Within the territory of Totto Land, the members of the Charlotte family, who had been closely following the live broadcast, fell into stunned silence upon seeing Hanafuda execution and the subsequent submission of the remaining Warlords to the Marine Admiral.
The previous murmurs of dissent vanished instantly.
Katakuri, standing in the front row wore an exceptionally grave expression.
"War is about to begin!"
After a brief silence, Katakuri slowly raised his head, his eyes burning with intensity as he stared at the Warlords bowing to Orion on the screen.
He said solemnly. "Hanafuda death will undoubtedly provoke Kaido wrathful retaliation. Once Kaido declares war on the Marines, Mama will inevitably be dragged into it!"
"Damn it, how did things escalate so quickly?"
"Brother Katakuri, what's going on? Isn't it just Hanafuda being beheaded? How does this involve Kaido?"
"Fool, Hanafuda was once one of Kaido three top lieutenants. Although he left the Beast Pirates midway, he never severed ties with Kaido. Not only that, but he also maintained an alliance with Kaido. Over the years, while holding the title of Warlord, he's been searching for Devil Fruits for Kaido!"
"Even so, what does that have to do with our Charlotte family?"
"It has everything to do with us! Mama and Kaido were both members of the Rocks Pirates. It's said that Kaido was once Mama..."
"Hey, you're still too young to know about this. Just understand that if Kaido really decides to wage war, he'll likely come to Mama."
Hearing the chatter among his younger siblings, Smoothie, who had been silent furrowed her brows and looked at Katakuri with a serious expression.
"What about the tea party invitations...?"
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Before Katakuri could respond, a series of violent tremors suddenly came from the direction of the castle. Immediately after, Charlotte Linlin voice echoed from within the castle.
"Kaido! Don't act rashly! Starting a war with the Marines now is not wise. Under the leadership of that young Fleet Admiral, the Marines are more united than ever..."
"Hey, Kaido! That's enough!"
"I know Hanafuda death has devastated you, but you're sobbing so much we can't even talk!"
"Calm down first, then contact me again!"
"That's it!"
Before her voice faded, Charlotte Linlin suddenly raised her volume and shouted.
"Katakuri, Smoothie, Cracker, and Snack get your asses in here right now!"
Upon hearing Charlotte Linlin piercing shouts, Katakuri and the others did not dare to delay and quickly rose to their feet, rushing towards the castle.
Inside the castle hall.
Charlotte Linlin had already ended her call with Kaido and was sitting solemnly on a large chair. As Katakuri and the other three entered the hall, they dared not make any noise, for they could clearly sense that Charlotte Linlin was on the verge of madness.
"That bastard Hanafuda!"
Glancing up at her four children who had approached, Charlotte Linlin clenched her fist and slammed it heavily on the armrest of her chair, exclaiming angrily.
"He died and left me in chaos!"
After a brief pause, Charlotte Linlin suddenly looked up at Katakuri and said.
"Kaido wants to wage war to avenge Hanafuda and is seeking my help! Katakuri, what are your thoughts?"
Katakuri stepped forward calmly and countered.
"Didn't you hope for Galette to marry Orion? If the Charlotte family allies with Kaido now, your dream might be shattered by this war."
"Orion first staged a coup to become the fleet admiral, then forced the World Government to compromise and sign the Mary Geoise Treaty. Immediately after, he publicly executed Whitebeard Jr., beheaded Hanafuda and made the remaining Warlords bow to him!"
"Each of these events alone would be enough to shock the world, yet he accomplished them all in just a few days, leaving no room for the world to catch its breath!"
"The once conservative Navy, which sought balance and stability, ceased to exist the moment Orion took the position of fleet admiral!"
"Under Orion command, the Navy, the largest war machine in the World, is now operating at full speed!"
"Anyone who stands up now will become their primary target! Therefore, my opinion is to avoid their sharp edge!"
After finishing his speech in one breath, Katakuri glanced up at Charlotte Linlin gaze and then stepped back to stand shoulder to shoulder with Smoothie.
As a core member of the Charlotte family, hailed as its finest masterpiece and the head of the Big Mom Pirates' Sweet Commanders, Katakuri sole mission has always been to protect every member of the family.
Thus, personally, he would never ally with Kaido.
In his view, Kaido is not only ambitious but also an outright warmonger.
Allying with him to wage war against the Navy would only bring endless trouble to the Charlotte family, which has been stable for years. Of course, this is just his personal opinion.
After all, he is not the one who calls the shots in the Charlotte family. As Charlotte Linlin second son, whatever decision she makes, he will absolutely obey and steadfastly execute it.
....
Meanwhile.
At the Navy Headquarters—
The flag bearing the seagull emblem fluttered in the wind above Marineford, making a flapping sound. Tens of thousands of Navy soldiers stood in complete silence, hands behind their backs, standing straight and facing the high platform.
Sakazuki, Borsalino, Kuzan, and Gion were no exception, standing neatly on the high platform, their eyes following Orion movements.
All the Warlords, except for the decapitated Hanafuda, were now bowing their heads towards Orion. Since Orion showed no reaction, they remained motionless, standing in their original positions.
After scanning the six former members of the Seven Warlords, Orion silently returned to the head of the conference table amidst the sound of fluttering banners and sat down.
He then casually took Konpira from his waist and handed it to Gion, who was standing beside him.
After Gion accepted Konpira, Orion suddenly turned his gaze to the six of them. The previous domineering aura was gone, replaced by a warm smile as he asked.
"What? Bowing to me has made you lose respect hasn't it? Feeling wronged?"
"Take a seat!"
Orion waved his hand, signaling everyone to sit down, and then continued.
"When you became the Seven Warlords under the World Goverment, it was no different from submitting to me now!"
"Especially you, Doflamingo—"
Orion gaze lingered on Doflamingo, his tone as calm as ever.
"It's undeniable that you have the demeanor of a formidable figure, using the Celestial Dragons and the Heavenly Tribute as leverage to become one of the Seven Warlords. But that's all there is to it."
"The World Government didn't make you a Seven Warlord just because of a bit of Heavenly Tribute or the lives of a few worthless Celestial Dragons. It was because you were once born into a Celestial Dragon family and knew some secrets of the Holy Land!"
"And when you failed to return to the Holy Land, you collaborated with the Yonko Kaido, acting like a child in front of him!"
"So, Doflamingo!"
"You're nothing special, after all!"
"Bowing to me isn't a loss of respect for you—it's the wisest decision you've ever made."
"Of course, the same goes for everyone here."
"In the past, because Fleet Admiral Sengoku was relatively conservative and sought to maintain balance on the seas, he tolerated you until now."
"Otherwise, did you really think the Marine Headquarters couldn't crush your arrogance?"
"But such a situation will no longer occur in the future!"
"Because, from now on in the Grand Line—"
"The roles of offense and defense will be reversed!"
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