The tension in the banquet hall reached its breaking point as Kaido slamd his massive fist onto the table, sending cracks spiderwebbing through the sturdy surface.
"You stinking old hag!" he roared, his patience finally exhausted. "If you want a fight, just say so! I can still fly to Wano Country and slaughter that brat even without your help!"
Kaido stood up abruptly, his towering fra casting a long shadow across the hall. His Conqueror's Haki—the rare Conqueror's Haki possessed by only one in several million—instantaneously erupted from his body in violent, invisible waves.
The weaker mbers of the Charlotte family were struck as if by physical blows to their heads. Their eyes rolled back, consciousness fleeing them as they collapsed onto the banquet tables or slumped to the floor, foam bubbling from their mouths.
Big Mom's expression twisted with fury. She imdiately rose to her feet, her enormous bulk causing the reinforced floor beneath her to groan in protest. Her own Conqueror's Haki flared in response, clashing against Kaido's like ocean waves crashing against a cliff.
"Insolent bastard!" she bellowed, her voice shaking the very foundations of Whole Cake Chateau. "Don't forget that your Azure Dragon Fruit was given to you by !"
Her eyes blazed with indignation as she continued, spittle flying from her lips. "Who took you in after you were kicked out of your base by the Marines? Who protected you when you were nothing but a green cabin boy on the Rocks Pirates?"
The Yonko's massive fingers curled into fists as her rage intensified. "You promised my daughters would have their pick of husbands from your crew! If you won't honor your word and have a death wish instead, then take your pathetic mongrels and get out of my territory!"
As Big Mom's tirade continued, the clashing Conqueror's Haki of the two Emperors intensified. The collision of their wills manifested in the physical world, creating a vortex of pressure that radiated outward from their confrontation.
This ti, it wasn't only the weaker Charlotte family mbers who succumbed—even the lower-ranking officers of the Beast Pirates were shocked into unconsciousness one by one, their bodies unable to withstand the overwhelming pressure.
The few who remained conscious were pale and trembling, sweat pouring down their faces as they struggled to keep their knees from buckling beneath them. Perospero's candy cane began to lt from his own nervous perspiration, while Smoothie unconsciously squeezed the moisture from the tablecloth, reducing it to a desiccated husk.
Not only did the clash affect those present, but the fierce confrontation between the two Emperors also began to alter the weather itself. The previously clear sky above Whole Cake Island responded to the power of the two Yonko as if nature itself feared their wrath.
Dark clouds gathered with unnatural speed, swirling into an ominous cyclone directly above the chateau. Flashes of lightning crackled within the churning mass, and thunder rumbled with increasing frequency. It seed as though a catastrophic downpour would break over their heads at any mont.
Queen, the corpulent All-Star of the Beast Pirates, observed this terrifying scene with abject horror. The spectacle resembled nothing less than a natural disaster of apocalyptic proportions.
"Hey! Hey! Let's not fight! Let's not fight!" Queen shouted, his usually boisterous deanor replaced by panic. His small eyes bulged behind his sunglasses as he turned desperately to his fellow All-Star. "King, you silent freak, say sothing! Just accept the wife for free!"
King's face remained hidden behind his leather mask, making it impossible to discern his expression. But from the only visible part of his face—his eyes—Katakuri could perceive a hint of inner conflict and struggle.
As an older brother adored by his younger siblings, Katakuri understood King's position all too well. He himself hated his mother's practice of using her children's marriages as political currency to achieve her own ambitions. The thought of subjecting one of his sisters to marriage with a man who wouldn't even show his face stirred deep resentnt within him.
Dissatisfied with the direction of negotiations and protective of his siblings, Katakuri stood up with a grim expression. His scarf shifted slightly as he released his own Conqueror's Haki—less overwhelming than the two Emperors' but precise and targeted—directing it specifically at King as a warning.
Seeing his brother's actions, Perospero quickly followed suit. The eldest son of the Charlotte family rose to his feet, his candy cane reassembling into a hardened staff as he positioned himself beside Katakuri.
Observing that their brothers had taken a stand, Cracker, Smoothie, and Snack naturally stood as well, forming a united front of Sweet Commanders. They hadn't even lost consciousness under the oppressive Haki of the two Emperors—a testant to their own formidable strength.
Other powerful siblings such as Daifuku and Oven, who had been monitoring the situation closely, also rose to support their family, their hands hovering near their weapons.
The Beast Pirates were naturally unwilling to back down before such a display. Black Maria, Who's-Who, Sasaki, and the other Flying Six mbers imdiately positioned themselves opposite the Charlotte siblings, their own killing intent rising to match the challenge.
Queen glanced anxiously from side to side, registering with growing alarm that both crews seed genuinely on the verge of combat. His small eyes darted to King, filled with a mixture of panic and exasperation.
"Damn it, King, stop playing dead!" he hissed urgently. "Can't you see we're about to have an all-out war? Just nod your head, and we can all get out of this ss alive!"
King, already in a foul mood because of Big Mom's apparent obsession with adding him to her collection, now felt the weight of Katakuri's focused Haki pressing down on him like a physical burden. Hearing Queen's idiotic pleading only darkened his mood further.
Under his mask, King's expression grew even more severe as his inner monologue raged.
"Damn it all," he thought bitterly. "If Katakuri is so upset, why doesn't he confront his own mother instead of trying to intimidate with his Haki? I'm obviously the victim in this situation!"
His resentnt shifted to his fellow All-Star. "And Queen, that opportunistic bastard! You just want to see humiliated, don't you? Fine—wait until we return to the ship. I'll make you regret this."
King, continuing his internal tirade, forced himself to take several deep breaths. He exhaled slowly, repeating this process multiple tis until he managed to regain his composure.
The Lunarian had spent his entire life hiding, surviving, and adapting—first from the World Governnt that had exterminated his race, then as one of the few beings capable of withstanding Kaido's volatile temperant. This situation, while detestable, was simply another challenge to overco.
When he finally spoke, his voice erged slightly muffled through his mask but carried clearly enough for everyone present to hear.
"Ms. Linlin, Kaido-sama," he said with asured formality, "please retract your Haki. I... accept this proposal."
"King, you fool!" Kaido whirled around in astonishnt, his concentration breaking enough that his Haki wavered montarily.
No one knew King's character and past experiences better than Kaido. He had personally rescued the Lunarian from a World Governnt research facility, where scientists had been conducting horrific experints on the last survivor of an ancient race. Since then, King had confided in Kaido that he never wanted offspring, fearing that any children would suffer the sa persecution and experintation he had endured.
eting Kaido's shocked gaze, King offered a subtle nod. His eyes—the only visible part of his face—communicated a calm resolve that belied the gravity of his decision.
"Don't concern yourself, Kaido-sama," he said reassuringly. "I've made this choice of my own volition. Perhaps... it is not yet ti for the Lunaria tribe to fade from this world."
Listening to King's asured voice, Kaido gritted his teeth until they nearly cracked. He turned his furious glare toward Big Mom, who was already beginning to grin in triumph. His massive hand tightened around his kanabo club until his knuckles whitened.
But in the end, Kaido respected King's decision enough not to contradict it. Instead, he addressed Charlotte Linlin with a nacing growl:
"King is my finest subordinate and brother, you gluttonous hag," he snarled, his eyes promising violence. "You'd better present your most beautiful daughter for this arrangent. And if you fail to help kill that Marine brat as promised, I swear by the seas that I will reduce your precious Cake Island to rubble before I'm done!"
By this point, Big Mom had ceased to care about Kaido's threats. Her dream of many years—adding a Lunarian to her collection of races—was finally within reach. She threw back her head and laughed with unrestrained joy, her massive body shaking with each guffaw.
"MAMAMA! Perfect, absolutely perfect!" she crowed, clapping her enormous hands together with childlike glee. "The precious Lunarian bloodline will join my family at last! We're only one step away from becoming the true Nation of Ten Thousand—my dream since childhood!"
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