No one could have imagined it—BIG MOM, the very mother whom her pirate children regarded as their hope, had extracted their souls and annihilated them.
"All Vice Admirals! Withdraw your forces and fall back to the edge of the Seducing Woods!"
"Princess Vinsmoke Reiju of Germa has successfully captured Charlotte Brûlée. She'll be waiting for you there."
"Through Brûlée's 'Mirror World,' you can instantly deploy to the surrounding islands of Whole Cake Island—link up with Admiral Aokiji immediately and seize control of all the islands!"
"Ace, stay behind and watch over Cavendish. Tashigi and T Bone, support the forces securing Whole Cake Island. Move out now!"
"Yes, Fleet Admiral!"
With a flurry of orders issued, Wright, Sakazuki, and Fujitora stood before the ruins where BIG MOM had fallen.
From the shadows of the wreckage came a chilling sound—gnashing, slurping, and a low, grotesque chuckle.
"Jihihihihihi…"
"Delicious souls..."
"Ahh… how invigorating… It's been so long since I've tasted such high-quality souls…"
"So warm, so familiar… well, that's only natural…"
"Jihihihihihi…"
"The way she's laughing has changed!" Issho muttered grimly. "And... does she not even realize those were the souls of her own children?!"
"What she did… That's nothing short of demonic!"
"Hmph! Which is exactly why she deserves to die. That's what a pirate is!"
Sakazuki let out a low snarl, his fury now reaching far beyond the usual disdain a Marine Admiral would hold for a Yonko:
"She's unfit to draw breath in this world!"
"Ah… the feeling of returning to this world—it's exquisite…"
The enormous figure lurking in the shadows began to emerge, becoming clear.
It was BIG MOM—smiling "gently."
That smile... like the light of heaven itself, seemed to promise peace in the face of all chaos and conflict.
But to Wright, Sakazuki, Issho, and Ace standing there—it was terrifying.
Even someone as unyielding as Sakazuki clenched his jaw tight.
In all his years as a Marine Admiral—who upheld absolute justice and believed in showing no mercy to pirates—never had Akainu felt such deep fury.
Never.
"This… this is beyond absurd…"
Veins bulged on Issho's forehead as his hands, tightly gripping the hilt of his shikomizue, trembled violently—he was barely holding back the urge to strike.
"What in the world is going on here?!"
Ace's pupils constricted, cold sweat running down his face.
"How… how can she smile like that… after killing her own children?!"
"This can't be real!"
"She—BIG MOM—what is she?!"
"That's because…" Wright stepped forward, the brim of his Marine cap casting a shadow over his eyes.
In a deep voice, he declared:
"Those people… were never her children to begin with."
"They were the children of 'Charlotte Linlin.' Children of 'BIG MOM'... but they were never yours."
"Isn't that right… Mother Carmel?"
Boom!
Like a thunderclap, both Admirals and Ace whipped their heads around to face Wright.
"What?!"
"She's not BIG MOM?!"
"Sensei, what do you mean?!"
"Jihihihi… Who would've thought, even after sixty years, someone still remembers me…"
"BIG MOM"—or rather, Carmel—chuckled lowly. She rose to her feet and flexed her fingers before erupting in manic laughter.
"HAHAHAHA! This is the body of a 'natural-born destroyer.' What strength!"
"Sure, it's gotten a little old, but no matter—with the Soul-Soul Fruit, what's a little age?!"
"So back in Elbaf, you waited for Linlin to lose herself in joy during her birthday caramel cream puff feast… and then used the power of the Soul-Soul Fruit to possess her?!"
Wright raised his head, golden light blazing in his eyes.
"What happened to the other children?! What really happened back then?!"
The Elbaf warriors of the time only witnessed part of what happened.
Even Wright hadn't fully uncovered what transpired that day—how Carmel vanished.
Perhaps Streusen knew, but his soul had already been devoured by BIG MOM—he was long dead.
"Don't tell me… you're the one who stole the souls of the children too?!"
Wright gripped the hilt of Ashes, restraining the urge to strike. The truth behind the events of sixty-two years ago had to be uncovered.
"Ahh… yes. But I didn't just take their souls… I burned their bodies as well…"
Carmel laughed proudly.
"Do you have any idea… how powerless it feels to grow old?"
"I was already 80 when I realized the Soul-Soul Fruit could prolong my life by taking the lifespans of others. But it came with conditions…"
"I was never especially talented. By the time I awakened the true potential of the fruit, my body was already too old to meet the requirement…"
"But I couldn't accept that. Thankfully, the Soul-Soul Fruit had another ability…"
Carmel's eyes gleamed with malice.
"Possession. A power unlocked upon the awakening of the Soul-Soul Fruit!"
"It allows the user's soul to possess another body—most effective when the target's consciousness is unstable!"
"Was it because I'd acted as a 'saintly mother' for so long that even the heavens were fooled? That I encountered someone like Linlin at that exact moment…?"
"Such a masterpiece!"
She spread her arms wide, overwhelmed with twisted joy.
"Yes! A masterpiece! In fifty years of child trafficking, I'd never seen the likes of her!"
"Such a powerful body, such overwhelming talent!"
"At just five years old, she slaughtered a giant hero in seconds! Even if it meant antagonizing the Giants, I had to protect her!"
"Sure enough, even at an unprecedented price, the CP agents still agreed to purchase her. She was destined to become the Navy's greatest Admiral—or the Celestial Dragons' ultimate shield!"
"And when the deal was struck… Linlin became me."
"What a glorious moment!"
Carmel couldn't hide her eagerness to brag.
"If I'd infiltrated the Marines or the World Government…"
"Next, I could have possessed a Celestial Dragon!"
"Maybe… I could have become the 'King of the World.' The true Saint Mother!"
"The Holy Mother of the World!"
"Delusional madness!"
Issho bellowed, his usual calm completely shattered.
"How utterly absurd!"
"You ran a child trafficking ring for fifty years, and now you call yourself a saint?!"
"'Holy Mother'? If someone like you succeeded, what a wretched world this would be!"
"No—this world itself will never allow evil like yours to prevail!"
"You schemed for so long… and still failed! That alone is proof!"
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