Threats? Extortion!

The sun fell slowly yet swiftly. The distorted air created an illusion to the naked eye, making it seem slow, but the moment one lost focus, it would slam down on them.

Big Mom's children and subordinates hurriedly fled at top speed. An attack of this level was beyond their ability to withstand.

"Zeus!"

Big Mom shouted with bloodshot eyes. Zeus immediately transformed into a pitch-black thundercloud that enveloped her right hand, and she threw a punch at Kong's great sun.

Big Discharge!

Thunder exploded. Pale-purple lightning serpents slithered through the thundercloud, while countless bolts of pale-purple lightning burst forth, forming a massive net that descended upon Kong's sun.

Lightning and fire were already two of the most violent energies in the world. Their fierce collision was like thunder igniting earthly fire, dazzling white light blooming from the point of contact. Massive shockwaves spread outward in rings, effortlessly reducing countless buildings to rubble.

Some ordinary pirates and chess soldiers fell beneath the shockwaves like wheat before a scythe. Even several officers were flung into the air, vomiting blood wildly, while the future Sweet Commanders turned pale and desperately resisted the shockwaves.

No one had expected Nangong Yan to unleash a powerful move without a word right from the start. Shouldn't he have tested the waters first?

When the dust settled, one-fifth of Cake Island had been completely reduced to ruins. It was a total mess. Hundreds of ordinary soldiers had been lost, and some officers had suffered serious injuries. Only the future pillars under Big Mom remained uninjured, though they still felt rather uncomfortable.

Seeing the state of Cake Island, Big Mom was completely enraged. Veins bulged across her body, and her eyes turned blood-red with fury. She grabbed Prometheus and returned blow for blow, unleashing a sea of fire that stretched for hundreds of meters. Orange-red flames surged toward Nangong Yan like crashing waves.

Nangong Yan looked disdainful. Prometheus was merely ordinary fire given a soul. How could it compare to the Solar True Flame of the Golden Crow Fruit?

At present, the total amount of fire the Golden Crow Fruit could control might not match the Barbecue-Barbecue Fruit, the Magma-Magma Fruit, or Prometheus, but its quality was unquestionably superior.

A crisp, noble cry of a Golden Crow rang through the heavens. Nangong Yan transformed into a Golden Crow and plunged into the flames. Not only did Prometheus's fire fail to harm him, it was rapidly purified and absorbed into his body.

"Mother, it won't work! That guy seems to be a fire-type Mythical Zoan. He has extremely powerful resistance to flames and can even control fire to a certain extent," Prometheus said with an ugly expression.

"Napoleon!" Big Mom shouted. The tricorne pirate hat on her head transformed into a great blade, replacing Prometheus as it slashed toward Nangong Yan.

Ikoku!

Boom... A massive shockwave pierced through the void, easily parting layer after layer of flame waves as it slammed toward Nangong Yan. Its momentum was tyrannical, its might overwhelming in every direction!

Nangong Yan's expression tightened. Blocking this move head-on would consume a considerable amount of stamina. He should use something more energy-efficient instead. After all, he was in enemy territory, so it was best to conserve his strength.

He transformed back into human form. Scarlet Mangekyo Sharingan emerged in his eyes as his pupil power surged, his stamina draining away and crazily gathering in his left eye.

Through skilled use of another dimension, the right eye of the Kamui Sharingan could allow that dimension to invade reality, enabling a phasing state. However, given Nangong Yan's current mastery of the Sharingan, he was still far from being able to phase his entire body. At most, he could phase any individual part of it.

Therefore, Nangong Yan had no intention of using his right eye's ability. He would use the power of his left eye instead.

Kamui!

The casting speed of a complete Mangekyo Sharingan was countless times faster than that of a single eye. The space along the path of Ikoku's shockwave rapidly twisted, and a spatial vortex roughly one meter in diameter displayed terrifying suction, transferring all of Ikoku's power into another dimension.

Clang... The crisp sound of Eastern Emperor leaving its sheath rang out. With a casual lift of his hand, three hundred-meter-long silver-white sword auras flew toward Big Mom in a triangular formation.

Big Mom was truly fierce beyond compare. Terrifying Conqueror's Haki erupted from her, sending ripples toward the incoming sword auras. Nangong Yan's sword auras seemed to be flying through a swamp, their speed greatly reduced and their strength weakened layer by layer. By the time they reached Big Mom, a light slash from Napoleon shattered them.

A powerful, intimidating pressure of Haki bore down on Nangong Yan, causing his strength to decline slightly. Yet when his attack was broken, Nangong Yan was not alarmed. Instead, he was delighted.

That's it. Only by experiencing Conqueror's Haki as much as possible can I awaken it sooner—provided I possess it in the first place.

Crack! With one foot, he shattered the ground. Nangong Yan flashed forward like lightning, rapidly charging toward Big Mom. Armament Haki quickly coated Eastern Emperor in his hand, turning it pitch-black, cold, and razor-sharp!

Seeing Nangong Yan charge at her, Big Mom wore a bloodthirsty, gloomy smile. It had been a long time since she had encountered an evenly matched opponent. She feared close combat not in the slightest. In terms of physical strength, Big Mom ranked among the strongest in the world.

Boom... Eastern Emperor and Napoleon collided violently. The air churned, the ground split open, dust filled the air, lightning flashed, sword auras crisscrossed everywhere, and a golden skull flickered in and out of view.

Big Mom possessed immense physical strength, every punch and kick carrying the power to split the earth. She was also exceptionally proficient in all three types of Haki. With the assistance of Napoleon, Prometheus, and Zeus, her combat strength was formidable.

However, Nangong Yan was not much inferior. Although he had yet to awaken Conqueror's Haki, his physique was only slightly weaker than a natural monster like Big Mom. He had trained in Observation Haki and Armament Haki for a shorter time than she had, but they were sufficient to handle the situation. Combined with his Devil Fruit ability, swordsmanship more profound than Big Mom's, and his highly unusual Sharingan, he did not fall behind in close combat.

The battle between the two was exceptionally fierce. Everywhere they passed was left in ruins, as if a typhoon had swept through. Violent roars continued for the entire afternoon, and nearly half of Cake Island was completely reduced to rubble.

As the sun set, both had expended a great deal of stamina. A strange glint flashed through Nangong Yan's eyes as he launched an illusion he had prepared long ago through eye contact with Big Mom.

Ordinary illusions naturally could not do anything to Big Mom, whose Observation Haki and Conqueror's Haki were both exceptionally strong. But Nangong Yan knew Big Mom's weakness, so he deliberately created an illusion containing the nun, causing Big Mom to lose focus for a moment.

By the time Big Mom recovered from that brief lapse, Eastern Emperor's sharp blade had already carved a half-meter-long gash through her tough skin. Blood flowed from the wound.

Originally, Nangong Yan had intended to slash at Big Mom's neck. Unfortunately, Napoleon, Prometheus, and Zeus, the three top-tier Homies, desperately interfered, forcing Nangong Yan to settle for less and alter his move, leaving a wound on Big Mom's shoulder.

Nangong Yan inwardly sighed in regret. He stepped on Geppo and rapidly rose into the air, sheathing Eastern Emperor. His arms transformed into golden wings as he prepared to call a truce.

There was no need to keep fighting. Nangong Yan had already gained quite a lot from this battle. Continuing would only result in both sides suffering, and this was the enemy's headquarters. He would gain no advantage here.

The original purpose of this battle had also been achieved. The right to negotiate had to be earned through strength! Otherwise, even if he achieved his objective, he would still have to face the endless harassment of the Big Mom Pirates. Nangong Yan had other matters to attend to and no time to play with them.

Big Mom's physique truly was powerful. The half-meter wound stopped bleeding within a few breaths. Flesh buds squirmed, and it actually showed signs of rapidly healing.

"What does this brat mean? Are you too scared to continue fighting?" Big Mom mocked without even glancing at her wound.

"There's no need to continue. My objective has already been achieved." Nangong Yan remained calm and paid no attention to Big Mom's mockery. A spatial vortex swirled, and the unconscious Katakuri was transported out of it, held in Nangong Yan's hand.

"Your three sons and daughters overestimated themselves and attacked me. I defeated them, and they are now in my hands. As far as I know, these three are among your most outstanding children."

"Let's be straightforward. Fragrant Rice Island has been occupied by my Demon Emperor Pirates. From now on, the territory within five hundred li of Fragrant Rice Island belongs to the Demon Emperor Pirates. No objections, right?"

"You dare threaten me?" Big Mom's eyes were bloodshot. Seeing her most outstanding son held in someone else's hand, she was on the verge of going berserk. She also knew who the other two children were.

"Threaten you? Hahahaha... This isn't a threat. This is extortion. I even dare extort the World Government. What is there about you, Big Mom, that I would dare not extort?"

"If calling it a threat makes you feel better, then you can regard it as a threat!"

"One sentence—deal or no deal. If we can't come to an agreement, there's no use keeping the three of them. I'll burn them into ashes right away." Nangong Yan's expression was cold. His right hand gripped Katakuri while blazing Solar True Flame ignited in his left. It seemed that if Big Mom dared utter a single "no," he would throw the flames onto Katakuri.

"Hmph, you've got guts! Release the three of them and get lost. I'll immediately order my people to withdraw from your territory." Big Mom's face was ashen, fury burning within her. She wanted nothing more than to tear Nangong Yan into pieces.

She finally understood how the World Government and the Navy higher-ups felt!

Perhaps this was the helplessness of being disgusted by someone but unable to do anything about them!

Nangong Yan did not care about Big Mom's words. After all, he had taken a huge advantage from her. If he still nitpicked at her words, that would be too excessive!

As for whether Big Mom would go back on her word, Nangong Yan was not worried at all. If she did, he would simply come again. In truth, there was no need to worry that Big Mom would break her promise. Otherwise, her vision would be too narrow. The world of pirates still valued keeping one's word.

Nangong Yan transferred Katakuri and the other two out of the Kamui Dimension, released the illusion, and tossed them to Big Mom.

"Today has truly been enjoyable, Big Mom. Remember your words, or your troubles will never end!"

"After all, there really aren't many places in this world that I can't go. My patience is limited. Don't wait until I personally come to seize those islands, or that would hurt everyone's harmony, hahaha..." His rampant laughter echoed throughout Cake Island. Before the eyes of everyone present, Nangong Yan's body vanished into a spatial vortex, leaving countless members of the Big Mom Pirates with extremely ugly expressions.