Chapter 370: A Daring Escape & Using a Borrowed Knife to Kill

"Chase them! Go after them!" 

"I'm going to pull out the souls of every single member of the Straw Hat Crew and turn them into powerful Homies!!" 

Above the now-destroyed Cocoyasi Village, atop the expanding Zeus, BIG MOM was completely losing it! If she hadn't used the island's soil to shield herself from the explosion, half of the BIG MOM Pirates' officers would've been wiped out on the spot. 

This one blast had cost her a powerful stored soul and thousands of regular ones. How could she not go mad? And now, Cocoyasi Village had been completely erased from the map, swallowed by the sea. All that remained was a massive whirlpool and scattered debris, the only proof that an island once existed here. 

Thankfully, Roman had anticipated that if this place turned into a battlefield, the island wouldn't survive. So, he had Pudding evacuate all the civilians in advance. — In fact, even the Charlotte family had done the same. After all... 

BIG MOM never cared about 'civilian casualties' once a fight broke out. 

"Mama..." 

Charlotte Mont-d'Or, the one in charge of communications, wiped the cold sweat off his forehead and stepped forward nervously. 

"None of the 'sea slugs' are responding, so... so we can't track them..." 

GLARE.

"I'm sorry, Mama! We're checking on it right now, please give us a little time—" 

"Then hurry up!!" 

At BIG MOM's furious roar, Mondor felt like he had been granted a temporary pardon and immediately rushed off to get his half-fishman siblings to investigate the missing sea slugs. 

These sea slugs were creatures unique to Whole Cake Island. They worked with visual Den Den Mushi to monitor the entire ocean floor around the territory. Meanwhile, patrol ships controlled by Homies handled the surface, forming an airtight security system. But now— 

"What do you mean all the 'sea slugs' have disappeared?" 

"There were so many of them! Even if someone killed them one by one, how long would that take!?" 

Mont-d'Or just couldn't wrap his head around it. The fact that surveillance slugs covered the ocean floor was a closely guarded secret known only to the top brass of the Charlotte family. And now, the entire monitoring network had collapsed. There was only one possible explanation— 

"Alright, everybody, sing along~~" 

"Drop your work, sing and have fun~~" 

"Work? Not needed~~" 

"Standing guard? Not needed~~" 

Somewhere in the sea, a mermaid with twin buns in her hair, a floral-patterned blouse, and a layered lace skirt sang seductively. Her striking appearance was enhanced by purple eyeshadow, freckled skin, red lips, and sharp teeth. 

Her personality was just like her looks—seductive and wild, dangerous yet passionate. 

With her enchanting voice, she had lured all the sea slugs away, making Totto Land's once-impenetrable surveillance network completely useless. 

"Praline, this means you've betrayed BIG MOM. There's no turning back now." 

Next to her, a tall, bearded man with a high ponytail and a tattoo reading '1TC' on his left arm spoke with a guilty expression. He wore a long vest with the Sun Pirates' emblem, had a fishtail instead of legs, and held a trident. 

Aladdin. A dogfish fish-man. Former ship doctor and vice-captain of the Sun Pirates, now its captain. 

The singing mermaid beside him was none other than Charlotte Praline, the 21st daughter of the Charlotte family, a half-sawshark mermaid. In Totto Land, she served as the Minister of Design, overseeing Unique Island. 

And more importantly—she was Aladdin's wife. 

By the way, she also had a 'half-octopus fish-woman' sister. 

Well... BIG MOM really didn't care about species differences! 

"Sha sha sha sha~~ Compared to Mama's wrath, I care more about you, my dear." 

Even though their marriage had been arranged for political reasons, they were lucky enough to truly love each other. And now, she was willing to betray BIG MOM for her husband's sake. 

"I can't promise anything... but as long as I'm still breathing, I won't let BIG MOM lay a hand on you."

*Grab!* 

The bold, twin-braided half-mermaid threw her arms around her husband, showing a more girlish side as she rubbed against him. 

"I just love how manly you are, darling~~" 

So passionate... The nearby members of the Sun Pirates, both fishmen and mermaids, were completely in awe of their "big sister-in-law" and her fearless way of loving and hating. 

"I hope Boss Jinbe and the others are safe." 

"Let's go, back to Ryugu Palace!" 

Since they had defected from the Big Mom Pirates, retaliation was inevitable. The Sun Pirates themselves didn't care, but Fishman Island, their homeland, was another story... It was time to return and protect their home. After all, in the ocean, fishmen had the upper hand. As long as they kept the strong enemies from setting foot on Fishman Island, they were confident they could hold them off in a naval battle. 

—————— 

"Don't throw it~~" 

Aboard the Sunny, Jinbe had taken over steering. Roman was receiving treatment in the infirmary, Franky was modifying an empty cabin into a double room, and on the deck—Luffy and Usopp were rolling around in distress. 

"If you throw it away, I'll dive down and fish it back up—" 

"You're a Devil Fruit user! Should Usopp rescue you along with it?!" 

Sanji weighed the metal canister in his hand, marked with the number "3," looking completely disgusted. This was a "magical girl transformation"... *cough*, a *high-tech combat suit* from the Vinsmoke family. Just attach it to a belt, and it would instantly cover the body with advanced battle gear. But— 

"I've never wanted to rely on science to get stronger, especially not *that* Vinsmoke science…" 

"Don't do it!!" 

"If you wear this suit, you might be able to shoot lasers!" 

Faced with Luffy and Usopp's argument, Sanji remained unimpressed. 

"One weirdo like Franky on this ship is enough. I don't want people thinking I'm a freak too." 

If it weren't for the fact that this thing was *gene-locked*, Sanji would have tossed it to Usopp and let him play with it already. 

"Sanji-saaaan~~ You'd look handsome no matter what you wear~~" 

Pudding, nearby, had completely fallen for him, hearts practically floating from her eyes. 

"Actually," a white pigeon on the deck suddenly spoke up, "this suit is quite famous in the North Blue. People call it 'Stealth Black'—that's right, it makes you invisible, so you can go anywhere you want, like... say... a wo—" 

?! 

In an instant, Sanji turned into a wild beast! His tongue dropped to his chin, and he clutched the transformation device like it was his ticket to the future. 

"*Ahem!* Since it's an apology gift from those guys, I guess I'll reluctantly accept it…" 

"San·ji·sa·ma!!" 

Next to him, Pudding was smiling—but her rage was clear. 

Her fist clenched, hard! 

—————— 

"Seriously, you should be more careful…" 

In the infirmary, Nami sighed as she scolded Roman, who was getting treated by Chopper. 

"That was *Big Mom*, you know? And one of the Sweet Commanders ambushed me. I'm lucky to be alive. And as for my arm…" 

"Alright, Mr. Roman, try moving it now." 

With his shoulder bandaged up, Roman flexed his fingers, bent his arm, and stretched it out. 

"Yeah, it's fine. Feels a bit stiff, but I can move it without a problem. Once I use Armament Haki to fully merge with this arm, it'll be as good as new." 

This is the arm Roman created using Xiao Feng's "Imitation Fruit." It's exactly the same as his previous arm. The only difference is that it lacks years of training and Haki infusion, making it much weaker. 

But that's not a big deal—it can be trained back quickly. Besides: 

"My arm isn't that easy to cut off. Get ready to pay the price, BIG MOM Pirates!" 

This trip to Whole Cake Island brought great gains: Zoro improved his swordsmanship—a small win; Luffy learned to "see the future"—a big win; Sanji got the "invisibility" ability he had always dreamed of, plus a beautiful wife—a huge win! 

And Roman? He got beaten so badly he lost an arm. That would be a massive loss, right? No way! 

Like he said himself—his arm isn't something you can just chop off without consequences. Letting it slide would be an insult to his title as the crew's strategist. 

If you play dirty, don't blame me for doing the same. 

—— 

The spot where Cacao Island once stood was now just floating debris—wrecked buildings, broken barrels, and scattered remains. 

Suddenly, from beneath a wooden plank, a hand reached up and grabbed hold. 

*SPLASH* 

"Wi-hahaha~~" 

A weak but arrogant laugh echoed as Jesus Burgess emerged from the sea, gasping greedily for air as he clung to the plank. 

"Straw Hat Crew… The White Knight… Bet you didn't expect this—I'm still alive!" 

A grin spread across Burgess's face. Even he thought survival was impossible. Back in Dressrosa, he had been defeated by Sabo, the Revolutionary Army's number two. Then, he was swallowed into the palm of the Straw Hat Crew's strategist, *The White Knight.* 

Half-dead, unable to move. 

He was as good as dead, completely hopeless. 

Who would've thought… 

"Wi-hahaha! Maybe Doc Q and Augur weren't just talking nonsense about fate all the time," he muttered. If he hadn't been ambushed… If *The White Knight's* severed hand hadn't just happened to be the one holding him captive… He'd still be floating like a dead fish. 

—— 

*Brrr~ Brrr~ Brrr~ Brrr~* 

The Den Den Mushi in his coat suddenly rang. Burgess grabbed it with one hand while tearing off a chunk of food from a floating wreck and stuffing it into his mouth. 

"It's me, Burgess." 

"Zehahaha!! I knew you'd be fine! Burgess, where are you right now?" 

On the other end, Blackbeard's loud, cocky laugh came through, mixed with the sounds of orders being shouted and sailors running around. 

"I'm coming to get you right now!" 

"Wi-haha, Captain, you'll never believe what I've been through!" 

Burgess, massive and excited, yelled into the Den Den Mushi, completely ignoring Lafitte's correction from the other side—*"You should address him as 'Admiral.'"* 

Once he calmed down, the former wrestling champion realized this was a golden opportunity—his chance to redeem himself. 

"I'm in BIG MOM's territory right now. The Straw Hat Crew just wreaked havoc here!" 

Although Burgess had been trapped inside Roman's *Swallow-Swallow* ability, he could still sense some of what was happening outside. Despite his brute-force appearance, he was also skilled in Observation Haki. 

"That Straw Hat Crew is something else. They not only defeated two of the Three Sweet Commanders—Charlotte Smoothie and Charlotte Katakuri—but also used massive explosives to blow up an island! Many of BIG MOM's top officers are seriously injured…" 

"Zehahaha! So, you're saying… this is when the BIG MOM Pirates are at their weakest?" 

"That's right, Captain!" 

Burgess had thought it through. If he just called Blackbeard to rescue him, there was a chance he wouldn't come. But if it meant attacking a weakened BIG MOM Pirates… 

"Zehahaha! I really *am* the chosen one!" 

Blackbeard's confident, arrogant laughter echoed through the Den Den Mushi. 

"Burgess, my dear crewmate. Stay hidden—I'll be there soon with reinforcements!" 

But first, there were plans to make. After all, the BIG MOM Pirates would *love* to know where the Straw Hat Crew was headed next. 

 ----

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