"What… what an earth-shattering scoop…"
Hidden in the distance, Morgans finally snapped out of his stunned daze upon confirming that Big Mom had truly gone silent—forever.
"Damn it! I was so shocked I forgot to take pictures…"
But after a moment, he composed himself and shook his head.
"Still, I managed to capture plenty of footage from Big Mom's clash with Fleet Admiral Wright and the two Admirals."
Due to the overwhelming power of Big Mom's soul-based attacks, Morgans hadn't dared to approach. He could only document the battle using a Den Den Mushi from a safe distance. Still, since Wright and his team didn't deliberately suppress their voices, Morgans had heard every word exchanged.
"This one's too explosive. I'll need to have a serious chat with the Fleet Admiral before releasing anything."
As a former government mouthpiece, Morgans knew full well what kind of devastation Big Mom's dark secrets could inflict on the World Government's carefully maintained image.
Alliances with human traffickers. Constructing a "saintly" persona. Infiltrating Elbaf. Deceiving the Giant Tribe to recruit their military might…
And in the end, the scheme spiraled out of control. The trafficker nearly infiltrated Totto Land as a mole.
The kicker? The World Government had been collaborating with traffickers for decades.
How many children, over all those years, had been thrown into the hellfire of CP because of this arrangement?
There were even children within the Navy… weren't there?
To the public, however, the story was that "Saint Mother Carmel" had always found the orphans loving homes and happy lives.
For an organization that claimed to represent justice and morality, this was a devastating, existential stain.
Morgans adjusted his top hat and glanced at the ruins of Sweet City. Then he turned and strode toward another battlefield at the center of Whole Cake Island, a confident smile tugging at his beak.
"Hehehe… that free-agent hack Absa? One whiff of this story, and I'll crush him underfoot."
"I'm the true King of News! Kuwahahaha!"
...
Totto Land has fallen.
In her very own stronghold, on her home turf of Whole Cake Island, during her grand military display disguised as a tea party, one of the Four Emperors, the fearsome pirate Big Mom, detonated her own demise.
Fleet Admiral "Orange Horse" Wright, flanked by Admiral "Akainu" Sakazuki and Admiral "Fujitora" Issho, led over 8,000 elite officers of Marine Headquarters in a lightning assault on Sweet City. There, they executed Charlotte Linlin, the notorious Big Mom, on the spot.
During the attack, Big Mom, in a desperate final act, used her soul-based abilities to slaughter nearly her entire pirate crew—sparing none but the 1,057,000,000 bounty Sweet Commander Katakuri. The rest were annihilated.
Princess Reiju and the three Vinsmoke princes from the Germa Kingdom provided vital support, earning them personal commendations from Fleet Admiral Wright.
Thanks to their cooperation, Whole Cake Island was swiftly subdued. Moreover, using Brûlée's Mirror-World, Aokiji led a rapid deployment across the surrounding 34 islands, securing them with shocking speed.
With Kuina's "Skydome Fortress" locking down the skies, and Big Mom along with her key ministers dead, Totto Land's military might collapsed like a house of cards.
The Chess Soldiers, once an indomitable force, all deactivated upon Big Mom's death.
All Homies reverted to lifeless matter.
Yet the souls that gave them life… could no longer return to their original owners.
The people of Totto Land, now facing Admirals on their doorstep and the overwhelming presence of the Skydome Fortress, found themselves incapable of mustering any resistance.
When the Chess Soldiers and Homies fell, the truth hit instantly:
Big Mom's reign was over.
After reigning over the New World for more than 30 years, the Big Mom Pirates were utterly destroyed by a full-force strike from Marine Headquarters, led by the Fleet Admiral and three Admirals.
The entire world went into shock.
Thanks to Morgans, who captured countless photos at the scene, the brutal intensity of the battle was reconstructed in terrifying detail across newspapers worldwide—
Of course, the devastation only applied to the pirates.
Big Mom's true nature and the dark history of Mother Carmel had not yet been revealed. That story needed to wait.
The Navy's casualties were negligible.
The Big Mom Pirates' entire upper command was wiped out. Aside from Katakuri, only a few non-combatant children of Big Mom—those who hadn't attended the tea party—survived.
The instigators of the tea party chaos—the "Fire Tank Pirates" led by Capone Bege, who accidentally kicked off Big Mom's demise, the Straw Hat Pirates, and the opportunistic Revolutionary Army—all returned to the headlines and gained worldwide fame once again.
This battle also marked a breakout moment for the Navy's younger generation:
"Skyblade" Kuina, using her formidable swordsmanship and the Float-Float Fruit, combined with the aerial firepower of the Skydome Fortress, provided overwhelming offense and battlefield versatility—earning her a promotion to Vice Admiral.
"Fire Fist" Ace, matching Katakuri blow for blow, lit up the battlefield with explosive impact—he, too, was promoted to Vice Admiral.
"Ship-Cleaver" T Bone, who overpowered Charlotte Cracker and displayed immense potential with his Momo-Momo Fruit, also received a field promotion to Vice Admiral for his New World contributions.
"Nine-Tailed Fox" Tashigi, using both razor-sharp swordplay and unpredictable illusions, kept Charlotte Smoothie occupied and neutralized throughout the conflict—earning her a promotion to Rear Admiral.
As for "White Horse" Cavendish, a dramatic twist unfolded.
Fighting alone, Cavendish defended the Lightforged Beacon with everything he had, unleashing his limits to stall Charlotte Snack and Charlotte Perospero.
His impressive strength and unbreakable spirit—despite having his soul directly targeted by Big Mom—earned him the rank of Rear Admiral as well.
But everyone in Marine Headquarters knew: for Tashigi and Cavendish, this was merely a transitional promotion. A jump to Vice Admiral was just a matter of time.
However, Cavendish mysteriously vanished from public view. He didn't even attend his own promotion ceremony.
Fleet Admiral Wright announced that Cavendish had suffered direct soul damage during the battle and remained unconscious, requiring Wright's personal care.
But the truth was—Cavendish had already awakened.
Only, his current state… was strange.
In the most classified Marine testing facility—the Scientific Division's Test Grounds—Fleet Admiral Wright stood beside Dr. Vegapunk, watching over the dazed and slightly disoriented Cavendish.
"This… is astonishing, Fleet Admiral,"
Vegapunk murmured, visibly impressed.
"I was already stunned when I saw what Judge's kids could do, but this—this is a miracle at the soul level."
"Yeah… even I didn't see this coming,"
Wright replied with a bitter smile.
"After what happened with Judge back then, I swore I'd never touch this method again. But…"
"Who would've thought… it'd be Big Mom who gave Cavendish the final push."
—————————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my Patreon ——— patreon(.)com/JuanPiece [remove the parentheses ( )]
Note: This fanfic has been completely translated and is available on my Patreon.