These words struck Big Mom like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing her raging fury. Her entire body stiffened abruptly.
The fire in her eyes rapidly faded, replaced by a trace of barely perceptible apprehension.
The current strength of Shadow Garden was unfathomable, with each of its members capable of rivaling a Four Emperor. Her Big Mom Pirates were no match for them.
If a real war broke out, Whole Cake Island would be utterly destroyed.
After a brief stalemate, Big Mom forced a smile onto her face, her tone softening as she waved her hands repeatedly:
"Mamamama, a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding!
This child Katakuri is too reckless; he absolutely didn't mean to provoke. It was just an accident, nothing more than an accident!"
As she spoke, she was the first to withdraw her Conqueror's Haki, then turned to glare at Katakuri, scolding him harshly:
"Katakuri, have you lost your mind?
Mr. Fox is Mama's honored guest. How dare you attack him? Apologize to Mr. Fox at once!"
Katakuri's expression was complex, filled with helplessness.
He had only wanted to prevent a disaster, yet he had ended up making things worse.
Now, facing Big Mom's furious reprimand, he could only suppress the frustration in his heart and bow slightly to Fox:
"Mr. Fox, I apologize. I was reckless and meant no offense."
Seeing Katakuri apologize, Big Mom hurriedly condensed a shimmering white orb of light in her palm and offered it to Fox with both hands:
"Mr. Fox, it's all Mama's fault for failing to discipline properly. This hundred-year Life Span is my apology to you. Please don't take it to heart!"
Fox glanced at the orb, then at Big Mom's ingratiating smile. Without saying another word, he raised his hand and accepted the orb, tacitly agreeing to the reconciliation.
Although the potential conflict had been quelled, the atmosphere in the hall remained extremely strange.
Unconscious subordinates lay scattered across the floor, with spilled pastries and shattered wine glasses everywhere.
The few survivors either kept their heads down in silence or stole sidelong glances at Fox and Big Mom, none daring to speak easily.
The entire venue was filled with an indescribable sense of oppression and awkwardness.
Once the disturbance subsided, Big Mom quickly signaled her attendants to clean up the hall and personally poured Fox a glass of fine wine, speaking affectionately:
"Mr. Fox, I'm truly sorry about earlier. It was all Katakuri's recklessness that caused you distress."
Fox retracted the Stone Greatsword, which slowly sank into the ground and vanished.
He picked up the wine glass, took a small sip, his expression still calm:
"It's fine. Since it was an accident, let's not mention it again.
From now on, Shadow Garden and the Big Mom Pirates shall interact as friends—neither offending nor hindering each other, but helping one another."
Hearing this, Big Mom nodded in agreement:
"Good! We'll be the best of friends from now on!
With your word, Mr. Fox, if Shadow Garden ever needs anything in the future, Mama will certainly lend her full support!"
Though her words were warm, a hint of wariness remained hidden in her eyes.
With Shadow Garden's strength laid bare, maintaining a superficial peace with Fox was the best outcome for Whole Cake Island.
Fox gave a faint nod and said no more. His gaze seemed fixed on the fine wine before him, but his thoughts had already drifted far away.
He knew full well that after the farce just now, any thought of forming an alliance with the Big Mom Pirates could be completely abandoned.
Originally, he had considered that if the Big Mom Pirates showed enough sincerity, perhaps they could cooperate and support each other.
But Big Mom's outburst and subsequent compromise made it crystal clear to him.
This Four Emperor only cared about profit and strength. The reason she backed down today was merely out of fear of Shadow Garden's power, not out of any genuine desire for an alliance.
Avoiding a fight and preventing Shadow Garden from making an enemy of a Four Emperor-level force was already enough.
An alliance?
Utterly impossible.
Big Mom was capricious by nature. Aligning with her would only bring unnecessary constraints and could even drag them into unnecessary conflicts—more trouble than it was worth.
Fortunately, it was also unlikely that the Big Mom Pirates would ally with the World Government.
If Big Mom truly sided with the World Government, it would undoubtedly pose a major threat to Shadow Garden.
The World Government's influence was already immense, and with the support of a Four Emperor's crew, it would inevitably cause significant trouble for Shadow Garden in the future.
As things stood, this was the most ideal outcome.
As the Tea Party gradually drew to a close, Big Mom turned to Fox and probed:
"Mr. Fox, Mama has heard that your strength is extraordinary, that you are a true monster. How about letting Mama witness your true abilities?"
With that, she glanced at Katakuri beside her:
"Katakuri, you go and spar with Mr. Fox. Just a friendly match, nothing serious!"
Katakuri stiffened, his face filled with confusion.
Him, fight Fox?
Was this a joke?
The scene of their Conqueror's Haki clash was still vivid in his mind. He couldn't even withstand the other's aura, let alone face him head-on.
But he couldn't refuse his mother's order. Suppressing the bitterness in his heart, he stepped forward reluctantly:
"Mr. Fox, I look forward to learning from you."
Fox gave a faint nod, not refusing. He also wanted to see what this so-called Future-Seeing Observation Haki was all about.
Soon, the two moved to an open area, facing each other.
In the next moment, numerous Stone Spikes emerged beneath Fox's feet, while Katakuri summoned a large amount of mochi beneath his own. Both prepared for battle, and the fight was about to erupt!
Fox didn't hold back much. While summoning the Stone Spikes, he also called forth a Stone Greatsword and launched an attack at Katakuri.
With the aid of his Future-Seeing Observation Haki, Katakuri barely managed to block with his mochi, occasionally even seizing openings to attempt counterattacks.
But the gap in strength was ultimately too vast to bridge.
Though Katakuri could foresee the future and hold on for a while, he gradually fell into a disadvantage.
As his stamina dwindled, his breathing grew labored, and he was no longer a match for Fox.
But he understood clearly that Big Mom's intention was never a simple spar—it was to test Fox's true strength.
During their earlier confrontation, Fox had clearly been holding back.
Thinking of this, Katakuri gritted his teeth and spoke solemnly to Fox:
"Mr. Fox, there's no need to hold back. Please use your full power!"
Hearing this, Fox didn't refuse.
Since the other had said so, he would no longer hold back.
In the next moment, with a mere thought from Fox, rocks surged wildly around him, enveloping his body.
Within seconds, he transformed into a five-meter-tall Sandstone Giant.
The next moment, the stone giant clenched its fist, Conqueror's Haki Lightning gathering upon it. At that instant, the stone giant seemed to wield thunder itself as it struck toward Katakuri.
This was Conqueror's Haki Infusion!
In the next second, the massive fist, imbued with the power of Advanced Conqueror's Haki Infusion, slammed mercilessly into Katakuri.
Though Katakuri had foreseen this blow, he simply could not evade it in time.
The speed and force of this punch far exceeded what he could withstand.
Immediately after, the stone giant's fist collided with Katakuri's body, and in the next instant, an earth-shattering roar resounded across the heavens!
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