Not far away, Perospero crashed to the ground, rolling across the shattered earth before forcing himself upright. The horror in his eyes was raw and unmistakable. His voice cracked as he swallowed hard, unable to believe what he was seeing.
"Mom… Mom! She is… dead? How… how could this be?"
Before the words had fully left his lips, his legs moved on instinct. His figure blurred into an afterimage as he flashed toward Charlotte Linlin's fallen body. He landed beside her in an instant, knees trembling.
A gaping hole pierced her neck. The faint smell of burnt flesh lingered around the wound. Her massive body, always radiating heat and monstrous vitality, was now cold beneath his fingers. Perospero's whole frame shook uncontrollably.
He slowly lifted his head.
At some point, Kaito had appeared directly before him. Perospero had expected fury, arrogance, perhaps even mockery. But what he saw instead was indifference—calm, steady, unshaken. That only made the fear twisting in his gut grow worse. His face turned ghost-pale.
"You… you actually killed Mom! You—"
"Me? What me?" Kaito's voice was flat. "If you choose the life of a pirate, you must be ready to die. Victory and death walk together."
Kaito took a step forward, his aura pressing down like a mountain.
"You have two choices. Join my crew, or die where you stand."
Perospero opened his mouth but no words came out. After a long silence, he exhaled shakily.
"I… want to hear what my younger brothers and sisters decide."
"Yes. They're alive," Kaito replied. "You'll see them soon. But understand this—if any of them refuse to join me, their outcome will be the same. You know what that means."
"I know…" Perospero murmured, eyes dimming.
Charlotte Linlin had never cared for her children beyond their usefulness. He knew that. Every sibling knew that. She used them to create a crew, a structure, a kingdom. There was no love. Even so, she had been their mother. Now that she lay dead at his feet, a strange emptiness gnawed at his chest.
The battlefield had grown silent. The clashing had stopped. One by one, the Big Mom Pirates who had hidden underground or sought shelter in ruins crept out cautiously. Their eyes followed the massive corpse lying beside Perospero and Kaito.
"Th—that's… Linlin!"
"It's true… Linlin has fallen!"
Stuzy, Queen of the Pleasure District and one of the Six Kings of the Underworld, stepped forward, staring wide-eyed.
"This is enormous news. Charlotte Linlin, one of the Four Emperors, has died in battle. Cake Island has been taken by the thunder-eye pirate crew. The New World is about to change."
Ocean King Umit's face darkened.
"Linlin died in battle. Do you think this… Kaito will attack us next?"
"He shouldn't," Opek said, though his voice lacked confidence. "If he kills us, the entire Underworld collapses. And we aren't part of the Big Mom Pirates. We only came for the tea party."
Even so, none of them felt certain. They had never met Kaito, and the unpredictable was always the most dangerous.
While they whispered among themselves, pirate ships appeared across the horizon, closing in rapidly around Cake Island. On each deck stood Kaito's officers, tall and confident.
Moments later, the ships docked. Ledfield led the commanders ashore, their steps echoing as they made their way toward Kaito.
"Boss! That battle was amazing!" Bullet shouted with fierce excitement.
"Yeah! That fight felt great!" Page One added enthusiastically.
Kaito shook his head lightly. These two were always the first to get riled up.
"I—is that Big Mom's corpse?" Issho stepped closer, his expression tightening as he sensed the massive fallen figure. "Captain… this is unbelievable."
Redfield chuckled softly.
"Who else but our captain? For him, this is expected. Big Mom was powerful, but she was no Roger or Whitebeard."
Kaito waved a hand dismissively.
"Enough chatter. Start securing Big Mom's territory. We need everything brought under control as soon as possible."
"Already underway," Yamato replied, eyes shining with excitement. "Black Maria is organizing the takeover. In one month at most, all of Big Mom's territory will belong to us."
Bullet pointed toward Morgans and the other Underworld leaders in the distance, grinning darkly.
"What about them? Want me to kill them?"
"The Underworld is a massive resource," Kaito said, stroking his chin. "Those six run nearly everything beneath the surface. If they can be taken, good. If not, we eliminate them and seize everything ourselves."
"I'll handle the negotiations," Issho offered calmly.
"Good."
Perospero hesitated before stepping forward again.
"My younger siblings… you said they're alive."
"They're in the cabin," Kaito replied. "Bullet, take him."
"No problem, boss!"
As Bullet led Perospero away, Kaito and the others continued dealing with the aftermath of the battle. But far beyond Cake Island, the waves of the event had already begun to spread.
Charlotte Linlin's tea party had drawn eyes across the seas, and the thunder-eye pirates' assault had been no secret. News burst across the oceans instantly, carried by crows, papers, and panicked messengers.
---
Naval Headquarters
Inside Marineford, the atmosphere was tense. The Five Elders had been discussing whether to pass the position of Fleet Admiral to Aokiji or Akainu when a Marine burst in, breathless.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku! Emergency intelligence from Admiral Kizaru in the New World!"
Sengoku had been annoyed by the Marine's panic but stood immediately when he heard the level of the report. He snatched the documents and scanned them.
Marine intelligence came in three levels. Level Two. Level One. And the highest—Special Level.
Only two events ever triggered a Special Level alert:
A Yonko battle.
Or the death of a Celestial Dragon.
Sengoku's expression darkened with every line he read.
"Sengoku," Tsuru said softly, "your face looks terrible. What is it?"
After waving the Marine away, Sengoku handed her the papers.
"When Charlotte Linlin began her tea party, the thunder pirate crew launched a full-scale assault on all of Big Mom's territory," he said grimly. "Everything except the main city has already been captured. Linlin's status is unknown. Kizaru is investigating."
"Investigating?" Tsuru exhaled slowly. "There is no need. Whether Linlin is dead or alive, her defeat is already guaranteed. Kaito will take the entire territory soon."
She glanced back at the report, face stern.
"With this, only two major Yonko territories remain—Red-Haired Shanks and Whitebeard."
"And Whitebeard won't let this slide," Sengoku muttered.
"The New World will fall under Kaito's control sooner or later," Tsuru continued. "And when he finishes absorbing Big Mom's lands, he will go after Whitebeard. After Whitebeard falls, Marine Headquarters will be his next enemy."
Sengoku frowned.
"But Marineford just finished recovering from the war with Whitebeard. Prepare for battle now? Isn't that too soon?"
Tsuru gave him a sharp look.
"Prepare, Sengoku. Because after he claims Whitebeard's territory, we will be the only obstacle left in the New World."