Hearing Brûlée say that, Katakuri also felt a headache coming on.
After all, Katakuri was not Big Mom.
Although he had been the strongest of the Sweet Commanders and could be considered the number one figure under Big Mom, his prestige was still not enough to intimidate all of his brothers and sisters.
"Let them cool their heads inside for now."
After thinking it over, Katakuri decided to postpone the matter for the time being.
Once the immediate issues were handled, he wanted to return and meet Big Mom first.
But with Cyrus present, even if Big Mom and the others had woken up, they would not be able to stir up much trouble.
"Okay, Brother!"
Charlotte Brûlée nodded.
Seeing that Katakuri had nothing else to say, she turned and directly slipped into the mirror hanging on the wall.
Katakuri watched Brûlée leave. Only then did his tightly furrowed brows ease slightly.
He only hoped that, going forward, more of his family's brothers and sisters could survive this.
…
Candy Island.
Cyrus stepped into the towering candy spire.
Big Mom and the other four were being held here, including Wang Zhi, who had surrendered outright earlier.
The sound of eating could be heard from a great distance away.
Cyrus walked through the wide-open doors. Inside was the enormous space at the heart of the tower.
Big Mom was grabbing the huge cake in front of her and eating nonstop.
Under Streusen's command, the Homies kept carrying all kinds of desserts over to her.
In front of the Golden Lion sat a massive bowl of wine. Seated on the ground, he gripped the bowl and poured the liquor down his throat.
As for Silver Axe, he was holding roasted meat and eating until his mouth shone with oil.
Even though Cyrus had kept them here, these people did not seem particularly worried.
Or perhaps they had already prepared themselves for whatever came next.
Cyrus's arrival caused the vast room inside the tower to suddenly fall silent.
The Homies transporting desserts and food, along with Streusen himself, all quieted down as well.
Cyrus swept his gaze around, then waved his hand.
Led by Streusen, the large group of Homies quickly left.
Big Mom's hand, still holding a piece of cake, froze in midair. Her eyes locked firmly onto Cyrus.
Aside from Wang Zhi, the other three all wore similar expressions.
Under their stares, Cyrus's face did not change. His gaze simply moved over them one by one.
Big Mom looked the most miserable. Her body was almost completely wrapped in bandages.
However, her presence was still the strongest.
Clearly, the terrifying recovery brought by her monstrous physique was still at work.
The Golden Lion, on the other hand, looked extremely drained.
In particular, the bloody hole on the top of his head had already scabbed over, but a large portion of his skull was clearly missing.
That injury had obviously affected him greatly.
"Brat, did you come to execute us?"
Big Mom stared at Cyrus for a long while before suddenly speaking.
That single sentence caused the expressions of the other three to shift.
Wang Zhi's lips moved slightly. He clearly wanted to say something, but in the end, he stayed silent.
"If you're asking that, then it seems you've already prepared yourself, Charlotte Linlin."
Cyrus turned toward Big Mom and spoke in an even tone.
"From the day I set out to sea, I already knew what kind of ending might be waiting for me."
Big Mom grinned.
"A loser is a loser. If you lose, you lose. I'm not someone who can't accept defeat like Wang Zhi."
As she spoke, Big Mom even took the chance to jab at Wang Zhi.
Hearing her words, Wang Zhi's face darkened. He was clearly annoyed, but he did not open his mouth to argue.
"This is the end awaiting pirates on the sea."
The Golden Lion put down the bowl of wine in his hand, causing the liquor to splash out.
He tilted his head back and looked at Cyrus from the corner of his eye.
"So, Cyrus brat, what are you planning to do with us?"
Cyrus looked at the wild arrogance still written across the Golden Lion's face. Suddenly, a smile appeared on his own.
He did not answer the Golden Lion's question.
Instead, he turned to Wang Zhi.
"You don't need to stay here anymore. As for what you mentioned before, I'll go to Hachinosu later. If I don't go myself, I'll send someone there afterward.
But you should understand one thing. My Guild is the Hunter Guild, not a pirate guild."
Wang Zhi let out a breath of relief.
The pressure on him during this period had been immense.
As for secretly leaving?
Of course Wang Zhi had thought about it.
But Cyrus was on this island as well, and slipping away unnoticed did not mean he could avoid Cyrus's Observation Haki.
If he was discovered, there was no need to even say what his fate would be.
But since Cyrus had never spoken up before, Wang Zhi had been unable to leave and had remained locked up together with Big Mom and the other two.
During the earlier battle, however, these three old monsters had all been extremely dissatisfied with the way he had spent the whole fight holding back.
Wang Zhi even suspected that once the three of them recovered a little more, they might gang up and beat him.
Now that Cyrus had spoken, it meant he could finally leave.
As for Cyrus's words, Wang Zhi naturally remembered them.
But simply being able to leave this place was enough to ease his mind by a great deal.
"Good."
Wang Zhi stood up. After taking a few steps, he turned back again.
"I'm leaving now?"
His tone carried a hint of inquiry.
Cyrus did not turn around. He only waved his hand.
Seeing that, Wang Zhi immediately turned and strode away.
Big Mom, the Golden Lion, and Silver Axe watched the scene unfold without saying anything, nor did they show any intention of interrupting.
After Wang Zhi left, Cyrus walked over to a huge seat made from candy and sat down.
Leaning back slightly, he swept his gaze over the three of them.
"To be honest, I didn't plan to take your lives."
Cyrus's words made the three of them reveal different expressions.
"Mamamama! If you want me to submit, that's impossible."
Hearing that Cyrus had no intention of killing them, Big Mom immediately assumed he wanted to make them submit, and she burst into wild laughter.
"Rocks could do it back then. Why can't I?"
Cyrus did not get angry.
Instead, he asked with genuine curiosity.
The moment he mentioned Rocks, Big Mom's expression stiffened, while the Golden Lion and Silver Axe both stared straight at him.
"Or are you saying that you think my current strength is inferior to Rocks back then? You were all officers on that great pirate ship once. What do you think?"
Cyrus was actually rather curious about Rocks, the man who had caused the God Valley Incident.
After all, once the officers from his ship scattered, they had practically dominated the New World.
Even Red-Hair had once been part of the Pirate King's crew, the same crew that had clashed with Rocks back then.
In other words, most of the famous powerhouses currently on the sea were connected to Rocks in one way or another, and also connected to the God Valley Incident.
Unfortunately, Cyrus had crossed into this world far too late. He had never had the chance to witness that man for himself.
"You bastard… Are you planning to overthrow the World Government, just like Rocks did?"
The Golden Lion suddenly spoke.
"You're half right."
Hearing that, Cyrus immediately turned toward the Golden Lion.
"The current World Government is indeed my target, but I'm not a pirate."
"It's all about the same. People like you all want to become King of the World, don't you?"
Perhaps because the ship's wheel on his head had been removed, the Golden Lion's mind suddenly seemed much sharper.
"King of the World? If you put it that way, I suppose you're not wrong."
Cyrus rubbed his chin, thought it over, then nodded.
After he defeated the World Government, no matter how he described it himself, the title of King of the World would probably end up falling onto his head anyway.
"So that's how it is. You really do have that kind of ambition. If that's the case, then I won't say I can't accept losing this time."
Big Mom, who had been listening to the conversation between Cyrus and the Golden Lion, suddenly spoke.
"Can't accept it? The four of you joined forces and still weren't my opponents. What is there for you to refuse to accept?"
Cyrus raised an eyebrow and answered directly.
That single sentence silenced both of them at once.
After quite a while, Silver Axe, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke.
"Captain Rocks was very strong. But over the years, we also became strong. Judging purely by the strength you displayed, Captain Rocks might not have been your opponent."
His heavy voice rang through the room.
"Now that sounds pleasant to hear."
Although Cyrus's mindset had not changed too drastically, after spending so long in this world where strength ruled above all else, he naturally also wanted to compare himself with the powerhouses of this world.
Rocks, that long-vanished man, was someone Cyrus naturally wanted to measure himself against.
"That is indeed the case. Although you're still a brat, your strength is undeniably terrifying."
The Golden Lion also nodded in agreement.
If it had been about anything else, the Golden Lion might have argued.
But when it came to Cyrus's strength, he was honestly convinced.
Why else would Big Mom and the others be sitting here obediently?
Because Cyrus had defeated them head-on.