The news of Shiki causing a huge disturbance in his own territory did not stay hidden. Instead, it spread with incredible speed.
The very next day, reports about the incident were everywhere. As the latest hot topic, almost every newspaper replaced its headline with this story. The original headline, "The New World's Pirate Star, Kaidō, Arrested Again," was immediately pulled.
However, news from these publications can only be trusted half the time. The papers made it sound as if Shiki had been beaten and was fleeing with his tail between his legs, which was ridiculous. But the sharp Big Mom still spotted the news about Kaidō's arrest in a corner of the paper.
"Mommy, Mommy, that man really is such a handful," she laughed while eating her sweets.
During this time, she had also been expanding her power. Her dream was to build a nation of all races, but that was no simple task.
Rather than recruiting existing races into her crew, Big Mom preferred to bind them by blood. For this reason, she had been in a constant state of pregnancy. Besides the husbands of the children in her belly, she had several other husbands of different races waiting in line.
However, her pregnancy had not weakened her combat strength. She was still a terrifying monster who made her enemies tremble at the mere mention of her name.
Meanwhile, her own children were now beginning to make their mark. Especially Katakuri. Though only in his teens, he was already very tall, and his combat power was in a period of explosive growth.
He had been a powerful monster since childhood and had inherited Charlotte Linlin's terrifying talent.
Besides him, while Perospero's strength was a little less, he was the eldest. His power was nothing to scoff at, and with the pirate forces that had joined him, he had become a giant in his own right.
Of course, other pirate crews were also growing. The future Yonko had not yet pulled away from any of the older monsters.
It was even possible that with a single misstep, the title of Yonko could change hands. The four emperors who ruled the New World were not destined by fate. They were the result of two decades of constant struggle and competition.
"Mother, what about that Kaidō? Are we just going to leave him alone?" Perospero couldn't help but ask. Anyone who lived through the Rocks era knew the unusual bond between Charlotte Linlin and Kaidō.
"Don't worry about him," Big Mom said, not focusing on Kaidō. "That man is probably just hungry and looking for a place to eat."
She turned her attention to Ren instead. "This one is quite impressive. Last time was one thing, but for him to make that bastard Shiki suffer such a great loss... It's a shame he doesn't seem to be of any special race."
As for her own feud with Ren, it was barely worth mentioning. They now had trade relations, and Big Mom just wanted the conflict to end so business could resume.
She was waiting to purchase a large shipment of weapons. It wasn't that she couldn't buy weapons elsewhere; it was just that the quality wasn't quite the same.
"Mommy, Mommy, speaking of which, Perospero, I remember that fellow who looked like a sake gourd sent over a Video Transponder Snail, right? What is that thing for?" Big Mom suddenly remembered.
"Shutenmaru?" Perospero asked, holding his candy cane. He was a user of the Lick Lick Fruit and currently served as the main spokesperson for Big Mom's crew. Katakuri was still a bit young, and while his combat power had surpassed Perospero's, his thinking could sometimes have its flaws.
"That's right, he sent a Video Transponder Snail, saying he would soon start a livestream about a new weapon," Perospero said. To be honest, a livestream for a new weapon was beyond his imagination.
What kind of weapons are there besides bombs, flintlocks, and swords? Even for a high-grade blade, there's no need for such a formal livestream.
"Not long from now? Mama, Mama, that kid is quite relaxed, then," Big Mom laughed.
Shiki wouldn't let this slide.
In this situation, what new weapon could Ren possibly show? He must be planning a direct confrontation to demonstrate it. If that's the case, it's well worth looking forward to.
...
"That's all for now, time to head back," Shutenmaru left the pirate island. He had just delivered a Video Transponder Snail to the current master of the island.
On the great sea now, unless there were old grudges or greed, most people didn't want to provoke people from "Inazuma." They possessed the best weapons. If you couldn't wipe them out in one go, they would sell all their weapons to your opponents and enemies. Therefore, Shutenmaru's trip encountered almost no obstacles, only a few clueless rookies who tried to challenge him.
Pirates aren't graduates; they don't flock to the New World at a specific time. Pirates pour into the New World year-round.
Having finished his business, Shutenmaru finally relaxed and had a drink. He picked up the latest news and a bounty poster slipped out: "Huh, 'Lightning' Ren, a bounty of two billion seven hundred sixty million Belly?"
"Ren's name was reported by those agents? His bounty has increased."
"Two billion seven hundred sixty million Belly? Shutenmaru-dono, you can't even match a fraction of Ren's bounty!" several Mountain Bandits laughed loudly. The Atamayama thieves each had their own bounties, but they weren't high, only in the tens of millions.
"Of course not! How could I be compared to Ren-dono?"
"But that Shiki, he's been humiliated by Ren-dono again. How satisfying!" Shutenmaru laughed heartily and drank deeply.
At the same time, while Shiki was regrouping, Ren didn't panic at all. In fact, he was quite idle. The necessary preparations were mostly done, and it was difficult to make a breakthrough in other areas.
Thinking of this, Ren took the opportunity to make a trip to Paradise. When he returned, he brought a group of doctors and two Devil Fruits with him.
"Yukiko, arrange for them," Ren said, then handed her two fruits. "These are the Ushi Ushi Fruit and the Gul-Gul Fruit. You can keep them for now."
Ren didn't plan to keep the Gul-Gul Fruit, but it was still very useful. The original Voldo used this fruit to create a brand new metal, and Ren thought it might be useful for his research.
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