"The war… is over!!!"
When Aeridar appeared on the battlefield, carrying the corpse of the Big Mom Pirates' captain, Charlotte Linlin, the resistance finally ground to a halt.
The moment they laid eyes on Charlotte Linlin's body, the morale of the Big Mom Pirates and their affiliated crews completely crumbled.
In truth, they had already harbored suspicions beforehand. The sudden, simultaneous death of swarms of Chess Soldiers, Biscuit Soldiers, and high-ranking Homies was a glaring sign that something had gone wrong with Charlotte Linlin, they simply hadn't wanted to believe it.
Now, they had no choice.
"Big Mom Pirates, you have lost. The war is over!"
Aeridar strolled leisurely down the ruined main street. Resting upon the giant slab of rock trailing behind him was the corpse of Charlotte Linlin, with Oliver and the others closely following in his wake.
On both sides of the street, massive crowds had gathered to watch, members of the Chris Pirates alongside members of the Big Mom Pirates.
Nothing could bring an end to a war quite like the corpse of a Yonko!
"D-Did we lose?! As expected... even Mama lost!"
"No! This isn't true! Mama wouldn't lose in such a short amount of time!"
"It has to be a conspiracy! Mama is invincible! That bastard Aeridar couldn't possibly have beaten her!!"
"You've gotta be kidding me?! How... how did Mama die?"
"..."
Some wore expressions of pure terror; others stared blankly with deadened eyes; some refused to believe it, while others wept openly... but one thing was certain: not a single person had any desire to keep fighting.
Because for the Big Mom Pirates, who were already facing defeat, laying eyes on the corpse of the sole figure they had pinned all their faith on completely shattered their belief, destroying the final pillars of resolve in their hearts.
With their sovereign gone, the curtain fell on this great war.
No matter how much resentment they harbored, or how desperately they wanted revenge, the will to strike back was entirely gone. Under these circumstances, continuing to resist meant certain death, with no other outcome.
"Are you kidding me?! That woman... that monster... actually died?" Hidden in the shadows, a World Government agent could barely suppress a horrified gasp.
"Stop the presses! This is a massive scoop! Golden Ring Aeridar has slain Big Mom! President Morgans is going to lose his mind!" Hiding inside a ruined high-rise building, a journalist from the World Economy News Paper wore a manic expression as he frantically snapped photo after photo with his camera.
Marine intelligence operatives, Cipher Pol agents, Revolutionary Army spies, and informants from every major faction recorded the scene before them with feverish intensity. They would be the ones broadcasting the world's next great upheaval!
From the streets of Unzan Port all the way down to the coastal harbor, the crowd swelled larger and larger. Countless pirates from the Big Mom Pirates lowered their weapons, silently watching as Charlotte Linlin's corpse passed by.
Soon, a group of figures blocked their path ahead. Aeridar came to a halt, swept his gaze over them, and let out a sigh. "Big Mom Pirates... are there really only a few of you left?"
Standing at the forefront was Perospero, his entire body wrapped in bandages, accompanied by Smoothie, Oven, Laurin, Custard, and fewer than ten surviving members of the Charlotte family.
Beyond them stood barely a dozen non-family officers and affiliated pirate captains, including Jinbe and Capone Bege.
Nearly all of them were nursing injuries. Combined with their heavy grief and devastated expressions, they looked utterly wretched.
"You won, Aeridar!"
Staring up at the man before him, Perospero forced his mouth open, speaking in a weak, defeated voice.
"Your grand fleet has been completely wiped out, and Germa 66 has surrendered. If you keep fighting, you don't have a single shred of a chance of winning," Aeridar said, looking directly at Perospero as he spoke in a deep voice. "Surrender! I gave Kaido my word, I'll leave you with a way out."
Hearing this, Aeridar's expression visibly soured. No matter how one looked at it, having victory practically in hand only to be forced into sparing the enemy's life was an infuriatingly frustrating pill to swallow.
"Spare us?!"
At those words, Perospero and the others snapped their heads up in astonishment, staring at Aeridar as if they couldn't believe their ears.
Who in their right mind held an absolute, overwhelming advantage and still offered the enemy a way out, unless they were weak?
Yet, were they weak?
Not at all. They were the Big Mom Pirates, a Yonko crew, and one of the most formidable pirate forces on the seas.
"Of course I don't want to let you go. Your grand fleet is wiped out, Germa 66 surrendered, and you're completely cornered here. It wouldn't even take me personally stepping in to wipe every last one of you out! But..."
Aeridar shook his head, a look of deep irritation washing over his face as he muttered unhappily, "Who asked that madman Kaido to crash the party right now? To top it off, the bastard owes Big Mom a favor. You lot just caught a lucky break!"
A wave of relief instantly swept through Perospero and the others. Given the choice, they didn't want to die here either.
"What about Mama? Can we take Mama with us?" Smoothie quickly chimed in.
The moment Charlotte Linlin was mentioned, Aeridar's complexion turned even uglier, drawing matching dark scowls from Oliver, Zephyr, and the rest.
"Go ask Kaido for her in three days!" Aeridar said coldly. "For now, hand over your weapons and surrender quietly, or don't blame me for going back on my word!"
"Hmph. After today's battle, let's see how many of Totto Land's thirty-six islands you lot will actually be able to hold onto!" Oliver swept a cold glare across Perospero and the others, sending a chill down their spines as if a sharp blade had just brushed past their throats.
What should have been a thoroughly exhilarating, resounding victory had been compromised at the last second, leaving a bitter taste in everyone's mouth.
Perospero and the others' expressions shifted instantly as the same chilling realization hit them.
It wouldn't even take until tomorrow for the news of Charlotte Linlin's death at Unzan Port and the defeat of the Big Mom Pirates in the Clifford Kingdom to spread across the entire world.
When that happened, Totto Land was bound to face the exact same chaos that had struck Whitebeard's territory two years ago. The scavenger-like hyenas of the open sea would swarm in like a pack of wolves, tearing into the lucrative, plump flesh of the crippled Big Mom Pirates!
The enemies of the Big Mom Pirates wouldn't let them off. Up-and-coming pirates looking to make a name for themselves wouldn't let them off. And countless greedy scoundrels after Big Mom's hidden treasures certainly wouldn't let them off!
Yet, after this war, the Big Mom Pirates had suffered unprecedented, catastrophic losses. Their captain, Charlotte Linlin, was dead; their second-strongest combatant, Katakuri, was critically injured and on the brink of death, effectively out of commission; and among the Sweet Commanders, aside from Cracker who was still back in Totto Land recovering from his injuries, only Smoothie was left to hold down the fort.
The rest of the Charlotte family siblings, alongside their external officers and combatants, had suffered devastating casualties. Even their rank-and-file foot soldiers had been wiped out by the thousands. Coupled with the loss of their entire Homies army, they probably didn't even have enough remaining manpower to maintain an average garrison across all their islands.
Facing the impending, ferocious tidal wave of scavengers, a severely weakened Big Mom Pirates crew simply lacked the strength to hold back the predatory madness of the world!
Ignoring Perospero and the rest, Aeridar slowly rose into the air, looking down at the massive crowds gathering below.
"Brothers of the Chris Pirates! This war… we, the Chris Pirates, have won!!!"
In an instant, a deafening wave of cheers exploded into the sky.
"Long live Captain Aeridar!"
"We won!"
"Long live Captain Aeridar! All hail the Chris Pirates!"
"Long live His Majesty the King! We are victorious!"
"..."
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