Chapter 223 — The Whole Crew Mobilizes
"Elbaf's Spear: Mighty Nation!"
"Armament Style: Three Forms — Emperor Flame Seal!"
Two voices thundered through the heavens.
Then came the explosion.
A deafening roar split the sky as Ace and Charlotte Linlin (Big Mom)'s attacks collided.
The blinding impact shattered the celestial phenomenon above Whole Cake Island, scattering the storm clouds that had loomed for hours. The resulting shockwave tore through the air like a hurricane, uprooting entire forests and sending waves crashing across the seas surrounding Totto Land.
When the blinding light faded, two figures reappeared in the now-clear sky.
"Look! Someone's falling!"
"That's—Mama?! How… how is that possible?!"
"Has Mama been defeated?!"
Gasps spread through the Big Mom Pirates as they saw their captain's massive figure plummeting toward the island below.
BOOM!
Charlotte Linlin slammed into the earth, carving a crater into the center of Whole Cake Island.
"You brat… you actually killed Zeus! I'll tear you apart for this!!"
Big Mom's roar shook the ground as she climbed from the crater, burns and steam rising from her body.
Hearing her unmistakable voice, the Big Mom Pirates collectively exhaled in relief.
"Haah… looks like you're still breathing, Big Mom."
High above, Ace—his Fire Emperor Form fading—hovered in midair, body battered and bloodied, but grinning wildly.
"You can't beat me anymore, though… even if I can't beat you yet."
Despite his injuries, his spirit blazed brighter than ever.
This battle had proven it—he had finally reached the level of a Yonko.
Perhaps still on the lower end of that godlike power, but standing on the same summit nonetheless.
"What did you just say, brat?!" Big Mom bellowed furiously. "If you've got the guts, come down here and fight me again! I'll crush you into ash!"
"Then come up here if you can!" Ace shot back with a smirk, crossing his arms as he floated above her.
He knew if they kept fighting, he'd probably lose—but showing weakness now wasn't an option.
"You insolent little punk!!"
Big Mom seethed, but with Zeus gone, she had lost her means of flight. All she could do was glare daggers at the man taunting her from the sky.
---
"Mama!"
Charlotte Perospero and Charlotte Smoothie arrived with a dozen high-ranking officers. When they saw Big Mom's burned form, they froze.
"Mom… you're hurt!"
"Impossible! Mama was actually injured?!"
Indeed—Charlotte Linlin, one of the Four Emperors, looked utterly disheveled. Her flesh was scorched, her dress torn, and of her three most powerful Homies, only Napoleon remained fully intact.
Prometheus was flickering weakly, while Zeus had been completely destroyed.
"Damn brat!!" Big Mom snarled, ignoring her children as rage consumed her once more.
Buru buru buru—buru buru buru!
At that moment, the Den Den Mushi in Perospero's hand began to ring frantically.
He answered it, and a panicked voice shouted through.
"Brother Perospero! Something's wrong—Lord Snack has been defeated!"
"What?!"
Perospero's eyes widened. One of the Four Sweet Commanders, Charlotte Snack, defeated? That was catastrophic news.
Even Big Mom's fury paused for a heartbeat as she turned toward the transmission.
Buru buru buru—buru buru buru!
Before she could respond, another Den Den Mushi rang—this time in Smoothie's hand.
"Mom! This is Cocoa Island! Just now, a ship belonging to the Kuja Pirates suddenly entered our territory for unknown reasons!"
"Kuja Pirates… the crew of the Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock?" Smoothie asked sharply. "Why are they here?"
"I—I don't know! They refused to negotiate and turned our messenger Den Den Mushi into stone! Their ship is sailing straight toward Whole Cake Island! Should we stop them?"
"No," Big Mom interrupted, her voice low and dangerous. "Let her come. Whether it's Elbaf's giants or the Shichibukai, anyone who dares step into my territory will learn what happens when they make me angry!"
"Yes, Mama! I—wait… what is that?!"
The voice on the line suddenly turned frantic, as though the speaker had seen something horrifying.
"What's going on?" Perospero demanded, heart pounding. "What happened?!"
"Something big—something terrible!" the voice cried. "The Spade Pirates' fleet is approaching Whole Cake Island!"
"What did you just say?!"
"There are six ships in total! The flagship flies the Spade Pirates' jolly roger—and behind them are:
The Thunder God Pirates, led by Enel,
The Heart Pirates, led by Trafalgar Law,
The Rogue Knight Pirates, led by Doma,
The Bonney Pirates, led by Jewelry Bonney,
The Massive Dog Pirates, led by George Salin…
And all of them are sailing under the Spade Pirates' banner!"
The voice trembled. "And that's not all—all the division commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates are aboard Ace's flagship too! They're heading straight for us! Are they declaring war on the Big Mom Pirates?!"
"What?!"
Perospero's face turned pale. He looked toward his mother, panic breaking through his usual grin.
"Mama… what do we do?!"
---
Yes—it was Ace's command.
Before returning to Sweet City, he had contacted Sun Island through Den Den Mushi and ordered the entire Spade Pirates' fleet to mobilize.
If negotiations failed—if Big Mom refused to hand over the three women—then Ace would have no choice but to start a war against the Big Mom Pirates themselves.
Because his brother… had called those three women "saviors."
And for Ace, that was reason enough to burn the seas.
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