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"How are you?" Jin's voice was low. "Can you move?"
Tesoro's Gold-Gold Fruit hadn't reached the advanced stage of Awakening—the point where it could permanently alter the nature of matter.
After he had been sent back to the demonic carrier for "execution," his power had vanished.
Naturally, the gold encasing Reiju dissipated.
She opened her eyes. A quick scan of her surroundings and the figure standing before her was all it took—she understood everything.
Jin had saved her.
Hearing the concern in his voice, a wave of gratitude washed over her. She gave a small nod and reached out, letting Jin pull her to her feet.
Nearby, Law staggered up on his own.
In his bid to save Tesoro, Doflamingo had abandoned his attack on him, giving Law a precious few moments to recover.
He still couldn't beat Doflamingo, but he was no longer at risk of being taken out in an instant. Law was satisfied with that progress.
Snack scrambled out of the rubble he'd been thrown into. A single glance from Jin was all it took. A cold dread washed over him, and he froze, not daring to move an inch.
Though Snack was a Sweet Commander, he lacked true courage. In the original story, after being defeated by the Supernova "Mad Monk" Urouge, he had been stripped of his title.
Now, having witnessed Jin kill Tesoro and crush Doflamingo with his own eyes, he was terrified.
In his mind, the handsome, composed man before him was wreathed in an aura of bloodlust and brutality—the unmistakable presence of a demon from the battlefield.
When you fear someone, a single look can be enough to bring you to your knees. It was the same principle the Celestial Dragons used to domesticate the world, the same "terror" the World Government ruled with.
"Let's go," Jin said, turning to Reiju and Law. "It's time to leave."
"Right," they both nodded.
Just then—
"Hey, brat!" a booming voice echoed across the ruins. "You raised hell, trashed my home, and now you think you can just walk away?"
Reiju and Law stiffened.
'She's awake?'
The resilience of a Yonko was truly monstrous.
Jin stopped and looked up.
Amidst the dust swirling around the collapsed chateau, a colossal figure slowly rose from a sitting position.
THUD.
She took a step, emerging from the smoke, casually brushing off her dress. Her clothes were scorched and torn in several places.
"Mama..."
Katakuri, Smoothie, Cracker, and Oven, who had been scattered across the battlefield, were spurred on by her presence and began to stir, pushing themselves up.
Big Mom's gaze swept over the utter devastation of her home, finally landing on Jin.
Their eyes met across the ruined landscape.
"You want another round?" Jin asked, his voice calm, unyielding.
The world seemed to fall silent.
An oppressive aura radiated from the two of them, a palpable tension that hung in the air.
"MAMAMAMA... MAMAMAMAMAMA!"
Suddenly, Big Mom tilted her head back and let out a booming laugh.
Eh?
The guests, like Du Feld, were completely bewildered. No one knew what she was laughing about.
"Mama?" Smoothie and Cracker exchanged a look. They could tell it was a genuine, hearty laugh. She didn't seem angry at all.
Why?
"Linlin..." Stussy froze, her eyes fixed on the Yonko. Though she was just a clone of Bakkin, she occasionally had flashes of memory from her time on the Rocks Pirates.
She only ever laughed like that for two reasons: when facing a true powerhouse, or when she'd found someone who had earned her respect.
Like Kaido. She had always had a soft spot for him.
Big Mom's laughter subsided. She looked down at Jin. "Well now, you're quite the handful, aren't you, brat!"
"That was a delightful little pre-dinner game."
"Hey, Streusen! It's time to eat!"
From the crowd, the head chef, Streusen, emerged. "Right away, Linlin! It's just that... some of the dishes were destroyed. It will take a little time."
"How can we keep our guests waiting?" Big Mom declared, plopping down on the ground. "Let's have a picnic! A unique Tea Party!"
"It'll be ready in a moment!" Streusen said, directing the other chefs to get to work.
Seeing that no one was moving, Big Mom looked around. "What's wrong? You're not all scared by a little commotion, are you?"
Everyone was silent.
A little commotion??
What an understatement.
They were all terrified.
And what was with her reaction? Did she not care at all? No anger? No rage? It was impossible to understand.
"MAMAMAMA! It was just an appetizer for the Tea Party, wasn't it..." she said, her eyes once again fixed on Jin. "King Jin."
Jin raised an eyebrow. In that moment, he saw a glimpse of the woman she had been twenty or thirty years ago.
In her later years, Big Mom's body and mind were ravaged by her sugar addiction, her eating disorder, and her soul-sickness. By the time she fought Luffy, she was in a state of near-constant madness, a pirate in her twilight years. She'd even lost her memory.
But years ago, she hadn't been like that. She had been powerful, intelligent, and, though a woman, she had possessed a bold, almost heroic spirit.
Now, he was seeing a shadow of that younger self.
He didn't know why.
Maybe the "electrotherapy" had shocked her back to her senses.
Maybe his strength, his youth, had reminded her of the old days.
Or maybe, at this point in time, she hadn't yet descended so far into madness.
In any case, it wasn't a bad thing.
Big Mom wasn't enraged. She was even offering a way out, a chance to put this all behind them.
The host had extended an olive branch. If Jin were to throw it back in her face, he would be a poor guest indeed.
He smiled and took it. "That's right," he said. "It was... a very beneficial appetizer."
Huh??
Wha...???
The onlookers were dumbfounded.
Doflamingo pushed himself into a sitting position, wiping a smear of blood from his lips. Their words hit him, and his mind reeled.
'Fuck. Am I the fucking clown here?'
No. There was an even bigger clown, one who had no idea what was going on.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A pillar of fire erupted from the direction of the port.
Everyone looked over.
Ace, soaring through the air, had just unleashed a Fire Fist, blowing Tesoro's golden ship to smithereens.
When he had arrived, he had found Wyper, Raki, and Wilson fighting Tesoro's grunts. Jin had sent them a signal through their crests to intercept the ship and prevent them from returning to Gran Tesoro and causing any more trouble.
That was his property.
His money.
Ace's intentions were clear. At a time like this, he had to make a good impression, to curry favor before asking for help.
With their ship destroyed, and on Big Mom's territory, even Baccarat, with her Luck-Luck Fruit, couldn't escape.
"MAMAMAMA... Fire Fist Ace? All the guests have arrived! The Tea Party... has begun!" Big Mom laughed, delighted.
Her children who were seriously injured were taken to the doctors. The rest quickly directed the Homies to clean up the ruins, clearing a large open space.
A massive tablecloth was spread out. In the center was a giant cake, surrounded by all manner of delicacies, desserts, and fine wines.
The invited guests all sat on the ground. Jin did as well, feeling as if he were at a child's tea party.
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