A massive storm was beginning to form around the Whitebeard Pirates.
Some of it was the result of deliberate schemes, while some of it arose naturally from circumstances beyond anyone's control. Even Teach and the Nightfall Pirates had not predicted every development. The Whitebeard Pirates' immense influence, coupled with their enormous territorial holdings, had made them a target for countless ambitious forces.
The Whitebeard Pirates controlled over a thousand islands stretching from the central New World deep into its latter half.
That number was more than double the territory controlled by the Nightfall Pirates.
And that did not even include the islands Whitebeard had claimed in the Chaos Sea, territories once belonging to the two fallen overlords, Silver Axe and Wang Zhi.
Each of those former overlords had ruled roughly three hundred islands.
Together, those domains formed much of what was now known as the Chaos Sea.
Such an enormous piece of territory was simply too tempting.
The moment weakness appeared, predators emerged from every direction. The secret information spread by the Nightfall Pirates had only intensified the situation.
While the Big Mom Pirates remained relatively stable, both the Whitebeard Pirates and Wano Country had become the center of worldwide attention.
The Whitebeard Pirates were sinking deeper into a coming war, creating opportunities for countless opportunists.
Meanwhile, Wano Country possessed two Road Poneglyphs.
That alone was enough to attract endless greed.
On Whole Cake Island, deep beneath Whole Cake Chateau, lay the heavily guarded treasury of the Big Mom Pirates.
For months, Charlotte Linlin had spent nearly all of her time there.
The effort had even caused her once-plump figure to slim down noticeably.
Yet Big Mom herself had never been happier.
"Mama! Mama! MAMA!"
Her booming laughter echoed through the vault.
"It's finally done! Hahaha! Now I don't have to worry anymore. My fourth Homie, Kasheus!"
She spread her arms wide as countless Homies surrounding her burst into joyous songs. The entire treasury erupted into celebration.
Charlotte Linlin had finally completed the process.
The power of the Soul-Soul Fruit had been fully infused into the red Road Poneglyph. The senior officers standing guard nearby also smiled with excitement.
To outsiders, the Big Mom Pirates' halt in expansion appeared to be a defensive response against potential thieves seeking the Road Poneglyph.
In reality, they had been focused on something far more important.
Ever since Katakuri proposed the idea months ago, Big Mom had devoted herself to a single goal:
Transforming the Road Poneglyph into a Homie.
The Road Poneglyph's material was extraordinarily special.
Its near-indestructible nature made it a perfect vessel.
Yet for reasons even Big Mom did not fully understand, converting it proved remarkably difficult.
The Soul-Soul Fruit could influence it, but only slowly.
The process advanced like an agonizingly slow progress bar.
Even someone as powerful as Big Mom required several months to complete the transformation.
Now, at last, it was finished.
Under everyone's watchful gaze, eyes suddenly appeared on the crimson stone.
A mouth followed.
The Road Poneglyph opened its eyes.
"Mama! Mama!"
A cheerful voice rang out as the newly born Homie looked affectionately toward its creator.
A Homie born from a Road Poneglyph had officially come into existence.
"Mama, mama!"
Big Mom laughed excitedly.
"Kasheus, come here! Show everyone what you can do!"
This was her fourth exclusive Homie.
And unlike ordinary Homies, she could already sense that Kasheus possessed extraordinary abilities.
"Okay, Mama!"
Kasheus responded eagerly.
The next instant, the entire treasury shook violently.
The ground rolled upward like a giant tidal wave.
Katakuri and the others immediately retreated to avoid being caught in the disturbance.
It was obvious from a single glance.
Kasheus possessed authority over the earth itself.
Not only stone, but soil as well.
The ability was remarkably similar to that of the CP0 powerhouse who had fought alongside Dragon during the Golden Sea War.
The tremors eventually subsided.
The floor settled.
But Kasheus was not finished.
Its body began to change.
The square Road Poneglyph slowly compressed.
Its enormous stone structure flattened and reshaped itself.
Before everyone's eyes, it transformed into a crimson cloak. The cloak floated through the air before gently settling onto Big Mom's shoulders.
Though it appeared elegant, the material was thick and dense, roughly five millimeters thick.
Everyone knew how impossibly heavy a Road Poneglyph was.
Yet Big Mom looked surprised.
The cloak felt weightless.
Curious, she grabbed one side and examined it.
It fit perfectly.
"What's going on, Kasheus?" Big Mom asked.
Kasheus immediately replied.
"Mama, I am Earth Kasheus. I control the power of the earth."
"I can manipulate rock and soil, create them, and even control a portion of gravity."
"I can fly by controlling gravity, and when I'm attached to Mama, I can completely eliminate my own weight."
"I can also protect Mama at any time and ensure that no one harms you."
The answer delighted everyone present.
Then, without warning, a tremendous pressure descended upon the room.
Many people felt their bodies suddenly grow heavier.
The floor beneath them sank noticeably.
Gravity.
Kasheus truly possessed gravity-related abilities.
"Mama, mama! I'm very satisfied!"
Big Mom laughed loudly.
"That brat Teach can do something similar, and so can that blind swordsman."
"Yes, Mama."
Katakuri nodded.
"Dark Emperor's gravity abilities likely come from an advanced application of his Devil Fruit, while that blind swordsman possesses the Paramecia-type Gravity-Gravity Fruit."
"Good."
Big Mom grinned.
"Then let's test Kasheus's defense."
She pointed toward Katakuri.
"Attack me."
"Mama!"
Cracker and several others immediately panicked.
Attacking Big Mom?
Even if she ordered it, they still found the idea terrifying.
Their fear of her ran deeper than their respect.
Katakuri, however, stepped forward without hesitation.
This was Mama's command.
Besides, he had complete confidence in her durability.
They were merely testing Kasheus.
Big Mom herself was known as the Iron Balloon.
Ordinary attacks could not harm her.
Without wasting time, Katakuri moved.
His fist became coated in Armament Haki.
In an instant, he appeared directly before Big Mom and threw a punch.
A crimson blur flashed.
Kasheus reacted immediately.
The cloak behind Big Mom expanded outward like a giant shield.
Boom!
Katakuri's punch landed.
Yet Kasheus did not move even slightly.
The attack was completely absorbed.
"Heh heh."
Kasheus grinned proudly.
"I won't let anyone hurt Mama."
Katakuri narrowed his eyes.
The previous strike had already contained roughly half of his strength.
Seeing the result, he immediately became serious.
Ryuo flowed through his arm.
The power of his next punch increased several times over.
Yet the outcome remained unchanged.
Kasheus blocked it effortlessly.
The Road Poneglyph's indestructible nature had been inherited completely.
"Mama."
Katakuri stepped back.
"I'm going to use a penetrating attack."
"Go ahead."
Big Mom remained completely unconcerned.
With Katakuri's current level, injuring her was still extremely difficult. Unless he mastered Internal Destruction at a much deeper level. Or advanced to Conqueror's Haki infusion.
"Mochi Thrust!"
Katakuri launched his strongest attack.
His arm transformed into spiraling mochi.
His trident was enveloped within it.
The weapon accelerated rapidly before erupting forward like a drill.
The attack struck Kasheus directly.
A sharp screech echoed through the treasury as tremendous force poured into the crimson cloak.
Yet nothing happened.
Not even a scratch appeared.
The World Government itself could not destroy a Poneglyph.
Naturally, Katakuri could not either.
In a sense, the combination of Big Mom's Soul-Soul Fruit and the Road Poneglyph's indestructible material had created a miracle.
Even after using everything available to him, Katakuri failed to damage Kasheus in the slightest.
The result was obvious.
Kasheus possessed terrifying defensive power.
"Mama."
Katakuri lowered his weapon.
"Kasheus's defense can practically be called invincible."
"It has inherited the indestructibility of the Road Poneglyph."
He paused.
"However, it may have one weakness."
Big Mom looked at him.
"The Kozuki Clan."
Katakuri's expression became serious.
"They are capable of carving words into Poneglyphs. If anyone possesses a method to damage Kasheus, it would most likely be them."
The observation immediately caught everyone's attention.
At the same time, Katakuri proposed another idea.
"The best solution would be preventing others from learning that Kasheus is the transformed Road Poneglyph."
"If possible, we could even spread rumors that the Road Poneglyph was stolen."
Big Mom's expression darkened instantly.
"Stolen?"
She glared at him.
"Where would my dignity be if people believed that?"
As one of the Four Emperors, even pretending that such an important treasure had been stolen was unacceptable.
Katakuri was unsurprised by the response.
"Then we'll proceed with the second option."
"We create a fake Road Poneglyph."
"Good."
Big Mom nodded approvingly.
"Let's do that."
Finally came the most important question.
Could Kasheus read Poneglyphs?
Exclusive Homies possessed independent consciousness.
Their personalities were influenced not only by Big Mom's soul fragments but also by the nature of the vessel from which they were born.
When creating Kasheus, Big Mom had intentionally embedded the concept of deciphering Poneglyphs into its consciousness.
Now came the answer.
"Mama."
Kasheus sounded slightly disappointed.
"I can read Poneglyphs."
Big Mom's eyes lit up.
"But..."
Kasheus continued.
"I can only read the text carved onto my own body."
As he spoke, ancient characters appeared briefly across the crimson cloak before disappearing again.
Big Mom stared for a moment before bursting into laughter.
"Mama, mama!"
"My precious Kasheus!"
"This is already excellent."
Though it wasn't the ideal result, everyone present was satisfied.
Only by locating other Poneglyphs could the remaining pieces be deciphered.
At the very least, Kasheus now permanently preserved the contents of the Road Poneglyph within himself.
No one asked him to reveal those contents.
Everyone understood why.
A single Road Poneglyph was meaningless on its own.
Only all four together could reveal the path to Laugh Tale.
As preparations for war between the Nightfall Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates accelerated, the Beast Pirates also began gathering their forces.
The scent of war had become impossible to ignore.
The Whitebeard Pirates were steadily draining manpower from their own territories.
As a result, their defensive capabilities weakened dramatically.
Across the Chaos Sea, countless pirate crews intensified their attacks.
Maintaining control over such vast territories had always been difficult.
Now it was becoming nearly impossible.
Pressure mounted from every direction.
Battles erupted constantly.
Meanwhile, the Golden Lion Pirates had largely withdrawn from direct involvement.
The Sky Kingdom provided a naturally secure environment.
Its elevated position made defense easier, allowing Shiki's forces to hold their territories while still competing for additional gains.
Shiki himself rarely needed to act.
Compared to Whitebeard, his situation was remarkably comfortable.
Whitebeard, however, was trapped.
Every day brought another battle.
Whenever he personally arrived somewhere, enemy pirates scattered.
The moment he left, they returned.
It was like an endless game of whack-a-mole.
No matter how many times Whitebeard drove them away, they always came back.
The entire Whitebeard Pirates organization was becoming exhausted. Someone like Shiki could leave the Chaos Sea for long periods.
Whitebeard could not.
The moment he departed, at least half of his holdings there would likely be lost.
The profits involved were simply too enormous.
These islands were rich in minerals, resources, and trade routes.
Many generated wealth several times greater than ordinary islands.
Following the collapse of Rocks D. Xebec's crew, John, Silver Axe, and Wang Zhi had been the first to establish dominance over these valuable regions.
Even Golden Lion Shiki had once avoided confronting them directly.
The wealth concentrated there was extraordinary.
Because of this, even under pressure from both the Nightfall Pirates and the Beast Pirates, the Whitebeard Pirates remained unwilling to abandon the Chaos Sea.
The risks were immense.
The burden was crushing.
Yet the rewards were simply too valuable to surrender.