Katakuri stood in the shadows, watching the direction Ray was heading.
Beneath his scarf, the corner of his mouth lifted uncontrollably.
Seeing Ray truly intending to kill his own mother... even the usually calm and composed Katakuri felt a rare, dark excitement bubbling in his chest.
However, business first.
He still needed to arrange for his sister's escape.
Katakuri activated his ability and his arm transformed into massive, sticky mochi, stretching out like a python.
SNATCH.
He easily seized a female pirate who was fighting a giant bald eagle in the distance, grabbing the eagle along with her.
He dragged them back to Smoothie.
"Smoothie," Katakuri ordered. "Absorb them. While Mama's is still resting, leave this island and run as far as you can."
He dropped the struggling victims in front of her.
Smoothie didn't hesitate. She placed her hands on the female pirate.
Squeeze.
The pirate's pleas turned into gurgles, then silence.
Her body withered instantly, turning into a dried-out, stick-like husk that clattered to the ground.
The giant sea eagle suffered the same fate a second later.
In this chaotic world, the siblings' hands were already stained with countless of blood.
They didnt show any kindness to the outsiders, so they certainly wouldn't spare two "livestock" raised within their own domain.
Gulp.
After absorbing the moisture and energy from these two "mobs," the flesh on Smoothie's shoulders knit together.
Her arms fully merged with the wounds, looking as good as new.
She flexed her fingers, feeling the power return.
Smoothie smiled and looked at her brother. "Brother, look. Since I've already recovered and we've collected all the cake ingredients... is there still a need for me to run?"
Hearing this, Katakuri paused.
He thought for a moment, and his tense shoulders relaxed as a relieved expression appeared in his eyes.
He had truly been overly worried.
In Big Mom's eyes, Smoothie now had no physical flaws.
To Big Mom, Smoothie had successfully completed her mission of gathering ingredients and remained an intact Sweet Commander.
As for her subordinates dying? That meant nothing.
In the Big Mom Pirates, soldiers were merely livestock that could be replaced at any time.
"You're right," Katakuri agreed.
The two quickly cooked up a new plan.
Core objective: Help their siblings survive.
Secondary objective: Gain freedom.
The Execution Plan:
Wait and See: Do not act if the situation is unclear to avoid offending either powerhouse (Ray or Big Mom).
Katakuri's Role: He would remain hidden for now, lurking in the shadows to protect their siblings.
Smoothie's Role: She would participate in the banquet normally to avoid suspicion.
Contingency: If Ray failed, Katakuri would wound himself and claim Ray had ambushed him to steal Chouchou, clearing them of treason.
Victory Condition: If Ray won, they would execute the original plan: grab their favorite siblings and leave this hellhole to reorganize the crew or start fresh.
...
The Reception Hall
Half an hour later.
The Whole Cake Island reception hall was buzzing.
Big Mom had just woken up.
She sat in the center of the hall smiling as she looked down at her numerous children and banquet guests.
"Mamamama!" she laughed, her eyes wide and manic. "Perospero! Have you brought up my cake? I can't wait any longer!"
As she spoke, thick saliva dripped from the corners of her mouth, sizzling as it hit the floor.
Seeing Big Mom's state, Perospero broke into a cold sweat.
He waved his candy cane frantically at the servants.
"Bring Mama's cake immediately! HURRY!"
His urgency was justified.
If Big Mom couldn't eat the cake she desired within her patience period, her "Hunger Pang" might trigger.
And just moments ago, Perospero noticed her patience meter had clearly dropped into the red zone.
'If Mama goes into a rage, we might lose another sibling,' Perospero thought, terrified.
This was precisely why Perospero feared Big Mom's outbursts more than anyone.
Though he was a "filial" son, loyal to his mother, he was also the big brother to these dozens of siblings.
He was naturally unwilling to watch them die by their mother's hand.
But unlike Katakuri, Perospero's decision-making hierarchy was.
1. Big Mom.
2. Siblings.
Katakuri, while appearing obedient, put his siblings first.
Perhaps Big Mom could roughly discern this too—which is why Perospero held the highest authority right below her, despite being weaker than Katakuri.
Fortunately, just as Big Mom was about to go mad, the doors swung open.
The massive wedding cake arrived punctually.
"Mama! Mission accomplished!" Perospero announced, bowing deeply.
He moved to stand behind Big Mom's throne.
As a Yonko, Big Mom was undoubtedly much much much stronger than him, but as the eldest son, he still needed to provide protection while his mother ate.
However, Perospero understood the reality: his actions were merely precautionary.
Anyone he could handle couldn't harm Big Mom.
And anyone capable of harming Big Mom would be way beyond his ability to stop—at most, he was just a candy-coated human shield.
...
Ten minutes earlier, Smoothie had arrived at the banquet.
She took her usual spot in her giant chair.
Next to her was her "prep station": a 'criminal' sexy female pirate, a strange beast, and a pair of slave father and son.
These were all materials she prepared for human juicing, mainly to satisfy the guests' demands for fresh drinks.
But her attention certainly wasn't on these guests.
She was staring at the main table and waiting.
Waiting for the moment Big Mom would eat the cake.
Yes, she still poisoned the Snow Lotus Paste.
Although her plans included contingency measures should Ray fail, deep down, she hoped Ray would win and Big Mom would lose.
Partly for personal freedom... and partly due to those lingering hormonal factors making her root for the silver-haired man.
Ten minutes passed.
The enormous cake was now placed before Big Mom.
Smoothie, who had been mechanically juicing for guests, suddenly tensed up and her hand slipped.
SQUELCH.
She accidentally applied way too much pressure.
Originally intending to only juice one of the female pirate's legs for a cocktail, she ended up juicing the entire person dry in a split second.
The excessive liquid exploded out of the husk, splashing all over the guest who was waiting for his drink.
He stood there, dripping wet with "human juice," looking horrified.
Smoothie winced.
She gave an awkward, slightly embarrassed smile and nodded in apology.
'Oops.'
She ignored the guest and snapped her gaze back to Big Mom.
She saw Big Mom hopping twice in her seat like a giant toddler.
Her large eyes were filled with loving, greedy light.
Big Mom opened her enormous mouth, ready to take a bite of the poisoned cake.
'She's going for it it! She's going for it!' Smoothie calculated silently in her heart, clenching her fists.
'EAT IT YOU DAMN OLD HAG!'
But at that exact moment—
CRACK!
A dazzling Light Whip suddenly appeared out of thin air.
It lashed fiercely across Big Mom's face with a thunderous WHACK, and incidentally smashed the entire wedding cake into a thousand pieces of cream and sponge.
SPLAT.
The hall suddenly went dead silent.
Smoothie: (+_+) ?
Her jaw dropped.
'Holy crap, Ray-sama,' she thought, mentally face-palming.
'You really... couldn't you have waited literally a few more seconds?! The poison was right there!'
Yes, Ray had arrived.
He walked in calmly, and the moment he entered, he delivered a whip strike right to Big Mom's face.
At this moment, Big Mom was utterly bewildered.
She sat there with a red welt on her cheek, staring blankly at Ray, then at the ruined cake on the floor.
All of Big Mom's children were silent as cicadas in winter; they couldn't comprehend who would dare to be so bold.
Meanwhile, the guests present felt their souls leave their bodies.
They only wanted to flee!
They knew all too well that the Yonko, Big Mom, was about to rampage!
Sure enough, in less than two seconds, the shock wore off.
Big Mom's face turned purple.
Her furious roar shot up to the sky, shaking the foundation of the castle.
"RAY!!! HOW DARE YOU SHATTER MY CAKE?! I'LL KILL YOU!!!"
With that, Big Mom raised her massive, Haki-clad fist and swung it directly toward Ray.