Chapter 403: The Influence of the Great Pirates of the New World
Katakuri waved the newspaper in his hand.
The action quickly caught the attention of Charlotte Linlin (Big Mom).
"My dear son, unless it's important, you know what happens if you interrupt me while I'm eating cake,"
she said, glaring at him.
"Mama, something big happened! The Rockefeller Pirates are back!"
Katakuri said seriously.
Linlin froze for a moment.
"You mean that brat Charlotte Rockefeller came back from the Four Seas?"
"Yes, Mama. They clashed with the Navy at Sabaody Archipelago and killed over ten thousand elite marines."
Katakuri handed her the latest newspaper.
Linlin read silently for a while.
Then suddenly—
"Mamamamama! Defeated both Sengoku and Garp? That's impressive…
But don't think that scares me!
If Charlotte Rockefeller wants revenge, I welcome it anytime!
I'm not like that loser Kaido!"
She growled with fury as her eyes locked onto the headlines.
Back when she invaded Rockefeller's territory, Linlin had already expected retaliation.
Her motives were twofold:
To shake Rockefeller's dominance in the New World—
After all, Charlotte Rockefeller was one of the four legendary pirates.
Meanwhile, Big Mom's crew was relatively unknown.
She had to step over corpses to gain renown.
And among the great pirates of the New World—Whitebeard, Golden Lion Shiki, Gol D. Roger—
none were easy targets.
Charlotte's lands were the only feasible target.
To avenge her "little brother" Kaido.
Kaido may have been wild, but he was still Linlin's ally.
Charlotte killed him outright, and Linlin had to save face.
So, she launched her war against Charlotte's former holdings.
But the sudden arrival of the Red Count had disrupted her plans.
"Mama, we should still prepare for a possible attack,"
Katakuri advised.
"Mamamamama! Are you telling me how to do my job, son?"
Linlin rose to her feet, Haoshoku Haki flaring and overwhelming Katakuri.
His face paled and he immediately bowed his head.
"That's enough. If that brat dares to strike first, we'll strike back twice as hard.
Let's see how much he's grown over these years!"
Linlin scoffed, resuming her massive bites of cake.
"I'm not like Kaido, that pathetic failure…"
She muttered, clearly still bitter about Kaido's defeat.
"Damn you, Charlotte… MORE CAKE! I want cake!!"
She screeched, launching into another of her infamous tantrums.
Katakuri quietly exited, his face grim.
He could already foresee the looming war.
If they didn't prepare properly, some of his siblings were going to die.
Immediately, Katakuri issued orders to the ministers of each island:
Fortify defenses
Stay alert for Rockefeller Pirates
Retreat if the situation turns bad
"If anything happens, I'll shoulder it alone," he told them.
The Big Mom Pirates began mobilizing.
Meanwhile, aboard the Moby Dick, the Whitebeard Pirates were still sailing.
Marco looked up at the newspaper-delivering seagulls and waved one down.
He bought several copies.
Upon reading the headlines, his expression changed dramatically.
"Pops! Pops! Something huge just happened!"
He rushed to Edward Newgate (Whitebeard) on the main deck.
"Gurararara! What's got you all worked up, Marco?"
Whitebeard chuckled and took a sip of sake.
"Pops, the Rockefeller Pirates have returned to the New World—and they just fought the Navy at Sabaody!
They killed over ten thousand elite marines!"
Marco handed him the paper and gave a brief summary.
Whitebeard's expression grew serious.
"That brat Charlotte… Has it already been six years since he left the New World?
I thought he'd never come back."
He read through the report, his brows knitting tighter.
"Quite a statement… Facing off against both Sengoku and Garp?
And he killed over ten thousand soldiers?
This was a declaration—he's telling the world he's returned!"
"Shiki's probably thrilled out of his mind."
Whitebeard immediately understood the implications.
"That's right. According to intel from the Flying Pirates,
Shiki's been preparing something big.
Looks like the Navy won't be able to hold their territory much longer."
Marco grinned.
Watching the Navy take losses was always entertaining for pirates.
"Gurararara! Let them fight.
The rear half of the New World still belongs to me—
I'm Whitebeard!"
Whitebeard wasn't concerned about Shiki or the Navy.
What interested him now was Charlotte Rockefeller.
"I recall that crazy woman, Big Mom, took over several of Charlotte's islands two years ago.
Looks like the heart of the New World is about to explode."
"Exactly, Pops! Should we wait until they're both exhausted and swoop in for the kill?"
Flower Blade Vista, the 5th division commander, suggested as he approached with other division leaders.
"Yeah! Once they're done fighting, we'll crush them both!
The New World will be ours!"
Cheers erupted from the deck.
But Whitebeard simply smiled and said nothing.
He had no interest in ruling the New World.
What he valued most… were his sons.
"Pops, the Roger Pirates were spotted entering our territory just days ago!"
The pink-haired Squard suddenly announced.
At his words, the deck instantly fell silent.
Indeed—the Roger Pirates were still an unpredictable threat in their domain.
They couldn't afford to get caught unprepared.
"Gurararara!
Boys, we're chasing the Roger Pirates!"
Whitebeard rose, his eyes gleaming with battlelust.
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