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Big Mom... a Granny??
Big Mom was on the verge of exploding. Her eyes bulged, her breath coming in ragged gasps. She looked like a creature of pure fury.
Jin remained perfectly calm. He met Big Mom's blazing eyes without flinching. "Lies don't hurt people," he said, his voice steady. "The truth is a sharp blade!"
"Did I strike a nerve?"
An Emperor of the Sea—so what?
Others might fear her. Jin doesn't.
Show him respect, and he would return it tenfold.
Big Mom had welcomed him as a guest, and he had responded in kind.
But if she wanted to throw her weight around... He had no problem with tearing that face of hers to shreds and starting a war.
Who's afraid of whom? After his battle with Whitebeard, Jin's spirit had grown.
A man born into a chaotic age should live to achieve the impossible.
His mindset had become calmer, more dominant.
In his heart, a hero holds grand ambitions. In his mind, a brilliant strategy. He possesses the Will to grasp the universe and the spirit to consume the World.
This wasn't arrogance.
It was a bone-deep confidence!!
The confidence to stand as an equal before any powerhouse in the world.
———————————————
A dead silence fell over the chateau.
You could have heard a pin drop.
Everyone was stunned into paralysis.
No one had ever dared to speak to her like that here. Not even Kaido, another Emperor, would dare say such things.
Big Mom, the only female Emperor of the Sea.
User of the Paramecia-type Soul-Soul Fruit.
Her strength was monstrous. She was born with an incredibly durable body, a "natural-born destroyer."
At the age of five, she had killed a bear with a single punch.
When a craving sickness hit, she had destroyed an entire village of giants. The elder, Jorul, had called her an "evil god."
The blade of a giant's sword had shattered against her five-year-old skin.
Even a hail of gunfire couldn't leave a scratch on her. She was like an "iron balloon."
Among the Four Emperors, in terms of raw, natural-born stats, Big Mom was number one. There was no number two.
Everyone feared her.
And now—
Someone had dared to confront her face-to-face.
Daifuku, Oven, and all the other children clamped their mouths shut, not daring to utter a single word, lest they draw their mother's annihilating wrath.
A bitter taste filled Perospero's mouth.
His head was pounding.
What were they supposed to do?
Did this man have any idea what he was saying??
Even Katakuri's eyes widened, nearly bulging from their sockets.
He stared at Jin, speechless.
A cold chill ran down his spine.
Even with all his wisdom, his strength, and his unparalleled ability to handle a crisis, Katakuri's mind went blank.
In this world, the Four Emperors were considered invincible, untouchable. You were supposed to maintain a healthy sense of fear.
Most pirates would tremble at the mere sight of an Emperor. Who would dare to critique one's appearance?
Katakuri had never seen anything like this.
The truth is a sharp blade? Did I strike a nerve??
How could he say such things out loud?
Doesn't Mama have any pride?
"Hah... hah..."
Big Mom's breath came in great, heaving gasps. She glared at Jin, her teeth grinding, her eyes filled with a murderous light.
She was absolutely furious.
The term "Granny" had pierced through her "iron balloon" defense and struck the fragile core of her heart.
No woman likes to hear that word—especially a woman like Big Mom, who had once been a legendary beauty.
In her own mind, she was still young, beautiful, and full of charm. She was forever eighteen.
Or even younger—a sweet, innocent child...
Otherwise, the chateau wouldn't be decorated like a fairy-tale dreamland, filled with Homies that sang and danced with her.
But Jin had just ruthlessly shattered that illusion.
You're old.
You're a grandmother.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH... YOU DAMN BRAT!"
Big Mom let out a piercing shriek. The sound, infused with her Conqueror's Haki, was a physical force, a shockwave that threatened to shatter their eardrums.
The entire chateau trembled.
The thundercloud Homie, Zeus, hovering above her head, turned a dark, menacing black, mirroring her rage.
Thunder cracked.
The sun Homie, Prometheus, erupted in a blaze, his cheerful face twisting into a vortex of furious flame.
Big Mom grabbed the hat Homie, Napoleon, and from within it, drew a massive sword.
"I'M GOING TO CUT YOU DOWN!" she roared, her presence as heavy as a mountain.
Her monstrous strength could level mountains, wipe out entire countries. Even now, in her obese state, she was terrifying.
"GET OUT OF HERE!" Perospero yelled, his pupils contracting, his body tensed. He clapped his hands over his ears. "MAMA'S ON A RAMPAGE!"
They didn't need to be told twice.
Oven and Daifuku scrambled to get away.
Even Katakuri grabbed the unconscious siblings and bolted.
When Big Mom flew into a rage, she didn't distinguish between friend and foe. Even they were in mortal danger.
As for Jin—no one gave him a second thought. He had brought this on himself. It was his problem now.
The commotion from the chateau was immense. A terrifying, oppressive aura swept across the island, and soldiers and elites from all over began to rush toward the source.
"What's happening?" Cracker wondered aloud.
"Fuffuffuffu..." Doflamingo gazed into the distance.
"He actually managed to piss off Big Mom."
———————————————
At the port.
The Golden Emperor, Tesoro, and Du Feld had all arrived at nearly the same time.
They all felt the terrifying, oppressive aura.
They were all unnerved.
"So this is the power of an Emperor," Tesoro said, his expression grim, a sense of dread settling in his heart.
Du Feld was panicking, gasping for breath. He had some strength, but not much. He was in the worst shape of them all.
Unseen by anyone.
"Now!"
Maya grabbed Robin, and a faint yellow light pulsed between them. In the blink of an eye, they had melted into the earth.
The security at the Tea Party was, of course, ironclad.
And the Poneglyph, being of such importance, would be kept in the most secure location.
Approaching it through normal means would have been nearly impossible.
That was why Jin had deliberately provoked Big Mom—to pull the island's defenses toward him.
Why not just ask her for it?
First, she would never have just given it to him. A fight would have been inevitable.
Second, the Poneglyphs were a line the World Government would not allow to be crossed. If they found out Jin was interested in them, they would have certainly taken action.
Jin had assessed his own strength. Rocks, who could take down an Admiral, had stood no chance against Imu. And Jin was still one evolution short.
Until that next evolution, maintaining the current status quo was in his best interest.
When it was time to be discreet, it was best to be discreet.
Sneak into the village quietly, don't fire a shot...
A true man knows when to bend and when to stand tall.
Jin had to create a conflict, a cover story for his true objective.
And besides, as Whitebeard had said, a true conqueror must climb to the top over the bodies of all other would-be conquerors.
If he didn't have the spirit to sweep away the Four Emperors, how could he ever hope to conquer the world?
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