As Charlotte Linlin was pinned to the castle, the shockwaves spreading outward abruptly ceased.
Even so, nearly all the frozen members of the Big Mom Pirates' affiliated forces in the harbor had shattered into dust.
Among the Charlotte family, more than two-thirds of the members had perished as their ice sculptures turned to powder.
On the icy ground, Katakuri, kneeling on both knees, glanced up at the figure Orion had pinned to the castle.
Then, he turned his gaze to the shore, where the remaining family members stood frozen as ice sculptures, yet untouched.
Though he didn't know how many of his younger siblings had vanished with the ice sculptures, seeing the absence of many familiar faces, he couldn't help but clench his fists.
Struggling to control his anger, he slowly lowered his head toward Orion.
"Thank you, Lord Orion."
At the harbor, Orion having ended the battle with a single strike, turned away calmly and spoke.
"Kuzan."
"Understood."
Kuzan nodded slightly, then waved his hand.
As a wave of cold air swept across the harbor, the ice sculptures encasing the surviving members of the Charlotte family and their affiliated forces instantly melted away.
Although they regained their freedom from the icy imprisonment, they were immediately subdued by the swarming Marine soldiers.
Specially crafted shackles and handcuffs were swiftly fastened onto their limbs and they were then escorted to kneel in a row before Orion.
Katakuri was no exception.
After arriving at the harbor with Gion, even though he wasn't shackled by her, he voluntarily stepped forward in front of his younger siblings and knelt on one knee, facing Orion.
Thus, this conflict, which could hardly be called a war, came to an end.
Despite losing two-thirds of their members in the earlier shockwave, the once-thriving Charlotte family still had over twenty survivors.
However, whether it was the Sweet Commanders led by Katakuri or the core family members led by Perospero, none of them harbored any will to fight.
Instead, their eyes were filled with grief as they had witnessed their family members turn to dust or shatter into ice before their very eyes.
After handing his scabbard to Gion who stood by his side, Orion slowly approached Katakuri and spoke calmly.
"Katakuri, there is only one reason for all of this—you are pirates!"
"However, I am not a bloodthirsty killer. Since you have chosen to bow before me, I will naturally give you a chance."
"From this moment on, the name of the Big Mom Pirates will cease to exist. What remains is only the nation of Totto Land and its civilians."
"Next, I will establish a Marine base in Totto Land and the nation will be directly governed by the Marine Headquarters!"
"As for the remaining twenty or so members of your family, as long as they have not committed the crime of killing innocent civilians, they may live."
Upon hearing this, Katakuri abruptly raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the row of kneeling younger siblings beside him.
When he noticed the fear in the eyes of a few of his brothers, he didn't hesitate and decisively spoke.
"Lord Orion, I am willing to bear all the sins committed by my younger siblings who have made mistakes."
Before he could finish, Katakuri shifted from kneeling on one knee to both knees, bowing his head deeply toward Orion.
"I beg Lord Orion to give them a chance to redeem themselves."
Before Orion could respond, a heart-wrenching cry erupted from the row of kneeling Charlotte family members.
"NO, Brother Katakuri!"
Hearing the sudden cry, Katakuri body trembled slightly.
Following the sound, he saw a middle-aged woman with a witch-like appearance, a large red hooked nose and a gruesome scar on her face kneeling on the ground, frantically crawling forward as if fearing she might never see Katakuri again.
Tears streamed down her face.
Charlotte Brûlée, the 8th daughter of Charlotte Linlin, a user of the Mirror-Mirror Fruit and the third most beloved among the younger sisters in the Charlotte family.
"Waaah, I don't want Brother Katakuri to die!"
"Brother Katakuri!"
Before Katakuri could react, Charlotte Flampe and another younger sister, Charlotte Pudding also burst into tears. Seeing his three younger sisters suddenly burst into tears, Katakuri eyes softened with tenderness.
Without hesitation, he grabbed the trident beside him and thrust it fiercely toward his own chest.
"Brother Katakuri!"
"No, stop!"
This time, not only did Brûlée and Flampe cry out in despair, but even Smoothie, Cracker, and Galette panicked, rushing forward desperately to stop him.
At the critical moment, a large hand shot out like lightning, catching the swiftly descending trident.
Orion, who had seized the trident, looked down at Katakuri with a calm expression and said.
"Even if you take your own life to atone for your crimes, I, as the Fleet Admiral, must still punish those who have committed grave offenses. In my eyes, merits must be rewarded, and crimes must be punished. There is no such thing as one person taking the blame for another!"
"Fleet Admiral Orion!"
At that moment, a Marine officer rushed to Orion with a thick stack of documents, saluted, and got straight to the point.
"According to the registered records of the Charlotte family members in our headquarters, most of the Charlotte family members who committed capital crimes died in the previous shockwave. Only three remain here."
Orion nodded and waved his hand.
"Proceed."
"Yes, sir!"
Without any delay, the officer turned and quickly walked to the line of kneeling Charlotte family members.
He pointed at three of them and ordered.
"Take these three out and execute them immediately!"
As soon as the officer's words fell, the three designated Charlotte family members were dragged away.
Shortly after, nine consecutive gunshots echoed over the port, like the tolling of a death knell, reverberating in the hearts of the remaining Charlotte family members present.
At that very moment.
"Mamamama~"
Charlotte Linlin, who had been impaled by a longsword and pinned to the castle, finally regained consciousness.
After letting out a weak laugh, Charlotte Linlin grabbed the hilt of the sword, attempting to pull it out of her body.
However, the moment she grasped the hilt, an overwhelming surge of Conqueror's Haki erupted from it, causing her pupils to dilate in shock as her hands fell limp, unable to maintain their grip.
"Seastone?"
Not only did the hilt contain Conqueror's Haki, but it was also embedded with Seastone.
A flash of despair crossed Charlotte Linlin eyes.
But then, her pupils suddenly contracted sharply as her gaze shifted to the black sword hilt that had pierced her left shoulder and hung her on the castle.
"This is—"
As she recognized the familiar hilt, a look of horror spread across Charlotte Linlin narrowed eyes.
"Ace? Roger sword?"
As one of the Four Emperors, she was all too familiar with this sword. Ever since the battle at God Valley, she had seen Roger wield this blade alongside Garp as they stormed into the valley.
After the fall of the Rocks Pirates, she, along with Kaido, Whitebeard, and Shiki, each established their own pirate crews.
For a long time afterward, Roger, wielding this supreme-grade sword, dominated the Grand Line, defeating countless strong opponents and ultimately becoming the Pirate King.
But after Roger was executed, the sword which had accompanied him through countless battles, vanished without a trace, as if it had evaporated from the world.
After a brief moment of shock, Charlotte Linlin sharply turned her head toward Orion and his group at the port, letting out a furious roar:
"ORION, JUST WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!"
"Why can you use Roger 'Divine Departure,' and why do you have his sword?"
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