Meanwhile, inside the treasure vault.
A flash of cold steel cut through the dim light. Brook smoothly sheathed his blade, and the final guard collapsed to the floor with a dull thud.
Outside, a sudden volley of heavy pounding began to rattle the door. However, because the vault's entrance was specially reinforced, unlocking it from the inside meant those on the outside would find it nearly impossible to force open.
"Guard corps! Is anyone still alive? Respond if you can hear me," Charlotte Smoothie, one of the three Sweet Commanders, demanded as she knocked firmly against the metal.
By now, countless soldiers had completely surrounded the perimeter of the treasury. The dragnet was so tight that even a fly with an extra pair of wings couldn't hope to escape.
After calling out several times without receiving a single reply, the expressions of those outside darkened. It was blatantly obvious that the guards within had been completely neutralized.
Stomp!
Stomp!
Stomp!
The ground began to vibrate to a heavy, rhythmic cadence. Moments later, the titanic figure of Big Mom materialized before the gathered crowd.
"Mama, I can handle things here. Why did you come all this way yourself?" Smoothie asked, stepping forward as Big Mom approached.
"Move aside, Smoothie!" Big Mom growled, slamming her massive palm directly against the reinforced door.
With a sudden burst of overwhelming force, the reinforced entrance shattered into a million jagged pieces, obliterated instantly.
Rumble...
"Mama... Mamamama! Who is the arrogant bastard that keeps ruining my fun!? Eh!?"
Inside the shattered room, Brook's skeletal frame went completely rigid. He turned around with agonizing slowness.
A Yonko! BIG MOM!!
I can't believe the Emperor herself came...
Not long after Big Mom entered the vault, a messenger rushed to the scene with a piece of intelligence so shocking it practically left the onlookers with their jaws on the floor.
"What did you say!? The Army of Rage has been utterly decimated!?" Smoothie barked, hoisting the intelligence officer into the air by his collar.
"Y-yes, Lady Smoothie! The scribe, Lord Mond'Or, was severely wounded but managed to drag himself back to the chateau! Furthermore..." The messenger froze, suddenly hesitating to speak.
Smoothie's face twisted into a grim mask, her voice dropping to a freezing edge. "Speak!"
"Yes! They say one of the Straw Hat kid's older brothers has arrived on the island!"
"An older brother of the Straw Hat? Which one?"
"Lady Smoothie, please look at this." The messenger frantically pulled two separate newspapers from his uniform.
The first newspaper was a report detailing the Paramount War from two years ago, a historic event that had made the Legendary Four Brothers famous across the world. Smoothie's eyes swept across the print, her expression souring. But when she glanced at the second newspaper, she froze in absolute astonishment.
"Are the reports on this true?"
"Yes! We just received distress signals from the three islands we had seized from the Whitebeard Pirates. Well, we actually received them moments ago."
"By now, those territories have likely been completely overrun by the new Yonko, Flame Emperor Ace."
The second newspaper detailed Ace's ascension to the throne of the Four Emperors, describing how he was leading the Whitebeard Pirates with absolute dominance to reclaim their lost territories. Under normal circumstances, this information would have been delivered to Big Mom immediately. But upon learning that the Emperor had personally gone to the treasury, the messenger had brought it straight to the vault.
This was a headline that shook the entire world!
Most critical of all, the primary enemy currently wreaking havoc on their Whole Cake Island was the younger brother of that very same newly crowned Emperor!
A decision of this magnitude had to be made immediately, and only Big Mom possessed the authority to make it. Whether they should continue their campaign to eliminate the Straw Hat Pirates or attempt to forge an alliance to stay in the good graces of the new Yonko... Whichever path they chose, Big Mom had to be informed of this massive development right away.
"You just said an older brother of the Straw Hat kid arrived. Which one is it? It's not the Flame Emperor himself, is it?" Smoothie urgently pressed.
She had finally realized the gravity of the situation. Not a single one of the Straw Hat's brothers was an ordinary man. If the newly crowned Yonko had personally descended upon their territory, the situation would spiral entirely out of control.
"It's not the Flame Emperor, it's the other one named Drake," the subordinate answered quickly.
Hearing that it wasn't Ace, Smoothie let out a subtle sigh of relief, though her anxious gaze drifted back toward the interior of the treasury. No one could have predicted that a mere rookie from the Worst Generation would exert such an immense amount of pressure on the Big Mom Pirates.
"I understand. Return to your post. I will report this to Mama myself."
Once the messenger departed, Smoothie's expression turned deeply troubled. Too many variables had escaped their control. Mama had been looking forward to tomorrow's wedding for a very long time. If she discovered that such a massive disaster had occurred on her doorstep, her fury would be catastrophic. If it truly reached that point, things would devolve past the point of no return.
Yet, deceiving Mama was entirely out of the question.
After deliberating for a long time, Smoothie decided to lead with the news of Ace becoming the new Yonko to gauge Big Mom's initial reaction.
A short while later, Brook—who had fought a desperate, agonizing battle to his absolute limit—finally fell into Big Mom's massive grasp.
Those who held the title of Yonko were not merely at the pinnacle of raw power; in the minds of the public, they had transcended human boundaries entirely. They could no longer be classified as human; "monsters" was the only term that truly defined them. Every established rule of common sense was utterly useless against them. Even though Brook had fought with everything he had, his blade couldn't leave so much as a scratch on Big Mom's skin.
It was a defensive capability that drove men to absolute despair.
In the outside world, Big Mom was widely feared as the "Iron Balloon," an entity invulnerable to conventional forms of damage.
Boom! Crash!
"Mamamama... Mamamama!"
Seeing the Emperor stride out of the ruined vault with a massive grin on her face, Smoothie hurried to intercept her.
"Mama, there is an urgent piece of intelligence you need to see." Smoothie held out the newspaper containing the report of Ace's ascension.
"Hmm? What is this?" Big Mom muttered in confusion, snatching the paper. As her eyes swept across the print, her expression shifted slightly.
"That bastard Blackbeard is actually dead?"
"Yes, Mama. The report is verified," Smoothie nodded.
"Mamamama... Flame Emperor Ace... what a grand title!" A sharp glint flared within Big Mom's eyes. A moment later, her gaze snapped down to Smoothie. "Is that Straw Hat brat dead yet?"
"Did the Army of Rage bring his corpse to me?"
"Uh..." Smoothie's body went completely rigid. She slowly pulled the freshly delivered battle report from her uniform.
Seeing Smoothie hesitate, Big Mom's brow furrowed, and she violently snatched the document from her hands.
The moment her eyes processed the contents of the report, her face turned dangerously dark. Her eyes flushed a violent, visible red, and the air around her began to solidify under a crushing pressure.
Clutched tightly in Big Mom's massive hand, Brook could feel the staggering waves of Conqueror's Haki radiating from her body. If anyone could see Brook's face right now, it would have been quite a sight. Unfortunately... he didn't have a face to show expressions with.
"An older brother of the Straw Hat kid has arrived!?" Big Mom barked, her glare locking onto Smoothie.
"Yes, Mama!"
Luffy's brother?
Brook blinked his nonexistent eyes, filled with immense curiosity and confusion.
Who could it be? Ace-san, or Sabo-san...
"Mamamama! Does Fire Fist Ace truly believe he can run rampant in my domain just because he became a Yonko!? This is my territory!"
BOOM!
With a thunderous stomp that shattered the ground beneath her, Big Mom prepared to storm out in a towering rage.
"Mama, wait!"