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There was no accident. This sudden storm came quickly and left just as fast.
Big Mom, though temperamental and erratic, was not foolish; otherwise, she would have been calculated to death by the Marines long ago. Moreover, her opponent possessed the ability to fly and moved with astonishing speed; she wasn't entirely confident she could hold back this fellow if he truly intended to leave.
Since she couldn't directly seize Germa's technology, she had to change her approach. Vinsmoke Ichiji coming here personally clearly indicated he sought cooperation.
The endless darkness began to contract, receding into Ichiji's body, leaving behind a ruined, broken island, but thankfully not utterly destroyed.
"They finally stopped fighting..."
"To make Mama stop fighting, that guy truly isn't simple!"
"Thank heavens! I thought Mama and that Germa fellow were really going to go all out..."
Seeing the situation, Katakuri, Perospero, Smoothie, Daifuku, Oven, and others couldn't help but sigh in relief, rushing over from the singing ship. Katakuri, in particular, was still counting on Vinsmoke Ichiji to return his "youth."
"Mama, Mama, say something..."
Big Mom, in her large, wide pink 26-layered dress, her massive sword in hand transformed back into Napoleon, resting on her head. She looked at the red figure in front of her, and her plump face broke into a grotesque grin: "You've come to find this old hag for cooperation, haven't you?"
"This isn't the place to talk!" Ichiji shrugged, glancing around at the ruins.
"Mamamama, indeed. Then let's talk more back on Whole Cake Island!" Big Mom waved her hand grandly, full of domineering spirit, completely devoid of her previous sharp tension and furious madness. "It's certainly not a place to entertain guests."
Zeus and Prometheus floated in mid-air. However, they were filled with fear and reverence for the red-haired man who could restrain them.
"Mama..." Smoothie, Daifuku, and others rushed over.
"Smoothie, Daifuku..." Big Mom smiled at Smoothie and the others, then looked at Katakuri, who was incredibly old and wrinkled, frowning slightly as she asked, "Who's this old geezer with half a foot in the coffin? I don't seem to have seen him before..."
Katakuri: "..."
"Mama, he should be Lord Katakuri!" Zeus floated silently beside her ear. It had recognized Katakuri long ago and reminded Big Mom, but the enraged Big Mom had completely ignored it.
"Katakuri? How did you end up like this?" Big Mom's face changed as she looked at the incredibly aged Katakuri, who seemed on the verge of death, her eyebrows furrowing in a furious, somewhat angry tone. This was her strongest general, one of the Big Mom Pirates' most important fighting forces, and absolutely could not be lost.
"Mama, he is Lord Katakuri, but his life force was stolen by that Germa fellow..." Perospero quickly interjected, "Can we ask Ichiji to return his life force, to restore Lord Katakuri?"
"Stolen life force? I didn't expect you to have such an ability..." Big Mom's eyes narrowed, re-evaluating Ichiji, who was walking towards her, with a hint of danger in her aura. "Don't tell me Katakuri can't be restored?"
If Katakuri couldn't be restored, he would practically be half-crippled. In that case, she wouldn't willingly give up. Germa's technological power was important, but for the Big Mom Pirates, as the strongest general with a bounty over a billion Berries, Katakuri was clearly more important. How could she easily swallow this indignity?
"Don't worry, I'm not here to make enemies." Ichiji walked over, smiling faintly, completely unconcerned by the veiled threat in Big Mom's eyes. In fact, if it were anyone else who dared to act like this towards Vinsmoke Ichiji, he would probably directly cripple them.
"Mamamama, as long as he can be restored!" Big Mom's face broke into a smile again, and she directly spoke to Smoothie: "Smoothie, tell the Bread Brothers to prepare delicious food; I'm going to entertain Germa's distinguished guest!"
"Yes, Mama..." Smoothie nodded, "I'll notify the head chef immediately."
Ichiji surveyed the incomparably young Vinsmoke Ichiji, finding it hard to imagine that such a young man had not only defeated someone with a bounty over a billion, but whose Observation Haki was so strong he could even faintly glimpse the future, and who could even fight Big Mom, one of the Yonko, to such an extent, even earning her recognition.
"Mamamama, what a pity we're out of time, otherwise we could have another tea party..." Thinking of the delicious food from past tea parties, Big Mom couldn't help but drool, her stomach aching with hunger.
"That truly is a shame!" Ichiji didn't care. Even if an alliance was formed with the Big Mom Pirates, it couldn't be made public immediately. Before truly being exposed, he temporarily needed the outer shell of being a World Government affiliated nation to avoid unnecessary trouble and prevent being targeted by the World Government and the Marines.
This was the center of the Totto Land sea area, Whole Cake Island. This was the headquarters of the Big Mom Pirates, and also the capital of "Totto Land." Located in the center of the island, it was a fantastical castle, its shape entirely made of layers upon layers of stacked cakes, like a dreamlike fairy tale kingdom.
"Mamahaha, truly incredible. It's truly amazing that you could build such a kingdom, Big Mom..." Ichiji looked at the incomparably massive Whole Cake Island castle, genuinely admiring it. His praise wasn't false; this cake castle was truly enormous.
Not counting Whole Cake Island and its other areas, the castle itself was comparable to a small island. That it could support Big Mom, whose physique was no different from a giant, or rather, was specifically designed for her physique, already spoke volumes about how formidable this cake-like castle truly was.
"Mamamama, thank you for the compliment..." Being praised like this, especially by someone whose strength was in no way inferior to the Marine's top brass, and who was also from a royal family like Vinsmoke Ichiji,
Big Mom was naturally very pleased, smiling somewhat proudly: "This is my dream 'Totto Land'! No matter if they are Longarm Tribe, Longleg Tribe, Dwarf Tribe, Fish-Man Tribe, Snake-Neck Tribe, or Mink Tribe... I have them all here!"
"That's truly amazing!" Ichiji smiled faintly. He naturally knew that this island still lacked the Giant Tribe, but he didn't point it out.
This was not the time for a tea party. Presumably, most of the Charlotte Family ministers were scattered across the various islands, and even the "Candy Minister" Perospero had just rushed back.
Big Mom said happily: "After the banquet, I'll take you to visit my 'Library.' It contains many rare and exotic beasts from all over the world."
"Mama, the banquet is ready. Please take your seat with the King of Germa!" At this moment, Smoothie walked over with her long legs, smiling as she spoke.
In the splendid and grand banquet hall, there was a lively chatter. Big Mom sat on a gigantic chair, while Ichiji sat directly opposite her. The sheer difference in their sizes made this pairing quite odd. Katakuri and Smoothie, two of the Sweet Commanders, sat directly below Big Mom.
"Come, eat quick~~~"
"Come eat me!"
"Honey~~ Honey~~"
Teapots, teacups, and snacks were all personified, constantly singing and talking.
"Hmm~~~ An alliance between the two sides?" Big Mom popped a piece of cake into her mouth. She had long understood Ichiji's intentions and was not surprised. "Mamahaha, I am very interested in Germa's technology."
"Black tea~~ Green tea~~ Which one do you choose?" Two teapots chirped in front of them, hopping up and down.
"Give me a cup of black tea..." Germa's technology had always been at the forefront of the world. Ichiji naturally didn't mind, and spoke: "Providing you Big Mom Pirates with technological support is not an issue in this regard, but before a truly trustworthy relationship is established between us, I can't just casually hand over the crystallization of the Vinsmoke Kingdom's accumulated efforts..."
"We need to know, you Germa, as an affiliated nation of the World Government, why would you risk being stripped of your status by the World Government to form an alliance with pirates?" Katakuri folded his arms across his chest, his gaze sharp as he stared directly at Ichiji, asking him.
For a non-pirate force like Germa, especially one forming an alliance with a powerful individual like Vinsmoke Ichiji, if a consensus could truly be reached, it would naturally be a great thing for the Big Mom Pirates. However, he still had some doubts.
"I want to restore the Vinsmoke family's former glory, to make Germa 66 once again rule the North Blue!" Ichiji's outstretched right hand seemed to want to grasp something, directly clenching tightly. His words were filled with unspeakable confidence and unconcealed ambition. He looked at the calm-faced Katakuri: "This answer, are you satisfied?"
"The entire North Blue!?" Smoothie, sitting beside him, was startled. The Four Seas were far larger than the Grand Line, and also the main source of taxes for the World Government. It could be said to be their foundation. Even if the Yonko tried to interfere, they would be mercilessly struck down by the World Government.
"Mamamama, truly a good ambition..." Big Mom laughed loudly, with a hint of cold mockery: "The World Government won't let any force lay claim to the Four Seas. That's the foundation of their rule.
Otherwise, the 'Yonko' wouldn't be limited to just the New World. A mere calm belt can't stop them. You're not trying to tell this old hag that you want me to directly turn against the World Government for your ambition, are you?"
"Eat your food bite by bite. I never thought of directly stuffing myself to death..." Ichiji picked up his black tea cup and took a sip, looking directly at Big Mom opposite him, stating frankly: "Not to mention directly destroying the deeply rooted World Government, we just need to significantly deplete their power, making them unable to spare any attention."
"In this world, there are many forces hostile to the World Government. You just need to cooperate with me when the time comes. It's not impossible to achieve this goal."
"Mamamama, truly a restless fellow, but if it's limited to just that, I cannot agree..." Big Mom said, placing her huge hands on the dining table, laughing loudly. The more chaotic this great sea became, the better it was for pirates.
If it weren't for the beginning of the Great Pirate Era, which made the entire sea run wild like a freed wild horse, even the Marine Headquarters wouldn't have been able to suppress the surging number of pirates, and the current Yonko system wouldn't have formed.
But even if they allied with other forces, that colossal entity, the World Government, wasn't so easily shaken. If things went wrong, they might have to pay an unimaginable price, let alone whether Germa's idea of allying with other forces could be achieved, and whether they were trustworthy was still hard to say.
"...Don't refuse so quickly. You can talk about 'conditions'!" Ichiji didn't seem disappointed. If everything could be resolved with a few words, then the World Government's diplomats would be wasting their time trying to negotiate with the Yonko every day.
"If your Germa can research a drug for Human Giantification, then this old hag will agree to ally with you!" Big Mom stared intently at Ichiji, her plump, ugly face somewhat grim, directly stating her demand without hesitation.
"Human Giantification?" Ichiji's eyebrow twitched. He had long heard of Big Mom's somewhat crazy "dream," but he still directly shook his head: "You're dreaming too big, or perhaps you think too highly of Germa..."
"There have always been rumors that the World Government secretly conducts related research in this area, and it has already been at least tens or even hundreds of years, but without success. Do you think a mere Germa can achieve it in a short time?"
"So, you mean, this research project basically can't succeed?" Hearing this, Big Mom's face immediately darkened. Her bloodshot eyes began to show violence, and her aura became ferocious, subtly showing signs of going berserk.
"Mama, please calm down a little!" This made Katakuri and Smoothie beside her break out in cold sweat.
"No, it's not entirely impossible. After all, this world is full of 'miracles,' but no one can say when it will happen..." Facing the almost berserk Big Mom, Ichiji's expression remained unchanged. He spoke slowly: "If this great research of Human Giantification can truly be realized in a short time, then I frankly say, in this world, only one person can achieve it!"
"Dr. Vegapunk!" Ichiji hadn't even said the name yet when Katakuri, with a somewhat grim expression, directly said it for him: "Currently under the World Government, that chief genius scientist who is said to possess five hundred years of scientific ability beyond current humanity!"
This whole roundabout conversation still led back to Mama.