New World, Totto Land Sea, Whole Cake Island.
The fairy-tale-like island no longer carried its usual bustle and noise.
The Homies that were normally extremely lively now behaved as if they were terrified, silent and subdued.
Even the many soldiers on patrol looked as if they had lost their spirit, mechanically carrying out their duties.
All of this was because their sky had collapsed. Their Queen, BIGMOM, had been defeated, and until now her life or death remained unknown.
Those who relied on the pirate crew for survival suddenly felt lost and helpless about their future.
At the top of a distant building, Katakuri stood quietly, silently observing everything.
The defeat of his mother had caused an even greater impact within the crew than he had imagined.
Fortunately, his brothers and sisters had not suffered serious injuries, and most of them had already regained consciousness.
Now they could only wait for their mother to wake up and rebuild their strength.
Just as he was lost in troubled thought, Brulee's somewhat excited voice sounded from below.
"Brother Katakuri, Mom has woken up."
"Is that so?" Katakuri quietly let out a sigh of relief and instantly appeared beside Brulee. He asked with concern, "Brulee, how are your injuries?"
"I'm fine, just..." Brulee waved her hand, bandages wrapped around her head, then spoke hesitantly.
"Just Mom's condition... doesn't seem very good."
"Hmm?"
Katakuri, who had been about to move forward, stopped and turned toward his sister.
"What happened? What's wrong with Mom?"
"M-Mom... she lost her memory. She doesn't recognize anyone now."
Under her brother's stare, Brulee grew extremely uneasy and simply shut her eyes and shouted it out.
Heaven knew how happy she had been when she heard that their mother had awakened.
But when she opened her eyes, the look in her mother's gaze was full of unfamiliarity and confusion.
She didn't even remember her.
After hearing Brulee's words, Katakuri's eyes widened slightly. Clearly, he was deeply shocked by the news.
After a moment, he continued walking forward, only this time a bit faster.
"Brother Katakuri, wait for me."
Brulee opened her eyes and saw that her brother had already walked far ahead. She hurried after him in panic.
With the pirate crew in such a state, only by staying beside her brother could she feel any sense of security.
When Katakuri arrived at the grand hall where BIGMOM was being treated, he saw his mother happily eating desserts with a smile on her face.
Standing beside her were several siblings led by Perospero, though their expressions were rather complicated.
BIGMOM, seated at the head position, noticed someone approaching and looked up. Her eyes immediately lit up.
She turned toward the white-haired chef beside her and asked with a cheerful smile,
"Hey, Long Bread, is this one my son too?"
"Linlin, this is your second son, Katakuri."
"That's great!"
BIGMOM turned to Katakuri with a bright smile and spoke in a cheerful tone.
"Katakuri, wait a little while. Once I finish eating, I'll play with you all."
"…Mm."
Seeing the smile on his mother's face—a smile he had never seen before—Katakuri stood stunned for a moment before giving a muffled response.
He stood there for a while. Several times he wanted to ask questions, but seeing his mother enjoying her food so much, he remained silent and walked over to stand beside Perospero.
After greeting them, BIGMOM resumed devouring the food.
Seeing rows of chefs continuously bringing dishes to the table, she held her cheeks with both hands, looking completely blissful.
"This is so delicious. I love it."
"You're all so nice to me, treating me to so much tasty food."
"..."
Seeing that his mother's eating habits seemed no different from usual, Katakuri felt slightly reassured.
As long as she was alive, that was enough. As for her memory, they could find a way later.
He turned to Perospero and asked in a low voice,
"Brother Peros, did you find anything?"
"N-no... Perorin."
Perospero glanced at his cool younger brother and casually licked his long tongue, his attitude somewhat indifferent.
It seemed as though he was not worried about their mother's condition at all.
Hearing this, Katakuri narrowed his eyes slightly and gave his brother a meaningful look.
Mom hadn't even stabilized yet, and already his thoughts were showing?
He had noticed that Prometheus beside their mother had stopped moving, which was why he had asked for an opinion.
Yet his brother's response had been so perfunctory.
While his thoughts raced, BIGMOM finally stood up and happily patted her round belly.
Looking around, she said comfortably, "I'm full. Let's go out and play."
As she spoke, she walked over to her children, grabbed Katakuri and Smoothie by the hands, and began walking toward the hall entrance.
Seeing the two of them being dragged along by the hand with stiff steps, the other children in the hall stood frozen in shock.
They stared blankly at the backs of the three as they left, unable to react for quite some time.
Only when BIGMOM turned around and called out to them did everyone finally snap back to their senses and hurriedly follow after her.
"Wow! Is this our home? It's so beautiful!"
"Those things look so delicious!"
As soon as she stepped outside, BIGMOM was mesmerized by the scene before her.
The fairy-tale-like buildings appeared right in front of her.
It felt like a dream.
When she saw the enormous dessert buildings, drool almost began to spill from her mouth again.
Like a child, she bounced around, looking here and there, playing happily.
Seeing the pure smile on their mother's face, the children unconsciously began to smile as well.
Some even thought that if their mother were always like this, it might actually be quite nice.
Just as everyone was immersed in this rare warm moment, BIGMOM suddenly cried out in alarm.
"Everyone, w-what is that? It's so scary!"
Everyone snapped out of it and looked toward the direction their mother was pointing.
The moment they saw it, they all fell silent.
It was that man.
Even when leaving, he had not forgotten to humiliate them.
The lightning lingering over the center of the island constantly reminded everyone.
Their BIGMOM Pirates had lost.
They had lost completely.
After a long silence, the eldest son Perospero stepped forward and said bitterly,
"Mom... that was left behind by our enemy."
"Who would dare destroy our home?!"
Hearing her son's words, BIGMOM's expression changed, anger filling her face.
Her aura began to rise, and the familiar oppressive presence returned.
The eyes of the surrounding children instantly lit up.
Was Mom coming back?
...
...