"The southern half of the New World belongs to Aunt Linlin and the Big Mom Pirates."
"The northern half will be ruled by my family."
"From now on, the second half of the Grand Line belongs to you and me."
In front of the other Four Emperors, Ragnar no longer concealed his ambition—he intended to split the New World in two.
It was the first time he bared his fangs so directly to the other emperors.
"Ragnar!"
"Don't get ahead of yourself!"
"You think the Whitebeard Pirates are just going to sit back and watch?"
"Do you think the Red Hair Pirates are dead!?"
...
Ragnar's unchecked arrogance on the day he was crowned emperor ignited the fury of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Even the Red Hair Pirates—recently defeated, their world's strongest sniper lost, their main crew barely surviving thanks to the ship spirits—couldn't contain their anger.
His words, "southern New World," outright claimed the Red Hair Pirates' territory.
His "northern New World" trampled on Whitebeard's domain.
Ragnar's boldness crossed the line. The Whitebeard and Red Hair Pirates weren't even gone, and yet he was already dividing up their lands before their eyes.
Were it not for Whitebeard's imposing presence, war would have broken out then and there.
After all, those strong enough to be the pillars of the Four Emperors' crews were not ones to swallow such humiliation.
"Mom!"
"Agree to it!"
"The Red Hair Pirates are already a defeated force, and Whitebeard's age is showing. As long as we keep the Whitebeard Pirates at bay, Ragnar will finish off the Red Hair Pirates, and then our two families can wipe out Whitebeard's crew entirely."
Amidst the indignation of the Whitebeard and Red Hair Pirates, only Charlotte Katakuri remained calm. Standing silently at Charlotte Linlin's side, his expression unreadable, deep in thought.
Meanwhile, aboard the Queen Mama Chanter, the atmosphere among Big Mom's children boiled.
Whether it was Charlotte Cracker—one of the Sweet Commanders—or the many ministers of Totto Land, their faces flushed and breathing quickened.
It was as if half the New World's territory was already in their grasp, ready to be seized.
"Well, well, you want to split the New World with me, Auntie Linlin?"
Charlotte Linlin ignored her excited children. Her eyes narrowed, pupils contracting sharply.
She had prepared herself, but Ragnar's proposal still startled her.
This boy—with his three eyes and terrifying strength—was not like the others.
Even Whitebeard, the world's strongest man, hesitated at the thought of a war among the Five Emperors.
But Ragnar?
In one day, he had defeated two Marine Admirals.
He'd clashed with the Red Hair Pirates—alone, save for his family.
By all logic, his body and spirit should've been pushed to their limits.
Upon becoming Emperor, he should have rested on his laurels, consolidated power, and planned his next move carefully.
But what did he do?
Even before Whitebeard could declare his stance, Ragnar had already laid claim to both the Red Hair and Whitebeard Pirates' territory.
Such strength, such ambition, such audacity—it sent a chill down Charlotte Linlin's spine.
But after that tremble came something deeper.
Desire.
She was always one of the most ambitious among the Four Emperors.
A quarter of the New World had long ceased to satisfy her.
The balance of power—Four Emperors locked in stalemate, the Marines and Warlords maintaining the world order—had long constrained her ambition.
But now?
She was growing old.
Her hunger for the Pirate King's throne—and the One Piece itself—was greater than ever.
"Not bad,"
"You truly are Kaido's finest creation."
"To be honest… Auntie Linlin is starting to like you more and more."
"Kaido... That guy, I'm really getting more and more jealous of him — especially when it comes to his son!"
Charlotte Linlin let out a heavy sigh, then turned her head to look at the man standing silently beside her — the one she considered her greatest creation:
"Katakuri, what do you think?"
Among the Five Emperors, each was an absolute monarch within their own pirate crews.
They all commanded overwhelming, disaster-level power — capable of enforcing their will with a single word.
That was true for Whitebeard.
It was true for Red-Haired Shanks.
And before Ragnar took over the Beasts Pirates, Kaido ruled the same way.
Charlotte Linlin was no exception.
But this time, she didn't act on her own.
Instead, she turned to Katakuri — perhaps because Ragnar, the young man she viewed as Kaido's greatest masterpiece, shone too brightly…
Or perhaps because the coming war between the Five Emperors, and the fate of the New World, was a matter too heavy even for her to decide alone.
Upon hearing her question, Katakuri did not respond immediately.
He first swept his gaze across the gathered crowd.
Then, as he noticed the fervent, greedy anticipation burning in Linlin's eyes — and mirrored in the faces of his many brothers and sisters — he finally turned his gaze to Ragnar.
"Ragnar..."
The top creations of Kaido and Linlin locked eyes for a moment, as if sizing each other up — rivals born of two monsters.
But Ragnar simply met Katakuri's gaze... and then looked away, unconcerned.
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