Katakuri Becomes the Backup Option
Amidst the crowd, Blackbeard silently breathed a sigh of relief, muttering to himself, "Luckily, this guy arrived in time. If it were just Red Hair alone, I would have had almost no chance of getting this fruit under his nose. But the fact that the two of them are restraining each other gives me the opportunity to act."
"The Calamity Bringer Great Sword Master Roy? It's really not easy to meet him. Perhaps, after this auction is over, I can invite him for a sword duel!" Hawkeye crossed his arms and his eyes became even sharper. The pirate standing in front of him felt like he was being stared at by some terrifying beast. He was covered in cold sweat but dared not move an inch.
"Is he Nightmare? The ally the dragon mentioned?" Kuma's eyes darted around, glancing intentionally or unintentionally at the area where the Celestial Dragons were. "If handled properly, it could indeed be an opportunity to test the World Government's bottom line and reaction."
The crowd gradually realized what was happening. They hadn't suspected Roy before because Roy hadn't shown any trace of himself in the past two years. His Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse of the Apocalypse had been fighting for him all along. But time is the most ruthless thing on this sea, and new generations replace the old. If Roy hadn't appeared today, they probably would have forgotten about Roy existence.
"After staying at home for too long, you need to come out for some fresh air every now and then. Otherwise, you might become a forgotten relic in a corner someday," Roy sighed.
Seeing Roy speak the words of an eighty-year-old despite having the face of a twenty-year-old, the Red Hair's mouth twitched wildly. Roy's strength was so deceptive that it was easy to overlook the signs of age on him.
The other three of the Four Emperors are all old men in their sixties or seventies, while he is only in his thirties, which is undoubtedly too young. He stands out among the Four Emperors, but compared to Roy, he is heartbreaking.
Just as the situation was at a stalemate, Gild Tesoro appeared in the hall, breaking the delicate atmosphere.
"I, Gild Tesoro, on behalf of all the staff of the Golden City, would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all of you for gracing us with your presence at this Century Auction. To this end, I have prepared countless rare and precious treasures to ensure that none of you will leave empty-handed. Now, please return to your seats and await the start of the auction."
Red Hair didn't say much, just gave Roy a deep look, then turned and led Yasopp and the others to their VIP private room.
"The remnants of the Roger Pirates? Ha!" Roy muttered to himself as he looked at Red Hair' back before walking towards Katakuri's direction.
"Lord Roy, when will you come to Whole Cake Island again?"
"Nightmare, thank you for your guidance last time. I think I have found the path to becoming Great Sword Master!"
"Lord Roy, you..."
Before Roy could even get close, he was surrounded by a group of younger siblings behind Katakuri, who frantically tried to win his favor.
In fact, Roy has not been completely out of the loop these past two years. He appeared on Whole Cake Island two or three times, helping Big Mom, who was suffering from Food Craving Disease, to resolve several "unknown" dangers from the shadows. He also provided them with timely assistance from time to time. In addition, Roy's status as "one of their own" earned him the trust and respect of the Charlotte Family.
Roy's mastery of the Dream-Dream Fruit also imbued him with an aura of reliability and trustworthiness. Anyone who wasn't genuinely hostile or rebellious towards Roy would be influenced by this aura, gradually siding with Roy and making Roy image in their hearts more and more impressive. They themselves were unaware of this and simply believed that they were influenced by Roy's "personal charm."
As for Big Mom, she was even easier to deal with. It was like coaxing a child. As long as he flattered her and praised her, helped her find the nun's "whereabouts," and occasionally sent her delicious desserts from all over the world and from his past life memories, Roy's status in Big Mom's heart quickly rose, even surpassing Katakuri and Streusen, becoming the most important person after the nun.
That's why Big Mom didn't object to Roy becoming the de facto leader of the Big Mom Pirate Crew, and even welcomed it, believing that Roy had fully integrated into the Big Mom Pirate Crew. If Roy hadn't firmly refused (saying he wasn't worthy of it), she would have even planned to give Roy her unmarried daughter all at once.
Katakuri watched this scene with a heavy heart. Roy had only been to Whole Cake Island two or three times, yet he had quickly replaced Katakuri's towering image in the hearts of his younger siblings. Even Charlotte Flampe, the president of the Katakuri Fan Support Association and the captain of the special operations team, who aspired to become the "King of Sisters" whom Katakuri admired, had simply changed the name of her fan club to President of the Roy Fan Support Association and Captain of the Special Operations Team, determined to become the "King of Sisters-in-law- in-Law" Roy admired, and relegated Katakuri to the role of a backup option, which almost made Katakuri vomit blood and die.
Katakuri even suspected that if he went against Roy, he might end up being abandoned by everyone.
As someone who is both a brother-obsessed and sister-obsessed person, Roy's methods of stealing someone else's partner are practically driving him crazy, making it almost a fight to the death between Roy.
Fortunately, reason prevailed over him, and he knew that it was much better for Roy to control the real power of the Big Mom Pirate Crew than for Big Mom to control it herself. At least his younger siblings wouldn't always have to worry about dying at their mother's hands.
Moreover, those attacks that "coincidentally" occurred when his mother was ill made him realize that their Big Mom Pirate Crew were indeed being watched by the World Government, and if they didn't firmly control the link with Roy, they would truly be in danger of annihilation.
So, although Katakuri's expression was strange, he suppressed the excitement in his heart and stepped forward to greet him, saying, "Captain Roy, would you like to come to our private room?"
Looking at the expectant eyes around him and Katakuri's ever-changing expression, Roy smiled nonchalantly, "Forget it, I am the captain of the Phantom Sword Pirates after all. What would it look like if I entered your private room at this time? I'm just here to remind you to prepare your defenses against them later."
"Wait, what do you mean? Is this the future you foresaw?" Katakuri asked, his expression changing drastically.
"Emmm... you could understand it that way too."
Roy turned and left, while Katakuri returned to his private VIP box, looking preoccupied.
The crowd in the hall felt a chill run down their spines at what they had just witnessed. Although they knew that Nightmare and the Big Mom Pirate Crew had a good relationship, this scene seemed to defy description. The Charlotte Family members were practically worshipping Nightmare like a god. Was this... a sign that the Big Mom Pirate Crew were about to merge into the Phantom Sword Pirates?
The true alliance of two Four Emperors forces... No one dared to think any further. The only thought in their minds was, "Is Nightmare truly going to become the king of this sea?"