"Yo, it really has been a long time, Zesi, perorin! This must be your younger brother Feiluo. What a promising young man." On the island at the entrance to Totto Land, Perospero welcomed Zesi on behalf of the Charlotte Family.
"Perospero, long time no see. I heard things haven't been going well for you lately!" Zesi said with a smile.
"Ah, it was my mistake that caused such a huge misunderstanding. Mama has already punished me severely!" Perospero said with a bitter expression.
Perospero wasn't lying. No matter how one looked at this incident, he couldn't escape Big Mom's punishment.
Fortunately, Big Mom still had to deal with Zesi's affair, so she had let Perospero make amends through his service first.
If Perospero's performance failed to satisfy Big Mom, what awaited him might be having his lifespan extracted.
"Heh heh, when I see Big Mom, I'll put in a good word for you!"
"Then you have my thanks. Mama will listen to you, at least a little!"
"So, where are we going now?"
"I imagine you've never been to Totto Land before. I'll show you around, and you can wash up and rest while you're at it. I'll take you to see Mama tomorrow!"
"All right. This is your territory, so you decide!"
"This way, please!"
Perospero arranged for Zesi to wash up, eat, and rest, while Cracker and the others returned to Whole Cake Island ahead of them.
Only the next day did Zesi arrive at Whole Cake Island, accompanied by Perospero.
"Mamamama, Natural Disaster Zesi!"
"Heh heh heh, Big Mom."
Outside Whole Cake Chateau, Big Mom came out in person to welcome Zesi.
The two smiled as they spoke each other's names.
One moment, everyone was still all smiles; the next, utterly domineering auras surged out of the two of them.
Two incomparably terrifying auras collided.
Everyone watched the clashing Conqueror's Haki in horror.
Big Mom's Conqueror's Haki struck directly at the soul, filling people with immense fear.
Zesi's Conqueror's Haki, on the other hand, was utterly domineering, filled with a will that could neither be questioned nor defied.
The two supreme bursts of Haki collided, making everyone around them feel as though the world had split apart.
It was as if two worlds had formed.
Black lightning flashed endlessly around them as they watched in horror.
Feiluo watched the collision of these two bursts of Haki in shock.
Feiluo had witnessed Zesi's Conqueror's Haki before.
And lately, Zesi had frequently released his Conqueror's Haki to help them get used to it.
But only now, as he watched Zesi's Haki clash with Big Mom's, did Feiluo realize that Zesi had never released his Conqueror's Haki at full strength before.
Compared with the Conqueror's Haki he was releasing now, his previous displays hadn't amounted to even a tenth of it.
Under the collision of their Haki, the clouds overhead rolled back, and cracks even appeared across the ground.
Just as everyone trembled with fear, Zesi and Big Mom stepped forward at the same time.
They both raised their fists.
Powerful Armament Haki gathered around their fists, so strong that it spilled beyond them.
Zesi and Big Mom punched at each other at the same time.
"They aren't touching!?"
At that moment, Feiluo saw in shock that their fists hadn't touched.
Yet an extraordinarily terrifying force collided between their fists.
The mere residual force spilling out from the collision kept knocking him backward.
"This is an advanced application of Haki. It lets you release Haki from your body to attack an enemy, and even drive it into an enemy's body to destroy them from within, achieving tremendous power," Katakuri said from the side, raising his head as a gleam flashed through his eyes.
"Natural Disaster Zesi, you truly live up to your name as Roger's right-hand man. With Haki like that, being just a crew member of the Roger Pirates was truly a waste of your talents. I'm sure the Brunei Family will reach even greater glory with you!"
"Big Mom, you certainly live up to your reputation as a famous great pirate. I heard the captain say you were once a crew member of the Rocks Pirates? We're much the same!"
"Mamamama, where is Roger now? He stole my Poneglyph, and I still haven't settled that score with him!"
"With the Big Mom Pirates' intelligence network, I'm sure you already know that the Roger Pirates have disbanded. As for where Captain Roger has gone off to enjoy himself, only heaven knows. With his personality, he naturally makes his home wherever he goes!"
"Since I can't find Roger, you'll do just as well. Zesi, as long as you hand over the secret of Laugh Tale, I guarantee that cooperation between Totto Land and the Brunei Family can continue."
"And if I don't tell you, you're prepared to cut off trade with the Brunei Family, or even try to keep me here? Big Mom, are you threatening me?"
Zesi raised his head and spoke with the corners of his mouth curled into a smile.
At the same time, even more terrifying Conqueror's Haki surged out.
His terrifying Conqueror's Haki battered Big Mom's aura relentlessly, steadily suppressing it.
"Mama's Conqueror's Haki is actually being suppressed!"
"Zesi's Conqueror's Haki is even stronger than Mama's?"
"How is that possible?"
Several members of the Charlotte Family spoke in disbelief.
"Napoleon!" Paying no heed at all to her Conqueror's Haki being suppressed, Big Mom grabbed the bicorne hat on her head.
The bicorne instantly transformed into a longsword.
"Ikoku!"
Big Mom gave a sinister grin, and in the next instant, she unleashed a powerful slash.