Big Mom's Schemes

Meanwhile, the Big Mom Pirates' long-planned operation proceeded very smoothly.

Bakin naturally refused the invitation from the Big Mom Pirates, a decision made after careful consideration.

After all, in her eyes, Big Mom was an absolute monster. During the Rocks Pirates era, Sherlock Linlin was a high-ranking officer on par with Whitebeard and Golden Lion.

She is definitely a dangerous person. In many people's eyes, Big Mom is definitely a Tyrant and a brutal pirate, and that is indeed the case.

The disregard for life and the ease with which others' lives are taken is truly terrifying.

Bakin didn't want to fall into the hands of the Big Mom Pirates; he simply wasn't sure about the future.

She didn't refuse outright, but instead took Weevil around everywhere.

Fearing that an alliance between the Big Mom Pirates and the Night Pirates would jeopardize the safety of the Night Sea Domain, they left the Night Sea Domain.

This actually made it easier for the Big Mom Pirates to move around.

They couldn't escape the eyes of the Big Mom Pirates at all.

Big Mom's patience had reached its limit, and she couldn't wait to send out her children.

On the vast ocean, Bakin and Weevil were surrounded.

They were immediately rendered unable to resist.

Although Weevil was powerful, Bakin was easily subdued. Under the threat of the Big Mom Pirates, Bakin had no choice but to let Weevil surrender.

The two were thus taken back to Totto Land Whole Cake Island by the Big Mom Pirates.

Bakin, dressed in a luxurious leopard-print coat and adorned with jewelry, was enjoying delicious desserts in a house.

Her life in Whole Cake Island was quite good; the Big Mom Pirates didn't pressure her too much.

After all, she still controls Weevil. If something happens to her or she dies, Weevil might go berserk. A berserk Weevil would be extremely difficult to control and would cause great trouble for the entire Whole Cake Island.

Weevil possesses the power of Whitebeard in his youth, and combined with his formidable abilities, he causes immense destruction.

Therefore, the Big Mom Pirates still need Weevil's presence, and even more so, they need Bakin to get Weevil's cooperation.

If Weevil doesn't cooperate, then some things will be difficult to do.

"Mommy! Mommy! Where are you? I'm so scared!"

On the other side, on the top floor of Cake Castle, on a huge bed, Weevil's body was bound hand and foot, with not only Seastone chains but also Homie controlling his body.

In particular, Big Mom's fourth Homie, Earth Homie Carlos, pressed down on Weevil, rendering Weevil unable to move.

Weevil's eyes were blindfolded, plunging him into complete darkness. He couldn't see anything, had no idea what was going to happen next, and his mother wasn't there with him.

Tears and snot streamed down my face.

This wasn't the first time, but each time it terrified Weevil.

A peculiar aura filled the air, causing his body to react involuntarily.

"MOM! MOM!" Big Mom, dressed in her pajamas, looked at Weevil's figure on the bed with a happy smile on her face. Three days was almost enough time; she could definitely get pregnant, and with her body, it was very likely that she would have more than one child.

The more bloodline one has with Whitebeard, the better; the union of two monsters will naturally produce another monster.

Weevil's shouting annoyed Big Mom, disrupting the pleasant moment.

"Shut his mouth."

As soon as he finished speaking, one dessert Homie after another jumped over, onto the bed, and then directly onto Weevil's mouth.

Weevil sensed it beforehand and naturally opened his mouth, ceasing his struggle.

He chewed and enjoyed the desserts one after another, leaving him no energy to cry.

Weevil still has the mentality of a child and is easily manipulated by Big Mom.

Big Mom also considered getting rid of Bakin. Back in the Rocks Pirates, Bakin was just an ordinary nobody, and she didn't take him seriously at all.

With Weevil's current intelligence, she has a high chance of seizing the opportunity; acquiring such a powerful henchman would be a good thing.

Now they are being targeted by the behemoth that is the Navy, their mortal enemy. If Weevil were in the Big Mom Pirates, they would likely clash with the Navy.

However, Big Mom didn't care. They were already enemies, and now that she had the Night Pirates backing her, she wasn't afraid of the Navy at all.

In contrast, strengthening one's own strength is the most important thing; gaining a top-tier combatant is something that can only be encountered by chance.

Currently, besides herself, Big Mom only has Katakuri as her top-tier fighter, and there are several others close to her.

She had already taken this matter to heart and would find an opportunity to get rid of Bakin later. In the past few days, she had also been trying to get closer to Weevil and win him over with delicious food.

Bakin could never have imagined that he was already on Big Mom's death list, and that everything he was doing now was just an illusion for her; her usefulness had not yet been fully exploited.

A few hours later, Big Mom lay contentedly on her bed in another room.

Weevil had already been released by her men, blindfolded, and had no idea what had happened to him; his mind was now completely incomprehensible.

After being freed, they quickly left to find their mother.

Now that Big Mom has achieved her goal, she can't let Bakin leave yet; she needs to plan how to bring Weevil to her side.

Although Weevil has the mind of a child, he also possesses a certain level of wisdom; while he may not be able to explain things clearly, he does have a certain ability to discern.

Bakin must die, but Weevil must not find out. We need a clear enemy so that we can legitimately bring Weevil to our side.

Weevil was very dependent on his mother, after all, he had grown up with Bakin for many years.

If Bakin were to die, Weevil would likely go berserk, and after venting his anger, Big Mom could become Bakin's replacement.

The obvious enemy is the Navy, and the Navy is the most suitable person to take the blame.

The Night Pirates were also aware of what had happened to the Big Mom Pirates.

Big Mom's actions were both unexpected and yet perfectly logical. She has always done this: she basically steals her husbands, uses them, and then discards them without a second thought.

But this time the target is somewhat of an exception: Weevil, a monster with Whitebeard's bloodline.

I wonder what Whitebeard would do if he found out about this? He'd probably ignore it, since Whitebeard has never acknowledged Edward Weevil's identity.

How could the aging Whitebeard possibly be willing to lead his children into battle against the Big Mom Pirates?

Besides, Whitebeard wouldn't know.

They could roughly guess what would happen next. Big Mom was inherently very greedy and wouldn't care about the opinions of someone as insignificant as Bakin. At least in their eyes, Bakin was indeed a nobody.

After all, most people wouldn't give up on someone as strong as Weevil, and as a pirate, he doesn't need to worry about the Navy's opinions.

Things at the Marine Headquarters went much more smoothly than expected, and discussions about cooperation began the very next day.

Neither side intended to provoke trouble.

With the establishment of the Four Seas Alliance, the stability of the four seas has greatly increased, resulting in a much higher food production than before, and prices are lower than on the Grand Line.

The navy's food production is not enough to be self-sufficient, as its daily food consumption is enormous, and the food production cycle takes several months.

This requires the support of the Affiliated Nation.

With the support of the West Blue Alliance, things would be even easier.

There were other collaborations, on various positions, and many more discussions with officials sent by the World Government.

A public agreement doesn't mean they won't betray you or kick you when you're down; everything is driven by self-interest.

The West Blue Alliance also had a friendly sparring match with the Marine Elite Training Camp. Serizawa did not intervene, and both sides had their wins and losses.

Serizawa's side has gathered the young elites of the West Blue, and in terms of youth strength, it is not much weaker than the Marine Headquarters. The Navy's side has not only sent members of the elite training camp, but also some graduates from previous years.

After all, relying solely on the members of the elite training camp is simply too inadequate; in terms of facilities, West Sea Guard is not much worse off.

This can only be described as a friendly exchange. Even so, the high-ranking officers of the Marine Headquarters felt somewhat embarrassed, as the West Sea Guard had only been established for a few years compared to the long-established Navy.

Among them are many promising talents with strong abilities.

However, one must acknowledge the strength of the West Sea Guard, especially among its younger generation.

Serizawa alone is far superior to any of the Marine Elite Training Camp that have been around for years, and even Novoya is somewhat inferior.

Sometimes, the difference in talent is completely visible to the naked eye.

The biggest event during this period was the sparring between Seizer and Kuzan, two monsters.

Seizer wanted to assess the level of the Navy's top combat power, while the Marine Headquarters also wanted to test Seizer's strength.

In the enormous arena, Seizer and Kuzan faced off, surrounded by spectators, though not many—mostly high-ranking naval officers and members of the West Blue Alliance.

Kuzan calmly gazed at the figure ahead. Seizer's aura was extremely powerful, visibly so, of course, because Seizer made no attempt to conceal it.

"Hahaha! Since you won't make a move, then I will, Admiral Aokiji!"

Seizer laughed loudly and made the first move.

There was no overt movement yet, but Kuzan cautiously looked around, seemingly sensing something significant.

Some people also felt the ground tremble slightly, as if an earthquake had occurred.

A chill spread, and the ground beneath our feet was instantly frozen solid.

However, in the next moment, cracks appeared in the hard ice, and giant trees rose from the ground, breaking through the ice. The trees were covered with strange flowers, accompanied by thick vines covered with sharp thorns.

The vines, like long snakes, cast shadows that seemed to envelop Kuzan entirely.

The thorns on the vines contain deadly poison, and the flowers on the trees exude an unknown fragrance.

The next moment, vines surged toward Kuzan simultaneously.

Outside, a giant flower sprouted from beneath Seizer's feet, carrying his body upwards to a height of a hundred meters, where he looked down with a smile on his face.

The others were utterly shocked. In the blink of an eye, the entire arena was covered by plants, giant trees, and vines that surged from the ground, a dense and terrifying sight.

Right now, they have no idea what's going on with Kuzan inside the arena.

But this effortless ability to break ice shows that the power of plants is even more terrifying than imagined.

"Clang!"

With a whoosh, a terrifying chill surged outwards, freezing all the plants in the entire arena, rendering them immobile and turning them into ice wither.

Immediately afterwards, a piece of ice appeared, transforming into the figure of Kuzan.

"That won't do. The plant's powerful vitality cannot be frozen by your ice, especially since it's under my control," Seizer reminded Kuzan with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Kuzan's expression changed.

Immediately afterwards, the massive ice formation shattered, but the giant trees and vines remained unaffected, breaking free from the ice with tremendous force.

To break free from the ice, the giant trees grew even larger, moving about like tree spirits.

Vines, like spears, pierced towards Kuzan, blocking all of Kuzan movements.

All the plants are Seizer's eyes; Seizer can manipulate the plants at will to launch attacks.

The plants, possessing life, charged towards Kuzan on Seizer's orders.

The razor-sharp spikes, coated with deadly poison, combined with the poisonous mist in the air and its uncanny speed and power, launched a deadly attack on Kuzan.

Kuzan froze the battlefield once again; it was the only way he could. The plants needed time to break free of the ice, so he seized the opportunity to attack Seizer directly.

"Double-spined spear!"

Two sharp spears, radiating a chilling aura, hurtled towards them from afar.

Seizer remained motionless, and two vines lashed out from the side, striking the spear fiercely.

The moment they made contact, a chill spread, freezing both vines in place. At the same time, the two spears veered off course, passing over Seizer's side.

Kuzan followed closely behind, covering the hundred-meter distance in an instant.

However, Seizer's figure disappeared from the spot, or rather, sank into the flowers at his feet.

This caused Kuzan's attack to miss, and as he searched left and right for Seizer's whereabouts, he found Seizer's presence everywhere.

Seizer hid among the plants, making him impossible for Kuzan to find.

At this moment, the resilient plants broke through the ice again, leaving Kuzan somewhat helpless and a shadow falling over his heart.

The battle lasted for some time, with neither side able to gain the upper hand, and ultimately ended in a draw.

Many people know that Kuzan lost. Kuzan couldn't do anything to Seizer and couldn't completely freeze the plants. Seizer also had a strange ability to hide, making him impossible to find.

Seizer, on the other hand, used his abilities from beginning to end.

In terms of physical strength, Seizer, who is in a vegetative state, far surpasses Kuzan.

If it comes down to a prolonged battle, Kuzan will definitely be defeated due to exhaustion.

Of course, Kuzan didn't use his full strength in this battle, nor did Seizer.

He fully displayed his terrifying strength.

The only one capable of dealing with Seizer is Sakazuki, due to a power imbalance. Kuzan's ice cannot kill Seizer's plants, causing the battle to drag on and on.

If it were Sakazuki, Seizer's abilities would be countered by Sakazuki, as the destructive power of magma is many times more terrifying to plants than ice.

The West Blue Alliance team stayed at Marine Headquarters for about a week before leaving to embark on their journey to the New World.