60 Cutting the Escape Route
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"Mom, I'm not his opponent." Katakuri admitted, his voice had a hint of bitterness and helplessness. .
Big Mom's response was swift and decisive: "Is that so? Well then, I'll have to take matters into my own hands. Someone who can fight Kaido to a standstill is indeed not someone you can handle." With those final words, she ended the call on the Den Den Mushi.
Mont-d'Or had already made the necessary arrangements for her pirate ship, the Queen Mama Chanter, to set sail.
...
Meanwhile, back in Totto Land, the atmosphere was growing tense.
Brontes, a figure of immense power, was drawing closer to the capital.
The air was thick with anxiety as Daifuku voiced the concern that was on everyone's mind.
"What should we do now? Admiral Ragnarok is coming towards us." His voice was serious, and it was clear he was deeply wary of the approaching threat.
Perospero, sensing the fear in his siblings' eyes, tried to offer some reassurance.
"Don't worry, Mom is on her way. She told me to take you and retreat as quickly as possible." Despite his words, Perospero's own confidence was far from solid. Facing Brontes was a daunting prospect; the Admiral's powers were more than enough to crush him and his siblings with ease.
Unbeknownst to Perospero, his conversation with Daifuku had not gone unnoticed. Brontes, whose Observation Haki was so finely tuned that it could spread with the electromagnetic currents throughout Totto Land, had overheard everything.
His ability was so acute that he could pick up on any sound he desired, even the minute buzzing of a fly's wings.
"Want to escape?" Brontes murmured to himself, halting in his tracks. He looked up in the direction of Perospero and his siblings, a contemplative expression on his face.
"What a beautiful weather... but, unfortunately, it is going to disappear because of these rats." He thought, feeling the gentle touch of the wind on his face, almost like a caress.
A marine, standing nearby, watched Brontes with a mix of curiosity and awe.
"What is he doing?" He asked, unable to contain his curiosity.
"Shh, just watch." Kaise interjected quickly, silencing the marine with a shake of his head, urging him to observe in silence.
Totto Land's unique geographical location meant that it was no stranger to inclement weather. With at least two hundred days of rain each year and frequent storms, the climate was often moist and cloudy.
However, recent volcanic eruptions and tsunamis had wreaked havoc on the weather patterns, turning the usual cloudiness into a tempestuous storm. The volcano's activity had heated the sea, sending vast amounts of water vapor into the sky and further destabilizing the weather.
Brontes raised his hand, his palm facing the tumultuous sky above.
"ZliZli!! Rumble!!"
In an instant, a column of lightning burst forth, shooting straight into the heart of the clouds.
The once overcast clouds transformed into a menacing black, churning up a ferocious gale that swept across the sky, plunging it into an even deeper, more tumultuous storm.
"Wooosh!! Whoosh!"
"ZliZli!! Rumble!!"
The wind screamed, carrying with it a torrent of sand that danced violently across the ground.
The thickening clouds above unleashed a relentless barrage of lightning, illuminating the darkened world in stark, rapid flashes.
...
"What's going on?" Perospero, standing far away in the capital, gazed upward at the rapidly changing sky. His eyes narrowed, a serious glint within them signaling his concern.
"The weather here has been unpredictable lately, though sudden changes aren't uncommon, they're definitely not rare. But we should probably tell Mom about the weather; she doesn't like rainy weather." Daifuku remarked, trying to make sense of the situation.
"It just feels like something is wrong with this sudden change. It gives me an ominous feeling." Perospero said, his gaze fixed warily on the sky.
"The weather in the New World is always unstable and unpredictable. It's the same here. Plus, we're leaving this place for Whole Cake Island, so what's there to worry about?" Cracker chimed in from within his biscuit soldier disguise.
"Phew! Maybe I'm overthinking," Perospero sighed, taking a deep breath.
He reassured himself that they had plenty of time to escape since Brontes was still a considerable distance away.
"Rumble!!!"
But as soon as Perospero finished speaking, a massive column of lightning tore through the sky.
"Watch out!" Daifuku bellowed, lunging forward to pull Opera to safety.
"Candy Wall!" Perospero's reaction was instantaneous.
He conjured a wall of candy to shield them. The lightning struck with a force that nearly shattered the wall, the impact sending shockwaves through the air.
"ZliZli!! Rumble!!"
"Rumble!!"
They had barely caught their breath, believing themselves to be protected, when the column of lightning transformed into a scorching heat, melting the candy defense in moments. The lightning, now unfettered, struck the ground and spread like electric vines, ensnaring everyone in its path.
"ZliZli!"
The air crackled with energy, and the ground beneath them trembled.
Despite the ferocity of the lightning, the candy wall had done its job, significantly weakening the power of the strike. The physical resilience of the Big Mom Pirates was not to be underestimated; they were far stronger than average individuals. When the lightning hit them, they experienced only a numbing sensation coursing through their bodies.
"W-what's happened just now?! Where did the lightning come from?!" Cracker emerged from the dissipating smoke, his body trembling from the electric shock.
"Lightning... Damn it! This is bad..." Perospero muttered under his breath, a realization dawning on him.
As the smoke from the lightning cleared, a figure stood in the center of the newly formed pit, hands casually tucked into his pockets. He chuckled: "Why are you in such a hurry to leave?"
"A-Admiral R-Ragnarok!" The name escaped their lips in a mix of fear and disbelief.
The black smoke continued to dissipate, revealing Brontes's face to Perospero and his siblings.
He was dressed in a crisp white and blue suit, a marine coat draped over his shoulders, and a baseball cap shading his eyes. His body was enveloped in Armament Haki, and his left arm, wrapped in bandages, hung peculiarly at his side.
"Big Mom Pirates, huh? You guys are getting more and more daring, taking control over thirty islands in just three years without a care for the consequences, all because Charlotte Linlin stands behind you? I'm confused whether you guys are courageous or idiots. Did you think your actions, harming thousands of innocent civilians, would go unnoticed?" Brontes's voice was cold and unyielding as he addressed them.
"Damn it!" Perospero cursed under his breath.
"How did he get here so fast?" Daifuku was bewildered, having just pushed Opera to safety, only to find Brontes already before them.
"He's the Rumble-Rumble Fruit user, of course, he's very fast." Cracker pointed out, stating the obvious.
"He's too fast! How did he discover our location this quickly?" Perospero wondered aloud, his tongue hanging out as he tried to regain his composure.
"Are you ready for battle? Full body Armament Haki, trying to show off your strength? Boring!" Brulee mocked, puffing on a cigarette.
As a Marine Admiral, Brontes presented a strange sight indeed. His eyes were closed, his body was covered in Armament Haki, and his bandaged arm hung from his neck. He looked even more bizarre than the crew of the Big Mom Pirates, which was notorious for its eccentric members.
