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"Ha... this body... this power."
Within a kingdom filled with cheers and violence, the newly risen Emperor of the Sea casually clenched her fist.
Boom!
Terrifying Conqueror's Haki and overwhelming physical power erupted instantly, shattering the sweet ruins of Cake Island all around her.
"Cake... desserts... only children like that kind of thing." Looking at the scattered remains of the cake, Big Mom spoke coldly:
"Hey, Prometheus."
"Yes, Mother~!"
"You've done very well."
As she spoke, she glanced at Zeus and Napoleon, who remained unconscious beside Prometheus.
"Devour those two." A cruel smile spread across her face as she spoke.
"Yes, Mother!"
Upon receiving permission, Prometheus immediately revealed a savage grin of his own.
Without the slightest hesitation, the arm-like appendages holding Zeus and Napoleon thrust forward, piercing both Homies instantly.
And clearly… Compared to the ordinary Homies that Big Mom had forcibly recalled, Zeus and Napoleon were far stronger.
Thus, although they remained trapped in their current Faceless State and could not resist Big Mom's commands…
"Ahhh... Mother, why?"
"We... we're also a part of you, Mother!"
As their souls were gradually absorbed, they were still able to cry out and beg for mercy.
"Hah?" Big Mom merely looked at them coldly, her eyes filled only with disgust.
"Yes. Yes… you are indeed parts of my soul… But you're the parts I hate the most! Mamamama!" She burst into laughter.
Moments later, Zeus and Napoleon were completely devoured by Prometheus.
And then… Thunder began to coil around the blazing sun-like Homie.
Its body gradually transformed as part of it became an enormous flaming scimitar and another part became a nun's dress covered in crackling lightning, which settled onto Big Mom's body.
"Mother! I feel... so powerful now!" Prometheus cheered excitedly.
"That's right. From today onward, you're no longer 'Prometheus.'... You are Kronos." Big Mom sneered.
As she spoke, she casually swung the giant flaming blade in her hand.
"Yes, Mother!"
Then…
BOOOOM!
In an instant, a slash woven from fire and lightning burst forth, empowered by Big Mom's terrifying physical strength.
The earth split apart causing the very foundation of Cake Island melted and fractured.
A massive canyon was carved across the island in a single strike.
"Good child. Very good child." Seeing the power of that attack, Big Mom grinned in satisfaction.
Then she turned toward the three members of the Twelve Zodiac standing nearby.
"Well now, you three... I'm actually surprised you didn't run." A vicious smile stretched across her face.
"Your assassination plan failed. But the results were quite good… at least for me."
She raised a hand.
Unlike the previous Big Mom, whose thoughts often wandered, this version spoke with remarkable clarity and rationality.
"In front of me, no matter how special your abilities are, I won't let you escape so easily. So I'll give you a chance. Offer me thirty years of your souls. Then tell me everything about your organization… If you do, I'll make an exception and allow you to join my subordinates. Mamamama…"
Her laughter stopped halfway.
Because she realized something.
The three people before her showed not the slightest sign of hesitation.
[Devil Fruit Encyclopedia Updated]
[Paramecia-Type: Soul-Soul Fruit]
Devil Fruit Ability: Allows the user to manipulate both their own soul and the souls of others, extracting souls and lifespan.
[Ability Levels - LV3
Unlocks all standard Devil Fruit abilities.
Can plant a Soul Brand through a Soul Curse.
Can extract the target's soul and lifespan.
Can split off portions of one's own soul and lifespan.
Planting a Soul Brand requires the target to experience fear.
Can consume souls and lifespan to create special soul lifeforms known as Homies.
Limited to creating low-level Homies.
Unlock Cost: 1,000,000,000 Beli
LV4
Advanced Devil Fruit development.
Can use fragments of the user's own soul to create High-Level Homies.
High-Level Homies possess significantly greater vitality and power.
Extracted souls may be used to empower biological skeletons and restore injuries.
Unlock Cost: 30,000,000,000 Beli
Additional Effects:
The souls inside High-Level Homies may be replaced.
High-Level Homies can be reabsorbed back into the user's body.
If reabsorbed, the user cannot perform Self Soul Splitting again for one month.
However, the user gains all memories and emotional experiences contained within the recovered soul fragment.
LV5
Devil Fruit Awakening: Sacrifice
The user may consume souls and lifespan to perform Soul Sacrifice.
Self Soul Sacrifice
Sacrifices the user's own soul and lifespan.
Greatly enhances physical power and regenerative abilities.
Soul Imprint Sacrifice
Allows the ability to affect the surrounding environment.
Instantly extracts the souls of all creatures previously marked with a Soul Brand within a large area.
Those souls merge with the user's own soul.
Grants a temporary form of spiritual immortality.
Analysis Progress: 100%
"So that's how it is..."
Behind his mask, a look of understanding flashed through Roy's eyes.
In truth, Roy had always felt that Big Mom was the most unusual of the Yonko.
Whether it was Whitebeard, Kaido, or Red Hair, all of them were supreme powerhouses who had pushed their body, spirit, and combat ability to the absolute limit, leaving almost no weaknesses.
But Big Mom was obviously different.
She had weaknesses and not just one. It could even be said that every one of her weaknesses was enormous.
Her completely uncontrollable eating disorder whenever an episode struck. Her obsessive attachment to Mother Carmel. Her extremely unstable personality.
At times she was kind.
At times innocent.
At times benevolent.
At times cruel and evil.
Her personality itself seemed split apart… one part an innocent child, the other an evil pirate.
Among fighters of this level, she was undoubtedly the most abnormal of them all.
And now, the truth seemed to be laid bare before him.
"Big Mom" had never been merely Charlotte Linlin.
Within her body resided a gigantic soul-monster.
And as for why… Roy believed he could guess part of the answer.
He knew Big Mom's past.
She was abandoned by her parents because of her unnatural strength and taken in by Mother Carmel.
Then, during her sixth birthday feast, an eating-disorder episode caused her to devour her friends and Mother Carmel, after which she inherited the Soul-Soul Fruit.
But that had never made sense.
At least, Roy had never heard of anyone obtaining a Devil Fruit ability simply by eating another person. Even the awakened powers of the Munch-Munch Fruit only granted weakened imitations of Devil Fruit abilities.
Yet Charlotte Linlin had somehow succeeded.
The only reasonable explanation was…
"It wasn't that she gained the Devil Fruit after eating Mother Carmel… She became Mother Carmel. Or at least, part of her did."
Roy thought to himself.
Mother Carmel had been a child trafficker masquerading as a holy woman.
She was an utterly despicable individual.
Now that Roy understood the Soul-Soul Fruit's abilities, he could easily infer that all of the children in the House of Lambs had likely been branded with Soul Marks.
The sole exception may have been Charlotte Linlin.
A born calamity might know sorrow.
She might cry, but she likely knew nothing of fear.
No… to be more precise:
"The girl abandoned by her parents because of her overwhelming power probably feared only one thing… losing her mother once again."
At that thought, Roy could almost reconstruct what had happened that day.
When Charlotte Linlin, in the midst of an eating-disorder frenzy, devoured Mother Carmel, the latter must have resisted.
And she must have activated a Soul Curse.
Roy didn't know exactly what she had done, but the outcome was obvious.
Her resistance failed.
Therefore…
"Before dying, she activated Soul Sacrifice."
The souls of all the children merged with her own, granting her soul a temporary form of immortality.
She survived, if only briefly and it was at that very moment that Charlotte Linlin regained her senses.
After waking up and discovering that Mother Carmel and all her friends had vanished, she naturally experienced overwhelming fear of abandonment.
At that instant, a Soul Brand was planted upon her.
Part of her soul was extracted and fused with Mother Carmel's. However, Mother Carmel could never have taken all of Charlotte Linlin's soul.
Doing so would have killed Linlin outright.
She had only one choice, preserve Linlin's life and become part of her instead.
And thus… Big Mom was born.
Charlotte Linlin's soul remained the dominant one. But perhaps it had become forever trapped at that sixth birthday party.
That was why she often displayed the personality of a child.
Meanwhile, Mother Carmel's fragment lingered deep within Linlin's soul, quietly influencing her.
That influence gradually made her more cruel and ruthless… more like a pirate.
The soul fragments used to create Zeus and Napoleon likely came from the Charlotte Linlin portion of her soul.
But Prometheus was different.
The original form of that Homie was probably Pandora, the Homie Mother Carmel had created from her own soul.
When Mother Carmel became part of Charlotte Linlin, Pandora likewise became Prometheus.
Yet its essence remained Mother Carmel's soul.
That was why it had always been exceptionally cruel and vicious from the very beginning.
And now… Charlotte Linlin's soul had been "killed" by the combined power of the three Zodiac members and had fallen dormant.
For the first time, Mother Carmel's soul fragment had obtained complete control.
Naturally, while considering all of this, Roy was not truly panicking, just as Big Mom had observed.
"Well, no helping it then..." Yooji shook his head and spoke helplessly. "We'll just have to proceed with the backup plan."
After Yooji finished speaking, Inu immediately followed up.
"Yeah. After all this time, the preparations should be nearly complete."
Clearly, their fighting spirit had not diminished.
"Hah?" Big Mom naturally understood what they meant.
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
She could tell that these guys had no intention of giving up.
Nor did they intend to flee.
Instantly, rage exploded within her.
"Do you have any idea where you are?!"
Flames and lightning from Kronos spread across her body, causing her hair to stand on end.
"This is Totto Land! This is my kingdom! You fools who don't know your place…"
Raising her giant blade, she issued a command that echoed throughout the entirety of Totto Land.
"Big Mom Pirates! All Homies! Gather here at once! This is a Queen's command!" Her voice thundered across the nation.
"Let these invaders learn what true despair feels like! Mamamama!"
And through the voices of the Homies, her order spread to every corner of Totto Land.
…
And so… On Chocolate Island.
"Move!"
"Go help Mother!"
"The Twelve Zodiac, I'm going to chop every last one of them into pieces!"
Countless vicious-looking Homie soldiers immediately sprang into action, waving their weapons as they charged forward, some running, some taking to the air.
…
Meanwhile...
"Let's go, Katakuri. Smoothie." Perospero spoke to Katakuri. "Mother is summoning us."
Smoothie nodded silently.
But…
"..."
Katakuri merely stared coldly at the figure displayed on the live broadcast. He said nothing, but Perospero seemed able to understand exactly what he was thinking.
"Katakuri."
For once, the elder brother, whose status within the crew had always been beneath Katakuri's, spoke with unusual seriousness.
"Don't think too much about it. You and I both know Mother's... special circumstances. The one standing there now is unquestionably still Mother." He looked directly at Katakuri.
"As long as it's her command, we cannot disobey it."
Katakuri understood.
As Big Mom's eldest and second eldest sons, Perospero and Katakuri knew their mother better than anyone.
They had followed her since the days of the Rocks Pirates and because of that, they were aware of her peculiar nature.
When she was younger, she had been charismatic and free-spirited. As she aged, she became increasingly violent and unstable.
Many times, they had felt as though their mother was actually multiple different people and now, after personally witnessing her resurrection and drastic personality change, hey naturally understood the source of that abnormality.
But just as Perospero had said… They couldn't afford to think too deeply about it.
All they needed to know was that she was still Big Mom.
And in Totto Land…. Big Mom's orders were absolute.
"..."
Katakuri silently nodded. His gaze lingered on the cruelly laughing face shown on the broadcast screen as he slowly began to walk forward.
Only after seeing him compromise did Perospero and Smoothie breathe a small sigh of relief.
"Let's go. To Cake Island and capture those Twelve Zodiac members."
The three turned toward the enormous mirror standing in the center of the square. It was one of the Mirror Channels specially prepared throughout Totto Land for the Tea Party, allowing guests and personnel to travel quickly.
"Brûlée, open the mirr…" Perospero had just reached the mirror and was about to give the order.
But at that very instant…
!!!
Katakuri's expression suddenly changed.
Whoosh!
Using Soru instantly, he vanished and reappeared beside Perospero.
"Get back!" With a shout, he grabbed Perospero and yanked him away.
"Ah? Katakuri, what are you…" Perospero was about to ask what was wrong.
Then he froze.
Because he clearly saw it.
A knight Homie, who had just stepped up to the mirror while loudly proclaiming that he would mince the Twelve Zodiac into meat paste, had been impaled through the chest by a spear.
And before the knight Homie could utter another word…
FWOOSH!
Flames erupted along the spear.
The knight Homie instantly turned into charred black ash.
Only the soul used to create it attempted to escape from the ruined body.
But before it could…
Whoosh!
The blackened corpse, together with the escaping soul, was dragged into the mirror.
"Wah! The knight was killed!"
"The attack came from inside the mirror?!"
"Who's there?!"
Amid the shocked cries of the Homies, Katakuri's expression darkened like a storm cloud.
Just as before… He had seen the future.
Clop. Clop. Clop. Clop.
The crisp sound of horses' hooves echoed repeatedly.
Then everyone saw it.
The mirror itself seemed to ignite.
No, it wasn't the mirror that was burning. It was the figures emerging from within it.
FWOOSH!
Accompanied by blazing flames, armored knights riding skeletal warhorses leapt out of the mirror.
One of them was even calmly wiping blood from his spear.
[Phantom Dream Legion · Flame Knight Legion]
And they were not alone.
Following them out of the mirror were countless masses of dazzling fire.
"Wahahahaha! So many things to burn!"
"That Homie is made of butter! It'll burn so nicely!"
"I ate so much life essence that I feel invincible now… OW! Who hit me?!"
"Stop talking nonsense! Get over here and combine! We're preparing for battle!"
The flames had grown limbs and faces.
As they marched forward, they continuously fused together, transforming into gigantic flame monsters wielding blazing weapons.
[Phantom Dream Legion · Immortal Spirit Fire Legion]
The terrifying heat immediately began melting Chocolate Island itself. Buildings made from chocolate softened and collapsed. Even the island's very foundations started to melt.
A rich, sweet aroma spread throughout the entire island.
Yet Katakuri's expression only grew darker.
"Brûlée..." At this point, he understood.
Charlotte Brûlée had most likely already fallen into enemy hands.
Whether out of concern for his younger sister or the instincts of a warrior, he reacted without hesitation.
He drove his trident into the ground.
Then he raised both hands toward the giant mirror.
Because he knew that the Mirror Channel leading to the Mirror World possessed enormous strategic value.
It was a vital transportation network connecting the entirety of Totto Land.
A true strategic asset. But if a place like this fell into enemy hands, then it immediately became the highest-priority target for destruction.
"As long as we destroy it, the smaller mirrors on the island won't be able to handle large-scale troop transportation!"
"Peerless Glutinous Rice: Year-End Mochi Gatling!" Katakuri's hands instantly transformed into gatling guns.
Jet-black Armament Haki coated them and then countless mochi bullets erupted outward.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Each mochi projectile possessed enough power to demolish an entire building.
In an instant, they blasted the enormous mirror at the center of the island into pieces.
"Nicely done, Katakuri! Let's wipe out these invaders first, then head to the harbor and sail to support Mother!" Having immediately realized the importance of the situation, Perospero spoke up at once.
If the Mirror World route was no longer available, then they would eliminate the attackers and use the warships already prepared at the port to reinforce Cake Island.
At the same time…
"Juice Giant · Flowing Water Slash!"
Smoothie activated her power. Her body enlarged dramatically as she swung her massive sword.
BOOOOM!
The gigantic slash instantly cleaved through countless Immortal Spirit Fires and Flame Knights.
"Everyone, charge with me!" Smoothie raised her sword high and prepared to advance alongside Perospero.
But suddenly… A trident blocked their path.
"Katakuri?" Smoothie looked at him in confusion.
Yet what she saw was that Katakuri's expression had not relaxed in the slightest despite the apparent reversal of the battle.
On the contrary… His entire body was tense.
"Smoothie. Brother Perospero. Don't move forward. Something dangerous is coming."
His eyes remained fixed ahead.
And in the next moment…
!!!
Smoothie and Perospero saw it as well.
The mirror that Katakuri had shattered was rebuilding itself. Its fragments flowed together like streams of light, dreamlike and surreal.
Moreover, it was becoming even larger than before. Standing at the center of the island, it resembled a gigantic gateway into a dream.
[Phantom Dream Legion · Legion Teleporter · Mirror of Dreams]
"The mirror... when was it replaced?" Perospero's eyes widened in shock.
But then…
ROOOAR! SCREEEECH! HOWWWL!
Three tremendous cries rang out from within the Mirror of Dreams.
And as those roars echoed forth… The Immortal Spirit Fires and Flame Knights that Smoothie had just cut down began to resurrect before her disbelieving eyes.
[Phantom Dream Legion · Undying Nature]
And finally… Four enormous creatures with completely different auras stepped out of the Mirror of Dreams.
The first held a giant blade in its jaws, flames blazing around its body.
It was Yazi.
The second possessed a body like living stone, massive and immovable.
It was the Stone Oni.
The third had razor-sharp claws and fangs, with a body as hard as metal.
It was The Five-Tailed Leopard.
The fourth resembled a gigantic fish that treated the earth itself as its pond.
It was the Leviathan Eel.
"Dreamland Island's Dreamland creatures... and the Phantom Beast Lords?" Smoothie's voice was nearly hoarse.
She could feel the aura radiating from the four beasts before her. Even for one of the Three Sweet Commanders, these creatures exerted tremendous pressure.
But that wasn't the real problem.
The real problem was….
"The legendary Phantom Beast Lords number far more than four... and Dreamland Island has far more Phantom Beasts than this..."
Smoothie had already realized the horrifying implication.
"Could it be...?"
And the truth was exactly what she feared.
It wasn't just Chocolate Island.
Throughout all of Totto Land…
…
Jam Island.
Biscuit Island.
Candy Island.
Flavor Island.
And every one of the other thirty-three islands besides Cake Island.
On every island, a gigantic Mirror of Dreams rose into existence.
And from those countless Mirrors of Dreams…
Buzz!
Whoosh!
Clop!
Chimeras.
Wind Sprites.
Centaur Archers.
Medusas.
One after another, increasingly bizarre creatures poured out endlessly.
The moment they appeared, they launched attacks against members of the Charlotte Family and the Homies without hesitation.
"So many!"
"There are more of them than the Homies!"
"This is a full-scale army!"
"So that's what the Phantom Beasts of Dreamland Island were all along, they're the Twelve Zodiac's military force?!"
"Hey! Hey! This is Cream Island! There are too many enemies! A Phantom Beast Lord is here too! All of our floating cream platforms have been frozen, we need reinforcements immediately!"
"Hey! Look at the live broadcast! W-What is that thing?!"
The emergency Den Den Mushi in Perospero's hands began ringing nonstop.
The reports coming from across Totto Land caused all three of them to instinctively look toward the broadcast screen.
And there… Above the massive Cake Island, the thick cloud cover was slowly parting.
From within the opening clouds…
"Big Mom, you just asked… what we meant?"
A colossal silhouette slowly revealed itself.
The dreamlike veil draped around it.
The gigantic world tree standing at its center.
The rainbow-colored streamers encircling it.
The flame clouds trailing behind it… Its qilin-like form.
And, the enormous sheep-headed mask. Its majestic, calm voice echoed through the broadcast.
"What we mean is this: if killing you once isn't enough, then we'll simply kill you again."
It was the legendary island that had recently thrown the seas into chaos and uproar.
It was Dreamland Island.
No, at this point, it would be more accurate to say that it was:
[The Twelve Zodiac — Hitsuji]
(End of Chapter)