger. Thanks to his advanced Observation Haki, he anticipated it. With one swift cut, he scattered the strike. Zeus hovered above, attempting another attack, but Roger vanished, appearing behind Rayleigh to whisper urgent instructions.
Linlin's next strike neared, but Roger pushed Rayleigh aside and met her head‑on, blade against blade.
The rest of the Big Mom Pirates charged. Katakuri led the assault while others followed close behind.
Bullet let out a roar and unleashed his Devil Fruit form, charging forward. He punched at Katakuri, but his fist passed through thin air. Katakuri twisted his body using Observation Haki and hardened his mochi‑enhanced arm with Armament Haki. It became a massive spiked club.
"Mochi Slash!"
Bullet blocked the strike with ease, sending a flurry of punches crashing into Katakuri at a speed his Observation Haki struggled to predict. Katakuri spit blood from the onslaught.
Perospero erected a thick candy wall before turning to help his brother. He summoned a torrent of sticky syrup toward Bullet, but Bullet shook it off effortlessly.
The two siblings pressed forward — Perospero firing syrup and Katakuri advancing with his trident — but Bullet stood firm even against their combined assault. Only when Daifuku joined in did they struggle to keep up.
Elsewhere, Shanks and Buggy found themselves engaging a husky enemy armored in dense biscuit plating. Even Shanks, with advanced Armament Haki, could not pierce its defenses.
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