Chapter 197: 197: Underground Rats
His subordinates voiced Katakuri's concerns, but with his younger sister's wedding tomorrow, he could not simply pretend nothing was happening. Seeing that Aether was about to kill Feld, he bit the bullet and spoke up to stop him.
"Roger-sama, please let go of Feld. After all, he has been our guest for the past two days."
Aether glanced at them coldly, then threw the awakened assassin in front of Katakuri.
"Feld, along with Pierrot and Stussy, attempted to assassinate me. Pierrot has already been killed by me, and Stussy fled after failing the assassination and is nowhere to be found. Do you really think I would let the remaining person who tried to assassinate me go?"
"What? Someone actually wants to assassinate the Pirate King?"
"Are they crazy? Roger-sama is not someone they can afford to offend."
"So they are all dead tonight."
"Didn't one of them, Stussy, manage to run away?"
"Such a great beauty actually trying to assassinate the Pirate King, what a waste."
"What does it have to do with you whether it's a waste or not? I heard that the queen of the pleasure district, Stussy, is already quite old."
"So what if she's old? A woman thirty years older is like a gift of an empire."
The pirates of the Big Mom Pirates continued spouting shocking opinions, the intensity of which made the Sweet Commander Cracker re-evaluate this group of "talents."
Katakuri quickly recognized that the assassin was indeed one of the subordinates brought by Pierrot, and the assassin's attire forced him to believe Aether's account.
"..."
The expressionless Katakuri felt both helpless and furious. They dared to stir up trouble the day before the wedding and even had the audacity to make a move against the strongest man in the world. What did they take one of the Four Emperors for?
With matters having reached this point, Katakuri had no intention of continuing the investigation. As for Stussy being involved, he found it difficult to believe. The queen of the pleasure district, who maintained a good relationship with Mama, did not seem like someone who would attempt to assassinate Aether today.
Suppressing his headache, Katakuri asked in a low voice,
"Roger-sama, how about this? Hand Feld over to me for interrogation first, and I will definitely give you an explanation..."
Before Katakuri could finish speaking, Aether snapped Feld's neck in front of everyone, and another prominent king of the underworld died at his hands.
[Significantly altered the fate of S-rank character Feld, rewarded 2,000 destiny points]
[Hidden achievement unlocked: Bane of Underground Rats (2/2)]
[Reward: 50,000 points]
"..."
I didn't expect killing these two dirty rats would unlock such a random achievement, but getting 50,000 points for free is really sweet.
Aether's decisiveness made the atmosphere extremely heavy. After all, he had killed someone right in front of the main force of the Big Mom Pirates, clearly showing that he did not take them seriously.
The Sweet Commanders and their subordinates vaguely formed a circle around him. Regardless of whether they could win, they had to display the proper attitude. As for whether or not they would go to war with Aether, that decision would be made after their captain arrived.
Aether paid no attention to the people surrounding him. Even with an Emperor's right-hand man, three high-ranking officers comparable to the Seven Warlords of the Sea, nearly ten officers with strength comparable to Marine Headquarters Vice Admirals, and a large group of elite fighters present, being surrounded meant very little to him.
Aether looked at Katakuri and smiled.
"Katakuri, are you planning to go to war with me?"
"We do not intend to fight Your Excellency Roger-sama. We are merely waiting for Mama to arrive."
This flimsy excuse made Aether shake his head as he walked directly toward them. The movement of the world's most feared man instantly frayed everyone's nerves.
"I don't feel your sincerity."
As his words fell, a burst of Conqueror's Haki, akin to divine might, swept across the entire area and enveloped everyone present. The overwhelming force of his Conqueror's Haki even shot into the sky, visible to the naked eye.
Boom.
The cumulonimbus clouds covering the moon for hundreds of miles were instantly torn apart, and cold moonlight poured onto the ground distorted by the Haki.
The Conqueror's Haki of a single individual was enough to change the weather itself, making the entire world seem to lose its color in an instant.
When Aether unleashed his Conqueror's Haki, Katakuri immediately released his own, attempting to protect his younger brothers and sisters.
Unfortunately, dreams were beautiful, but reality was cruel. His pride and joy, his Conqueror's Haki, was instantly crushed by the opponent. He could not even maintain a Conqueror's Haki domain.
Within the overwhelming domain of Conqueror's Haki, Charlotte Smoothie's 4.5-meter-tall body bent, as though a mountain weighed upon her shoulders.
The terrifying pressure had clearly weakened her, and the state of everyone around her caused a rare expression of fear to appear on her face.
The reason was simple. Every elite member of the Big Mom Pirates present who had not reached the level of a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral had already collapsed unconscious, foam gathering at the corners of their mouths. Rows upon rows of bodies littered the ground, creating a bizarre sight.
Even the officers who possessed strength comparable to Marine Headquarters Vice Admirals were heavily affected. Their bodies trembled uncontrollably, and being able to display even half of their normal strength would already be impressive.
As for the three Sweet Commanders, they too looked fearful in the face of the sudden eruption of Conqueror's Haki. The only person who appeared capable of resisting its pressure was Katakuri.
Yet even Katakuri's pupils had contracted, and his body had frozen in place.
The truth was simple. Aether's Conqueror's Haki far exceeded his expectations, standing more than two levels above his mother's.
The eruption of Conqueror's Haki alone was already this terrifying. One could only imagine how frightening his unused Conqueror's Haki Infusion would be. Katakuri's Observation Haki had already given him a clear premonition.
He would not be able to withstand many of Aether's attacks.
Aether looked at the dozen or so people still standing.
"Do you still want to fight, Katakuri?"
"I surrender, Roger-sama."
To everyone's surprise, Katakuri honestly put down his weapon and surrendered.
His Observation Haki had already detected his mother rushing toward them, and he knew very well that they were no match for Aether.
At the same time, Aether also spotted Charlotte Linlin approaching, accompanied by Stussy.
The main figure had finally arrived.
Aether withdrew his Conqueror's Haki and took out a prepared Den Den Mushi. As a top influencer, he naturally carried recording Den Den Mushi with him, and more than one at that.
While Katakuri waited with sweat dripping down his face, Charlotte Linlin's enormous figure soon arrived before Aether, followed by a visibly surprised Stussy.
What a tragic sight.
The backbone of the Big Mom Pirates had been completely overwhelmed.
Charlotte Linlin swept her gaze across the scene. When she saw Feld's corpse, her expression immediately darkened as she questioned Aether.
"Roger, you truly don't take me seriously. I treated you as a guest. Is this how you repay me? Killing my guest and injuring my children?"
Aether pointed at Katakuri and replied evenly,
"Linlin, don't wrong me. Your precious son is fully aware of what happened."
So it wasn't what she had assumed?
Charlotte Linlin turned her suspicious gaze toward her most valued son.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Katakuri recounted everything Aether had told him. Judging from the assassin's current state, the truth of the matter had already been confirmed.
Since that was the case, there was no reason to continue offending Aether for the sake of a few idiots.
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