The World in an Uproar (Part Two)

"M-Mom?"

Katakuri waited for ages without a response and finally spoke up, puzzled.

"...Listen, Katakuri."

Big Mom finally came to her senses and broke into a grin. "What a waste for someone so exceptional to be a Marine! Why don't we find a way to bring him here and make him part of the Charlotte Family?"

"Not a bad idea, Mom."

Katakuri thought for a moment, then nodded. "Are you planning to bind him with a marriage arrangement, like you did when finding husbands for my older and younger sisters? He's a swordsman. Maybe Amande would be interested in him..."

As he spoke, Katakuri suddenly sensed something was off. Big Mom was still staring intently at the photograph. His heart skipped a beat, and he blurted out in shock:

"W-Wait. You don't mean..."

North Blue, at an underground trading house.

Bloodstains were everywhere, and bodies lay strewn about. In the middle of the empty seating area, Doflamingo lounged on a sofa with his legs crossed, bored out of his mind.

"Doflamingo, we've cleaned everything up. We can leave."

A tall, lean man in sunglasses approached him and spoke in a low voice. "Also, Diamante just gave me a newspaper. There's something interesting on the front page. You should take a look."

"Hm?"

Doflamingo took it casually, but his eyes narrowed the instant he glanced at it. "William, one of the Shichibukai, was killed by the Marines? And the man who killed him... Romanov Noah..."

"He's actually a year younger than me?" He took off his sunglasses, revealing eyes bright with interest. "Fufufufufu! Looks like the Marines have produced another remarkable fellow!"

"Just a few months ago, the Marines claimed the Shichibukai would be their most reliable allies. Now they've killed one, and a descendant of the Celestial Dragons at