You can read ahead up to 90 chapters on my patreon and I've also activated (date to date) subscription model on my patreon https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395
Screech! Screech! Screech!
Boom...!
A storm of dense Sword Energy instantly shredded an entire wall into tatters. Outside, Vearth Kaldi was caught off guard, or perhaps he just couldn't believe what was happening. The Sword Energy storm engulfed him, leaving his body covered in blood, and he flew out like a ragdoll.
"Traitor!"
Seeing this, Smoothie's eyes reddened. Gripping her four-meter-long sword tightly, she stomped heavily on the ground and charged forward with lethal intent.
Clang!
Amidst the deafening clash of metal, sparks flew everywhere!
The trident "Mole" tilted to the left, locking onto Smoothie's deadly thrust. Katakuri closed his eyes in pain and said, "You shouldn't have discovered this, Smoothie."
Because you would never abandon Mama to save yourself, they would never spare you.
"No, I only regret not discovering it sooner!"
Smoothie's eyes also reddened. Abandoning her weapon, she twisted her waist, her true three-meter-long legs whipping towards Katakuri with a fierce howl.
"You've disappointed me greatly, Katakuri!"
"It's the weight I would shoulder for the rest of my life!"
On the other side, leveraging the destruction caused by the Sword Energy storm, Dante identified the reason for their exposure.
Indeed, no one could have eavesdropped on their conversation. Katakuri's Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) was second only to Rowen, and no one could mask their presence from him.
However, Dante discovered that there was a steel platform beneath the floor. Someone had modified the ground by digging a tunnel, making the room equivalent to a giant weighing scale.
If only Katakuri had entered the room, no one would have noticed anything unusual. But when Dante emerged from the Mirror Space, the combined weight of the two of them was immediately detected.
The Big Mom Pirates had numerous talented individuals, so achieving this was not surprising.
This wasn't a trivial matter. Confirming that it wasn't Katakuri who had chosen to betray them, Dante could temporarily relax and cooperate with him to navigate through the crisis of exposure.
However...
"Not good! Brûlée has betrayed us!"
"What?!"
Katakuri momentarily distracted, was kicked in the head by Smoothie's powerful leg. His head rang like a bell, and blood dripped from his nose.
The kick didn't knock him away. Swallowing the metallic taste of blood in his throat, Katakuri turned his head and shouted, "What did you say?!"
"This mirror was chosen by Brûlée. Only she and we know the room's location."
Dante advanced with his sword, his overwhelming killing intent forcing Smoothie to retreat and abandon her pursuit.
Katakuri wasn't a fool. A moment of thought and he understood.
Their exposure was due to the "weight," but not every room could have been fitted with a weighing scale. Only if Brûlée had leaked the information could the Big Mom Pirates have been prepared.
"Brûlée!!!"
Katakuri roared with bloodshot eyes, "Do you realize Mama will kill them?"
Big Mom had zero tolerance for traitors!
If it was discovered that those supposedly "killed" in the beheading operation were hidden in the Mirror Space, the fate of those brothers and sisters would be dire!
"Katakuri Nii San..."
The witch-like "ugly girl" Brûlée appeared in the mirror, her eyes brimming with tears. "Please, elder brother, turn back! Mama said if you surrender, she promises not to kill anyone."
Katakuri instantly understood.
Unlike him, Brûlée had been bullied since childhood, even having her face scarred because of it. She was naturally timid and fearful, and her usual fierceness was merely a mask to protect herself under Big Mom's reputation as a Yonko. In truth, she remained the younger sister he had always worried about.
Faced with such a significant matter, Brûlée had managed to hold onto some hope during the first few times, but as the situation escalated, her fear of their mother finally took over, leading her to betray them.
But...
"You believe that woman's words?"
Katakuri was infuriated.
No one understood Big Mom's nature better than her children. When she promised not to kill, it was almost certain she would.
Dante frowned slightly and pulled out a pile of crimson ashes from his pocket.
"It's too late."
These were Vivre Cards of their comrades left in the Mirror Space, all managed by him alone. Now, most had turned to ash, with a few others burning away, indicating their imminent demise.
Sure enough, as the words left his mouth...
"Tsk, tsk, 'that woman'... I never expected such heartless words from you, Katakuri."
An icy presence, like that from the depths of hell, made the two feel as if they were plunged into an ice cave. In the mirror, a gigantic figure slowly approached, its glowing red eyes filled with dread.
"M-Mama..."
Brûlée turned and noticed the "thing" in the person's hand, freezing in place.
It was half a corpse...
As it moved, intestines and blood spilled everywhere, still warm.
But the corpse did not belong to any member of the Marine Beheading Force. Instead, it was...
"Bavarois!"
Big Mom held Charlotte Bavarois, the twenty-sixth son of the Charlotte Family!
"Why, Mama? You promised not to kill them!"
Brûlée was on the verge of hysteria. She feared for her life and her siblings' lives, which was why she initially agreed to help Katakuri with his betrayal plan.
But now, despite the promise, why had things still gone wrong?
Glancing at the stunned Brûlée, Big Mom suppressed her killing intent and walked past her towards the mirror.
"When Brûlée first told me, I didn't believe it. After all, you personally killed so many Marines. But now... It seems I underestimated you, Sengoku the Buddha, and you, my son!"
Big Mom's eyes, filled with murderous intent, glared at them. Drool dripped from her mouth, her eyes red as blood, resembling a demonic figure.
"Destroy the mirror!"
Dante snapped back to reality.
His time training in the New World had shown him many opponents stronger than himself. Since he couldn't overpower them with strength, he never missed an opportunity to think strategically.
Big Mom was powerful, but as long as she couldn't come through, she wasn't a threat.
"Don't even think about it!"
Smoothie suddenly shouted. A strange and unique energy spread from her, quickly covering the entire building.
Awakening Technique: Great Juicing!
Bang!
In an instant, the entire building came to life in a bizarre state.
The solid walls and objects inside began to twist. Though they were solid, they became soft at that moment, as if an invisible hand was kneading them like dough.
Dante drew his sword, but the next moment, the ground wrapped around his legs and began to twist. A terrifying force surged, and Dante felt his legs slowly disintegrating.
Smoothie's fruit power could directly affect the human body, so after awakening, she could create attacks out of thin air, extending the power of her Squeeze-Squeeze Fruit to Dante.
Caught off guard, Dante grunted and lost his balance. His sword strike fell short, missing the mirror by a meter, causing minimal damage.
Then...
Awakening Technique: Mobile Mochis!
Only awakening could counter awakening!
Katakuri knew this well and simultaneously activated his Mochi-Mochi Fruit's awakening ability, spreading it outwards.
Smoothie's brows furrowed. Among the Charlotte family, her older brother Katakuri undoubtedly led to the development of the fusion power of the awakening.
So, when Katakuri made his move, the twisting walls immediately halted, then slowly softened, turning into blocks of uniquely colored mochi that smashed toward the mirror.
Mochi Pounding!
...