It was still atop the castle in Cake City.
"Ma-ma-ma-ma!"
BIG MOM's cheerful laughter, together with the singing and dancing of the Homies, was enough to show just how good her mood was today.
"Ochoku, you're here. I heard you didn't return to your room until very late last night. Did something happen?"
So pleased was she that even toward the late-arriving Ochoku, she displayed an unusual amount of patience.
"Nothing." Ochoku merely smiled. "I was just wandering around and taking a look at the place."
"Is that so?" BIG MOM clearly didn't care much about the answer. She had only asked casually.
Likewise, Ochoku had no interest in dwelling on the subject. So he simply walked to the observation platform on the castle rooftop and looked down at the sea below.
"That's the ship from the Drug Peclo Company, right?" He pointed toward the vessel that was currently sailing into Cake Island's harbor.
"That's right. Drug Peclo already informed me that the corpse of that brat called Zishu is aboard."
At those words, BIG MOM's laughter became even more jubilant.
"The corpse of an enemy, what a wonderful birthday present! Ma-ma-ma-ma!"
"That's right, Mother!" Napoleon, the tricorn hat perched atop her head, excitedly chimed in.
"And not just the head! I heard the King of Hitmen brought back Zishu's entire body!"
"Exactly. Mother, the broadcast Den Den Mushi is already prepared. Four days from now, at the Tea Party, you'll be able to announce Zishu's death to the entire world through the Den Den Mushi."
Zeus nodded repeatedly.
As he spoke, his gaze drifted toward the gigantic Den Den Mushi floating above Cake Island.
It had been specially prepared for this Tea Party. Connected to the entirety of Totto Land, it was BIG MOM's symbol for informing the world exactly what happened to those who opposed her.
"Indeed. Drug Peclo did a good job this time. He deserves some additional rewards."
BIG MOM nodded.
"Oh, and Cracker as well. He made a great contribution. Hmm? Speaking of him, how has he been lately? Have his injuries healed yet?"
It had to be said that when she was in a good mood, she was surprisingly easy to get along with. She could even occasionally remember to care about her children's health.
"I've heard he hasn't fully recovered yet, but he's already resumed his duties. Not long ago, he even went to the Treasure Vault to confirm that the Poneglyphs and Sister Carmel's photograph were safe."
"Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma! What a good child."
BIG MOM laughed happily.
"If Sister Carmel knew she had a child like him, she'd surely be delighted, wouldn't she?"
When she mentioned Sister Carmel, her expression carried the innocence of a little girl.
Yet only moments later, her face darkened once more.
"And... it was Hanafuda who injured Cracker, wasn't it?"
"That bastard. Let's find an opportunity to get rid of him."
As she spoke, she once again seemed to become the ruthless and ferocious Yonko.
In fact, she appeared not to care at all that killing Hanafuda might trigger a war with Kaido.
"Great idea, Mother!"
"As expected of Mother!"
"Kill him! Kill him!"
The three Homies had long since grown accustomed to BIG MOM's volatile temperament.
At this moment, they merely flattered her with smiling enthusiasm.
As a result, BIG MOM became even happier.
"I've changed my mind. No need to wait for the Tea Party anymore. Open the Den Den Mushi immediately. As soon as Zishu's corpse arrives, we'll declare war on The Twelve Zodiac!"
"Hang his corpse up, hang it at the highest point on the island!"
"Ma-ma-ma-ma... That's right. If it's a happy occasion, it should be shared with everyone as soon as possible."
With a casual remark, she altered the original plan entirely.
Even though that single offhand decision might render countless people's long preparations meaningless.
But,
"Yes, Mother!" × N
At this moment, there would naturally be no dissenting voices.
Or rather,
Within all of Totto Land, there had never been anyone capable of defying her will.
Thus, the Homies immediately sprang into action. Some Homies hurried off to notify the Charlotte Family Officers stationed across the various islands.
Others activated the enormous Den Den Mushi floating above Cake Island, along with the corresponding broadcast network.
And so,
"Ahead of schedule? A declaration of war ahead of schedule?"
On Chocolate Island, Perospero had just finished assigning reception duties and arranging the mirror transportation routes. As he lowered his Den Den Mushi, he saw the giant broadcast screen above the island suddenly light up.
That's right.
For this declaration of war, BIG MOM had even specially created a gigantic broadcast Homie on every single island.
They ensured that every citizen of Totto Land could hear the Queen's declaration of war without ever needing to leave their homes.
"Mother changed her mind again?"
Perospero helplessly covered his forehead, clearly suffering from a headache.
"The Tea Party is still more than ten hours away. If she declares war at a time like this, won't the chances of The Twelve Zodiac showing up become even greater?"
"It doesn't really matter."
Beside him, Smoothie frowned slightly but still shook her head.
"The deployment of the 'Highest Sugar Alert' has already been largely completed. All warships are in position at the ports of every island, and the civilian evacuation and lockdown procedures have already been carried out. It doesn't make much difference when we declare war. As long as The Twelve Zodiac dares to come, we'll be fully prepared for them... right, Brother Katakuri?"
As she spoke, she turned toward him.
Then,
"...Brother Katakuri?"
Receiving no response, she instinctively looked to the side.
Katakuri was leaning against a wall, absentmindedly tossing a mochi ball with his right hand.
"...Hmm?"
Only after Smoothie called out to him again did Katakuri seem to snap back to reality and turn his head toward her.
"Katakuri, what's wrong?"
Seeing this, Perospero frowned.
He naturally knew very well that his younger brother was not the type to daydream.
"It's not just that I've noticed the clouds are unusually thick today."
Katakuri shook his head and spoke casually.
"Hmm?"
Hearing that, Perospero also looked up at the sky.
Sure enough, just as Katakuri had said.
The clouds over Totto Land today were strangely dense. The sun was almost completely hidden, and there was no trace of the sky beyond the cloud cover.
"That's normal, isn't it? Even though we have Weather Homies, Totto Land is so vast that they can't guarantee the weather across the entire territory will always match expectations."
However, Perospero didn't think much of it.
Throughout Totto Land, there were Weather Homies made from clouds and wind that could roughly control rainfall and weather conditions.
From time to time, clouds drifting in from other seas would enter Totto Land's airspace. Such occurrences weren't particularly rare.
"In a while, I'll have the Weather Homies blow those clouds away. Mother doesn't like gloomy weather."
"...Alright."
After a brief silence, Katakuri nodded.
As he had said before, he knew all of this was perfectly normal.
Yet for some reason, he instinctively felt uneasy.
"Hmm? That's Cracker... and Major Undertaker?"
At that moment, Smoothie's voice interrupted his thoughts.
Both he and Perospero simultaneously looked up at the broadcast Homie floating above the island.
And just as Smoothie had said,
On the live broadcast screen, BIG MOM naturally stood at the center of the image, while Ochoku stood not far from her side.
In addition, powerful members of the Charlotte Family such as Oven and Daifuku, who were responsible for defending Cake Island, could be seen stationed throughout the surrounding area.
"Ma-ma-ma-ma~"
Amid BIG MOM's cheerful laughter,
From the entrance at the top floor of Cake City's castle came two figures.
One was Major Undertaker, Drug Peclo, wearing a clown mask and sporting lion-like hair.
The other was Cracker, a large and muscular man carrying a gigantic sword, walking just behind Drug Peclo.
And between them,
They were carrying a pitch-black coffin.
"The one inside should be Zishu of The Twelve Zodiac, right?"
Perospero stuck out his long tongue.
"Drug Peclo really is capable... perorin~"
"Indeed."
Smoothie nodded in agreement.
"...Yes."
Meanwhile, Katakuri casually tossed his mochi ball while giving a serious nod.
To be honest, even now, he still found it difficult to believe that Major Undertaker had truly eliminated Zishu.
Yet Katakuri also understood something.
Even if the King of Hitmen had the courage of ten men, he would never dare deceive BIG MOM about a matter like this.
Not to mention that he had personally come to Cake Island, displaying sincerity from every possible angle.
Therefore, despite the doubts lingering in his heart, Katakuri said nothing.
Soon, Cracker and Drug Peclo arrived before BIG MOM with the coffin.
"BIG MOM, this is what you wanted to see."
After setting the coffin down, Drug Peclo asked:
"Shall we open it?"
"Open it immediately."
BIG MOM answered without the slightest hesitation.
Hearing her order, Cracker and Drug Peclo wasted no time and directly lifted the coffin lid.
As a result, the perspective of the broadcast Den Den Mushi immediately shifted.
And across all of Totto Land, countless people instinctively craned their necks forward, eager to see what the corpse of this mysterious member of The Twelve Zodiac actually looked like.
But at that very moment,
"!!!"
Katakuri's expression changed abruptly.
The mochi ball in his hand was crushed instantly, and his face darkened to an extreme degree. For perhaps the first time ever, those normally cold and confident eyes were filled with utter shock.
He had seen the future.
And so,
Bang!
Without the slightest hesitation, he spun around and shot toward the enormous mirror that had just been prepared nearby.
Only a moment later, Smoothie and Perospero's expressions froze as well.
Or rather,
Throughout Totto Land, the expressions of every sufficiently senior officer of the Charlotte Family froze instantly.
Because they had all seen the figure inside the coffin.
That was naturally not Zishu.
On the contrary,
It was a woman.
She had white hair, a wrinkled face, a square jaw, and lipstick on her lips.
Her eyes were closed, as though she were already dead.
Yet even so, a stiff, unnatural smile remained on her face.
And nearly every member of the Charlotte Family recognized that figure.
It was…
"S-Sister Carmel!?"
Perospero nearly bit off his own tongue.
"How is that possible..."
Smoothie covered her mouth in shock. And then both of them realized simultaneously,
Something terrible was about to happen.
And that was exactly the case.
At this moment, the joyful atmosphere atop Cake City's castle froze solid.
It was as though even the wind itself had stopped blowing.
"S-Sister...!?"
Standing before the coffin, the Sea Emperor whose infamous reputation echoed across the Four Seas saw all the joy vanish from her face in an instant.
BIG MOM,
No, Charlotte Linlin, had her fierce eyes opened so wide they seemed ready to burst from their sockets.
As a whisper squeezed out from the depths of her throat, her enormous body wavered unsteadily for the first time.
Leaning forward, trembling, she stared at the figure inside the coffin in utter disbelief.
And at that very moment,
"Linlin."
She heard a reply.
Then, she actually saw Sister Carmel inside the coffin, open her eyes.
The voice sounded somewhat strange, but the tone was as gentle as it had always been in Charlotte Linlin's memories.
"You've grown up."
"S-Sister... Y-You... You're still..."
BIG MOM's expression became strange.
In that instant, countless emotions and thoughts seemed to flash through her eyes.
Anger.
Seriousness.
Suspicion.
...
Yet in the end, all those emotions were overwhelmed by an intense sense of joy.
"Where did you go back then...?" She spoke, her voice once again resembling that of an innocent child.
She seemed about to ask more questions, but in the very next moment,
Whoosh!
The Sister Carmel before her suddenly collapsed.
Her body abruptly burst into flames.
Cracks spread across it inch by inch.
And then,
In the blink of an eye, she turned into a pile of black ashes.
BIG MOM froze once again.
Disbelief flashed across her face, as though she had fallen into a dream.
But after that brief moment of stunned silence,
"Ah... ah... ah..."
She made a sound. Those mutterings carried no meaning. It was as though she had lost even the ability to speak.
Her eyeballs rolled upward, leaving only the whites visible.
Then,
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!"
A terrifying roar erupted.
And along with that strange scream, a massive, almost tangible wave of Haoshoku Haki burst forth like a tsunami of destruction.
The rooftop of Cake City's castle began to shake violently.
Countless Homies stationed nearby shattered instantly.
The ground cracked apart.
Yet everyone else on the rooftop remained remarkably calm.
Buzz, !
Silently.
Ochoku, Cracker, Drug Peclo, Oven, Daifuku,
Every single person stationed there slowly began to change appearance.
In an instant, the figure of Inu, wearing a canine mask and earplugs stuffed into his ears, revealed himself.
Looking at BIG MOM, who was right before him and emitting that terrifying scream, he chuckled softly.
"Although you probably can't hear me anymore..."
"But..."
He raised a finger to his forehead and performed an elegant salute.
"Sea Emperor, The Twelve Zodiac hereby declares war upon you."
The moment those words fell, he gently lowered his hand.
"Everyone… Make your move."
(End of Chapter)
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