Chapter 27: Then Let’s Have a Talk

Seeing that Katakuri had finally collapsed, Rosinante stopped his advance.

"Huff… huff…" Rosinante was panting heavily by now. Releasing the restraints on his body had completely drained him. Coupled with his severe injuries, most of his strength was now spent.

"What a monstrous body... He actually endured over seventy of my full-power Crumbling Fist Strikes. Good thing he went down—otherwise things would've gotten dicey. My healing seals are already way past the warning line. Looks like I'll need to find a place to lay low and recover for a while after this," Rosinante muttered as he clutched his chest.

With that, Rosinante slowly walked toward the unconscious Katakuri.

Just then, a battered and heavily injured Perospero stumbled out, dragging his wounded body to stand in Rosinante's path. He raised a trembling arm to block Rosinante from moving forward.

"W-what are you trying to do? You do know Katakuri is one of the Big Mom Pirates' Sweet Commanders. If you kill him, you'll have to face Mama's wrath. You may be strong—but Mama's terror is beyond anything you can imagine," Perospero warned.

"If you don't want him dead, then get out of my way. Don't worry, I'm not ready for an all-out war with Big Mom just yet, so none of you are dying today," Rosinante said calmly.

"Don't resist." As he spoke, Rosinante placed his hand on Perospero's shoulder. A strange energy flowed into Perospero's body, and within moments, a glowing rune etched itself onto his skin.

Healing Seal. Normally, this would take a whole cup of tea's worth of time to inscribe. But after releasing his body's restraints, Rosinante's fruit ability had been drastically enhanced—he only needed half a minute to complete the seal.

The moment the healing seal was set, Perospero's injuries began fading at a visible speed.

Perospero stared at his hands in disbelief. In the blink of an eye, his mutilated, bloodied body had all but healed. But what truly stunned him… was that Rosinante had healed them.

Then Rosinante moved to Katakuri's side and placed a similar seal on him. However, Katakuri's wounds recovered much more slowly. After the intense battle, Katakuri's stamina had been utterly drained. Without physical strength to power the healing seal, it could only work gradually as his body recovered naturally.

Still, Rosinante wasn't worried. As long as the healing seal was in place and the target hadn't died instantly, there was no risk of death.

With both seals complete, Rosinante let out a breath of relief, then lifted his own self-imposed restraints and sat down to rest.

"Well then... now we should have a talk," Rosinante said.

"What are you planning?" Perospero asked cautiously.

"That rune I inscribed on both of you is called the Healing Seal. It's part of my Devil Fruit ability. It suppresses your injuries temporarily—so long as it remains active, your wounds won't resurface. Moreover, if you're hurt again in the future, the seal will continue to absorb and neutralize the damage. However, if the seal is ever removed, the suppressed injuries will erupt all at once. You're a smart man, I'm sure you can imagine what happens then," Rosinante explained.

"I take it… that seal is under your control? Are you planning to use this to control us?" Perospero narrowed his eyes.

"I'm not naïve enough to think that I can control you with just that. I know Totto Land has all kinds of talents—eventually, you'll find a way to break the seal. But that'll take time. And time is exactly what I need—to stabilize and grow. So think of this seal as a symbol of our friendship. As long as we remain on peaceful terms, the seal stays intact. I might even periodically release some of the pressure so the seal doesn't get overwhelmed with accumulated injuries," Rosinante said with a smile.

"A symbol of friendship, huh? Heh, sounds like pirate-style diplomacy. But what makes you think Mama will agree to this?" Perospero asked.

"That depends on how much weight you carry in Big Mom's eyes. It's just a verbal agreement for now—someone of your standing should be able to manage that, right?" Rosinante replied.

"Perospero... agree to it," came a low voice. At some point, Katakuri had already regained consciousness.

"I'll report this to Mama exactly as it happened—and I'll do my best to persuade her. As for what she ultimately decides... that's up to her," said Perospero.

"No problem." Rosinante stood up, stretching slightly.

"Oh, and if you don't want to lose more men, I suggest you stop your crew from fighting. Otherwise, by the time you return, you might not even have enough sailors left to steer the ship," Rosinante added with a chuckle.

"Hmph. Just them? Baron Tamago alone is more than enough to handle those small fry," Perospero scoffed.

"Let's go. Baron Tamago and the others are no match for those seven captains—each with a bounty over 100 million and marked with a healing seal," Katakuri said as he stood and started walking toward the ongoing battle.

Perospero's face changed as he heard this, and he quickly followed.

…

Elsewhere, Baron Tamago and several Big Mom Pirates were frozen in horror, staring at the seven figures before them—seven monsters who refused to die no matter how badly they were injured.

Among the group, Baron Tamago was the strongest, with a bounty of 400 million. The rest, though technically just grunts, still had bounties ranging from 30 million to 100 million. In the Four Blues, they'd be considered top-tier pirates—some even qualified to lead their own crews. But in the New World, within Big Mom's ranks, they were just fodder.

Still, their combat strength wasn't too shabby. Even with Bins and the others being skilled fighters, defeating these elites would've taken some effort.

Under Baron Tamago's command, Bins and the others were quickly overwhelmed. They were outnumbered, and Baron Tamago himself was a formidable opponent. It seemed inevitable they'd lose.

But then... Baron Tamago noticed something odd.

Despite landing heavy blows on Bins and the others—leaving clear injuries—those wounds would vanish moments later, like they were never there.

Bins and the others soon noticed it too. Though Rosinante had told them about the Healing Seal and how it made them nearly unkillable, seeing it in action firsthand was something else entirely. Once they understood just how miraculous the seal was, their morale skyrocketed.

No longer needing to worry about injuries, they launched a fearless assault.

In an instant, the tides turned.

Bins and his squad fought like demons, unafraid of death. Their momentum surged. Meanwhile, Baron Tamago's crew hesitated, unnerved by the enemy's sheer disregard for pain. Their morale plummeted—and one by one, they were overwhelmed.

The homies and pirate grunts fell one after another. In the end, only Baron Tamago and a dozen or so high-bounty henchmen remained—and all of them, save Baron Tamago, were severely injured.

"Stop!!" A voice rang out, followed by a terrifying wave of pressure sweeping across the battlefield.

Conqueror's Haki!

Bins and the others turned, eyes wide. "Katakuri... Perospero?!"

"Stop. Let them go," Katakuri said calmly.

Just then, a second wave of pressure surged in—a domineering force that clashed violently with Katakuri's Haki. The impact sent shockwaves through the air, crackling with black lightning—a clash of Conqueror's Haki.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Bins and the others cheered excitedly as they saw Rosinante arrive, his presence radiating with his own overwhelming Haki.

"Let's go," Katakuri said after giving Rosinante one last long look. Then he turned and led his people away.

-------------------------

Patreon Advance Chapters: patreon .com / ElvenKing20