Totto Land Changes Hands

The orb struggled violently in Allen's palm, letting out a piercing shriek, as if countless souls were weeping.

As her Devil Fruit Ability was stripped away, Big Mom's enormous body seemed to have been drained of all life. The light in her eyes rapidly dimmed, and her massive form swayed before crashing down like a mountain, carrying endless emptiness and confusion as it slammed heavily into the ground, kicking up smoke and dust that filled the sky! A Sea Emperor had fallen just like that!

Allen casually flicked away blood that did not exist from his Energy Sword, allowing the wailing Soul Orb to hover in his palm.

His gaze shifted to Katakuri in the distance, whose eyes were bloodshot and whose entire body trembled at the sight of his mother's death. His tone was as calm as if he were asking what to have for dinner. "Your turn, Katakuri. Submit, or..."

He weighed the Soul Orb in his hand, then glanced at Big Mom's corpse. "...join her on the road? A friendly reminder: if you choose the latter, your mochi..."

He revealed an exceptionally malicious smile. "...might become my midnight snack tonight."

Katakuri stood where he was like a stone statue.

The mask on his face had long since been shattered in the earlier battle, exposing a face twisted by grief and rage, covered in stitches.

He looked at his mother's huge lifeless body, then swept his gaze around at his brothers and sisters. Smoothie, Cracker, and the others all wore expressions of fear, despair, and pleading.

They had lost their greatest support. Against a monster as unfathomable as Allen, one who could instantly kill even their mother, resistance led only to death.

Katakuri's fists clenched with cracking sounds, his nails digging deeply into his palms as blood dripped through his fingers.

He closed his eyes and drew a deep breath, as if exhausting every ounce of strength in his body.

When he opened them again, only the calm of Deathly Silence and heavy resolve remained in his eyes. Slowly and with immeasurable difficulty, he dropped to one knee before Allen and lowered the proud head he had never lowered to anyone.

"Lord Allen..."

His voice was hoarse and dry, every word as heavy as a thousand tons. "We... the Charlotte Family... Whole Cake Island... from this day onward... submit to you."

He paused, as if swallowing the bitterest poison. "We beg... my lord... to allow us... to take Mother's body back... and bury her."

Those words had nearly drained all his strength. For the terrified younger brothers and sisters behind him, he had personally buried his own dignity and pride.

Allen looked at Katakuri kneeling on the ground, then at the Charlotte Family members behind him, who seemed relieved yet filled with grief and indignation. He casually waved a hand as if shooing away a swarm of annoying flies. "Fine, take her. Get going."

He casually put away the still-wailing Soul Orb.

"But..."

Allen pointed at the battlefield strewn with wreckage, especially the scattered massive biscuit fragments, melted candy weapons, and smoking Homies wreckage. "Remember to pack up all this 'battlefield trash' you brought and clear it out. Hachinosu Island is an upscale neighborhood. We don't run a junkyard or a large-scale food waste processing center."

His utterly disdainful tone made the Charlotte Family members' faces burn even more fiercely.

"...Yes, my lord."

Katakuri gritted his teeth and answered in a low voice.

He silently rose without looking at Allen again, directing his equally silent brothers and sisters to collect Big Mom's immense body.

The remnants of the BIG MOM Pirates had arrived with overwhelming momentum, but now, like defeated roosters, they carried their queen's corpse under the complicated gazes of the Hachinosu Island allied forces. They hurriedly boarded the surviving ships and fled this sea that would forever be etched into their bones.

The sea breeze seemed to still carry Katakuri's sorrow, too heavy to dissipate.

The gunpowder smoke had yet to fully clear when Hachinosu Island began its difficult postwar reconstruction.

The Imperial Guards and Whitebeard Pirates crew directed people to clear the ruins, extinguish lingering fires, and rescue the wounded.

The medical stations were packed to the brim, with Chopper and Marco so busy their feet barely touched the ground.

The air was mixed with Burnt Smell, blood, and disinfectant.

In the relatively intact central plaza, an enormous round table covered in cracks had been set up.

The core figures of every faction sat around Allen, and the atmosphere was subtle and complicated.

Marco used his blue flames to treat minor injuries while Jozu, Vista, and Izo kept watch over the surroundings.

Ben Beckman frowned deeply, smoking one cigarette after another. Yasopp checked his firearms, while Lucky Roo was Eating Meat without tasting any of it.

Most of them were wounded and looked worriedly at the still-unconscious Shanks nearby.

Luffy's stomach rumbled with hunger. Zoro leaned against a pillar with his eyes closed, resting, while Sanji handed the ladies clean water he had found through "ruin scavenging."

Crocodile wiped his golden hook with an unhappy expression. Moria muttered to himself from within the shadows, Tesoro looked painfully at the damaged golden decorations, and Jinbe spoke quietly with Fisher Tiger.

The commander of the Imperial Guards stood solemnly nearby, reporting the preliminary losses and casualties.

Allen sat at the head of the table with one leg crossed over the other, his fingers unconsciously tapping the tabletop as he listened to the report.

Though his posture was casual, everyone's gaze inevitably focused on him.

Every word and action of his affected the mood of the entire battlefield and the course of the future.

The lingering intimidation of his instant killing of Big Mom and his clearing out of the Five Elders was still present.

Beside a pile of ruins, Shanks slowly woke up.

His hair stood upright strand by strand, electrified into a Super Saiyan-style afro with wisps of green smoke rising from it. His face was smeared with ash, and his eyes were as confused as those of a lost large dog.

"Ugh... my head hurts... What... happened?"

He swayed as he tried to stand.

At some point, Allen had wandered over. He squatted in front of Shanks, who was still sitting on the ground, and poked his fluffy afro with great interest. "Yo, cousin? Awake now?"

A teasing grin hung on his face. "That hairstyle's pretty unique! This afro... tsk, tsk, starting a new trend? Or is this the latest 'Abyssal Demon limited skin' from Mary Geoise? Comes with an electric perm effect?"

Shanks was left dumbfounded by the poking. He instinctively touched his hedgehog-like hair and became even more confused. "Skin... skin? Demon? Allen... what are you talking about?"

He did not remember anything about what happened after his mutation.

This small commotion drew everyone's attention.

Beckman sighed helplessly and crushed out his cigarette.

Yasopp and Lucky Roo covered their faces.

The Straw Hat Pirates stretched their necks curiously.

Robin smiled as if she understood.

Under Allen's mischievous gaze and the silent pressure of the crowd, Shanks finally began to recall fragmented images—his rampage, the destruction, his attack on Robin...

His face instantly flushed to the roots of his ears, and overwhelming shame nearly drowned him.