"What happened? What happened to Mom?"
"Could it be an enemy attack?"
"How could this be...? What enemy could possibly harm Mom..."
"But what just happened was definitely..."
BigMom's children gathered in the hall outside BigMom's residence in Cake Castle, and a commotion ensued.
Katakuri arrived just then—he was actually a step slower because he was farther away earlier.
"What are you all doing? Where's Mom? What are you all doing crammed here?" Katakuri complained.
"Brother Katakuri, it's...it's that Vladimir. He won't let us in, saying it was Mom's order," Babaluya, dressed as a boxer, complained.
Katakuri throbbed even more—it was that damned Vampire again!
And... why are you listening to him?
"Idiot! Mom might be in danger, why care what he says at a time like this..." Katakuri scolded angrily.
Thinking of this, Katakuri glared at Oven and Daifuku, his two younger brothers—"Aren't you two really going to go in and check?"
Oven then came over and whispered to Katakuri, "Mom did give that order a few days ago, and... Vladimir was drinking with the two of us earlier, so the three of us came together."
Firstly, it emphasizes that the order truly existed; secondly... Oven also knew that his older brother suspected Vladimir, so this was essentially providing him with testimony.
"That's for wedding preparations! What does it have to do with what's happening now?" Katakuri wasn't as easily fooled as his other younger siblings.
As Katakuri spoke, he walked over through a narrow path cleared by his younger siblings, intending to go directly to investigate. However, at that moment, the door from the main hall to the back courtyard opened automatically, and a certain Vampire walked out leisurely.
"Everyone, don't worry. Mom accidentally broke the picture frame, which is why she lost her temper just now. She's calmed down now and wants to be alone," Sig said naturally.
Most of the children understood what "that picture frame" referred to, and they breathed a slight sigh of relief upon hearing Vladimir's words.
"Get out of the way! I want to see my Mom!" Katakuri clearly didn't believe him.
"No, Mom needs to rest now." Sig showed no intention of giving way, and remained unyielding towards Katakuri.
"You want to stop me?" Katakuri's eyes seemed to flicker slightly.
This is the power of the mind manifesting itself— the Conqueror's Haki, poised to be unleashed!
"Of course not... I was just following my Mom's orders." Sig met Katakuri's gaze without flinching, his own Conqueror's Haki surging forth.
The other siblings around them, while still intimidated by the invisible aura, gradually realized—was this Vampire suspicious?
Compared to "Vladimir," they naturally trusted Katakuri more. Moreover, while the others had been intimidated by the so-called "orders," Katakuri's unbridled questioning, coupled with the fact that this Vampire was actually blocking Katakuri, naturally aroused their suspicions!
Furthermore, because Sig didn't want Katakuri to catch him, he didn't dare to offer any reassurance in front of him, and everyone's emotions were easily swayed by Katakuri.
But...
Many of the children, especially the daughters, were more inclined to Sig at this point. For example, Amande even took the initiative to say, "Katakuri, since it's Mom's order, let's wait until dawn!"
But Katakuri ignored her. Suddenly, his right Katakuri stirred, and the trident-shaped Earth Dragon, usually concealed within his arm, revealed its sharp edge...
But just then, a hoarse voice rang out. "Katakuri! My foolish son, what do you want to do? Disobey my orders?"
At this moment, Katakuri and the others were gathered in a small hall in front of Big Mom's residence. The door behind the hall led to a Little Garden- like backyard, and beyond the backyard was one of the main towers of Big Mom's residence.
The windows of the bedroom had all been shattered by the tremor, and the room was pitch black because of Homies's fainting spell.
But now a faint light suddenly appears, Homies begin to wake up. Through the window, one can vaguely see Big Mom's reclining figure.
The children who had initially wanted to question Vladimir suddenly backed down—they weren't Katakuri; if they disobeyed their Mom, they could very well lose decades of their lives!
"Mom? Are you... alright?" Katakuri still felt something was off, and he doubted whether this was really his Mom. He even mustered up the Observation Haki.
However, before he could fully perceive anything, from Katakuri's perspective, Big Mom slightly raised her head, her scarlet eyes flashing with a terrifying aura!
As a top-tier user of Observation Haki, Katakuri instantly sensed Big Mom's unique soul aura.
Although her breathing seemed very weak, it was indeed Big Mom. Considering what Vladimir had said before, it was normal for Mom to be a little weak now.
Upon being met with that crimson gaze, Katakuri quickly lowered his head. "It's good that Mom is alright!"
Just then, a series of synchronized footsteps rang out...
The toy soldiers Homies in the castle have also begun to awaken and are hurrying over.
"Hmph! Don't you and Cracker have other missions? Go and get them done! During my rest period, Vladimir will be in charge of everything on Whole Cake Island. Any orders I give will be relayed by Fla, and no one is allowed to question them... Fla, you will also be in command of the Homies on the island." Big Mom's voice came out.
"Yes, Mom." Sig immediately bowed towards the direction of the bedroom, placing his hand on his chest.
When he turned around again, a group of toy soldier Homies were already standing behind Sig, as if they were watching over him.
Sig looked at Katakuri, smiled slightly, and said to everyone, "Mom needs to rest. Now... let's go out first."
Katakuri instinctively wanted to refute it. No matter what... he didn't believe in this Vampire, but it really was his Mom just now, and even the Homies were indeed waking up one after another.
All of this indicated that Mom was indeed getting better, and he seemed to have no reason to disobey orders.
Katakuri stared coldly at the Vampire for a while, but the other party remained smiling, leaving Katakuri powerless.
His premonition was indeed correct; in the bedroom now were a terrified Enel and a still unconscious Big Mom...
The reason why even the aura of the soul could be simulated is all thanks to the "Vivre Card" that Big Mom gave to Sig!
Otherwise, given Big Mom's current state, it wouldn't be easy for Sig to borrow her soul essence through other means.
Fortunately, there was a Vivre Card available. Sig transferred some of its soul energy to Enel and awakened some Homies, which scared Katakuri away at the crucial moment. Otherwise, he would have almost discovered the unconscious Big Mom!
BigMom hasn't been completely "Sig the Dream Infiltration" by Sieg yet; she's stuck—"Gungnir Sig" can't get in, and BigMom can't wake up for the time being.
Fortunately, the combination of the "Copy-Copy Fruit" and the Vivre Card prevented even Katakuri from immediately noticing anything amiss, and Sig was confident he could stabilize the situation...
Well, given BigMom's situation, as long as Sig can stabilize the situation and prevent others from causing trouble, she should be able to enter a state of Food Craving Disorder after a period of fasting!
Now that BigMom is not in a state of physical rage, if her Food Craving Disorder were to flare up, it would only create a greater vulnerability in her soul, allowing Sig to exploit it and completely enter her Dream Infiltration.
BigMom just indulged in a feast at her wedding, so it'll probably be a while before she experiences Food Craving Disorder...