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Da-da—
Three days later.
At the heart of Totto Land, on Cake Island—the headquarters of the Big Mom Pirates...
Wilhelm arrived, leading a powerful group that included Armand and her two sisters from the Smoothie triplets, several members of the Charlotte family such as Custard, as well as heavy-hitters like Shiryu of the Rain, Miyamoto Musashi, the swordsman Ryuma, and Gecko Moria. They were here to rendezvous with the main forces of the Big Mom Pirates, all gathered in one place.
Suddenly, the massive flying ark Proverbs appeared in the sky, seemingly out of nowhere.
It instantly drew the attention of countless pirates, Homies, and members of the Charlotte family.
"B—"
"A flying ship?!"
"That's Lady Smoothie's ark—Proverbs!"
"Lady Armand is here!"
"Lady Custard too!"
"And that's... Lord Wilhelm~!"
"Master Wilhelm is aboard!!!"
"He's a natural-born monster with a bounty of one billion Berries..."
"Incredible! This is the first time I've seen the 'Thrilling Nobleman' in person!"
The entire harbor of Cake Island was packed.
Pirate ships of all shapes and sizes were docked—dozens, even hundreds—an overwhelming number that created an almost surreal scene.
The place was packed shoulder to shoulder with people—crowds as far as the eye could see.
These pirates had joined the Big Mom Pirates over the years. Meanwhile, Charlotte Linlin had been pouring soul energy into the creation of countless Homies, forming an enormous army.
A monstrous pirate fleet had been born.
"Hisssss—"
"This force... it's at least tens of thousands strong!"
"So this is the Big Mom Pirates? No doubt one of the true Yonko crews!"
"It's no wonder the Marines are on high alert. They've mobilized over 50,000 elite soldiers to form an expeditionary fleet!"
Aboard the airborne ark Proverbs, which had appeared so dramatically from the skies...
Looking down at the massive fleet below, Shinobu, Shiryu, Moria, and the others following Wilhelm were completely stunned.
They'd known the Charlotte family was big—but they'd never imagined this scale.
Now, they truly understood the power and influence of a Pirate Emperor.
Everyone was in awe.
"I've never seen anything like this before!"
Rao had already locked onto the troops gathering at Cake Island's port through the vast network of his Heart Network ability.
The six-year-old Smoothie, still young and inexperienced, looked overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the scene.
Armand exhaled a puff of smoke and calmly said, "Well, no matter how you look at it, our opponent is the Marines—rulers of the sea. If we're not thoroughly prepared, we won't stand a chance."
"Wilhelm..."
Silently and without warning, a tall figure appeared before Wilhelm and the others.
"You've arrived," said the figure.
It was none other than Katakuri.
Having awakened his special Paramecia-type Mochi Mochi no Mi, Katakuri had gained incredible battle experience. Now, after several days of training, he had fully mastered the Logia-type Air-Air Fruit and could wield its power effortlessly.
"Big Brother Katakuri!" Armand, Custard, Smoothie, and the others lit up with joy at the sight of him.
"All the other grown-ups from the Charlotte family are here too. Mama's waiting for you," Katakuri said.
"No rush..."
Wilhelm remained calm.
As he gazed over the enormous pirate fleet below, he said quietly, "Since I'm the one who started this war, allow me to say a few words to everyone first."
With that, he motioned for Smoothie to bring over the Den Den Mushi connected to the ark's amplification system.
A moment later, he took the voice-amplifying Den Den Mushi from Smoothie's hands.
Wilhelm then leapt lightly onto the bow of the Proverbs, the massive flying ark.
"Everyone, please quiet down... I am Charlotte Wilhelm!!!"
With the help of the amplification system, his voice rang out clearly from mid-air.
It echoed across the port—and over all of Cake Island.
Countless civilians, pirates, Homies, and Charlotte family members stopped what they were doing and looked up in unison at the enormous ark floating overhead.
"Master Wilhelm!!!"
"Gulp... He's incredible."
"This is my first time seeing him in person... he's flawless!"
"As expected of 'Young Master Trembling'—what a perfect man!"
"What's Big Brother Wilhelm going to say?"
"That guy Wilhelm..."
...
"Silence—!"
In that instant, Wilhelm's voice turned cold and commanding, cutting through the noise like a blade.
The once deafening port—and even the entirety of Cake Island—fell into an eerie silence all at once.
Countless eyes turned toward the flying ark hovering in the sky, toward the silver-white figure standing tall at its bow.
The three Smoothie sisters quickly ordered projection equipment to be set up. A high-definition Visual Den Den Mushi locked onto Wilhelm, and a massive Projection Den Den Mushi cast his bold and commanding figure into the sky above Cake Island's harbor.
Surprise, confusion, curiosity, admiration, obsession, envy, ridicule, devotion…
All kinds of emotions rippled through the crowd.
"This war is not only a great challenge for all of you... it's also an unprecedented test," Wilhelm's voice rang out across the sky.
On the massive projection, his imposing figure stood tall. His presence was impossible to ignore.
Gazing down at the vast pirate fleet below—formed from Big Mom's pirates and the legions of Homies—he spoke in a firm and powerful tone:
"Tell me—do you have the confidence to stand against the Marines?"
"There is! We do!!!"
"Master Wilhelm!!!"
"He's so cool~!!"
Excited voices erupted throughout the crowd.
Pirates, Charlotte family members, Homies alike—cheering, weapons raised high in the air.
"Very good—"
Wilhelm's tone remained calm as he continued, "Then tell me... who is the uncrowned king of these six hundred seas?"
His golden eyes slowly sharpened, glowing with a penetrating intensity.
On the projection, it felt like his gaze cut straight into the soul. Many instinctively trembled, unable to meet his eyes.
They looked away without thinking—overwhelmed by the sheer force of his will.
"Is it the Marines, rulers of the sea who call themselves champions of justice, always looking down from above?"
"Or is it the Whitebeard Pirates, whose massive strength has allowed them to guard the throne of the Pirate King for so long?"
Wilhelm raised his right hand slowly—then clenched it into a tight fist.
"No. It's neither of them! From this war forward, everything will change completely!"
As his voice echoed across the skies, Katakuri, Smoothie, Armand, and everyone else aboard the ark—and even those below on Cake Island—stared at Wilhelm in awe.
In that moment, his figure seemed impossibly grand, radiating an overwhelming Haki.
An invisible force seemed to flow from him—instinctively commanding obedience and belief.
The pirates of the Big Mom Pirates and the citizens of Cake Island felt their blood stir with excitement.
Their hearts pounded faster. Their breathing slowed. They couldn't take their eyes off the flawless silver-white figure before them.
They leaned forward, ears sharpened, breath held—
And then, Wilhelm's voice rang out once more, unwavering and resolute:
"The New World will belong to the Big Mom Pirates!"