Sakazuki continued speaking, "When Wapol dies, as the only remaining heir, Musshuru, who was exiled to the Land of Fire, will surely be brought back to inherit the throne. In this endless sea, people disappearing is perfectly normal. Such an ability will be very useful in the future."
A smile crept onto his lips as he stared toward the direction of the Three Emperors of the New World.
Carlo felt the air around them grow colder. "Did you just come up with another cruel idea, Admiral?"
Sakazuki's tone turned faint. "Not exactly a cruel idea. I just want those pieces of trash to experience what despair really means."
Carlo paused at that. "Despair, huh... But with their personalities, could they really ever feel despair?"
Those pirate emperors... even Big Mom, who has the most children, probably wouldn't grieve if a few of them died. Sometimes, she killed them herself. As for those without family bonds, there was nothing to say at all.
Sakazuki chuckled softly. "Of course they can feel it. Everyone has a weakness. Those so-called emperors are only seen as invincible because their immense power hides those flaws. But... is that really the case?"
Crash!
He pulled out a map and laid it flat on the table. "Take a look. Do you know where this is?"
Carlo leaned in. "That's the territory of one of the Three Emperors, Big Mom. Whole Cake Island."
Sakazuki gave a nod. "See this ring of islands surrounding Whole Cake Island? Together they form a kingdom, Totto Land, the Total of All Lands. Do you see anything special?"
Carlo thought for a moment and guessed. "A huge kingdom?"
"Correct," Sakazuki said. "But the size of the kingdom is only the foundation. You probably don't know what her true dream is."
Carlo nodded. Indeed, he didn't.
Sakazuki let out a faint chuckle. Others might not know, but he did. "Big Mom's dream is to create a nation where all races in the world, regardless of status, can live together as equals. She wants all races to become 'family,' to grow as large as she is and sit around the same table. That's why it's called Totto Land, the Total of All Lands. A beautiful and noble dream, isn't it?"
Carlo's mouth twitched at that.
Sakazuki went on, "She welcomes anyone who wishes to join Totto Land. Once you join, you're protected no matter who you are. All she asks is that every six months, you offer a portion of your lifespan and some tribute. Fail to do so, and you're destroyed. Such a wonderful place. Would you want to go?"
Carlo hurriedly shook his head. "No, no..."
Sakazuki smiled faintly. "Don't dismiss it entirely. If someone were being hunted by powerful enemies, it wouldn't be a bad place to hide. Under the protection of an Emperor like Big Mom, you can at least survive."
He pressed his hand down on the map. "Totto Land represents her dream and her life's work. Ten years from now, if we drop a spore bomb there and stir it with a bit of wind-based power, it would sweep across the whole country. Except for a few of her children and high-ranking officers, everyone else there would die. Tell me, when that happens, do you think Big Mom will go mad?"
Carlo sucked in a sharp breath. "She'd probably go insane with hatred for you... This is... too ruthless."
Sakazuki narrowed his eyes. "Ruthless? Only then will she learn what pain truly is. These sea-dwelling parasites keep shouting about destruction, war, and the world, as if it were a joke. They crush ordinary fighters with their overwhelming strength and think that's war."
"Do you know why they crave war?" he asked coldly. "It's because no one has ever shown them the true pain of it. No one has ever destroyed what they hold dear. But I will. I will make their dreams, their work, and everything they care about vanish. What good is great power then?
"Do you know why the Shroom-Shroom Fruit is called one of the most dangerous Devil Fruits? Because its spores drift with the wind. Yes, it has flaws, it fails in extreme heat, cold, and seawater, but once it spreads, anyone it touches dies violently within seconds. Even if she uses fire to cover Whole Cake Island, she could never protect the hundreds of miles of sea or the dozens of islands around it.
"I'll make her watch as the kingdom she built over decades crumbles. I'll make everything she has disappear into smoke. The Three-Eyed Tribe, the Poneglyphs, all erased. Her foolish dream of becoming the Pirate King, buried in the sea.
"I'll drive her to madness, make her realize that her life's work amounted to nothing. Then there's Steam Knox, Kaido of the Beasts, and even Red-Haired Shanks, who's close to becoming the new Emperor. They all have something they care about. People just haven't noticed it yet.
"One by one, I'll destroy them all... in the cruelest way possible."
* * *
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
At the Marine Academy, two figures with purple hair moved rapidly across the training grounds.
The younger one, Soter, watched as Zephyr rushed forward. He lifted slightly off the ground and shot backward, his hands drawing up the earth around him. The soil surged upward, wrapping around his arms, compressing tighter and tighter until it formed massive lion-headed gauntlets.
Though hastily formed, each weighed nearly half a ton. Yet to Soter, it felt weightless. His fists, coated with Armament Haki, struck forward again and again.
The two fought with mirrored rhythm, neither able to break through.
Gradually, sweat began to bead on Zephyr's forehead. Age was catching up to him. The wounds from the Battle of Sgri had never fully healed, and years of teaching had dulled his edge.
In the past, he could suppress Soter with experience alone. But ever since the young man ate his Devil Fruit and trained under him, the tables had begun to turn.
Seeing the sweat on his father's forehead, Soter hesitated for a moment.
Zephyr smirked and suddenly lunged.
Soter barely reacted in time to block.
Boom!
A deafening sound echoed as both men staggered back several steps before stopping.
Soter glanced at the shattered stone armor on his arm and chuckled. "So close. I lost again."
Zephyr exhaled and scolded him. "No, you won. Hasn't anyone told you you're a terrible actor? You were pretending to drift off on purpose. Brat, I'm not that old yet. I don't need you to go easy on me."
Soter scratched his head and grinned sheepishly. Zephyr couldn't help but smile too.
He really had grown up…
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