"Mom!"
Seeing that Ragnar only glanced at him before looking away, Charlotte Katakuri wasn't angry. Instead, a determined glint flashed in his eyes as he spoke resolutely to Charlotte Linlin:
"Kill the emperor."
"Destroy the group."
"Divide the world."
Three words in succession—sharp, courageous, and full of ambition—the embodiment of the Charlotte family's greatest masterpiece.
"Charlotte Katakuri!"
This time, even Ragnar gave him a brief glance.
It was as if—for the first time—he truly acknowledged him, the top creation of the Charlotte lineage.
But it was only a glance.
After all, although both were considered the finest products of their respective families, one had already ascended to emperor, while the other remained a vice-emperor.
Perhaps one day, Charlotte Katakuri would break free from suppression and claim the title of emperor himself. Only then would he be truly worthy of Ragnar's full attention.
"What a pity…"
"Big Mom can't do what the old man did."
"You don't have the heart to let your children become kings, nor the courage to clear the path for the next emperor."
After glancing at both Charlotte Linlin and Katakuri, Ragnar quietly shook his head.
Among the Four Emperors, Charlotte Linlin was the most obsessed with power.
Her so-called children were nothing more than pawns and subordinates.
As long as the queen does not fall, Charlotte Katakuri will remain shackled for life.
But can a king, held down by another's shadow, still grow in courage?
Clearly not.
As long as Big Mom lives, Katakuri will never become a king.
This is the tragedy of being born into the Big Mom Pirates.
"Mmmmmm… See, Kaido?"
"It's not just your child who dares dream of killing an emperor!"
"Your Ragnar is exceptional—but my masterpiece isn't inferior either!"
Charlotte Linlin laughed heartily after hearing Katakuri's words.
"Hmph!"
"You old hag… Still dragging your feet!"
"I think you ought to learn from your son, or you'll end up like that old man with red hair and Whitebeard—only declining with age."
Kaido, hearing this, spared a glance at Katakuri but didn't comment further. He merely snorted at Charlotte Linlin to show his displeasure.
Of course, though he lacked Ragnar's Heavenly Eye that could peer into hearts, Kaido had known Charlotte Linlin most of his life. He knew her character well.
Katakuri was impressive.
But barring some miracle, this would be the ceiling of his life.
He would never wear the crown.
At that moment, Kaido and Ragnar reached the same silent conclusion.
"Well, your mouth is still as nasty as ever."
Charlotte Linlin cursed Kaido under her breath, then reached for Napoleon, her bicorne hat, and clenched her fist.
In an instant, the Homie, once just a hat, transformed into a giant sword.
"If that's the case—then let's join forces!"
"Ragnar!"
"Kaido!"
Charlotte Linlin held Napoleon in one hand and extended the other to Kaido and Ragnar.
"It should've been done long ago!"
Kaido, holding his kanabo in one hand, grinned wildly and slapped her hand with his left.
Ragnar didn't speak.
He simply raised his hand, completing the three-way high-five.
"Ragnar…!"
Watching this scene unfold, Charlotte Katakuri clenched his fists quietly within his sleeves.
They were both sons of Four Emperors.
Yet Ragnar had already become a new emperor—rewriting the "Four Emperors" into the Five Emperors, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with his mother.
While Katakuri, the finest son of Charlotte Linlin, remained only a deputy.
"Gurararara…!"
Just as the three emperors were about to reach a consensus, Whitebeard—who had remained silent until now—suddenly let out a cold, thunderous laugh.
That laugh, full of unmatched dominance, echoed across the sea like a war drum.
It was the laugh of a man who once stood at the peak of the world—a laugh that stirred fear even in the hearts of Kaido and Charlotte Linlin.
"When... did I become a dish on the table, for others to carve and share at will?"
"It seems I've been silent for too long. So long, that the fools of this sea have forgotten one simple truth..."
"Whether you are Four Emperors or Five—you are called emperors because your limit ends there."
"I am called emperor because I, Edward Newgate, never had interest... in the title of Pirate King."
Each word crashed down like a tidal wave of Conqueror's Haki, shaking the very air.
"If I acknowledge you—then you are emperors."
"If I don't... you are nothing!"
"And remember this well: I, Whitebeard, may have extinguished the fire... but the furnace still burns!"
As soon as the words of absolute dominion fell, Whitebeard released his grip on Murakumogiri, and clenched both fists.
Then—he punched the air.
BOOM!
From his fists, an immense quake burst forth, splitting the atmosphere itself.
Crack!
The very sky shattered like glass, fractures extending outward like the roots of a quake.
Boom!!
Chunks of the broken atmosphere rained down upon the New World.
The sea roared in response—massive waves erupted violently.
Even the towering iceberg that Ragnar had frozen was instantly swallowed by the sea, vanishing into its depths.
And then came the surging tides—towering, nation-devouring waves that crashed forward with unstoppable force, directly engulfing the fleet of the Big Mom Pirates.
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