"Abandon the other islands for now! I'll take responsibility for informing Mom later!"
Perospero gritted his teeth, clearly aware of the immense risk he was taking by abandoning the other islands. If Mom was willing to listen to his explanation, he might be able to save his life. But if Mom refused to listen and acted without mercy, then he would be facing a dead end.
Upon hearing Perospero's words, the other end of the den-den mushi fell silent.
"Reason!"
On board a flagship vessel, Katakuri, the commander of the Big Mom Pirates' main forces, fixed his sharp gaze on the den-den mushi and demanded an explanation.
The others were accustomed to Katakuri's tone; although Perospero was the eldest among the siblings, his strength did not rank among the top five. In the pirate world, where strength was revered, hierarchy mattered less than power.
This was why Perospero was willing to take such a risky decision—because as long as Charlotte Linlin valued him, the opinions of the other siblings didn't matter.
"From the actions of that guy Nicholas, it's clear he doesn't want to confront us directly until he has caused enough damage to the Tottoland. With the forces on the other islands, we stand no chance against Nicholas and can't even catch up to him in time. And even if we could catch up, who among us could stop him if he decided to flee? So instead of being led around by him, it's better to wait for Nicholas to fall into our trap near Whole Cake Island! Besides, as long as the islands aren't sunk, it's just a matter of expending some energy and time to rebuild new towns on the ruins."
Perospero stared into the distance with a dark expression, and upon hearing his words, the den-den mushi on the other end fell into silence once more. Perospero was right; in terms of maneuverability, they were no match for Nicholas, and in terms of strength, it was even more evident.
Rather than aimlessly wandering in the Totto Land waters, it was better to set up a blockade in the waters around Whole Cake Island. After all, if Nicholas wanted revenge, he would undoubtedly engage in a decisive battle with Mom on Whole Cake Island.
"By the way, Katakuri, if you get any information on Nicholas's whereabouts, remember to inform the other islands in advance to prepare for personnel evacuation!"
The den-den mushi transmitted Perospero's voice, tinged with suppressed anger.
"Understood... As long as the opponent is within Totto Land's range, with Brûlée's abilities, she'll definitely find him. But whether we can warn those targeted islands in time is another matter."
Katakuri habitually lifted the white scarf covering his mouth with his hand, his expression unchanged. "After all, that guy's strength is such that as soon as Brûlée discovers him, we can launch an attack on that island."
Katakuri fell silent for a moment, looking up at the sky. His eyes flashed with a red light as he used Observation Haki to try and locate Nicholas's presence within visible range.
But it was no easy task.
The red light in Katakuri's eyes disappeared after only a few seconds. Whether it was Armament Haki or Observation Haki, the use of these abilities came at a cost.
Even though he had trained Observation Haki to the point of being able to foresee the future, maintaining high-intensity Observation Haki at all times was not possible.
If he devoted a large amount of energy to searching for the enemy's traces, and then suddenly encountered the enemy, it would be embarrassing.
In the high sky, Nicholas maneuvered through the clouds, followed by a group of large crows.
Among them was Karasu, the Northern Army Commander of the Revolutionary Army, holding a Devil Fruit taken from Charlotte Opera. He looked at Nicholas ahead with a complex expression.
Although he didn't know what agreement Dragon had reached with the other party, from the current situation, the transactions between the two of them were not simple at all.
"Lord Nicholas, are we really going to attack all the affiliated islands of the Tottoland one by one?"
Karasu couldn't help but speak up.
Otherwise, he wouldn't be so worried about the Devil Fruit he was holding.
Nicholas flashed his figure and appeared on Karasu's crow.
"Yes, if we're going to war, we might as well be ruthless. But don't worry, I haven't sunk those islands. When the Revolutionary Army takes over, it'll be easy to rebuild."
Nicholas casually replied.
Karasu's expression changed abruptly, clearly realizing that Nicholas had casually revealed something extraordinary.
"Kaw, kaw!"
Just as Karasu was about to ask something else, the den-den mushi in his arms suddenly rang.
"I'm Karasu, what instructions?"
Looking at the den-den mushi, Karasu spoke solemnly.
"Karasu, is Nicholas with you?"
The voice of Dragon on the other end of the line suddenly sounded.
Nicholas glanced at him, and Karasu handed the den-den mushi to Nicholas.
"Dragon wants to speak to you, Nicholas."
Nicholas took the den-den mushi from Karasu's hand.
"Dragon, what's up?"
Nicholas asked with a smile.
"After you left, Kaido's plan to attack Whitebeard was intercepted by me."
"Ah, thanks."
Nicholas nodded.
"In addition, I've kept an eye on the people you asked me to watch. I can confirm that the 'guest' you mentioned, who came from 800 years ago, is indeed a user of the Super-Human Time-Time Fruit ability. She seems to have sent Momonosuke, who has lost his ability to conceive, and several retainers to the future."
"Got it."
Nicholas replied. He didn't care much about the remnants of the Kozuki Family; after all, it was ridiculous to pin hopes on vague prophecies. If the prophecy did predict his death, then what would they achieve?
"As for the fourth island."
After ending the conversation with Dragon, Nicholas looked down below. In his sight was an island—the Ice Island governed by Moscato, the Minister of Ice Cream.
Just like the iconic buildings on other islands, the iconic structure on Ice Island was a snowman-shaped ice cream placed in a giant cup, situated in the center of the island.
Nicholas looked down at the snowman in the center of Ice Island with a playful gleam in his eyes.
...
As the ships radiated outwards from Whole Cake Island, awaiting Nicholas's approach, they still hadn't found his trace.
But it wasn't a fruitless endeavor.
They had received reports of Nicholas attacking the fourth island, including Ice Island and Liquor Island.
While the Big Mom Pirates awaited Nicholas's arrival, news of the Potato Island's fall reached every ship via the den-den mushi's signal.
This was the eighth island destroyed by Nicholas's pirate crew.
However, Nicholas's trace was getting closer and closer to Whole Cake Island.