At that thought, Charlotte Katakuri's heart tightened.
He could not help wondering: if even Marco and Jozu had been no match for Lancelot, then would he himself be able to withstand Lancelot's attacks?
Could it be that Lancelot truly had the power to break through Mama's defenses?
Especially when he recalled that Lancelot had previously managed to break through Kaido's defenses as well, the unease in Katakuri's heart only grew stronger.
At that moment, Charlotte Amande suddenly spoke up with a view entirely different from the others.
There even seemed to be a trace of excitement in her voice that she could barely suppress.
"Whitebeard is dead. Ace is dead. Marco is dead. Even Jozu is dead! Of the five strongest fighters in the Whitebeard Pirates, only Vista remains, and he has already lost one arm. In that case, aren't the Whitebeard Pirates nothing more than fish on a chopping board now, ready for us to carve up however we please?"
Her words exploded among the crowd like a clap of thunder.
Everyone present froze as if they had been struck still.
Then, in the next instant, their eyes lit up.
And among all of them, the most excited one was undoubtedly Charlotte Linlin.
One had to know that she had coveted Whitebeard's territory for a very long time.
This was not some passing desire born overnight.
Unfortunately, she had always been wary of Whitebeard himself and the immense strength of the Whitebeard Pirates under his command, so she could only bury that desire deep in her heart, occasionally taking it out to fantasize about in the dead of night.
But now, at this very moment, it was as if the heavens themselves had favored her.
A perfect opportunity had suddenly appeared before her.
Her territory was called Totto Land, the "Nation of All."
But in truth, it was still a far cry from being a true nation of all races.
However, if she could take this chance to annex the Whitebeard Pirates' territory, then the day when her dream became a true "Totto Land" might no longer be far away.
The moment she thought of that, an indescribable excitement surged up in Charlotte Linlin's heart.
It was as though she could already see her territory expanding endlessly, until it finally became a true nation worthy of its name.
Charlotte Perospero showed a hint of worry on his face.
Frowning, he said, "But Mama, what are we supposed to tell Kaido? After all, we already promised him that we would attack G-5 together."
No sooner had he spoken than the originally excited crowd fell silent, as though a bucket of cold water had been poured over them.
Charlotte Linlin's brows also furrowed slightly.
But very quickly, her smile returned.
"Don't worry, my child. Kaido is a smart man. He knows what truly matters. Now that the Whitebeard Pirates have fallen apart, and Red Hair is no longer in the New World, this is an excellent opportunity for us.
"An opportunity like this comes once in a lifetime.
"There will absolutely never be another chance like it."
She paused for a moment before continuing, "We can join forces to seize the territories of both the Whitebeard Pirates and the Red Hair Pirates. That way, both of our forces will grow tremendously. By the time Red Hair returns with his crew, he may already be powerless to reverse the situation."
After hearing that, Charlotte Perospero nodded, fully agreeing with his mother's judgment.
"Mama is right. When the time comes, if the Red Hair Pirates want to take back their territory, they will have to face a joint assault from both us and Kaido.
"At that point, no matter how powerful Red Hair is, how could he possibly withstand both our forces at once?
"And if we lay the trap properly, it would already be impressive if he managed to escape with his life."
"Mama, Mama…"
After hearing this, Charlotte Linlin suddenly burst into her signature wild laughter.
The sound was deafening, as though the whole world could hear her joy.
Clearly, as far as she was concerned, everything had already been settled.
Because she had already made her decision.
...
At the same time, at the headquarters of the Beasts Pirates, Kaido and Queen—the only subordinate he currently had who could still be considered presentable—were gathered together.
Both of their expressions were extraordinarily grave, their eyes filled with shock that could not be hidden.
Queen secretly glanced at Kaido, inwardly exclaiming in astonishment.
'Whitebeard is actually dead! That Lancelot not only broke through Marco's ability, he even shattered Jozu's invincible defense.'
Previously, when Lancelot had been able to break through Kaido's defense and wound him in battle, Queen's evaluation of him had already risen to a whole new level.
But back then, it had still only been a vague assessment.
His strength was comparable to Kozuki Oden, the strongest man in Wano Country back then, and he naturally possessed the qualifications to stand against Kaido in battle.
After all, the first scar on Kaido's body had been left behind by Oden.
That scar was like a deep brand, forever carved into Kaido's flesh.
It had also given people an initial understanding of Oden's strength.
However, when Lancelot had stormed Onigashima to kill King and the other officers, Queen had finally begun to understand his personality more deeply.
Lancelot, this man draped in the banner of justice, was in truth someone who repaid every grievance.
He would never easily let go of anyone who offended him.
Taking all this information together, Queen had already formed an extremely clear judgment of Lancelot in his heart.
This was absolutely not someone who could be casually provoked.
And now, Queen's understanding of Lancelot's strength had deepened even further.
He realized that Lancelot did not merely possess a body stronger and more terrifying than Kaido's.
His strength and defensive ability had surpassed Kaido's in every aspect.
Even more shocking was the fact that Lancelot had actually developed his Zoan Devil Fruit power to the level of Awakening.
One had to know that even someone as powerful as Kaido had not yet reached that realm.
However, that was not the most important thing.
The most important thing was that Lancelot's offensive power had reached a truly frightening level—one that was absolutely above Kaido's.
This could be seen clearly from the war.
In his full-force clash against Whitebeard, Lancelot had actually managed to hold his ground without falling behind.
That alone was enough to prove how terrifying his attack power was.
Furthermore, he had been able to break through Marco's so-called immortal ability, which made people reassess his offensive strength entirely.
At least until now, no one else had ever managed to do such a thing.
Not even Whitebeard in his prime.
But Lancelot had done it.
The same could be seen from the way he had broken through Jozu's invincible defense.
Just like Marco's immortal ability, Jozu's defenses had never been broken by anyone before.
One could blast him away, or even smash him deep into the ground.
But leaving even a single wound on his body?
That was fundamentally impossible.
After all, diamond was the hardest natural substance.
Using scientific methods to cut or shatter it was one thing.
But smashing it apart with a fist was absolutely impossible.
Not even with Haki coating.
And yet, Lancelot had done it.
"Hoo…"
Queen took a deep breath.
At this thought, he had already made up his mind.
Then he opened his mouth and said, "Captain…"
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