Dimensional Chat Group: Speed-o'-Light

"Thank you for your mercy. If possible, I beg you to forgive my ignorant younger brothers and sisters. They simply couldn't understand your greatness for the moment. I can swear on my own life that every single one of them is willing to devote themselves to Lord Boros unto death!"

Katakuri quickly adjusted his posture, dropped to both knees, and bowed deeply to the ground. Facing Charlotte Linlin's gaze that looked as if she wanted to devour him alive, he pleaded with Boros in the most humble tone.

Even though he knew full well that by saying this he would be an unforgivable traitor in his mother's eyes, Katakuri did not hesitate in the slightest.

The consequences of angering his mother were indeed terrifying, but compared to being unable to protect his younger siblings, he would rather bear her hatred alone.

"Puhahahaha! How disgraceful, you old hag! Even your own son has gone over to someone else!"

Kaido laughed mockingly with glee. In the past, BIG MOM had often boasted to him about Katakuri, and although Kaido would never admit it out loud, deep down he had always envied her for having such a good son.

After all, compared to Katakuri, Yamato was so abstract and eccentric that even Kaido himself could hardly stand it.

Sometimes Kaido even fell into self-doubt—just what kind of thing had he brought into this world?

But as he laughed, his amusement suddenly froze. He realized that Katakuri had only defected to the One-Eyed Monster after the old hag's defeat. In contrast, Yamato had wanted to help that monster fight him from the very beginning.

"Katakuri!!!"

Charlotte Linlin's bloodshot eyes locked onto Katakuri with a glare that could kill.

If she hadn't already tried countless times without success, BIG MOM would have struck him down immediately—even if he had once been her most proud son!

Yet Katakuri, still kneeling on the ground, didn't even glance in her direction. In his heart, nothing was more important than protecting his younger siblings' lives.

Even if it meant being hated by his mother forever, even if it meant risking his own life, Katakuri could no longer care.

"…Do as you wish."

Boros spoke indifferently. He hadn't even realized there were still members of the BIG MOM Pirates trying to resist.

To catch Boros's attention, one had to at least reach the level of a high-ranking combatant. Even counting the remnants of the BIG MOM Pirates, the number of high-ranking fighters under him hadn't yet reached double digits.

After all, Boros judged his subordinates by only one standard—combat power. Someone like Perospero, whose strength was a bit lacking, could only be relegated to the middle ranks.

Fortunately, by virtue of being the eldest son of BIG MOM and having prestige from the past, Katakuri wasn't in danger of having his voice completely ignored.

"Understood! Thank you for your mercy!"

Katakuri finally let out a sigh of relief. Although he had already judged from Boros's words and actions so far that he wouldn't care about such trivial matters, until he received Boros's permission, Katakuri had no choice but to restrain those reckless younger siblings.

Compared to his violent and ruthless mother, this self-proclaimed "Universal Overlord" Boros was far easier to serve.

'Clatter clatter clatter…'

Charlotte Linlin glared at the traitor Katakuri, her massive teeth grinding together with a horrifying sound, as if she longed to bite him into pieces and grind him into meat paste.

Yet, in the end, Charlotte Linlin still did not make a move. Even as Katakuri bowed respectfully toward her, the hatred in her eyes did not fade in the slightest.

She would never stop to wonder why Katakuri had betrayed her, nor reflect on why all her children had so easily turned against her.

To Charlotte Linlin, her children were nothing more than tools to realize her ambition—and tools that dared betray their master deserved only death!

"Geh hahahaha! How ugly, you old hag… Oi! Katakuri brat, why don't you become my son instead!"

Kaido, always eager to fan the flames, seized the chance to stir things up, hoping the old hag would explode and fight the one-eyed monster on the spot.

If the old hag dared to go all out, he'd gladly join in and once again test whether they could drive off the one-eyed monster. Otherwise, he could simply enjoy the show from the sidelines.

Truth be told, he had long been sick of the old hag—after all, it was just one time he had tricked her, and yet she nagged endlessly about it. She deserved to be thrashed badly by the one-eyed monster!

"Once his strength grows stronger, I'll make him one of the highest-ranked fighters."

Boros cast a glance at Kaido. For Kizaru's sake, he didn't mind praising Katakuri a little.

Of course, the condition was that Katakuri's strength had to reach near Kaido's level—at least strong enough to hold his own in front of both Kaido and Charlotte Linlin.

"You've got to be kidding me! That brat deserves to be on the same level as me?!"

Now it was Kaido's turn to lose it. Just earlier, he'd resisted the idea of being ranked as a top fighter, yet suddenly he was the first to jump out and oppose Boros's decision.

Being forced to serve under the one-eyed monster was bad enough. Now he had to be considered equal to Katakuri—Big Mom's son no less! If word spread, what face would he have left?!

"Mamamama! Kaido, you're only on the same level as my son. How about this—why don't I marry off a daughter to you, and you can become my son-in-law?"

Charlotte Linlin now mocked Kaido mercilessly. She was already furious from being tricked by him, and yet he had the audacity to complain that she wasn't trying hard enough.

If Boros weren't sitting above them, Linlin would have already shown Kaido what it truly meant to fight with her life on the line!

"Shut the hell up, you old hag!"

Kaido was fuming, literally. For most, that was just a figure of speech—but Kaido truly snorted out sparks of fire from his nose.

Even after being forced into Boros's service, he hadn't been this enraged. After all, in some ways Boros's methods weren't all that different from Kaido's own. The only difference was that this time, Kaido himself was the victim.

But Boros wanting to put the old hag's son on equal standing with him? Even with the condition that Katakuri first had to grow stronger, Kaido couldn't accept it.

"If you've got the guts, then come and shut me up yourself!"

Charlotte Linlin split her massive mouth wide in a horrifying grin, utterly unafraid of Kaido's threats.

After being subdued easily by Boros several times despite working together, neither of the Yonko wanted to admit it aloud, but both were beginning to face a cruel truth:

On their own, they had no way of escaping Boros's control. With Whitebeard dead and Shanks crippled, there was no one left in the pirate world to rely on.

Unless Boros himself decided to lead them against Marine Headquarters, forcing that "Navy monster" to take action—giving them a chance to betray him—their futures were grim.

Since resistance was hopeless, the only thing left was to keep that bastard who had tricked them from turning the tables. For Kaido, that meant preventing the hag he had tricked from taking revenge.

The two Yonko glared at each other, teeth clenched, their overwhelming Conqueror's Haki colliding violently in the air, bursting into countless arcs of black lightning.

And yet, both Kaido and Charlotte Linlin tacitly confined the clash to a small area around themselves, deliberately avoiding Boros's throne foundation—doing everything possible not to provoke him into joining the fray.

Even so, the Homies inside Whole Cake Castle trembled in terror, sprawling on the floor without even the courage to flee.

Meanwhile, just as Katakuri walked out of the castle, a group of his younger siblings rushed to surround him, nervously checking if he was hurt.

Even though they had assisted Boros in confining their mother, the Charlotte pirates were still deeply terrified of her.

Apart from Katakuri, none of them dared face Charlotte Linlin directly.

"Big Brother Katakuri, are you okay?"

"Did Mama give you any trouble?"

"What did Lord Boros say?"

…

Charlotte Linlin's children surrounded Katakuri, bombarding him with questions. Although BIG MOM had always been the person they feared most, her existence was also the greatest source of their confidence.

Now, not only had their mother been defeated by an outsider, but under Katakuri's lead, they had even gone so far as to imprison her. If, by chance, she were to break free from her restraints later, then every single one of them present would be in for a disaster.

Especially Katakuri, who spearheaded this 'rebellion'—when that time came, even death would be a luxury he couldn't obtain.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. Lord Boros is even willing to give the others another chance. I'll go release them right now…"

Katakuri did his best to calm his uneasy siblings. Even when their mother had joined forces with Kaido, they had still not been a match for Boros. Against such overwhelming power, the Big Mom Pirates—even united—stood no chance of resisting.

Given that reality, Katakuri would never allow his brothers and sisters to throw their lives away in vain. Even if it meant being branded a traitor, he would never hesitate.

What's more, Boros's arrival had made Katakuri see another possibility. Compared to his increasingly violent mother, at least Boros would not casually slaughter others over fleeting whims.

Even when Charlotte Linlin's hunger pangs exploded, Boros would personally step in to suppress her rampages, preventing widespread destruction.

In comparison, it was no wonder Katakuri had surrendered so decisively—more decisively, in fact, than even the cadres of the Beasts Pirates.

°°°

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