The sudden arrival of the Red Hair Pirates immediately drew the attention of both sides. Standing on the deck, Shanks wore his iconic straw hat, gazing intently at the combatants locked in battle.
This straw hat had been personally entrusted to Shanks by Gol D. Roger right before his public execution.
Back in Loguetown, facing his captain's ultimate departure, Shanks had held that hat close to his chest, weeping uncontrollably.
After composing his emotions, Shanks set out to find the individual his captain had been waiting for. He initially invited Buggy to join him, but was turned down.
Sailing alone in a small boat, he arrived at Syrup Village to recruit Yasopp, who felt the open sea calling his name. Yasopp joined Shanks, and together they founded the Red Hair Pirates.
Though it had been only a single short year since then, the Red Hair Pirates had already made a massive name for themselves across the New World, establishing their crew as an unignorable powerhouse—one of the most formidable Supernovas of the current era.
Kikyo's sheer combat tenacity, coupled with the unexpected appearance of the Red Hair Pirates on her flank, turned BIG MOM's face pale with rage. Though her body had sustained injuries earlier, they were merely superficial wounds that she could recover from with a little time; she was deeply unwilling to retreat now.
"Mamama...! Red-Hair, have you chosen to align yourself with the Sunagakure Pirates?!"
Shanks placed his hands on his hips and burst into a booming laugh beneath his straw hat: "Consider this a small payback for what happened back at Loguetown. Besides, BIG MOM... you were the one who provoked the Sunagakure Pirates first."
Skipping all further pleasantries, BIG MOM was acutely aware that her current physical condition was far from optimal. Kikyo's Sacred Arrow had shattered her two high-density defensive spheres of flesh, leaving her in desperate need of consuming massive quantities of sweets to replenish her stamina.
Compounded by the priestess's specialized purification energy weakening her Soul-Soul Fruit powers, BIG MOM ultimately made the strategic call to withdraw.
While Kikyo possessed the strength to defend Weatheria Base No. 3, pursuing the Big Mom Pirates was entirely out of the question.
The Red Hair Pirates providing outer perimeter pressure was the absolute best assistance they could offer, bringing this clash to its natural conclusion.
The instant the Queen Mama Chanter pulled away from the harbor, Kikyo's face drained of all color. Exhausted from overusing her spiritual energy, she was severely weakened; her final maneuver—controlling the Soul-Sucking Serpents to trigger infighting—had merely been a strategic bluff to force the Big Mom Pirates to harbor deep dread.
Looking at the exhausted priestess, Shanks held genuine, deep respect in his heart for this woman who had single-handedly taken on the entire Big Mom Pirates: "Priestess Kikyo... we'll patrol the outer waters for a while to keep you secure."
"Thank you... I appreciate it..."
In truth, Patrick Redfield's sneak attack from the shadows had inflicted severe internal trauma on Kikyo's organs, though she had hidden her pain completely during the duel. Now, combining the energy of the Shikon Jewel with her intrinsic spiritual power, she began executing internal self-repair on her body.
In this world, although spiritual energy was relatively sparse, it differed from the Shinobi World, where cultivating spiritual power was nearly impossible. Under the natural laws of this universe, spiritual energy could be gradually cultivated.
Supported by the core engine of the Shikon Jewel, Kikyo maintained a localized, miniature energy core, allowing her to master and wield her full power seamlessly.
At the same time, across the realm of Totto Land...
Totto Land was an expansive sea territory in the New World where BIG MOM had established her nation, envisioned as a powerful domain that served as an absolute utopia uniting every race on earth.
In future history, Whole Cake Island would serve as the central hub, surrounded by thirty-four distinct islands scattered across the surrounding waters—each governed by one of thirty-four Ministers. This entire maritime region was collectively known as Totto Land.
At present, fifteen of those thirty-four islands were under the active control of the Sunagakure Pirates. Among them, Gaburo Island—located in the southeastern sector of Whole Cake Island—was destined to become Candy Island in the future.
According to BIG MOM's envisioned blueprint for her kingdom, the Sunagakure Pirates were an obstacle that had to be eliminated. That was why she had initially proposed a political marriage to absorb their territory, only to resort to brute force when rejected.
Totto Land's declared goal was to become a harmonious home for nearly every race and tribe in the world. BIG MOM craved a utopia where all species could coexist side by side.
The citizens residing in Totto Land included Humans, Fish-men, Merfolk, Minks, Snakehead Tribe members, Longarm Tribe members, Longleg Tribe members, Dwarves, Three-Eye Tribe members, and various inter-species hybrids.
Under local law, every citizen of Totto Land was required to surrender a one-month portion of their total lifespan every six months as a "protection tax"—otherwise, they were forced to leave. In reality, BIG MOM never permitted anyone to depart Totto Land alive; anyone attempting to flee was summarily sentenced to death.
Shiraishi had received news of the ambush at Weatheria Base No. 3 earlier, but he had chosen not to rush over to provide immediate reinforcements.
He held absolute faith in Kikyo's individual combat capability. Furthermore, back on Sky Island, Yachiru Unohana stood ready near the entrance to provide backup if needed.
More importantly, Shiraishi had already prepared a contingency protocol for Kikyo. Had the position proven impossible to hold, Kikyo would simply abandon Base No. 3 and descend to the Blue Sea.
Once the Big Mom Pirates set foot on the abandoned Weatheria Base No. 3, a specialized self-destruct system would trigger.
Dyna Stones—a volatile, terrifying substance whose explosive yield rivaled that of the Ancient Weapons—had long been rigged inside Base No. 3. Had the Big Mom Pirates occupied the structure, they would have met a catastrophic, suicidal blast.
On Whole Cake Island...
While the main combat forces of the Big Mom Pirates had deployed for the offshore ambush, the remaining defensive forces on the island consisted of BIG MOM's most trusted children. Though still in their teens and not yet fully matured into their future prime, they possessed formidable combat power.
Today, Whole Cake Island was unnaturally quiet as a heavy snowfall blanketed the shoreline, plunging the tropical island into sub-zero cold.
"Logically speaking... it shouldn't be snowing in this climate..."
Standing near the shore was an extraordinarily tall woman whose height far surpassed that of an ordinary human.
Wearing a hat and a scarf, her long white hair flowed past her legs. Endowed with striking looks, she observed the strange atmospheric anomaly covering the island with a sharp eye.
She slowly pulled on a pair of gloves, revealing the distinctive tattoos of the Longleg Tribe across her long legs. Strapped to her back was a long sword encased in a spiral scabbard, paired with a set of pink, patterned boots.
Charlotte Smoothie—the 14th daughter of BIG MOM and the Minister of Juice in Totto Land. Though only seventeen years old in this era, her strength was by no means to be underestimated. Yet under normal seasonal patterns, it made zero sense for snow to fall over Whole Cake Island...
"Lady Smoothie! A pirate flag has appeared ahead!"
"Hmm?"
Raising her telescope to examine the unknown warship approaching across the distant sea, Smoothie felt a wave of confusion. But the moment her eyes locked onto the emblem flying from the mast, her face turned pale with horror.
"It's the... Sunagakure Pirates!"
"Indeed. We have arrived."
A calm, indifferent voice echoed right from behind Smoothie's back. She whirled around instantly, drawing her blade—only for her eyes to fill with pure dread upon recognizing the speaker's face.
Aoki Shiraishi, leader of the Sunagakure Pirates, stood before her with quiet composure. Yet the silver blade held in his palm was already dripping with fresh blood.
Before she could even react, blood spurted violently from Smoothie's neck. Clutching her throat in sheer disbelief, the young prodigy of the Charlotte family met her end beneath Shiraishi's sword before ever reaching her prime.
"Issue an evacuation notice to the island's civilians. They have thirty minutes. Once the time is up, I will personally destroy Whole Cake Island."
Thirty minutes later... a colossal arc of sword energy swept across the entirety of Whole Cake Island! The devastating, mountain-cleaving slash—infused with absolute sub-zero frost—sliced a gaping, monumental canyon directly through the island's surface!