"Not allowed?"
Carmel's face darkened, her voice dripping with malice.
"Indeed... but isn't the world full of challenges by nature?"
"I failed... and yet, I succeeded!"
"I never expected that even in a state of mental instability, Linlin's soul would still be so overwhelmingly strong!"
"She was only six years old!"
Carmel clenched her teeth, glaring at what were now "her" own hands.
"At over eighty years old, I couldn't fully possess her?!"
"But I had already prepared a backup plan..."
"The children's souls weren't strong, but their potential was limitless!"
"I burned their souls—along with their bodies, and even my own! Everything!"
"Though I was gravely weakened, in the end, I succeeded in taking control!"
"Hmph!"
Sakazuki snorted coldly.
"So you're saying, for the past sixty-some years, you were the real BIG MOM?!"
"No, senpai... if that were true, she wouldn't be so eager to spill everything now."
Wright calmed himself. Although he had suspected this outcome, seeing it firsthand still stirred deep revulsion—there truly was no bottom to evil.
"You were gravely wounded, and in the end, Linlin's instincts quickly regained control and suppressed you..."
"I have some understanding of souls. From what I can tell, 'BIG MOM' is actually a fusion of you and Linlin's souls."
Wright raised his longblade, radiant Holy Light erupting from it. Carmel's pupils constricted.
"Influenced by your personality and subconscious, but with Linlin's soul as the dominant force... that is the true form of the Yonko, BIG MOM!"
"My abilities can harm damaged souls, but against you—no, you both—they're ineffective. Because the combined mass of your souls has long exceeded the threshold of what one person can contain."
"Linlin's soul and yours are entangled. She can manipulate her own soul using the powers of the Soru Soru no Mi, but your soul... has remained whole."
"And when Napoleon self-destructed, and Zeus and Prometheus were severely damaged, her soul finally weakened enough for you to seize full control."
"As for that whole façade of 'trusting only blood relations' and 'building an empire based on bloodlines'..."
Wright's fury surged, his voice trembling with rage.
"Maybe Linlin truly believed in those ideals... but you, the one subtly manipulating her beliefs all along, had a different goal, didn't you?"
"That 'special requirement' you mentioned earlier..."
"Only the souls of blood relatives can be used to extend your lifespan, right?!"
Holy fire blazed along Wright's blade as gasps filled the air.
"The Charlotte Family... they were never a family to you. They were your personalized elixirs of longevity!"
"That's why, when you ripped away their souls just now, you scoffed, 'What's lifespan worth?' Isn't that right?!"
"..."
Issho, Sakazuki, and Ace were all stunned speechless.
Carmel's expression flickered wildly before breaking into a cruel grin.
"As expected of the youngest Fleet Admiral in history..."
"You figured it all out!"
"That's right! Even though I failed to infiltrate the Marines or the World Government as planned, the arrival of Streusen gave me a new identity—as a pirate!"
Carmel burst into maniacal laughter.
"Jihihihi... and now, I stand as a Yonko!"
"Once I eliminate you, my next goal is the title of Pirate King!"
"At that point, not even the World Government or the Navy can touch me!"
"I will once again become the 'Holy Mother of the World'!"
"Jihihihihihi!"
"I thought, as someone over a hundred and forty years old, you might've gained some wisdom by now."
Behind Wright, dazzling wings of light unfurled. The golden glow of Consecration illuminated the ruins of Whole Cake Chateau like a divine realm.
"You think the three of us came here for a chat?"
"If we don't kill you today, what right do we have to call ourselves Marines?!"
Without giving Carmel the chance to retort, Wright, Sakazuki, and Issho launched their assault simultaneously!
Compared to Carmel, the violent, tsundere, sharp-tongued Doctor Kureha—also over 140 years old—was practically an angel.
...
Katakuri collapsed onto the ground.
As the strongest of BIG MOM's children and a master of advanced Observation Haki, he had narrowly escaped Carmel's soul extraction.
But even so, most of his soul had been forcibly torn apart, costing him a significant portion of his lifespan.
Now gravely wounded and immobile under Issho's immense gravitational pressure, he couldn't even lift a finger.
And worst of all... he had foreseen all of this—the fate of his brothers and sisters.
To witness such a tragic future and be powerless to stop it... it was a nightmare made real.
Though barely conscious, Katakuri had heard the entire exchange between Carmel and the three Admirals.
How ironic... So all along, we were nothing but soul-fuel to prolong "Mother's" life…
No wonder... No wonder she would kill even her own flesh and blood on a whim…
In her eyes, we were just tools to expand her influence. Even in death, we had one last use.
Mother Carmel... heh. The "Light of the World"? The "Holy Mother"? What a joke...
Maybe... the only time she was truly herself was when she was joyfully eating sweets.
Or perhaps, during her hunger-driven rampages... that was her true face.
Heh... We... we were the most pitiful ones all along.
Forcing his eyes open, Katakuri saw Carmel engulfed in the full force of the three Admirals' attacks, howling amid explosions of power.
Nearby, Ace watched the battle with intense focus, occasionally glancing over at Katakuri with a complicated look in his eyes.
"Heh… you're one of those with a story too, huh, Fire Fist…"
"After all… you've got the Conqueror's Haki, don't you…"
Katakuri couldn't help but admire this young Marine Rear Admiral who had kept him completely suppressed—and even held back.
Though Katakuri's awakened powers had been restricted, Ace had chosen not to go all out either, in order to hone his Observation Haki.
Besides, Ace was still so young.
And that subtle, expertly hidden burst of Conqueror's Haki—there was no way Katakuri, fighting for his life, would miss it.
Without question, this disciple of Fleet Admiral Wright was the most deeply hidden member of the new generation.
And behind him… that very same Fleet Admiral…
Even in his weakened state, Katakuri's instincts remained sharp. He could tell from Ace's gaze—
It was complicated. But not pity.
"Sensei didn't kill you when he had the chance… he held back."
"Heh… a Fleet Admiral, huh… what a man…"
Katakuri let out a long breath. With nearly all his siblings dead or injured, his idol image shattered, he lay sprawled in the rubble, his ruined scarf and shirt unable to hide the fang-lined mouth beneath.
"There are still some siblings alive, right? They weren't all at the tea party."
As Katakuri's eyes dimmed, Ace hesitated, then spoke.
"Maybe... you still have a mission."
"A mission… huh…"
Katakuri remained silent for a long while.
Then, slowly, light returned to his eyes.
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