"That's the Vinsmoke Family, Germa 66!" a gasp erupted from the crowd, drawing everyone's attention.
Approaching the venue was a line of five people. Each one possessed a sharp, imposing aura and an unmistakable noble bearing.
Germa 66! The Evil Army!
The impending political marriage between the Vinsmoke Family and the Yonko Big Mom was no longer a secret to these high-profile guests. It was one of the primary attractions of today's Tea Party. The other highly anticipated event was the opening of the Tamatebako—the fish-man race's legendary treasure chest, passed down for centuries.
Everyone was looking forward to it immensely.
Furthermore, a few dark rumors had been circulating among the underworld emperors. This wedding was highly unlikely to be a simple, standard alliance. The Vinsmoke Family... is probably walking into a death trap today.
"Hmm?" The patriarch of Germa, Judge—Sanji's biological father—furrowed his brow as he looked at the group blocking his path.
Standing directly in front of him was Capone Bege.
The members of the Fire Tank Pirates intercepted them smoothly. "According to the rules, no weapons or combat gear are permitted at Mama's Tea Party. Therefore..."
The rest of the sentence went unsaid, but the implication was crystal clear.
The other guests were already accustomed to this protocol; everyone who arrived before them had proactively surrendered their sidearms and hidden weapons upon entering. Judge initially wanted to voice his dissatisfaction, but the moment his eyes met Katakuri's completely emotionless glare, he swallowed his complaints.
Reflecting on the fact that after this ceremony, he would officially become a relative of the Yonko Big Mom and gain the military backing of an Emperor, Judge smiled warmly. He offered a subtle hand signal to Reiju, Ichiji, and the others behind him.
The five of them proceeded to hand over their personal weapons to Bege's men, which naturally included their Raid Suit activation canisters.
Watching this happen, Reiju's heart sank straight to the bottom. Stripped of their Raid Suits, they possessed absolutely zero mathematical capability to resist. But perhaps this is for the best, she thought bitterly. Germa should be erased from existence to balance the ledger for our past atrocities.
Accepting her fate, Reiju resigned herself to the fact that they would all vanish together today.
With Germa's entry, the marriage ceremony officially commenced. However, a profound wave of confusion began to spread among the guests. The curtains had risen on the wedding, yet Big Mom—the ruler of this domain—had still not made an appearance!
This variable invited deep, anxious contemplation.
"Katakuri, is there still no word from Mama?" Perospero, the eldest son, walked over to Katakuri's side, his exceptionally long tongue flickering as he spoke.
"None."
Katakuri's expression was incredibly grim, though his massive scarf obscured the lower half of his face, preventing anyone from reading his features. A Tea Party without the Emperor was structurally impossible to sustain.
"Katakuri! Why hasn't Big Mom shown her face yet? Keeping your guests waiting indefinitely like this doesn't make much sense, does it?" Finally, someone mustered the audacity to voice the question aloud.
The crowd looked over and recognized the speaker: the King of Loan Sharks, Du Feld.
He was a rather prominent figure in the underworld, draped in a luxurious violet-blue fur coat with a thick cigar clamped between his teeth. His demeanor was undeniably wealthy, though heavily laced with a thug-like arrogance.
While everyone harbored the exact same confusion, no one else possessed the spinal fortitude to speak up. The bird that sticks its head out gets shot first. Although they secretly viewed Du Feld as an idiot, they were internally grateful for his sacrifice. His willingness to throw himself into the line of fire to secure data for the collective was highly appreciated.
In an instant, every eye in the venue locked onto Katakuri.
Bege stood among the crowd, his face an unreadable mask. His intelligence network had confirmed that Big Mom had not returned to her private chambers since last night. If the target of the assassination plot was entirely missing from the sector, how the hell was he supposed to execute the plan?
He had meticulously engineered this conspiracy for an entire year. To have it neutralized by such a bizarre, theatrical twist of fate... How am I supposed to accept this outcome?
Meanwhile, in the staging area behind the altar, the bride and groom were preparing for their grand entry... Well, Sanji wasn't exactly preparing. Due to his extreme psychological agitation, he was currently experiencing a massive, comedic nosebleed that left him teetering on the edge of needing emergency medical intervention.
Facing the barrage of demanding stares, Katakuri's brow furrowed deeply. He raised his massive trident, the Mogura, and slammed it violently into the stone floor.
BOOM!
The concussive impact startled the entire venue, including Bege.
Previously, Bege had harbored zero belief in the rumor that Big Mom had been caged by an intruder. But seeing Katakuri's defensive, agitated reaction, the validity of the data was officially verified.
Though thoroughly stunned, Bege chose to accept the mathematical reality. His curiosity regarding Luffy's older brother spiked to an unprecedented high. His gaze flicked to the newspaper tucked into his coat—a comprehensive dossier containing every available report on Drake.
The moment the hypothesis of Big Mom being trapped by Drake entered his calculations, he had ordered his men to aggregate all data on the man. He had only managed to skim the sheets briefly before the event, but now he wanted a full breakdown.
He held a distinct impression of Drake.
Two years ago, during the Paramount War, Drake had suddenly materialized alongside Sabo of the Revolutionary Army under the banner of brotherhood, joining the Straw Hat kid to rescue the captured Fire Fist Ace. From that day forth, the world had branded them the Legendary Four Brothers. The event was common knowledge across the globe.
Yet, actionable intelligence on Drake was exceptionally sparse. Among the four siblings, he appeared to have emerged entirely out of a void.
With the recent news of Ace ascending to the position of a Yonko, the reputation of these four brothers had sent a tremor of pure terror through the global architecture. To any rational strategist, the collective threat of these four siblings far outweighed that of a conventional Emperor's crew. The future of the seas was bound to be chaotic.
Bege felt a cold sweat break out across his back. Operating on the front lines of life and death for years had sharpened his instincts; launching an offensive against Luffy's crew under these parameters carried consequences he simply could not survive.
"Mama is currently finalizing a few administrative preparations. The wedding ceremony commences now!" Katakuri commanded, a sharp flash of crimson light erupting within his eyes.
"Y-Yes, sir! Bring forth the bride and groom...!" the homie master of ceremonies bellowed.
The wedding proceeded along its intended trajectory, but the undercurrents among the guests shifted significantly. Big Mom's children maintained their poised, unreadable facades, but internally, their anxiety was mounting.
They knew with absolute certainty that Mama was not coming!
This meant they were about to face a synchronized assault from the Straw Hat Pirates and that mysterious spatial master entirely on their own. Regardless of the variables, they had to stick to the original plan: survive the incoming infiltration, systematically massacre the Vinsmoke Family, and secure Germa's technological assets.
It was an extreme challenge, but they were the Big Mom Pirates—an Emperor's crew!
Moments later, a pristine white cloud floated gracefully down from the upper tiers of the chateau. Seated atop it were today's betrothed couple, Sanji and Pudding.
I can't believe this bastard possesses this caliber of acting technique, Bege thought, watching Sanji put on a masterclass of a goofy, blissfully happy smile.
The moment their feet touched the raised altar, the eyes of every faction locked onto them.
The operational blueprints for both sides were engineered to trigger the exact microsecond Pudding pulled the trigger. The critical difference was... Bege and Luffy's coalition currently lacked a primary target.
Up to this exact moment, there was still no sign of Big Mom.