Oguro glanced calmly at Oven.
"If those words came from Big Mom, they might actually carry some weight."
"But you? Can you really represent the Big Mom Pirates and declare war on me?"
Let alone Oven.
Even Katakuri, the so-called right-hand man, didn't have that authority.
The Big Mom Pirates were a pure one-woman rule.
Everything was decided by Charlotte Linlin alone.
Seeing Oven's expression fluctuate, Oguro sneered.
"Hurry up and go home. This isn't something you get to decide."
Oven's face darkened slightly.
He couldn't make decisions for Big Mom, but this situation was different.
Oguro was trying to snatch territory directly from Big Mom's hands.
Oven knew very well that if he went back empty-handed, Big Mom would beat him to death on the spot.
Blood relations meant nothing to her.
She had killed her own children before.
In Big Mom's eyes, her pride mattered far more than Oven's life.
"Neptune!"
Oven turned sharply and shouted.
"Is Fish-Man Island planning to reject Mama?"
Neptune panicked immediately.
"T-this…"
One side was a Yonko, Big Mom.
The other was Oguro, the man who had rampaged through Marineford.
To be honest, he couldn't afford to offend either of them.
At that moment, Oguro spoke up calmly.
"King Neptune, there's no need to worry."
"My Sacred Holy Spirit Empire will guarantee Fish-Man Island's safety."
"Before you make your decision, no one will be allowed to harm you."
"Not the World Government. Not any Yonko."
That statement was devastating.
Neptune hadn't even agreed yet, and Oguro was already offering protection.
The sincerity was overwhelming.
Oven's face instantly turned ugly.
As a pirate, he didn't understand political maneuvering at all.
He'd already lost verbally.
Oguro gave him no breathing room and pressed on.
"I've already spoken with Jinbe."
"He believes my conditions are better than those offered by the Big Mom Pirates."
"Why don't we wait and hear Jinbe's opinion first, King Neptune?"
Because Oguro and his group had rushed back using Shunpo, Jinbe and Shyarly were still hurrying over on their own.
The moment Neptune heard Jinbe mentioned, the scales in his heart tipped decisively toward Oguro.
He knew Jinbe well.
If even Jinbe thought it was worthwhile, then it was absolutely worth considering.
"In that case…"
"Why don't we discuss this internally on Fish-Man Island first?"
Oven immediately grew anxious.
"Neptune! You've already reached an agreement with Mama! How can you go back on it now?"
"That's not quite right."
Oguro cut in with a gentle smile.
"Even if there was a verbal agreement, you haven't officially carried it out yet."
"I saw it myself. Whitebeard's flag was only taken down minutes ago."
"Since Fish-Man Island hasn't joined Big Mom's banner yet, they're still free."
"And if they don't want to join anymore, what's the problem?"
Oven laughed in anger.
He understood now.
No matter what he said, Oguro had no intention of letting Fish-Man Island join the Big Mom Pirates.
And Neptune clearly had second thoughts.
There was nothing he could do.
Big Mom's reputation was simply too terrifying.
If a better option appeared, who wouldn't choose it?
Oven wisely fell silent, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.
He thought to himself,
"If I can hold that woman called Soi Fon in check, and the others can take down Oguro… there might still be a chance!"
He had watched the Marineford broadcast.
Oguro was strong, but not at Admiral level.
His ease during the war had relied heavily on Yoruichi and Soi Fon.
Now, only Soi Fon was beside him.
That could be an opening.
This time, Oven had brought along Baron Tamago and Pekoms, both elite combatants of the Big Mom Pirates.
If they could stall Rangiku and Rukia, then someone else could deal with Oguro.
At the very back of Oven's group stood a woman holding a long sword, silent the entire time.
Brown eyes.
Short violet hair.
A fluffy light-pink shawl and a tight rose-purple bodysuit.
Charlotte Custard.
Big Mom's sixth daughter, one of the crew's officers, and a formidable fighter.
In Oven's view, if she struck unexpectedly, Custard might actually be able to take Oguro down.
Unfortunately for them, Oguro's Observation Haki was extremely sharp.
That flicker of killing intent didn't escape him at all.
He said calmly,
"Oven, let me give you a piece of advice."
"Go back. Right now."
"If you make a move here, there's only one outcome."
"Death."
The moment the word death fell, a terrifying wave of spiritual pressure erupted from Oguro, crashing down on Oven like a mountain.
Oven was instantly horrified.
That kind of pressure…
He had only ever felt it from Mama.
Was Oguro really this powerful?
Oguro was using pressure to force Oven to retreat because he genuinely didn't want to fight.
At first, he had actually wanted to test himself.
After reaching captain-level strength, he hadn't had a single chance to fight at full power.
But after Shyarly told him about her prediction, his thinking changed.
He didn't want to make the first move.
He wanted to see whether the future she foresaw could be broken.
After all, Shyarly's predictions had been accurate 100% of the time.
Oguro had decided.
He wouldn't act first.
He'd even allow Oven to leave safely.
But if a battle still broke out in the end…
Then he'd have to seriously consider whether this world truly had an unchangeable fate.
After all, Kaido being defeated by Luffy made no sense no matter how you looked at it.
Learning advanced Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki coating in just days?
Even Oguro, with all his cheats, wouldn't dare guarantee that.
The only explanation left was fate.
And if fate really existed…
It would have enormous implications for all of Oguro's future plans.
At this moment, reason told Oven that retreating was the correct choice.
But his loyalty to Big Mom, and fear of failing his mission, kept him frozen.
A vicious glint flashed in his eyes.
It looked like he was ready to gamble everything for that tiny sliver of hope.
Oguro's heart jolted.
Could fate really be unavoidable?
"Oven! Mama's calling!"
Just then, Baron Tamago stepped forward, holding a Den Den Mushi.
He said seriously,
"I've already reported the situation here to Mama."
"This matter is beyond our authority now."
"Listen to what Mama has to say."