In the Real World
"Katakuri!"
With a furious roar, Cracker leapt from his battleship, his long sword gleaming as he slashed down toward Lucas.
"Stop!"
Katakuri's pupils dilated, his Observation Haki flashing visions of the immediate future. But his warning shout came too late.
"Too slow!"
Lucas grinned, his fist tightening as he punched the air. A white halo enveloped his hand before exploding outward. The power of the Tremor Tremor Fruit shattered the air like cracked glass, sending an overwhelming shockwave barreling toward Cracker.
Crack!
Cracker's indestructible biscuit armor splintered like brittle glass under the force of Lucas's punch, and the man himself was sent reeling, his face paling from the impact.
"Damn it!" Cracker coughed, struggling to stand. "How could you hurt me like this? Unforgivable!"
Furious, Cracker clapped his hands together, activating his Biscuit-Biscuit Fruit ability. In an instant, massive, solid biscuit constructs emerged around him, quickly assembling into towering biscuit giants.
"Shashashasha…"Cracker laughed, his arrogance returning. "I don't care who you are—die in front of my endless army of cookies!"
Lucas watched Cracker's bravado with a mixture of amusement and pity.
With a disdainful sneer, Lucas lightly tapped his foot on the deck. The wooden planks shimmered as they turned into liquid gold, surging beneath the biscuit soldiers.
Before Cracker could react, the deck lurched upward, tossing the entire army of biscuit giants into the sea.
"Your biscuit soldiers are decent," Lucas said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "but they've got one big weakness—they're afraid of water."
He stepped forward, his smirk widening. "Of course, it doesn't matter if you know their weakness or not. Even if the conditions weren't perfect here, I'd still show you just how useless your biscuit soldiers really are."
Cracker stood there, dumbfounded, watching his seemingly invincible army float helplessly in the sea. His earlier confidence had completely evaporated.
Lucas chuckled. "Did you really think you could challenge a Pirate Emperor with a bunch of cookies?"
Lucas had numerous ways to deal with Cracker's biscuit army. His top-level swordsmanship, Armament Haki, and Devil Fruit Fruit abilities allowed him to brute-force through them with ease.
And if that wasn't enough, his Float Float Fruit ability could make the biscuit soldiers fly away like feathers. Even the Gold Gold Fruit ability could produce chains strong enough to pluck them out one by one.
"Cracker, enough!"
Katakuri's voice cut through the tension like a knife. His tone was low but authoritative, ordering his brother to stand down before he brought more humiliation upon himself—or worse, lost his life.
Lucas turned his gaze to Katakuri, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "What a good big brother. I have to say, I admire that."
With a casual flick of his wrist, Lucas extended an olive branch.
"How about it, Katakuri? Ever considered joining me?"
Katakuri didn't hesitate. "I'm a member of the Big Mom Pirates. I don't betray my crew."
Lucas raised an eyebrow, his grin widening. "Who said anything about betrayal? You can stay with the Big Mom Pirates and still work for me."
Katakuri frowned, his eyes narrowing. "What do you mean?"
Lucas stepped closer, lowering his voice slightly. "Bring the Big Mom Pirates under my banner. You'll still be part of your crew—just like how the Whitebeard Pirates operate under me."
Katakuri's expression hardened. "Mom won't agree to that."
Lucas chuckled darkly. "Then let her die. What do you say?"
He leaned in, his voice dropping to a near whisper. "She's a madwoman, Katakuri. You can't tell me you have any real feelings for her. Sure, she's your mother, but has she ever treated you like her child? In her eyes, you're nothing more than a tool."
Katakuri's jaw clenched, his face darkening, but he said nothing.
Lucas pressed on. "From what I've heard, even you, her biological son, aren't safe from her hunger. She's eaten her own children for less. And don't get me started on how many of her kids she's killed just for disappointing her."
Katakuri's face grew even darker, but he remained silent.
Lucas tilted his head, his eyes gleaming with interest. "You're a good brother, Katakuri. You love your younger siblings. So tell me—when you see your beloved siblings at risk of being killed by your crazy mother, don't you feel… anything?"
"Lucas, shut up!"
Cracker snapped, his face red with rage.
Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
Without warning, Lucas unleashed a burst of his Conqueror's Haki. The overwhelming force slammed into Cracker's spirit, causing him to scream in agony as he collapsed to the ground.
"Wait! Spare him!" Katakuri shouted, stepping forward.
Lucas withdrew his Haki, his grin returning. "You didn't stand up to Charlotte Linlin because you didn't have the power. You needed her protection."
Lucas's voice softened, but the weight of his words grew heavier.
"But now? You have the strength to protect your family. You can fight her. You don't need to live under her shadow anymore."
Katakuri stood still, his mind racing. Cracker groaned on the ground, his face twisted in pain. The rest of the Big Mom Pirates watched in stunned silence, too afraid to intervene.
Minutes passed.
Finally, Lucas broke the silence with a laugh. "Well! Since you're having a hard time deciding, let me help you."
He stepped closer, his grin widening.
"Give Charlotte Linlin a call. Let's have a little chat—and I'll show you her true face."
Katakuri hesitated for a moment. But as a captive, he knew he had little choice. Reluctantly, he pulled out the Den Den Mushi and began dialing.
The Den Den Mushi connected quickly, and the unmistakable, wild laughter of Charlotte Linlin—better known as Big Mom—rang out.
"Mamamama! Katakuri, is the plan going well?" Her voice was high-pitched, gleeful.
But instead of Katakuri's response, a different voice answered.
Lucas took the Den Den Mushi with a casual grin and said smoothly, "The plan didn't go well. In fact, all your men have been captured by me."
There was a pause on the other end, followed by a cold, calculating tone. "Lucas? You should be at the front of the New World. Why did you suddenly come back?"
Lucas chuckled, his tone mocking. "Old woman, you didn't expect this, huh? I've got the ability to teleport. Distance isn't a problem for me anymore."
Charlotte Linlin let out a weird cackle. "Really? So you've gained another ability? At this rate, no one will be able to stop you!"
Lucas snorted, his tone turning sharp. "Cut the nonsense. You took advantage of my absence and sent people to invade my territory. What's the deal? If you don't give me a satisfactory explanation, I'll kill your men right now. And then, I'll come to Whole Cake Island to finish you off."
There was a brief silence, then Big Mom's voice dropped into a furious growl.
"Are you threatening me?!" she roared. "Come here if you dare! Mama not afraid of a fight! Besides, the World Government and Marine will help me out. They'll definitely destroy you!"
Lucas burst into laughter. "You? Fighting me with Marine's help? You do realize how ridiculous that sounds for a Pirate Emperor, right?"
Charlotte Linlin laughed, completely unashamed. "Well, well! What of it? I'm just a weak woman—I don't care what anyone thinks. Now that you've got Kaido of the Beasts, if I fall too, do you really think the World Government and Marine will pass up the chance to invade the New World?"
Lucas's eyes glinted with interest. "So, what exactly are you proposing?"
Big Mom's voice turned shameless. "In my opinion, let's just drop it. You didn't lose anything anyway. Just give me back my men, and we'll call it even."
Lucas snorted, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, you think that's a good deal? You invaded my territory without cause, and I'm supposed to just let it go? If I don't teach you a lesson, where's my dignity?"
Charlotte Linlin's voice spiked in anger. "You were the one who provoked me first! Didn't you take The Fish-Men Island from me? You're the one who started this!"
Lucas paused for a second.
Huh… She's got a point.
In the Chat Group
Pirate King Roger couldn't help but snicker.
Pirate King Roger: "Lucas, seems like you're the one in the wrong this time!"
Ding!
Pirate King Roger has been muted for ten minutes.
Lucas: "It doesn't matter who's right or wrong. I mean, who in this world doesn't have a bit of a double standard? Traitors can't tolerate betrayal, and liars hate being lied to. Roger, don't you think so? Doesn't everyone think so?"
The chat group fell into silence.
Lucas smiled in satisfaction.
Lucas: "See? No one's saying anything, which means you all agree with me. And besides, someone like Roger, who started the Great Pirate Era, has been deprived of the right to even talk about right or wrong. Can you believe a word he says? Of course not!"
He continued, his voice growing more confident.
Lucas: "Let's talk about the real issue! The relationship between Big Mom and The Fish-Men Island was inherently unfair. I'm the light of hope for this world. How could I ever be compared to a scumbag like her?"
The group remained silent, though some of them exchanged hesitant glances in the background.
But Lucas wasn't finished yet. He took on the tone of a political commissar, determined to re-educate his group members. After a bit of ideological pep talk, the group soon relented and reluctantly admitted that Lucas was right.
Golden Lion Shiki, eager to change the topic, asked,
Golden Lion Shiki: "Alright, group leader, why are you trying to recruit Katakuri?"
Lucas: "Because you guys aren't strong enough."
The group bristled at his words. What did their strength have to do with this? After all, there weren't many weaklings in this chat group.
Even Fisher Tiger and Fire Fist Ace, who ranked near the bottom of the group, would be considered Seven Warlords of the Sea level in the wider world.
Lucas: "When facing the World Government, the strength you've given me so far isn't enough."
Whitebeard grumbled,
Whitebeard: "What do you mean? The largest armed force under the World Government is Marine. You're telling me that Marine alone is enough to make you nervous?"
Golden Lion Shiki interjected,
Golden Lion Shiki: "It's not just Marine. The Cipher Pols under the World Government are powerful too. For all we know, there might be agents inside Lucas's forces right now."
Gold Thief Woonan added thoughtfully,
Gold Thief Woonan: "I've had plenty of run-ins with the World Government's agents. Some of them are as strong as Marine Admirals. They're the sharpest spear and strongest shield of the Celestial Dragons."
Woonan, who controlled nearly a third of the world's gold, had more dealings with the World Government than most pirates. They had often tried to seize his wealth, sending agents to trouble him at every opportunity.
Sword God Ryuma: "If that's the case, the World Government's power is truly terrifying. Just counting the ones we know about, they've got more Emperor-level fighters than I can count on one hand."
Lucas: "Not just five fingers—maybe even ten. Sure, the abilities you've given me have made me much stronger, but even with ten times more, it still wouldn't be enough."
Golden Lion Shiki: "That's why you need more strong men."
Lucas: "Powerful subordinates are important, but they're not the most important. What I really need is a stronger chat group member! If we can bring in specialized powerhouses, then what's the World Government going to do? Nothing."
==============================================
Support me at [email protected]/goldengaruda and check out more chapter of this FANFIC or more early access chapter of my other fanfic translation.
==============================================