The situation on Beehive Island greatly exceeded Big Mom's expectations.
She had imagined that since she set sail at the same time the Dawn arrived at Beehive Island, by the time she reached the island, the Dawn Pirates should already be locked in a brutal battle against Wang Zhi's forces.
Then, she could lead her children in from the rear, trapping the Dawn Pirates between both sides and launching a pincer attack alongside Wang Zhi.
After a full day and night of fighting, Ash and his crew would be exhausted. At that point, wiping them out completely would be effortless.
If luck favored her, she might even get rid of that old fossil Wang Zhi in the process, making Beehive Island her own territory.
Although Beehive Island did not offer much in terms of gourmet food apart from scattered scraps, territory was still territory.
But what was the reality?
Standing on the shores of Beehive Island was the Dawn faction, calmly waiting for her arrival as though they had been expecting guests.
Where had that old bastard Wang Zhi gone?!
And where was Kaido?
Wano was not much farther from Beehive Island than Totto Land!
That brat had clearly agreed to cooperate, just like before.
Yet no matter how much Big Mom thought about it, her fleet had already arrived at Beehive Island in full force. Whether there were spoils to claim or not, this battle had to happen.
If she turned back without fighting, where would Yonko Big Mom's pride go?
Thinking of this, Big Mom grabbed Napoleon from atop her head and transformed him into the Emperor Sword. Raising the massive blade, she pointed it toward the shore of Beehive Island and burst into loud laughter.
"Mama Mama! All troops, charge! Crush them for me!"
"Kill them!"
"Smash them!"
"Turn these bastards into cakes and offer them to Mama!"
Following Big Mom's order, dozens of Charlotte Family children aboard the fleet immediately erupted into cheers.
Led by the Queen Mama Chanter, countless Homies screeched noisily, while pirate underlings from more than a hundred ships roared in excitement.
On the beach of Beehive Island, Ash and the others watched the distant fleet making a scene with bored expressions.
Pini scratched his chin lazily.
"They're making such a huge fuss. Should I launch a couple of rockets at them?"
Ash chuckled.
"No rush. Let them land first before we start killing. We should also wait for Jack. Speaking of which, why is Dicken taking so long just to find one person?"
"The moment I get back, I hear you talking behind my back."
The voice sounded out suddenly.
Dicken and Jack had somehow appeared behind the group without anyone noticing.
Ash glanced at the two of them and raised an eyebrow.
"Just the two of you? I thought everyone would come over to join the fun. And why are you sneaking around?"
Dicken laughed.
"You think they didn't want to come? The Marine Admiral Aokiji suddenly showed up at Twin Capes looking for Crocodile. When I got back, Sali was busy meeting his family, and Jason's group wanted to stick around to see if they could get a few hits in on an Admiral. Jack only came after weighing the options."
Jack snorted.
"Weighing options, my ass. Over there, everyone wants a turn fighting an Admiral. By the time it gets to me, who knows how many rounds would've already happened? Besides, we can't even kill him, so the best we'd get is combat experience."
He grinned and folded his arms.
"It's different here. I knew Ash would remember me. Coming here means fighting a Yonko directly. Anyone with common sense knows which option sounds better."
Suddenly, Jack turned his head and froze.
"Holy hell! Is that pink fat pig really Yonko Big Mom?!"
As he spoke, he spotted Big Mom charging toward the shore, standing atop Zeus while holding Napoleon.
Ash and the others had already noticed her long ago.
It had to be said, her bounty poster did not even come close to capturing how terrifying she looked in person.
An eight-meter-tall mountain of flesh barreling forward while laughing "Mama Mama" was genuinely intimidating.
Ash pointed at Big Mom.
"That old pig is yours."
Then he led everyone else aside.
Jack instantly understood.
His existence had already been recorded by countless factions, including the Marines. Even though the Big Mom Pirates looked overwhelming, who knew how many spies from other forces were mixed in among them?
At a critical time like this, the relationship between the Dawn faction and Twin Capes could not be exposed so casually.
Since that was the case, he might as well drag Big Mom somewhere isolated and have a proper fight.
Jack took a Horse Stance and lowered his center of gravity.
His right fist drew back to his waist as he recalled the Soul techniques he had spent years discussing and refining alongside Brook.
The next second, a flash appeared in Jack's eyes.
He threw a punch toward Big Mom from over a hundred meters away.
Boom!
A violent air explosion rang out.
Jack's Armament Haki emission, infused with Soul Shock, slammed directly into Big Mom's face.
The physical damage was minimal.
But the Soul Shock struck her consciousness head on, causing Big Mom to freeze for a moment.
Her massive head tilted back before she slowly lowered her gaze.
Her eyes locked onto Jack.
"You brat... what did you just do to Mama?!"
Jack's expression darkened.
"Mama your ass! My mother is ten thousand times prettier than a fat pig like you!"
Without hesitation, he threw another Horse Stance Punch.
Before even checking the result, he turned around and sprinted deeper into Beehive Island.
Perhaps years of relying on her Iron Balloon body had made Big Mom too used to tanking attacks.
Faced with Jack's second strike, she did not dodge.
The Soul Shock slammed into her again.
The fat on her face trembled violently as her head snapped backward.
When she finally looked up again, Jack had already disappeared into the distance.
Her face darkened instantly.
"You damn brat! Stop running! Mama's going to eat you!"
Big Mom roared furiously.
Then she noticed Zeus still floating in place.
Her expression twisted even further.
"Idiot! Hurry up and chase him!"
Napoleon and Prometheus immediately joined in, yelling at Zeus as well.
Watching Big Mom and her Homies disappear after Jack, the members of the Dawn faction exchanged strange looks.
Big Mom's brain... might genuinely have some problems.
Not only were Ash and the others speechless, but even the Charlotte Family members stepping off their ships looked confused.
The battle had barely started, yet their mother had already been lured away by some random brat.
What exactly were they supposed to do now?
Charlotte Katakuri, who had just instructed his younger siblings to stay clear of Big Mom's battlefield to avoid getting caught in friendly fire, also found himself at a loss.
Still, he quickly adjusted.
"At least this isn't entirely bad. I don't have to worry about Mama accidentally hurting the younger ones."
Turning around, Katakuri shouted toward his brothers and sisters.
"Split up and find your opponents! Support one another if needed! Sweet Commanders, gather here!"
Ash had been watching Katakuri direct his siblings with interest, but the moment he heard the words "Sweet Commanders," his eyes sharpened.
Good grief.
Big Mom moved fast.
Just two days ago, he had killed Charlotte Cracker, one of the Sweet Commanders, at Gran Tesoro.
And now, she had already filled the vacant position with someone new.