Chapter 362: Box Bomb, Rampaging Big Mom  

As Luffy activated "Snakeman," Charlotte Katakuri's expression changed after just a few exchanges. 

It wasn't because Snakeman itself was giving him trouble—it was the sudden, familiar surge of wild, overwhelming energy behind him. 

"Wedding cake~~! Mother's photo~~! And that bastard who hurt me!!" 

After being out of it for what felt like forever, BIG MOM finally snapped back from whatever "memory" she had been lost in. But she wasn't exactly back to normal—her face was twisted, her teeth bared, her eyes bloodshot. Simply put, she looked half-crazed. 

'Brook, how's it going on your end?' 

Roman immediately reached out to Brook, who had been missing from the fight since it started. His job was to sneak into the treasure room in the Cake Tower with Carrot and Pedro to copy the Poneglyph. While it meant he wouldn't get a chance to show off in battle, their mission was far more important. 

'We're inside the treasury, copying the Poneglyph now! Almost done!' 

Hearing that, Roman let out a sigh of relief. The main goal wasn't to fight—it was to retrieve Sanji and the Poneglyph. As for Big Mom's revenge? It wasn't easy to chase someone across the Grand Line. After all, not everyone had a "Kuma-brand" airplane. 

Good. They just needed to hold out a little longer— 

"Have you finally snapped out of it, BIG MOM?" 

With Big Mom "back," the Charlotte family immediately regrouped around her. At the same time, whether it was the Straw Hat crew, Germa 66, or the Fire Tank Pirates, they all instinctively pulled back and huddled together. After all— 

A person's reputation is like the shadow of a great tree. 

Big Mom had ruled the seas for decades, single-handedly "giving birth" to an entire nation. Whether it was strength, intelligence, or cunning, she was at the top. And her brutality was just as infamous. But then again, no one standing here was exactly weak. 

"A double-layered Haki technique… Are you that old bastard Garp's disciple?" 

Even in her unstable state, Big Mom's mind was still sharp. She recognized the technique Roman had used to injure her—it was a skill only one man in the world had mastered. 

"And that quake energy covering your sword… That's Whitebeard's power, isn't it?" 

"Who the hell are you, kid?!" 

Standing to Luffy's right, Roman simply shrugged. 

"As you can see, I'm the strategist of the Straw Hat crew—The White Knight." 

Then, as Brook's voice came through his earpiece, saying, "It's done," Roman signaled Robin while answering Big Mom. 

"Or, to put it more simply—" 

"Your enemy!" 

"Because you got in our captain's way, you're about to get blown sky-high." 

"Straw Hat brat?" 

Big Mom's gaze locked onto Luffy, who met her stare without a hint of fear. 

"I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!" 

"Doesn't matter if it's you or Kaido—I'm gonna beat you both!!"

!? Luffy's bold declaration made the entire wrecked wedding venue fall silent. But this time, no one dared to laugh at him. After all, the state of the wedding and the fact that half of the Charlotte family's children were taken out spoke for themselves. 

"Ma ma ma ma ma~~~ What big words," 

"I'm standing right here. Try blowing me away if you can!" 

Hearing Big Mom's words, Roman nodded. 

"You asked for it—" 

!? "Watch out! Everyone, stay away from Mama!!" 

Charlotte Katakuri shouted a warning, his voice urgent, as he slammed his palm onto the ground. The floor instantly turned into mochi and surged toward Big Mom—or rather, toward the pile of treasure chests beside her. 

"Too late." 

Katakuri had been too focused on the Straw Hat Crew, predicting their next moves. Because of that, he was a step too slow in reacting to the real crisis unfolding within Big Mom's crew. And some abilities simply couldn't be stopped—like this one: 

Among all the treasure chests, the most extravagant one was the "Tamatebako" from Ryugu Palace. And right now, two arms had appeared out of nowhere on the untouched box. 

Robin's arms! 

Then— 

*Crack!* 

With a firm pull from both sides, the Tamatebako was pried open! 

Before anyone could see what was inside, a blinding white light, far more dazzling than lightning, burst out. In an instant, the surrounding air trembled violently, and shockwaves rippled outward in all directions, breaking free from the box's restraints. 

The only thing left in everyone's vision was pure white—like the sun had suddenly fallen from the sky onto the land. A force like a giant's fist came crashing down, and an intense heat radiated outward, as if it could melt everything in its path! 

The Tamatebako had exploded. 

*BOOOOM—!!!* 

A massive mushroom cloud rose from the top of the wedding cake tower. 

The cloud grew larger and larger, spiraling upward as deafening shockwaves raged in all directions like a furious Sea King. The force rampaged through the towering buildings, shaking the very sky! 

"Huh, this is just… too much…" 

Roman, who was being blown away by the explosion while holding onto Nami, clicked his tongue in amazement. 

One part of him was impressed by the sheer power of this "Ryugu Palace Bomb," which was no weaker than the so-called dynamite rocks. 

The other part was in awe of Big Mom's defense—despite being at the center of the explosion, her massive body had been launched out of the mushroom cloud like a cannonball, yet she still had the breath to scream in what could either be pain or rage. 

But now wasn't the time to worry about her. 

"Paper Dance—Wings!" 

Sheets of white paper scattered from the equally airborne "Pure White Merry" and flew precisely toward the crew, forming wings to help stabilize their movement. 

"Book Steps!" 

On the other side, Charlotte Mondor, the 19th son of the Charlotte family, Minister of Cheese, and known as the "Scribe," also released a large number of floating books, creating footholds in the air. The Charlotte family officers who had been blasted away could now land or grab onto them to steady themselves. 

Of course, those who could use Moonwalk simply stepped on thin air to escape, occasionally saving familiar faces along the way. 

As for the other guests— 

Sorry, figure it out yourselves. 

"Big news! This is *huge* news!!" 

Morgans, who had been caught in the explosion and was now falling, kept snapping photos as he plummeted. 

"And what about your *life*?" 

A calm voice came from Stussy, who effortlessly dodged through the air using Moonwalk. She glanced at the ever-dedicated president of the World Economy News Paper. 

"If you keep falling like that, you're going to splatter on the ground along with your 'big news.'" 

!? "Ah, you're right!" 

Stuffing his camera-snail into his coat, Morgans suddenly flapped his wings and took off again in an absurdly unscientific manner, letting out a regretful sigh. 

"Not being able to take more of such a rare photo… That's the greatest cruelty to a journalist like me." 

"You really are something else…" 

But looking at all this, is that person really planning to go against the *Four Emperors*? 

At first, Stussy had thought that person's so-called plan was unrealistic. But after witnessing this chaotic chain of events, Big Mom's crew had already suffered multiple losses. Maybe they really weren't invincible? 

That being said— 

"Little Linlin isn't someone you can take down that easily."

The "Tamatebako" was unexpectedly powerful, but it still couldn't break through BIG MOM's defense. Judging by the way her massive figure flew off into the distance with a long, drawn-out scream, it was clear she was still fine. 

As the biggest structure on Whole Cake Island, the explosion turned the place into a scene of "meteor fire rain." The entire island would probably need to be rebuilt. Even worse, the "Cake Tower," which symbolized BIG MOM's authority, had now turned into a "Cake Chimney." The blow to her reputation alone was— 

"Damn it! All patrol ships from every island, gather all forces on Whole Cake Island immediately!" 

Charlotte Mont-d'Or, the user of the "Book-Book Fruit," was in charge of strategy. He had been involved in this wedding plan from the start—using Sanji as bait, luring in the Vinsmoke family in the open while secretly trapping the Straw Hat Crew. If they could take down both groups at once, Totto Land would gain loyal clone soldiers and high-powered electric weapons, greatly strengthening the BIG MOM Pirates. 

Conquering the New World and becoming Pirate King would be just around the corner! 

But— 

Not only had the plan completely fallen apart, but neither the Straw Hat Crew nor Germa had lost any key members. In fact, they had even teamed up. On top of that, Charlotte Pudding, who was supposed to be bait, was now acting like a "married-off daughter who no longer cared about her family." Mont-d'Or just couldn't understand— 

Where did it all go wrong? 

"Commander! It's such a relief that you're okay—" 

Vinsmoke soldiers, who had been attacking Cake Tower, burst into tears of joy when they saw their commander and the princes fall from the sky. Even Judge, who had always treated them as expendable, hesitated for a moment before moving his lips. 

"You did well." 

That was all he said, yet to the clone soldiers, it was like a priceless reward. 

"Yes! Everything for Germa!!" 

…Maybe he had been wrong all along? 

"Damn it, has this assassination turned into an all-out war?" 

Charlotte Perospero licked his candy cane staff and scanned the battlefield. The Charlotte family still had the upper hand—after all, the massive explosion had been loud enough to call every officer and soldier to this location. 

Through alliances, the Charlotte family controlled a huge fleet of subordinate pirate crews. These crews, led by their captains, were now rushing toward Cake Tower from all directions. Though they had lost many officers, the core forces—Three Sweet Commanders and seven or eight high-ranking officers—were still in fighting shape. 

Meanwhile, on the opposing side: 

Chopper had shrunk back to normal size and was being carried by Usopp, stuck in a weakened state after using Monster Point. 

General Franky's armor was covered in damage, proof that it had reached the limit of Wapol metal's self-repair ability. 

Even Luffy, who had exited Gear Fourth, was starting to pant. Nearly everyone was injured. 

From the looks of it, the advantage still— 

"Caaaaaake~~~!!!" 

?! 

A massive figure was rampaging through the battlefield, smashing everything in its path as it charged forward. Both sides froze. 

"WEDDING CAAAAAKE~~~!!!" 

BIG MOM, completely lost in her food craze, was destroying everything in sight. In her hand, she was clutching a lifeless body. 

That cream-covered upper body— 

"Aaaaah! Brother Opera!?" 

"No way… Why now, of all times…?" 

As the Charlotte siblings cried out in horror, Roman scratched his head. 

Seriously…? 

After all that fighting, they barely achieved anything impressive—only for BIG MOM to show up and take down one of her own top officers in an instant? 

The power of a Yonko was truly terrifying. 

Scary. Absolutely terrifying. 

(End of Chapter) 

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