After Ace barely achieved victory, Katakuri had completely lost the ability to fight.
His body lay sprawled in the ruins, the bloody hole in his chest still seeping blood.
He looked up at the sky of Totto Land, now dyed red by flames and lightning, and used his last bit of strength to say, "Kill me."
Ace sheathed his sword without answering.
He turned and saw Makoto's group approaching, then bowed slightly and greeted Makoto, "Commander."
Makoto nodded, walked to Katakuri's side, and looked down at this giant over five meters tall.
Ai poked her head out from behind and asked, "Commander, should we extract his Devil Fruit? I think this ability is pretty good."
The Mochi-Mochi Fruit was a top-tier Paramecia, second only to ultimate ones like the Tremor-Tremor Fruit and the Float-Float Fruit.
Makoto raised his hand to indicate there was no rush.
He looked at Katakuri lying on the ground and suddenly wondered: If he handed Katakuri over to the Marine, would it trigger a war between the Big Mom Pirates and Marine Headquarters?
After all, he could no longer hand over Ace to the Marine, so he had to find other ways to trigger the Summit War.
But Makoto immediately dismissed the idea.
On one hand, he felt Katakuri's value hadn't reached the level where Marine Headquarters would hold a public execution for him.
He wasn't the son of the Pirate King, after all, and lacked that political significance.
Moreover, given Big Mom's insane personality, she probably wouldn't start an all-out war with Marine Headquarters over a son.
Wasn't he just a son? Couldn't she just make another one?
Furthermore, he had already decided before coming to take Big Mom's Soul-Soul Fruit. Now that they were already at her doorstep, backing out wouldn't be appropriate.
So maybe... he could kidnap Beckman or Yasopp, the 'World's Best Father' of the One Piece World, and force the Red Hair Pirates and Marine Headquarters to fight?
Just as Makoto was lost in thought, Katakuri looked at the King of the World standing before him and repeated the same words with his last ounce of strength: "Kill me."
Makoto looked down at him.
To be honest, he had a fairly positive impression of Katakuri.
After all, in the original Whole Cake Island arc, Katakuri was essentially carrying the entire team by himself. Everyone else, including his mother Big Mom, was dead weight.
"Are you still planning to keep working for your crazy mother?" Makoto asked with a smile.
"Haven't you suffered enough under her?"
To be frank, Big Mom was absolutely the lamest of the Four Emperors.
It showed not only in her preschooler-level intelligence and her infuriating tendency to attack her own allies, but also in how she treated her subordinates, which was utterly terrible.
Among the original Four Emperors, Whitebeard was undoubtedly the best toward his subordinates.
As for Shanks, regardless of his true intentions, at least on the surface he treated his people well.
And while Kaido-sensei might beat and scold the lower-ranking pirates when drunk, he was quite forgiving toward his officers.
But Big Mom was uniquely awful.
Whether you were an ordinary crew member or a top officer like Katakuri or Perospero, if she went crazy, she would extract your lifespan without hesitation.
In the original work, she attacked her own children more than once, casually taking their lifespan.
To be honest, she achieved her current strength and status purely through her innate physical talents.
In Makoto's view, it was quite impressive that Katakuri and the others hadn't mutinied after all these years.
Hearing Makoto's words, Katakuri fell silent.
Clearly, he hesitated.
After all, over the years, whenever mother got angry, she would take his siblings' lifespan. He had grown accustomed to it.
Makoto glanced at Katakuri again and said calmly, "Don't follow that crazy mother anymore. Take your idiot family and do something proper after this."
With that, Makoto's group walked past Katakuri and slowly headed toward Whole Cake Island, the heart of Totto Land.
After Makoto's group had gone far, a figure staggered out from behind the ruins.
It was a woman, tall and thin, with an extremely aged face and wrinkled skin, like an old witch from a fairy tale.
She wore a faded dress and a tattered hat.
Charlotte Brulee.
User of the Mirror-Mirror Fruit, the eighth daughter of the Charlotte family, and the person Katakuri was closest to in the family.
"Katakuri-niisan! Let me heal your wounds!"
Brulee knelt beside Katakuri with a medical kit, her hands trembling as she pressed on the wound in his chest.
Although she called Katakuri 'niisan', she looked at least two decades older than him.
This was also due to her lifespan having been taken multiple times by her mother, Big Mom.
Looking at his sister's aged face and recalling Makoto's words, Katakuri's expression was pained.
Brulee's hands trembled, her eyes reddened, but she didn't cry.
She knew her brother Katakuri didn't like seeing her cry.
Katakuri was silent for a long time.
Then, using his last breath and the remnants of his consciousness, he said, "Brulee... go tell everyone... try not to resist..."
After saying this, Katakuri lost consciousness.
On the other side, with Saeko and Reze cutting a path through enemies, the Nakiri sisters at the forefront quickly arrived at Whole Cake Island.
Whole Cake Island was the central island of Totto Land and Big Mom's main base.
The entire island was a giant multi-layered cake, with layers of cream, chocolate, fruit, and frosting gleaming enticingly in the sunlight.
At the island's highest point stood a colossal cake-shaped castle… Big Mom's residence.
But now, this once beautiful island was completely transformed.
Erina stood at the edge of Whole Cake Island, looking at the scene before her, and took a deep breath.
"Alice, I won't lose to you."
"Heh~ That's my line."
Alice stood beside her, hands on her hips.
Saeko stood behind Erina, her hand on the hilt of the Shodai Kitetsu, expressionless. "You two, stop arguing. Let's find Big Mom first."
Alice nodded, her gaze sweeping to the highest point of Whole Cake Island.
"She should be there."
Reze followed her gaze and nodded.
Four figures raced toward the highest point of Whole Cake Island.
As they approached, Saeko had already moved to the front of the group, her hand on the Shodai Kitetsu's hilt.
When they reached the castle gate, Saeko stopped and glanced back at Erina and Alice.
"You two step back. I'll go in and flush Big Mom out."
"We're counting on you, Saeko-senpai."
Erina nodded and pulled Alice back a few steps.
However, just as Saeko finished speaking, her expression suddenly changed sharply under the perception of her Observation Haki.
"Get back!"
She barked, simultaneously drawing the Shodai Kitetsu in a flash.
A blade of light flashed.
Then—
Boom—!
A massive shadow burst out of the castle gate, moving like a cannonball fresh from the barrel.
She rode on a white cloud… one of her Homies, Zeus.
And the person sitting atop it was—
One of the Four Emperors, Big Mom.
Her body had expanded several times over from forty years ago, resembling a moving mountain.
Her hair was disheveled, her eyes bloodshot, and a beastly growl escaped her throat.
"Napoleon!"
Big Mom shouted, and the tricorn hat on her head instantly transformed into a massive greatsword.
"Yes, Mama!"
A fierce eye and a mouth full of fangs grew on the blade, producing a piercing roar.
Big Mom gripped the sword with both hands and brought it down in a single slash.
Saeko did not retreat.
She gripped her sword with both hands, coating the Shodai Kitetsu in Armament Haki that turned the entire blade pure black.
Clang—!
The two swords collided, producing a deafening crash.
The shockwave spread outward, tearing rocks and dust into the sky.
Erina and Alice were forced back step by step, raising their arms to shield themselves from the flying debris.
Reze stood beside Alice, watching Big Mom's massive figure and couldn't help remarking, "Wow! She's changed so much from forty years ago."
Forty years ago, when the remnants of the Rocks Pirates served as instructors under Makoto, Big Mom could still be considered somewhat beautiful.
Although her physique was already large, her features were still refined, and her figure was still proportionate.
Who would have thought that forty years later, she'd end up like this?
Truly, time spares no one.
Saeko held against Big Mom's sword, the enormous size disparity making it look like a praying mantis blocking a tiger's strike.
Her feet sank deep into the ground, cracking the stone slabs beneath her into a spiderweb pattern, but her hands gripping the sword were as steady as a rock.
"I'm sorry, Charlotte Linlin-san."
Saeko's alluring eyes met Big Mom's gaze directly.
"We're here to take your Devil Fruit."
"Death wish!"
Big Mom roared, her voice so loud it made the surrounding buildings tremble.
"Prometheus!"
A Homie resembling a small sun flew out from behind her… Prometheus, a fire-element Homie created from Big Mom's own soul.
Its face was full of fear as it nervously glanced around, terrified that Makoto might show up, but it still quickly flew to Big Mom's hand.
Big Mom grabbed hold of Prometheus with her left hand and yanked.
Instantly, her entire left arm erupted with raging flames that rolled and writhed around her limb.
"Heavens' Fire!"
She gathered the flames on her left arm into a giant fireball and hurled it at Saeko.
The flame lance covering Big Mom's arm exceeded ten meters in diameter and radiated searing heat.
Everything in its path… the ground charred, cream walls melted, frosting evaporated into white mist.
The air filled with the acrid-sweet smell of burnt sugar, suffocating to inhale.
Saeko's pupils contracted.
She wanted to switch to a counterattack, but Big Mom's Emperor's Sword was still pressing down on her blade... she couldn't pull away.