Chapter 268
At the center of the uneasy silence left behind by the battle, Katakuri stood with his scarf tugged by the sea wind, forcing himself to ignore the fear and confusion spreading through the Charlotte Family.
Perospero licked his dry lips.
As the eldest son, instinct told him that he should say something and steady everyone before the situation deteriorated further, but the words died in his throat when he looked at their mother.
Charlotte Linlin was still conscious, still furious, and still terrifying, but her right arm was gone.
Katakuri had caught the severed limb before it disappeared into the sea, and blood continued running from the wound despite the emergency measures already being taken around her.
Katakuri finally broke the silence.
"Everyone, return to Whole Cake Island. Effective immediately, Totto Land enters full lockdown until Mama is stabilized."
He did not shout, but the authority in his voice gave the scattered Big Mom Pirates something solid to hold on to.
Orders spread quickly through the damaged formation as ships closed around Linlin and the medical teams prepared the fastest possible route back toward the chateau.
Smoothie strode toward her brother with anger still burning across her face.
"Are we really letting them leave? We should treat Mama, find Zaraki, and squeeze every drop of liquid out of his body!"
Katakuri looked toward the outer waters.
"Find him where?"
Smoothie stopped.
"The Kuja ship broke through Perospero's blockade and disappeared into the smoke and waves before we could reorganize. They already had a head start, and Mama is bleeding badly. Are you suggesting we drag her through the New World chasing a ship when we do not even know which route it took?"
His voice dropped so that only the nearby senior siblings could hear.
"The important thing now is keeping Mama alive and Totto Land secure. An injured Emperor attracts every scavenger on the sea."
Smoothie's anger did not disappear, but the logic behind his words reached her. She looked once at Linlin's missing arm, bit down hard on her lip, and finally lowered her head.
"...Understood."
The order was carried out without delay. The Big Mom Pirates began withdrawing in disciplined formation, surrounding Linlin while the remaining ships closed the approaches behind them.
Farther away, Morgans watched from the deck of his press vessel with his telescope lowered and his feathers standing on end.
Retreat.
Lockdown.
After having one of her arms severed in her own territory, Charlotte Linlin's family was choosing consolidation over a blind pursuit.
That alone told Morgans how badly the situation had gone off the rails.
More importantly, he had photographs.
Several of them.
One showed Zaraki on the damaged Kuja deck with released Nozarashi in his hand.
Another caught the exact aftermath of the strike, with Linlin recoiling above Prometheus while her severed arm spun away and Katakuri's mochi stretched toward it.
Morgans turned so sharply that one of his assistants nearly dropped the transmission snail.
"Send everything to the presses! Emergency extra!"
His wings shook with excitement.
"The headline is—"
He spread them dramatically.
[A NEW EMPEROR RISES?! WAR DEMON ZARAKI SEVERS CHARLOTTE LINLIN'S ARM!]
...
The news spread through the New World within hours.
Emergency editions of the World Economy News Paper reached Marine bases, pirate territories, Revolutionary Army contacts, and Underworld strongholds.
The front page carried no impossible photograph of the ocean opening into an abyss.
It did not need one.
The image of one of the Four Emperors missing an arm while the War Demon stood nearby with a chipped cleaver was sensational enough.
Morgans naturally pushed the story as far as he could.
Commentators began comparing Zaraki with Marine Headquarters' Admirals, while more excitable voices demanded to know why someone with that reputation still held the unusual position of special envoy rather than a conventional Admiral's seat.
Some even declared that Marine Headquarters should promote him immediately.
At the same time, other people saw the photograph and reached a very different conclusion.
...
New World — Onigashima.
Kaido had returned after failing to locate Zaraki among the outer Totto Land routes.
He had left Whole Cake furious, spent hours searching the surrounding sea, and finally abandoned the hunt when every lead dissolved into scattered ships, storms, and conflicting reports.
Now he sat inside the skull-shaped fortress with a jar of liquor in one hand and Morgans' emergency edition in the other.
Then he saw the photograph.
Linlin missing an arm.
And Zaraki still standing.
Whatever drunken haze remained in Kaido's head disappeared.
"LINLIIIIIN!"
His roar shook the hall.
The newspaper crumpled in his fist as he surged to his feet.
"That useless old hag actually let him take an arm?!"
Rage rolled through the fortress, but beneath it was something else: the violent anticipation of a man who had already fought Zaraki twice and had just been shown proof that the brat was still growing more dangerous.
Kaido's expression darkened further when he remembered the Government's role in the disaster.
"And those bastards in Mary Geoise."
He gripped Hassaikai.
"This was your brilliant plan to get rid of him?"
Before he could smash the floor apart, a secure Government Den Den Mushi on a nearby table began ringing.
Purururururu...
Kaido stared at it.
King had ordered the device kept after the previous contacts with the Government. Very few people had the number.
Kaido lifted the receiver.
The snail's face changed.
Bald head. Round glasses. Severe expression.
Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro.
He was not standing inside Onigashima and had not somehow teleported into the fortress.
The Elder was contacting Kaido through an encrypted visual relay from a Government vessel far away.
"Kaido."
Nusjuro's voice remained perfectly calm.
Kaido's mouth twisted.
"You calling to laugh at me?"
"No."
Nusjuro did not react to the murderous look on the Emperor's face.
"I am calling because recent events have changed the situation."
Kaido leaned forward.
"Then talk."
Nusjuro's expression remained unreadable.
"Perhaps we now share a common enemy."
"A common enemy?"
Kaido's heavy breathing filled the throne room.
"Old man, don't forget something. Your World Government is still one of the things I want to tear down most."
Nusjuro showed no concern through the Den Den Mushi.
"Then consider this information rather than an alliance."
He paused.
"The Government can no longer treat Zaraki as a manageable Marine asset. His special envoy authority, his access to Marine operations, and the protection provided by his uniform have become liabilities."
Kaido's eyes narrowed.
"You're throwing him away?"
"We are considering removing him from public duty and, if Marine Headquarters resists, stripping him of his authority entirely."
Nusjuro's voice remained flat.
"If he openly defies the Government after that, he can be classified as a rogue Marine rather than protected as one of Headquarters' officers."
Kaido understood the poison hidden inside the proposal almost immediately.
As long as Zaraki remained publicly attached to Marine Headquarters, killing him carried consequences.
Garp, Sengoku, and the rest of the Marines might not like him, but they would not quietly accept another power hunting one of their own.
A Zaraki officially isolated from the Marines would be different.
Every pirate who wanted his reputation, every enemy he had accumulated, and every ambitious fighter looking to make a name for himself would suddenly have fewer reasons to hold back.
Kaido began to laugh.
"Worororo... What a filthy little scheme."
His grin widened.
"You want everybody else to do the killing while you sit in Mary Geoise pretending your hands are clean."
"The method does not concern me."
Nusjuro's eyes remained cold behind his glasses.
"What matters is that Zaraki does not continue growing without restraint."
Kaido rested Hassaikai across one shoulder.
"I'll kill him."
A pause followed.
"But not because you asked."
"That distinction is irrelevant."
Nusjuro continued.
"There is one more development you should know. The Kalles assessment operation has been terminated. After the Gion incident and the exposure of Aegis involvement, Director Dapus and the surviving operatives were ordered to withdraw, the seastone harbor batteries were disabled, and the Warlord candidate's evaluation was suspended pending review."
Kaido's brow lifted.
"Why do I care?"
"Because Dracule Mihawk has selected Kalles as the site of his public rematch with Zaraki."
That caught Kaido's attention.
Nusjuro went on.
"The island is already known to the public, it is in the New World, and the Government no longer has a legitimate Marine operation there. Red-Hair is moving toward the same waters."
Kaido's grin returned.
"So Hawkeye wants a fight."
"He appears determined to have one."
The Den Den Mushi's image began to dim as Nusjuro ended the secure relay.
"Choose your own timing, Kaido. I care only about the result."
The screen went blank.
Kaido stared at the silent snail for several seconds before roaring toward the hall.
"KING!"
Footsteps answered from the entrance rather than a magical burst of black flame.
King entered with the flame on his back burning steadily and stopped below the throne.
"Kaido-san."
"You heard?"
"Yes."
"What do you think?"
King was silent for a moment.
"It is a trap."
Kaido snorted.
"But?"
"But it is also an opportunity."
King raised his head.
"The Government wants to use us to remove Zaraki. That does not mean killing him is against our interests. His rate of growth has already exceeded anything reasonable, and after what happened to Linlin, waiting for him to recover and improve again would be foolish."
Kaido's smile sharpened.
"He can already take her arm."
"Exactly."
King continued.
"Our latest Underworld report says Mihawk is moving toward Kalles and Red-Hair is following. If Zaraki accepts the rematch, Kalles becomes the obvious point of convergence."
"A good battlefield."
"And potentially a grave."
Kaido rose.
"Worororo... Fine."
He rested Hassaikai on his shoulder.
"Prepare the fastest ships and get the others moving behind us. I'm not waiting for the whole fleet before I leave."
King nodded.
Kaido's grin widened.
"If Hawkeye wants to sharpen his blade on that brat, he'd better do it before I get there."
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