New World.
Whole Cake Island.
The island's environment was truly unique—every building was stark white with a creamy aesthetic, and on closer inspection, one would be shocked to find they were actually made of cake.
The sky hung low with gray clouds as a fine drizzle fell steadily, washing through the air and diluting the island's rich, sugary aroma.
...
In a secluded corner of Whole Cake Island, the grassy land was soft and fragrant. The Charlotte family members, instead of their usual bizarre attire, were dressed in simple black clothes.
Their eyes were downcast, and one after another, black-clad figures stood quietly in the rain, a heavy silence settling over the group.
Two grayish-white gravestones stood before them:
"Charlotte Perospero's Grave"
"Charlotte Daifuku's Grave"
Before the graves lay an assortment of sweets and fresh flowers as offerings.
...
Tap. Tap. Tap...
Muffled footsteps approached from behind, mixed with sharp, rhythmic clacks—the sound of spurred boots striking the ground.
The crowd stiffened and instinctively parted to form a path.
A tall figure slowly emerged through the rain.
It was a young man, around twenty years old. His presence was grim and intimidating, his eyes sharp and frigid like blades.
He had short red hair and long, powerful legs. His bare upper body revealed sharply defined muscles brimming with explosive strength.
His left arm, upper torso, and back bore pink tattoos, with a skull design on his left arm. His entire outfit carried a dark, heavy-metal aesthetic—black jeans and leather boots with spurs.
A wide white scarf covered the lower half of his face, and a black trench coat draped over his shoulders fluttered slightly in the cold breeze.
Dried blood still clung to his boots and coat, releasing a strong metallic stench as he walked, staining the air with the scent of violence.
...
"It's Katakuri..."
"Why is he back? I thought he was still suppressing the rebels in Edranco?"
"Word is he finished them off. All 13,000 of the rebels who tried to resist Mama's rule... slaughtered in a single day."
"Wait—what? Wasn't the battle deadlocked?"
"No idea, but apparently Katakuri lost it after hearing about Perospero and Daifuku's deaths."
"That smell... the blood is overwhelming..."
"…"
...
The members of the Big Mom Pirates looked uneasily at Charlotte Katakuri as he strode forward, their expressions mixed—some whispered, confused or wary.
At the funeral, emotions were far from unified. Some sneered, some mocked, others showed concern, grief, or silent sorrow.
Although all the Charlotte children shared Big Mom's blood, their different fathers meant their bonds weren't always strong.
Not everyone mourned the loss of Perospero and Daifuku.
For some of the more peripheral family members, their deaths were actually welcome news—it meant more Minister positions in Totto Land were now vacant.
And a vacancy meant opportunity—power, status, and a chance to climb.
Big Mom herself never minded these overt and covert power struggles between her children. In fact, she often turned a blind eye to them.
To her, even her own children were tools—means to an end in her rule.
...
Charlotte Katakuri ignored the scattered stares around him and walked straight up to the two gravestones.
He knelt on one knee and gently placed a bouquet of bloodstained flowers on the ground.
"Have you found out who did it?"
His voice was cold and flat.
No one responded.
Katakuri's eyes sharpened.
Boom!
A surge of overwhelming pressure burst from his body, rolling out like a physical force.
Conqueror's Haki!
The Big Mom Pirates flinched. Those with weaker wills buckled with a thud, collapsing to their knees, faces pale and breath ragged.
"I said... Did you find out who did it?"
Katakuri spoke slowly, enunciating each word.
Each syllable carried a biting chill, like icy nails driven straight into the heart.
"No, we don't know..."
"It was Mama... who told us to recover the bodies..."
"Only Mama knows..."
"But we... we didn't dare ask..."
Someone answered, voice trembling.
Katakuri frowned and reined in his aura. The gusting wind stopped instantly, and the eerie phenomena around them vanished.
He slowly straightened, his cold gaze sweeping across every face in front of him.
"Within three days, all entertainment activities on every island in Totto Land will be suspended to mourn Perospero and Daifuku."
"In addition, I don't want to see any of you eyeing their positions or territories. Everything will be decided by Mama."
"Understood?"
Without sparing a glance at anyone's expression, Katakuri turned and walked away.
...
Covered in the stench of blood, he soon reached the gates of the Cake Castle.
He raised a hand to stop the guards from announcing him and stared expressionlessly at the castle.
Then, with a loud bang, he dropped to one knee, bowed his head, and said,
"Mama, I want to know who killed them."
Silence.
Katakuri gritted his teeth—then suddenly slammed his forehead into the ground.
Cracks spread across the floor, and blood dripped steadily from his head, startling the nearby guards.
"Mama, please tell me!"
Still, there was only silence.
A silence so long, it felt deafening.
Katakuri's fury finally broke free.
He had always been close with Perospero—they had worked side by side to maintain Totto Land's fragile order.
And Daifuku was his full-blooded brother—same mother, same father.
Their deaths were a devastating blow to someone like Katakuri, who placed immense value on family and blood.
His eyes were laced with blood-red veins. Gloved fists clenched tightly at his sides.
Suddenly, the world around him began to distort.
The ground, walls, buildings, statues, and streetlamps—every inanimate object twisted and stretched into strange glutinous forms, writhing like serpents in chaos.
The guards, witnessing this surreal scene for the first time, turned pale and instinctively backed away.
"Mama, please tell me!!"
Katakuri raised his bloodshot eyes and threw up both hands.
As his Conqueror's Haki erupted, waves of mochi surged like a tidal storm.
But at that moment...
"Well, well, well... You truly are my most trusted son. You've awakened your Devil Fruit."
A hoarse, raspy female voice echoed from deep within the castle, filled with undisguised praise.
But the tone shifted sharply in the next instant.
"Yet with this display... Are you planning to attack me?"
A burst of Conqueror's Haki, far more powerful than Katakuri's, exploded outward.
It swept over the courtyard like a tangible shockwave, knocking the guards unconscious and sending cracks spidering through the castle walls.
Katakuri's pupils widened in shock.
The crushing pressure slammed him to one knee with a thud.
His vision blurred, the world around him shattering like fragments of glass.
Still, he grit his teeth and forced himself upright, spine ramrod straight.
"No!"
His bloodshot eyes burned.
"I just want to avenge Daifuku and the others!"
"The dignity of the Charlotte family must not be violated by outsiders!!"
Suddenly, the oppressive Haki vanished.
Katakuri's body slackened at once.
He knelt there, gasping for air, drenched in sweat.
Squeak... squeak...
The heavy doors of the castle slowly creaked open.
Big Mom sat on a throne inside, legs crossed in tall pink boots.
One hand lazily supported her cheek as she gazed at Katakuri with a half-smile.
"No, Rogers Daren is not an outsider."
Charlotte Linlin's red lips curled into a seductive smile.
"He will become my twenty-seventh husband...Which means, he will be your father."
Katakuri froze.
Then his eyes bulged, veins bursting blood-red across them.
His fists clenched—tighter than ever.