The sky was crystal clear, and the wind carried a gentle, soothing breeze—the kind of weather that felt tailor-made for healing a battered body.
Charlotte Katakuri's only real complaint was the lack of a room suited to his massive size, but as a guest receiving care, he wasn't about to grumble. Having a roof over his head was enough, and with the weather this fine, being out on the deck wasn't such a bad alternative.
His wounds throbbed.
The old scars from years ago and the fresh gashes from the recent battlefield hummed with a dull ache. People often called scars a man's medals of honor, but for Katakuri, they were reminders of the siblings he had failed to protect—marks of a regret he never intended to forget.
"Hey! How are you holding up?"
"…I'm fine," Katakuri replied simply.
The ship's doctor, Chopper, approached with his reddish-brown fur swaying in the wind. Above them, the Jolly Roger of the Straw Hat Pirates fluttered. Their captain, the boy in the straw hat, was currently lounging lazily atop the ship's figurehead.
"Let's change those bandages. The wounds look… yeah. You're healing fast. Everything is looking good," Chopper said with a nod of approval.
"…I am still a Sweet Commander of the Big Mom Pirates," Katakuri reminded him. "We formed a temporary alliance out of necessity, but we are technically enemies."
"It's okay! You helped us back there, and Luffy said it was fine even if you're a Yonko executive!" Chopper chirped with a smile.
"…I see."
It was a conversation they had repeated several times since he had boarded this ship. Chopper ignored his protests and went about swapping the bandages, and Katakuri simply let him work.
Luffy hopped down from the figurehead and walked over with his arms crossed. "What, are you still worrying about that? We're friends now, aren't we? Don't sweat the small stuff!"
"Friends…?"
"Don't get caught up in the details!" Luffy laughed heartily, his signature "Shi-shi-shi" echoing across the deck. Seeing that carefree grin, Katakuri felt the weight of his own brooding seem a little foolish. A faint, genuine smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
Once Chopper finished and headed back to the infirmary, Zoro and Usopp stepped out onto the deck.
"You're looking a lot better," Zoro noted, leaning against the mast. "I realized I haven't thanked you yet. We all made it out alive because of you and your brothers. Thank you."
"Yeah, man! If you guys hadn't stepped in, we would have been toast!" Usopp added, sitting down nearby.
"Hmph. My brothers are my pride. I only hope they're still breathing…" Katakuri muttered.
They hadn't been able to escape together. His siblings had stayed behind, pouring every ounce of their strength into ensuring Katakuri and the Straw Hats could flee. It was only because of their sacrifice that they had managed to slip through the clutches of the Twilight Pirates.
"This ship is heading for Wano, right?" Katakuri asked. "The Twilight Pirates' next target is the Beast Pirates. If you go there, you're bound to clash with them. What's the plan?"
"We aren't changing course," Luffy declared without a hint of hesitation. "We'll probably get there first anyway, so we'll just take Kaido down before they show up!"
"Hey… you say that like it's easy, but you're talking about a Four Emperors captain," Zoro sighed, though he didn't disagree.
Katakuri stood up. He didn't release his Haki, but his natural presence cast a heavy shadow over the deck. "Big Mother should be there by now too… You're still going through with it?"
"Yeah. I'm going to be the King of the Pirates! I can't go running just because a Four Emperors captain is in the way!!"
"Heh… You certainly don't lack confidence." Katakuri couldn't help but chuckle. It was the first time he had met someone so genuinely "stupid" enough to claim the throne with such directness. He found the boy intriguing. He relaxed his posture and leaned back against the railing.
"But seriously," Usopp chimed in, sounding worried. "The Beast Pirates have to have monsters too, right? Like that giant bigger than Oars we saw on Fullalead, or those women with the snake eyes and shadow powers. If we don't have a plan, aren't we in trouble?"
"You mean the Giant Shadow and the Magic Eye… I'm not sure who the 'shadow woman' is. She likely isn't a member of the Six Sisters," Katakuri clarified.
"Is Komurasaki one of those Six Sisters too?" Zoro asked.
"Likely… As for whether the Beast Pirates have someone of that caliber: they do. They have three top-tier fighters known as the All-Stars."
Katakuri knew there were also the Tobiroppo, but he felt the All-Stars—often called the Disasters—were the ones who truly rivaled his own strength. Having faced the Twilight Pirates, he knew the world was changing. The day Kanata's crew seized total hegemony over the seas was not far off.
Usopp trembled. "There are people that strong over there too…?"
"Jinbe joined us now, so let's leave the tough guys to Luffy and Jinbe!" Chopper cheered.
"Indeed! You can count on me," Jinbe called out from the helm with a confident grin. "I will fight with everything I have for Luffy's sake!"
"That's the spirit, Boss Jinbe! I've got your back with cover fire!" Usopp shouted.
"The Giant Shadow and the Magic Eye have been with Kanata for a long time," Katakuri continued. "They clashed with our crew many times… but we have very little information on the other four sisters. They rarely move in the public eye."
The framework of the "Six Sisters" was a relatively recent development—a group of the six most powerful warriors within Kanata's personal guard, the Valkyries. Between them, they possessed enough power to rival the Sweet Commanders of the Big Mom Pirates or the All-Stars of the Beast Pirates.
Combined with the powerful men known as the Knights, and Kanata's two top lieutenants, her crew's depth of talent far surpassed any other Emperor's.
"There are even rumors that one of them fought to a draw with 'Fire Fist' of the Whitebeard Pirates. I don't know which one it was, but it's safest to assume they are all on that level."
"Ace? Whoa, that's incredible!" Luffy's eyes went wide. To him, Ace was an undefeated wall; hearing that someone could fight him to a standstill was a genuine shock.
"We only escaped this time because most of the Twilight executives weren't there," Katakuri added. "The fact that neither of the Witch's two lieutenants was present was our saving grace… If the man who defeated me had been there, we wouldn't be talking right now."
Unconsciously, Katakuri traced the three scars over his left eye. Zoro noticed the gesture. "The guy who gave you those?"
"No… these are different. A long time ago… these were given to me by Blackbeard."
It had happened over twenty years ago, during the Great Era of Piracy's most chaotic transition. The person who had actually defeated him recently was someone else entirely. Katakuri hadn't been careless, but Teach's strength had far exceeded his expectations—even as a child, he had been a terrifying threat.
+++
The headquarters of the Twilight Pirates was currently surrounded by the massive fleet of the Big Mom Pirates. Dozens of ships carrying Big Mom's children and their subordinate crews loomed on the horizon—a sight that would have frozen the blood of most sailors.
However, on the island, Kanata and her executives were as composed as ever.
"Make sure to send word to Elbaf," Kanata instructed. "If the giants find out we fought Linlin without telling them, they'll never let us hear the end of it."
"Wahahahaha! You've got a point there!" Scotch roared.
"Their numbers are high, but our defenses are locked and loaded," Jorge added. "We're ready whenever you are."
A massive fortress had been constructed on the outer edge of Fullalead, bristling with heavy cannons. The harbor had been completely refitted as a military port. It was a base built purely for total war. Since they rarely faced enemies foolish enough to attack their home turf, the crew was itching to show what they could do.
They waited for the fleet to close the distance.
"…Are they close enough yet? Not yet?" Scotch asked.
"Don't rush it, Scotch. Just a little closer—"
"FIRE!!" Samuel screamed, jumping the gun.
A massive cannon blast roared from the ramparts, only to splash harmlessly in the water well ahead of the lead enemy ship.
"Uwaaaaah!! What are you doing, you moron?!" Scotch yelled, immediately putting Samuel in a sleeper hold. "You just gave away our range for nothing!"
Stimulated by the premature shot, the Big Mom fleet began returning fire, their shells whistling through the air.
"To hell with it! Return fire! All batteries, open up!" Scotch commanded, tossing Samuel aside and pointing toward the horizon.
A volley of cannon fire arched through the sky, but many were swatted away by the skilled fighters aboard the enemy ships.
"Ordinary cannons aren't going to cut it, huh?"
"Where's David?"
"He's on the other side of the island. Fine… I'll show them how it's done."
Scotch rolled up his sleeves and began touching the stacks of cannonballs, infusing them with his power before ordering them loaded. Once the preparation was complete, he signaled the batteries to fire at the approaching vanguard.
"Eat this! More-More Hundredfold Cannonball!!"
As the shells flew through the air, they suddenly expanded, growing into gargantuan spheres of iron that crushed everything in their path. The enemy ships couldn't compensate for the sudden change in scale; ships were pulverized and set ablaze one after another. Scotch pumped his fist and laughed at the sinking wreckage.
"Wahahahaha! Now that feels good!"
"Now we just sink them as they get close… wait, what?"
Jorge looked through his binoculars and saw the sea around Fullalead rapidly beginning to freeze. It was Kanata's doing. She had slipped away from the command center to handle the front lines herself. The enemy ships, trapped in the ice, became sitting ducks for the artillery.
On the surface, it looked like a total victory, but Jorge felt a cold knot of dread in his stomach. A crew of this caliber wouldn't just charge blindly into a slaughter.
"…I have a bad feeling about this."
Perhaps Kanata had realized the same thing, which was why she had moved. Jorge turned to Scotch. "I'm leaving this post to you. I'm heading inside."
Deep within the fortress was a reinforced shelter for non-combatants. It was designed to withstand any external impact, but that meant it was vulnerable if the enemy found a way in. Jorge followed his intuition and sprinted toward the heart of the base.
+++
The shelter was the most heavily fortified structure on Fullalead, but it was a cage if the perimeter was breached. Outside, Kanata and her elites were fighting, making an infiltration seem impossible. But in a world of Devil Fruits, common sense was a fragile thing.
"Where the hell did these guys come from?!"
A Long-Arm Tribe cook swung a heavy punch, knocking a soldier unconscious. He was a veteran of the crew and, like most members, had kept himself in fighting shape. He wasn't about to go down easily.
He was currently single-handedly holding off a wave of "Chess Soldiers"—homies created by Big Mom's soul power.
"The mirrors! They're coming out of the mirrors!!" someone screamed.
Sure enough, Chess Soldiers were pouring out of the decorative mirrors in the hallway in an endless stream.
"Break the mirrors! Block their entrance!"
"We can't! There are too many of them!"
"Do it or we're all dead!" the cook roared, settling into a boxing stance.
Just as the situation was about to spiral out of control, Jorge burst into the room. "I knew it… they found a way in!"
"Master Jorge! Thank goodness! They're everywhere!"
"They're coming through the mirrors? Is this a fruit power?" Jorge drew his sword and began cleaving through the Chess Soldiers, moving toward the mirrors. Looking closely, he saw that the mirrors weren't reflecting the room; they showed a different landscape entirely—an alternate dimension.
"How troublesome…!"
He immediately shattered the closest mirror. He realized there were likely several exit points throughout the base. He pulled out the Baby Transponder Snail issued to all executives.
"All units, watch the mirrors! The enemy is using a mirror-link ability to infiltrate the interior of the island!"
The entire island needed to be swept. They had assumed the fortress walls would keep everyone safe, but this was a total bypass. Kanata was likely occupied with Big Mom; they had to handle this themselves.
"Enemy executives might be inside already! Report any sightings immediately!"
+++
"Wi-wi-wi-wi! Look at them scramble! It's only natural, having my brothers and sisters pop up right in the middle of their home," Brulee cackled.
Inside the Mirror World, Big Mom's daughter Brulee watched the chaos. Her Mira Mira no Mi was an incredibly potent tool for infiltration. As long as there was a mirror large enough for a person to pass through, no fortress was truly secure.
She had an army of over ten thousand soldiers stationed in the Mirror World, ready to be deployed at a moment's notice.
"The fodder is fine for the homies, but their executives are tough," Perospero noted, leaning on his candy cane. "Brulee, make sure our main forces are aimed at the heavy hitters. Watch out for the Hexad Grand Spear, the Red Mane, and the Giant Shadow."
Perospero still remembered the sting of his previous loss to Junshi. He had grown stronger, but he knew the Twilight executives had as well. "We take them down with numbers. This is a pirate war; there's no such thing as 'unfair.' Perorin~♪"
Katakuri had also suffered a loss to Kanata in the past. While he wanted a rematch, he knew Linlin would claim that head for herself. He was currently tasked with guarding Brulee, the lynchpin of their entire strategy.
Suddenly, a mirror shattered.
Perospero and Katakuri exchanged a look and nodded. "Time for the main event. Follow me, Perorin~♪"
Oven, Daifuku, Compote, Amande, Cracker—a line-up of Big Mom's most terrifying children followed Perospero out of the Mirror World. They knew they were stepping into a demon's den, but with their combined strength, they intended to tear it down from the inside.
They emerged into a room that looked somewhat feminine in its decor. The mirror they exited was massive—likely belonging to a giant. As the homies swarmed out ahead of them, they were met with a sight that made them pause.
The hallway was already littered with the broken remains of hundreds of Chess Soldiers.
"Hmph. Finally, the main course arrives. I was starting to think you were only going to send us trash," a voice echoed.
"They wouldn't come without a plan. They aren't that stupid. He-he-he."
A red-haired man stood there, laughing, alongside a strange man who looked like a centaur.
"The Hexad Grand Spear and the Red Mane… of all the people to run into first," Perospero grimaced.
"Hahaha! Don't be like that. I was looking forward to seeing how much stronger you've become," Junshi said, leveling his long spear.
"We take these two down together. Compote, Daifuku, help me!" Perospero ordered.
"Leave it to us."
"Ready when you are, Peros-ni!"
"Oven, take the others and move to the secondary objective. Don't get too hot-headed," Katakuri cautioned.
"I know, I know!" Oven grunted, leading a detachment down the hall.
Perospero settled into a fighting stance against Junshi and Zen. Even with a numerical advantage, they knew that every Twilight executive was a monster in their own right.
"No playing around this time," Perospero muttered.
"Agreed. But I can't promise my blood won't boil," Junshi countered.
The direct clash between the Sweet Commanders and the Twilight Executives had begun.
+++
Kanata walked calmly across the frozen sea. Cannonballs occasionally whistled toward her, but she simply parried them with the tip of her spear as if they were pebbles. Not a single scratch marred her skin.
"Feyyun, handle the outer perimeter," she spoke into her Transponder Snail. "The harbor is out of commission for now, but the ice should hold. Release the giants."
"Got it! I'll let 'em run wild. He-he-he!" Kuro's voice replied from the other end.
A gargantuan figure appeared on the horizon—nearly ten times the size of a normal giant.
It was the Giant Shadow, Feyyun. She waded through the ice, effortlessly tossing aside warships as if they were toys. Several other giants followed her, many already utilizing the Devil Fruit powers they had received in exchange for their loyalty.
As the giants cleared the subordinate fleets, Kanata kept her eyes on her true goal.
"Come out, Linlin. I've come all this way; the least you could do is show your face."
The Queen Mama Chanter loomed ahead. Despite the infiltration of the island, the flagship still held a formidable crew. But Kanata knew that only one person on that ship was her equal.
"Ma-ma-ma-ma!! You've certainly developed a big mouth, you little brat!"
"Shiki called me a brat too. He still hasn't managed to take this 'slender neck' of mine. What about you?"
The air began to scream as their opposing Haki collided, the massive ship groaning under the pressure. Linlin descended from the deck atop Zeus, her soul-bound thundercloud.
Standing on the ice, Linlin was a mountain of a woman, nearly nine meters tall. With Zeus and Prometheus flanking her, she looked like a force of nature. Kanata, standing at barely 160 centimeters, looked fragile by comparison—a delicate blossom in the path of a hurricane. But the sheer intensity of the Haki radiating from her small frame told a different story.
"I'm going to tear your head off and put it on display!!"
"Try it—if you think you're fast enough."
Linlin's hat, Napoleon, transformed into a massive blade. Zeus and Prometheus crackled with power as her rage reached a fever pitch, the very weather around the island beginning to warp into a storm.
"I don't know how you managed to win over the giants… but I'm going to crush that smug face of yours once and for all!!"
Linlin swung Napoleon with all the fury of a hurricane.
"I'm tired of these petty squabbles," Kanata said, her own plain, sturdy spear blackening with Haki. "I'm ending our history today. The Big Mom Pirates end here!!"
She swung her spear with everything she had.
And the world trembled.
***
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