Jinbe Joins the Crew, the Nun's Photograph

"Big News! Big News!!"

While the other Underworld bosses were completely bewildered, Morgans's Den Den Mushi was flashing repeatedly, and he was getting excited.

"Will the Straw Hat crew, rising to power, be able to escape unscathed, or will they be killed on the spot by Big Mom? Interesting, very interesting!"

Incidentally, Morgans isn't a bird, but rather a person who has maintained a half-beast state for many years—a user of the 'Zoan Bird-Bird Fruit, Albatross Form'. Don't let his large belly fool you; his strength is considerable! Because conducting 'interviews' on this vast ocean is extremely risky, like right now:

"My cake, the cake I was so looking forward to—"

As Big Mom stood up, she grew increasingly furious, and even the entire sky and sea seemed to be angry along with her!

Just moments ago, the clear sky was suddenly filled with dark clouds that surged like demonic claws, with lightning flashing within them. For a moment, a rumbling sound resounded across half the sky; while on the other half, it was as if the sun had fallen, with crimson flames flowing and tilting, baking the sky until it resembled a mirage.

"Zeus the Zeus, Prometheus, tsk tsk tsk, one person is equivalent to the power of several Logia..."

The inexplicable pressure cascading down from the cake tower caused all the celebrating civilians to prostrate themselves on the ground, trembling with fear!

"I won't let you get away with this, Straw Hat crew! But before that—"

As she spoke, Big Mom's eyes rolled downwards, landing on the chefs beside her.

"Make me a new cake!"

"This... this can't be... Mom, the materials and the time..."

"Lifespan or wedding cake?"

"It's appeared! This is Big Mom's 'Soul Chant,' capable of draining a person's lifespan. This is headline news!"

While everyone else was gripped by fear, only Morgans remained excitedly taking photos and contemplating his 'Big News,' which was quite commendable. But there was even bigger news to come:

"Three-Sword Style: Ultimate Tiger Hunt!"

Three jet-black blades drew out a blade of light that seemed to cleave and devour everything, blotting out the sky and the sun. They carried a roar that sounded like a tiger's arrogant and domineering roar magnified a thousand times. In the blink of an eye, they enveloped their opponents, causing the Charlotte Family members standing around to change their expressions drastically!

Although the slash wasn't aimed at them, just the fact that it remained within the attack range gave the illusion that they had been 'torn apart'.

"You all step back!"

At the critical moment, a cold, fierce shout rang out, and a tall figure stood up, his three-meter-long greatsword suddenly held horizontally, blocking Zoro's attack with a jet-black Armament Haki.

The two men's weapons and Haki collided instantly, and the blade light and shockwaves shot out in all directions with devastating force, startling the other Charlotte Family members into retreating again and again. If these sharp blade lights were to fall on them, they would be seriously injured or even killed!

"What a wild blade, it's like a monster."

In response to Charlotte Smoothie's words, Zoro, who was biting his Wado Ichimonji and wearing a green bandana, grinned.

"Thank you for the compliment!"

On the other side:

"Rubber-Incendiary Pistol!"

This move is a fusion of the Gum-Gum Elephant Gun and the Gomu Gomu no Pistol. Luffy's massive fist is simultaneously wreathed in Armament Haki and raging flames! At the same time, his newly learned Armament Haki and internal destruction techniques are poised to unleash their power! Because his opponent is:

"Hmph, are you trying to force me to take this punch head-on with a wide-range attack?"

Charlotte Katakuri's expression remained unchanged as she unhesitatingly threw a punch to meet the attack:

"Roasted Mochi!"

This move is similar to Luffy's 'Gum-Gum Fire Pistol', both of which involve covering the arm with Armament Haki and then generating fire through friction while swinging at high speed!

Moreover, Charlotte Katakuri's move involved launching his own 'arm' directly! The fist, imbued with raging flames and Armament Haki, intercepted Luffy's fist after being launched later, and in the blink of an eye, it transformed into a terrifying torrent of flames, crashing down on Luffy with overwhelming force, engulfing his figure in the flames.

"Open!"

As Luffy suddenly jolted amidst the flames, his unleashed Haki forcefully pushed the flames away! The aftershocks of their clash transformed into countless streams of fiery inferno, raging wildly across a radius of hundreds of meters within the Whole Cake Tower. Wherever they went, trees and buildings were pierced and ignited, instantly turning into blazing torches! Like a meteor shower—

"That's really impressive."

'Gum-Gum Fire Pistol' is already Luffy's strongest move under Gear Third, but it was not only easily broken by the opponent, but the attack was even pushed back... This was only because Charlotte Katakuri was surrounded by a group of his younger siblings, which prevented him from dodging!

It seems I'll have to use Fourth Gear. —If his Observation Haki Haki is really as powerful as Roman said, then...

"Mama mama mama~~"

"Being able to exchange a few blows with my two precious children, it seems you do have some skill."

As the saying goes, you can tell a master's skill with just one move!

As Zoro faced off against Smoothie, Luffy against Katakuri. The mere aftershocks of their exchange forced the others to retreat, clearly indicating a significant difference in strength. This caused a flicker of rage in Big Mom's eyes, and she even suppressed the 'sadness' of losing the wedding cake.

"Now that we've formed a marriage alliance, why don't you join my ranks? I can forgive your offense—"

"No way! I'm going to be the King of the Pirates!"

Luffy flatly rejected Big Mom's offer to recruit him.

"You can't become the King of the Pirates if you rely on marriage alliances!"

?!

This is practically a blatant slap in Big Mom's face! An enraged Big Mom simply waved her hand:

"Heavenly Fire!"

A massive, blazing flame, as hot as a pillar of light, engulfed Luffy from above. The flames, under the terrifying heat, had turned a pale color; they were truly terrifying flames capable of melting gold and boiling iron.

"Fish-Man Jujutsu - Water Heart - Ocean Current Shoulder Throw!"

At this critical moment, a steady voice rang out from the nearby harbor. Simultaneously, a surging torrent in the sea shot skyward like a rising dragon, climbing higher and higher until it reached the height of the cake slab. Then, this powerful wave, accompanied by a deafening roar, crashed down upon the flames unleashed by Big Mom!

Boom!!

Water and fire are incompatible, and the two opposing forces collided fiercely in an instant! At the same time, the fist imbued with Armament Haki in the ocean current fearlessly met 'Prometheus' and forcefully pushed back this ball of 'sun fire'.

Who is it?

"This move is—"

"No way, could it be...?"

While there are beings capable of interrupting Big Mom's attacks, only a handful can utilize seawater, a natural enemy of most Devil Fruit users:

"Jinbe?"

"Didn't you give up on 'settling things'? Now you're helping Straw Hat Kid. Can I take that as you preparing to 'rebel'?"

Facing Zeus with lightning on his left and Prometheus with raging flames on his right, Jinbe, riding the ocean Jinbe up the Whole Cake Tower, fearlessly confronts this 'Emperor' of the sea.

"It's not about preparing, it's about me leaving you all right now and joining the Straw Hat crew!"

"Why?!"

Luffy was overjoyed; it would be wonderful if Jinbe could join them.

"Shocking! Another Big News!"

Before anyone could process what was happening, the Camera Den Den Mushi in Morgans' hand started flashing again.

"Former Shichibukai 'Knight of the Sea' Jinbe joins the Straw Hat crew! Coming today was definitely the right decision; this is enough for me to write a dozen headlines!"

That's truly an incredible display of professionalism.

Although Roman appeared motionless while standing on the deck, he had actually used his ability to open a passage on the 'Pure White Merry' to the lower level, allowing Brook, Pedro, and Carrot to take advantage of the chaos to pass through the crushed cake below the deck and enter the heavily guarded Cake Tower.

Their mission was to break into the treasure room as quickly as possible and then make a copy of the 'Poneglyph'. Although it wasn't as terrifying as the frontal battle at the top of the tower, it was still a difficult task.

"... That's right, as long as you don't lay a hand on anyone other than me, you can take my life as you please!"

Facing the unwavering Jinbe, the towering figure of Big Mom, her ferocity fully revealed, loomed over him like a shadow, simultaneously unleashing her deadly power:

"Leave or live?"

"Life!"

·······

"Leave or live?"

However, even after reciting the so-called 'Soul Chant' twice, Jinbe still stood unharmed in front of Big Mom, his lifespan not taken away at all! Not even a trace.

"How is this possible?"

"He's not afraid of 'Mom' at all?"

"A single shred of fear in the face of one's mother will cost one's life..."

Although they had prepared for what happened today, the current developments are increasingly exceeding the expectations of the Sherlock family children: the Straw Hat crew was able to withstand two Sweet Commander, Jinbe even switched sides at the last minute, and they were not afraid of 'Mother's' Soul Chant.

This world is so surreal that even these experts and powerful figures were momentarily stunned.

"I will become a member of the future 'King of the Pirates' crew,"

"How could I be afraid of Four Emperors?!"

!?

A single, Haki statement left everyone—including Big Mom—speechless. At the same time, Jinbe pulled a wine cup from his pocket and placed it on the ground: it was the sworn brotherhood wine he drank when he joined the BIG MOM Pirates.

"Thank you for your continued care and support. I am now officially leaving the BIG MOM Pirates!"

He sees things through to the end, embodying the spirit of a chivalrous knight.

"Jinbe handsome~~"

"Boss Jinbe,"

Wow, that's so manly!

"Yay!!"

Very good, Brook and his team have successfully infiltrated the cake tower below, so it's time to make their move, after all:

Click,

With a stomp, BIG MOM smashed the wine glass on the ground into pieces, then raised both fists, one hand flashing with lightning, the other blazing with flames!

"Mmmmmmm~~ Congratulations, Jinbe!"

"So we're enemies now—"

As Big Mom, wielding the fists of Zeus and Prometheus, relentlessly slammed into Jinbe, determined to obliterate this traitor who had publicly humiliated her, flames and lightning erupted simultaneously, transforming the area around her into a desolate zone of lightning and intense heat!

Even the sky above her head was in turmoil, with howling winds, Kikoku ghosts, and churning clouds. The clouds swirled like whirlpools, stretching towards the ground like a giant funnel, seemingly connecting heaven and earth. The howling winds, continuous and increasingly deafening, echoed from the tornadoes.

Scorching sun, thunder, and gale-force winds!

With all three forces descending simultaneously, destroying cities and annihilating nations would be a piece of cake! However:

"Rubber- King Kong Gun!!"

"Momo - 50x Freeze Punch!!"

In an instant, two fists, each coated with Armament Haki and imbued with Conqueror's Haki, met Big Mom's fists from the left and right! Luffy was completely immune to Zeus's lightning, while Roman, enveloped in Advanced Armament Haki and 'gauntlets' as cold as millennia-old ice, could temporarily ignore Prometheus, therefore:

Boom!!!

The massive explosion instantly engulfed everything, then the clouds in the sky were torn apart, and the entire Whole Cake Chateau was rumbling and trembling. A deep rift suddenly appeared between Big Mom, Luffy, and Roman, almost splitting the cake beneath their feet in two!

At the same time, countless black Inazuma and blazing thunderbolts scattered in all directions with the shockwave of the explosion, turning everything in their path, both inanimate and living, into dust and blood mist, and then incinerating them to ashes...

"Now Jinbe has joined us,"

In the ensuing clash, Luffy, Roman, and Jinbe all retreated. Although Big Mom remained motionless, her fists, enveloped in flames and lightning, trembled slightly.

Is it the 'internal destruction' of the highest level of Armament Haki?!

Those two little devils...

"I won't let you hurt my friends! Big Mom!!"

Luffy's loud announcement only fueled Big Mom's rage! She raised her fist again. While these two brats might have some skill, this was the heart of the BIG MOM Pirates. She could handle them; the others were more than enough.

"Looks like we'll still have to use that one."

Facing the imminent attack of Big Mom, Roman, wearing a mask, simply clapped his hands casually.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please witness my next 'magic trick'..."

"Mom, don't listen to him—!"

Charlotte Katakuri's expression changed drastically. He hadn't initially thought the Straw Hat crew could harm his mother, but in the 'future' he saw—

Damn it, how did they manage to do that?

Although Charlotte Katakuri forcefully suppressed the urge to turn and look at the table next to Big Mom, Big Mom had already followed Roman's gaze and landed on it:

On Big Mom's table, there was a framed picture of an old nun with a cigarette in her mouth and a kind smile.

"Explode!"

Click,

The photo that BIG MOM cherished as her life suddenly exploded out of nowhere! In an instant, BIG MOM stood frozen in place, like a robot that had been unplugged.

Now—!!