Build The Strongest Family in the Prirate World

"Of course, I don't think Gangplank would dare to attack Whole Cake Island directly. 

But just to be safe, the Big Mom Pirates sent a large number of soldiers and officers to guard the port, ready for the arrival of the Gangplank Pirates. 

Fortunately, everything seemed normal. 

Gangplank led Gragas, the drunken warrior, and Pyke, the Blood Harbor ghost, and they followed Perospero straight to the banquet hall. 

The rest of their crew and officers stayed aboard their ship and didn't set foot on land. 

Under the watchful eyes of Big Mom's top officers and elite soldiers, they kept to themselves and held their own feast on the ship. 

There were five thousand elite members from the Gangplank Pirates' fleet. No matter how confident Big Mom was, she wouldn't risk letting all of them onto Whole Cake Island at once. 

They might not be able to defeat the Homies Army on Cake Island, but if everyone attended the banquet together, things could spiral out of control. 

If anything went wrong, the entire island might be destroyed. 

Katakuri watched Gangplank's pirates partying at the port, behaving surprisingly disciplined, and frowned slightly. 

"Would a guy like Gangplank really want to join up with Mom?" 

"Oven, Daifuku, keep an eye on those pirates," he instructed. "I need to speak to Mom. I have a bad feeling about this." 

Katakuri quickly made his way to the banquet, while at the port, Oven and Daifuku, key members of the Big Mom Pirates, kept watch over the Gangplank Pirates with their Homie soldiers. 

Both sides maintained a surface-level truce but remained wary of each other. 

Inside the castle, the banquet began. 

"Well, well, have you thought about marrying one of my daughters?" Big Mom asked Gangplank, Gragas, and Pyke with excitement. "All my daughters are yours to choose from!" 

"Gangplank, come be my vice-captain, join my family, and become part of my empire of nations!" she continued. "With you on my side, I will definitely become the Pirate King! At that point, everyone in the world will sit together as equals and enjoy cake." 

Big Mom's eyes sparkled as she put her hands together and leaned on her cheeks, staring dreamily at a photo of Sister Carmel on the table. "Sister Carmel, you see this too, don't you?" she said with a childlike smile. 

Sister Carmel was a deeply significant figure for Big Mom. 

Nearby, "Big News" Morgans snapped pictures frantically, eager for a scoop. Stussy and other underground emperors watched closely, waiting for Gangplank's response. 

This potential alliance could change the entire world. 

Gangplank and his men were offered prestigious positions—from captain of their own crew to vice-captain of the Big Mom Pirates. Even Gragas and Pyke could marry into Big Mom's family. 

It was a tempting offer. 

Big Mom's intention was genuine—unlike with Germa 66, which she planned to conquer entirely. 

But if you have the chance to be a captain, who would settle for being a vice-captain? 

Gangplank glanced briefly at Sister Carmel's photo, then shifted his eyes to Katakuri standing beside Big Mom. A subtle glint crossed his eyes as he replied deeply, 

"Of course, we are here to unite with all nations."

"However, I never thought about becoming someone else's vice-captain!"

After Gangplank spoke, Katakuri's expression shifted in shock. At that exact moment, the loaded pistol in Gangplank's hand fired instantly.

A fatal bullet struck the photo of Sister Carmel!

"How do you know?"

Katakuri's face turned pale as he swiftly shot a jelly bean from his hand to intercept the bullet, aiming to stop Gangplank's attack.

Sister Carmel was the most important figure to Big Mom, her greatest weakness.

If the photo of Sister Carmel was destroyed, Big Mom would lose control and be consumed by pain. Her usually impenetrable defenses would be severely weakened.

Big Mom possessed a natural, almost unbreakable defense—like a steel balloon. For decades, she had never suffered a single scar, no matter the opponent.

Her children had never seen Big Mom harmed.

But even with her remarkable defense, Gangplank had tools capable of bypassing it. With his two armor-piercing weapons and the strange fire that could burn life itself, he wasn't too concerned with anyone's defenses.

Even if he faced Big Mom head-on, Gangplank, armed with three powerful pieces of equipment and a thorn vest, wasn't afraid of losing.

But why go for a tough fight when an obvious weakness could be exploited for an easier victory?

Gangplank was a calculating and ruthless pirate king, not a noble knight who believed in fairness and justice.

Though Gangplank could take on Big Mom alone, his crew—Gragas, Pyke, and the Ocean Disaster Fleet—couldn't handle the entire Big Mom Pirate crew.

The bullet tore through the air, gunfire ringing out. The spiraling bullet collided with the jelly beans Katakuri had fired in an attempt to stop it.

The jelly beans were instantly deformed, melted, and shattered before the bullet's deadly force.

Gangplank's shot was far more powerful than Katakuri's hastily thrown jelly beans.

Despite his ability to foresee the future, Katakuri was unable to alter its course.

The bullet pressed on, and Katakuri, unable to act in time, saw Gragas' body slam into him and Pyke's bone-shattering spikes closing in.

"Mom, be careful!"

Katakuri shouted as his hands quickly darkened, crossing in front of his chest to block Gragas' devastating impact.

Pyke's bone-piercing spikes stabbed through Katakuri's hollow chest.

Though Katakuri possessed advanced Observation Haki, which allowed him to predict the future, he didn't have the strongest attack or defense.

While his foresight made him difficult to injure, even against opponents of equal strength, the real problem was his vulnerability if his future vision could be countered.

Though Katakuri dodged most of the attacks, Big Mom's defenses, which were usually impenetrable, were slower to react in this moment.

Big Mom's innate steel-like defense allowed her to face most enemies head-on without needing to dodge or react quickly.

She was so strong that a single hit from her usually meant instant victory for her opponents.

However, in this moment, her lack of focus on her own reaction speed became her downfall.

The bullet, after smashing through Katakuri's defense, slightly twisted and pierced the photo of Sister Carmel.

With a crack, the photo shattered as the bullet tore through Carmel's smiling face.

As the cracks spread across the picture, Sister Carmel's smile was destroyed, scattering into pieces.

Nearby, the Dark Emperors, who had been waiting to witness the alliance between the Gangplank Pirates and Big Mom Pirates, stared in stunned silence.

Big Mom, on the other hand, saw the photo of Sister Carmel shatter before her eyes. Her entire body trembled, and her eyes went blank with shock.

Then, an earth-shattering scream erupted from her, echoing throughout the entire banquet!