After wrapping up the personal matters, Katakuri shifted gears. "That said… are you really sure you want to take on both Kaidou-san and Mama by yourself?"
"If I don't, how am I supposed to make them accept it?" Ortoren answered without hesitation. "I need absolute strength. I need to make the gap undeniable."
"That may be true, but I still want to warn you," Katakuri said. "I can't say much about Kaidou-san, but Mama is far stronger than you think. She's put a lot of effort into this, specifically because of you."
In Katakuri's eyes, even Whitebeard, who had fought at full power throughout the war, might not have been as vicious as his mother.
He didn't know what she'd been taking these past few years, but her presence had grown heavier by the day.
Especially after Ortoren became an Admiral, Katakuri often saw his mother training alone in the mountains behind them.
And for nearly two years now, Charlotte Linlin hadn't remarried or had any children. For two full years, she'd been adjusting herself, conditioning her body, refining her state. The goal was obvious. Two years ago, she had already begun preparing for a decisive battle with Ortoren.
That was why Katakuri believed his mother was now stronger than Whitebeard at his peak.
Hearing that, Ortoren fell silent as well.
He had never underestimated Charlotte Linlin. If anything, every time they met, her condition exceeded his expectations. In his memory, her looks should have fallen apart long ago, yet only recently had they shown the slightest decline. And her figure, which should have been extremely bloated, was still in near-perfect shape when he visited Whole Cake Island just over two months ago. Not a hint of heaviness. As for her aura, it really was stronger than he'd imagined. It was clear she was far more powerful than in the original story, by more than a small margin.
Compared to Whitebeard at his peak, Ortoren felt his cheap old lady was not inferior in the slightest, and might even be stronger than him.
It made sense, too. The reason his own strength had grown to this point had a lot to do with the monstrous physique he inherited from Charlotte Linlin.
As the original Charlotte Linlin, her talent was among the best in the world, arguably the strongest. After years of never letting up, if she truly surpassed Whitebeard, it wasn't hard to accept. It almost felt natural.
After a moment of silence, Ortoren smiled. "Hey, second brother. If you say all this to me, won't the old hag get mad if she finds out? Or are you choosing my side?"
Katakuri reminded him, "If you call Mama an old hag to her face, I think her fighting power will jump by at least another twenty percent. So my advice is: don't provoke her too much."
"Second, I'm not really choosing anyone's side. To me, the outcome doesn't matter. In theory, I stand with the winner. But you're my adorable little brother, so as your elder brother, it's only natural that I'd be a little biased in your favor, isn't it?"
That was true. No matter who won, it wouldn't really affect Katakuri. Either way, he couldn't stay in the number-two position. He'd have to accept being number three, because whether it was his mother or his little brother, both were stronger than him.
Still, Katakuri probably didn't even realize it himself, but deep down, he actually wanted Ortoren to win.
Not because Charlotte Linlin wasn't good enough, but because Ortoren was better.
Instinctively, Katakuri felt that, aside from pure strength, his little brother was more capable than Mama in every other way. If the Big Mom Pirates… no, if the Charlotte Family and Totto Land were placed in his hands, the room to grow and the prospects ahead would be far wider.
It was something Katakuri himself had never truly sat down and thought through.
"No matter how strong she is, I'm confident I'm stronger," Ortoren said at last, his tone unwavering.
Katakuri let out a light chuckle. "That's true enough. After all, you're the man who's meant to stand above the heavens."
"Why are you piling on too?" Ortoren snapped. "Say one more word and I'll make it one versus three. I'll count you in as well."
"No, no. Compared to you, Heavenly Brother, I know my limits," Katakuri laughed again, clearly enjoying himself.
Before Ortoren could erupt, Katakuri had already hung up the Den Den Mushi.
Ortoren stared at the disconnected Den Den Mushi in his hand, seething, then turned sharply toward Hina.
"Hina!"
"Yes, Admiral!" Hina stiffened instantly at his serious tone, snapping to attention, thinking something major had happened.
"Pass down my order. From now on, if anyone dares spread that 'standing above the heavens' nonsense again, or calls me 'Heavenly Brother,' I'll twist their head clean off!" Ortoren barked.
Hina was shocked and hurriedly tried to stop him. "Absolutely not, Admiral! You'd be destroying the very foundation of our New World Marines!"
"Huh?" Ortoren looked at her blankly. What did this have to do with the New World Marines' foundation?
Hina immediately launched into a heartfelt explanation. "Admiral, as far as I know, from Momonga-san and Isshō-san all the way down to the lowest deckhands, everyone's been calling you 'Heavenly Brother.' Those four words, 'standing above the heavens,' are everywhere in the New World Marines. There's no stopping it!"
"Damn it!" Ortoren slapped his thigh hard. "How dare they?"
"That's admiration, Admiral. Loyalty!" Hina declared solemnly.
Of course, she hadn't said it to Ortoren's face, but privately she'd definitely called him 'Heavenly Brother' more than once.
If the Admiral really enforced that order and she accidentally let it slip in front of him, wouldn't her head be on the line?
Ah? I'm a phoenix? Then never mind. I'll go carry out the order right away!
As Hina was thinking all this, Lucci strolled over from not far away. Pointing at a cloud on the horizon, he said with some feeling, "Look, up there in the sky…"
He'd meant to say the cloud's shape was interesting, maybe wondering if there was a sky island above it.
Before he could finish, Ortoren pounced on him like a tiger, slamming him flat onto the deck. Two furious punches came crashing down.
"You still dare talk about the sky?" Ortoren roared.
"Admiral, it's a misunderstanding! Admiral!" Lucci shouted miserably, pinned to the deck, his head jerking left and right as he dodged Ortoren's punishment.
"I just meant that cloud looks really strange!" Lucci finally blurted out, just as Ortoren's fist was about to land on his face.
Ortoren stopped mid-punch, frowning. "If you're lying to me, this punch would've made your head explode."
He turned to look at the horizon Lucci had pointed to. Sure enough, there was an oddly shaped cloud there, though things like that were pretty normal in the New World.
Seeing that Lucci hadn't been taking a shot at him, Ortoren snorted, released his grip, and started to get up.
Right then, Lucci's mouth betrayed him again. "See? I wasn't lying. That cloud really is weird. Doesn't it look like a throne in the sky? Just waiting for someone to stand on it!"
The word "throne," paired with "stand on it," instantly tripped Ortoren's internal danger switch. The anger he'd just suppressed surged back up without warning. Without another word, he turned around and punched Lucci straight into unconsciousness.
"You really are tired of living," Ortoren cursed.
Hina watched the entire scene, covering her mouth and desperately holding back her laughter. She didn't dare make a sound. If she laughed out loud, she was afraid the Admiral might knock her out with a single punch as well.
At the same time, she couldn't help thinking that the rumors floating around the seas weren't completely wrong after all.
See? Her Admiral really was incredibly petty.