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Chapter 23: Raise My Flag Over Cake Island!
Kaido had left Cake Island a short while ago.
At that moment, Big Mom and her four cadre members were being treated in the hospital of the Wanguo, but their condition was far from stable.
The trusted doctor had been asked several times about their chances of recovery.
All they received in response was the doctor's sighs and head-shaking.
Big Mom's huge and durable body could not be sutured properly, resulting in ongoing blood loss, and her life seemed to hang by a thread.
As for the four cadre members, frail as paper compared to Big Mom, it was possible that not even two would survive. It was a dire situation.
The current crisis had everyone distressed, and no one knew what to do next.
Many of the younger siblings were already in tears.
Snack, Daifuku, and Oven could only sigh; they had no words to soothe the pain.
A close associate of Daifuku emerged from the crowd, leaned over, and whispered something into his ear.
Daifuku was stunned, confirming the source of the information with his associate multiple times.
After several confirmations, he looked solemn and placed his hand on his body, ready to summon the "Lantern Man" at any moment.
His two brothers, unaware of the news Daifuku received, watched as Daifuku stood up and angrily yelled at Charlotte Armand, who was in the crowd, comforting his sister.
"Armand! Get out! Don't hide among the younger ones!"
The people around Armand were shocked and couldn't understand why there was infighting in the family during such a crisis.
Even Armand's sister, resting in his arms, looked bewildered.
Armand, confused, carefully put his sister down, stood up with his notable long neck, his large hat shading his cold expression, and one hand on the hilt of his long knife.
He asked coldly, "Daifuku, what do you mean by this? What are you trying to do?"
"Still playing innocent? Did Kaido seek you out before he left? Why the secrecy?" Daifuku said, his voice filled with contempt. "Are you the traitor who let Kaido in? No wonder he showed up on Cake Island so quickly!"
The news sent everyone into a frenzy; the thought of a spy among them was inconceivable. Without knowing the details, they instinctively distanced themselves from Armand in alarm.
Even his recently comforted sister began to retreat, moving away as though in fear.
Armand realized he was being misunderstood and quickly tried to clarify, "I'm not with Kaido! He spoke to me alone because he had a message for me! I didn't speak because it was too insulting!"
Oven, catching up on the situation and restraining his usually aggressive nature, spoke urgently, "Armand, just tell us what he said! Don't worry, we're all here!"
Snack also turned to Armand, saying, "Let's hear it, to prevent further confusion."
Facing almost the entire family, Armand knew he had no choice but to speak the degrading words.
He took a deep breath and said, "Kaido said... that for the time being, we're to fly his flag over Cake Island."
"What?"
"Are you serious?"
"That's outrageous, Kaido! Such arrogance!"
"No wonder you didn't want to tell us!"
members of the Charlotte family, who had backed away from Armand, now rallied to his side, outraged and feeling a deep sense of insult.
Kaido had just defeated their mother and her cadre, and now he was demanding that they hoist the flag of the Beast Pirates?
And 'for the time being?' As if they needed his permission!
"We won't raise his flag even if it kills us!"
"Exactly! Why would we ever volunteer to raise someone else's flag?"
In the world of the sea, any kingdom or force that raises another's flag is effectively declaring itself a subordinate property to that power.
That might be an option for a small country, but not for the mighty Charlotte family!
"No, I'll raise it," said Snack, typically a man of few words. His calmness made everyone pause and wonder what he was thinking.
Oven and Daifuku looked at Snack in shock.
They immediately backed away from him, creating a standoff.
Daifuku's fists glowed as a lamp demon emerged, and Oven's anger was palpable.
"Do you realize what you're saying, Snack?" Oven exclaimed angrily.
"So, you've turned on us too?" Daifuku redirected his suspicion from Armand to Snack.
"Before you jump to conclusions, hear me out. Even if the two of you team up, you won't be able to defeat me," Snack said, glancing at them dismissively, not even bothering to draw a knife.
Armand, just recently the target of accusations, did not hesitate to take Snack's side, stopping the advance of the two brothers, Daifuku and Oven.
Daifuku and Oven were fuming, but they knew they couldn't win against Snack, and with Armand's support, their chances were even slimmer. Rather than face humiliation in defeat, they simply glared at Snack and Armand, holding their positions.
"Thank you," Snack said, turning to Armand before addressing everyone. "If I'm right, Marine spies have likely spread the word already. The Marines must be on their way here."
Hearing this, a chill spread through the crowd, as the reality of their predicament became evident.
"It's not unusual to have spies in a large crew like ours," Snack continued, "but if word has gotten out, the Marines, led by Akainu, won't ignore us. Kaido probably guessed this and didn't want us destroyed by the Marines. That's why he left the message allowing us to fly his flag temporarily."
"So... I think it's better to raise it. That way, the Marines might hesitate to attack, fearing Kaido's response. If we don't and the Marines arrive..." Snack trailed off, the conclusion obvious to all, unnecessary to utter.
Everyone exchanged glances, their earlier defiance of "I'd rather die than raise it" dissipating like smoke.
There was an awkward silence, with some embarrassment showing, as no one wanted to concede.
Then, someone softly suggested, "Maybe we should raise it after all?"
"Hang it up. Mother will handle this herself when she wakes up," Snack added quietly. "If only she could wake up."
Silence fell over the group as they grappled with their feelings.
Kaido had crushed their pirate crew, and they had no choice but to rely on his reputation.
The shame and indignity of the situation cut through them like a knife wound, causing deep pain.
Their feelings toward Kaido were too complex for any of them to fully articulate.