Charlotte Linlin, who possesses the Soul-Soul Fruit, is like indirectly controlling an item like the Book of Life and Death. With her Devil Fruit ability, she can clearly see how much lifespan a person has left and precisely extract a portion of it.
The numbers on the Roulette range from thirty years at the low end to a full century at the high end. Anyone who participates is almost guaranteed not to walk away alive.
Even if they are lucky enough to survive, they will become like a flickering candle in their final years. The only thing that can be considered good news is that Charlotte Linlin usually deducts lifespan from the end. What people lose is the lifespan calculated backward from their death, they won’t directly become old and frail.
Pekoms’ so-called stalling tactics amounted to little more than pleading for mercy. Even Linlin’s biological children aren’t spared if they violate her taboos, let alone Pekoms, who isn’t even officially part of the family.
When the delay reached its limit, Zepo was forced to pick up the item Linlin had prepared. Meanwhile, Katakuri, who was resting outside the door, suddenly opened his eyes.
“They’re here.”
“Lord Katakuri, what do you mean by ‘they’re here’…?”
Whoosh!
Lightning crackled as Zeraora’s figure materialized in front of Katakuri. There was a considerable difference in height between them, but Katakuri suddenly realized that the future he saw had turned into a blank.
Just moments earlier, he could still glimpse the future, but the instant these two appeared, a mysterious force cloaked them, erasing them from his foresight. It was a power unique to Arceus, although the timing of its activation was unusual.
“Enemy attack!”
“Shut up. Don’t cause unnecessary panic.”
Rebuking the panicked pirates around him, Katakuri shifted his gaze back to the people in front of him.
“Beasts Pirates? Why have you come here so suddenly?”
“We’ve come to trade. Those two in there are our people. They made a mistake, and we’re here to redeem them.”
Hearing this, Katakuri stepped aside, opening the door behind him and leading them inside.
Knowing the future allows him to better control the situation, but even if this ability were to fail, he would still be Katakuri, a major pillar of the Big Mom Pirates.
A single Mink could be disregarded by the Charlotte family. However, Katakuri knew that behind the Minks is the Beasts Pirates. It was entirely possible that these two were sent by Kaido himself, signing a deal with one hand while preparing to backstab with the other. Such tactics were all too common in the pirate world.
The outcome of the situation would depend on how events unfolded. At this stage, negotiations were still possible, and Katakuri saw no reason to intervene.
He trusted his mother’s strength, but as the second-in-command of the Big Mom Pirates, he had his own perspective on the situation of the sea. The current losses were minimal, and it wasn’t worth escalating into open conflict with the Beasts Pirates over something so trivial. The next steps would depend on how things progressed.
“Katakuri?”
“Mama, the people from the Beasts Pirates are here. They want to talk with you.”
“Mamamama~ you sure are fast. Zeraora, my old friend. Since you’re here, tell me, what do you have to say about these two little thieves of yours?”
“I have nothing to say about their actions. That’s why I brought this instead.”
Zeraora didn’t waste time. He gestured to the scroll strapped to his back and then turned on a Den Den Mushi which is used to broadcast video.
In a dimly lit environment, a red Road Poneglyph appeared, bearing the marks of its age.
“This is… Mamamama~, That brat Kaido really hid it well!”
Charlotte Linlin had once asked Kaido if he possessed it, and he had flatly denied it. Without this incident, she might never have known the truth.
The Road Poneglyphs were essential to finding the way to the final island. Linlin understood their value better than anyone. Seeing the recording piqued her interest.
“So, what does Kaido have in mind?”
“Mr. Kaido proposes that we exchange the information from our respective Road Poneglyphs. As for those two… please allow me to take them away.”
“Are you saying that taking them is a condition for the trade?”
“That’s correct.”
If he couldn’t take the two of them, this trip would be for nothing.
“That won’t do. If it were something else, I might be willing to compromise. But one of them cost my dear subordinate an eye.
Stealing my belongings might be something I could overlook through a trade, but what about the eye? If I just let them leave, wouldn’t I be failing my dear subordinates?”
Charlotte Linlin rejected the request outright. As an Emperor of the Sea, she had a responsibility to her crew. Ignoring such a grievance would be no different from not retaliating when her territory was attacked.
Charlotte Linlin wanted the Road Poneglyph, but she wasn’t about to let this incident pass so easily.
“We can compensate him…”
“Setsuna-chan, some things aren’t so easily resolved. Pirates are cruel and deceitful, but we still have to honor certain things. Baron Tamago is my subordinate—they must pay a price.”
The “Baron Tamago” she referred to was a member of the Longleg Tribe and one of the officers of the Big Mom Pirates. During the battle with Pedro, he lost an eye due to the difference in their strengths. Now, he stood nearby watching.
While the situation remained within manageable limits, Charlotte Linlin naturally also coveted the Poneglyph. However, she wasn’t ready to relent so easily. As for forcibly detaining them, it was not within her considerations.
Now she hasn’t had an outbreak yet; she knows that if she and Kaido start fighting, it will only benefit Red-Hair, Whitebeard, and the Marines.
Uncharacteristically for an Emperor of the Sea, Linlin engaged in a rare verbal argument.
Due to the intrusion of the Minks, Zeraora and the others have no justification. Since they don’t intend to start a war at this time, they are simply apologizing. Seeing the Duchess of Zou Island having to humble herself due to their actions, Pedro stepped forward.
Before taking action, they had considered the possibility of failure and also anticipated the price they may have to pay.
This was a personal operation, undertaken without informing anyone else. If his failure forced Zou Island’s new leader—a figure instrumental in its development—to humble herself repeatedly, Pedro felt it was better to bear the punishment himself.
“Duchess, there’s no need for you to say any more. We are already grateful that you and Zeraora came here. It was my actions that injured his eye. If a price must be paid, let me do it.”
Then, without hesitation, Pedro reached for his left eye and gouged it out.
Drip, drip…
Blood trickled down his face, dripping onto the ground. Everyone around him was stunned. No one had expected him to be so ruthless toward himself.
“One eye—is this sufficient?”
“Mamamama~ what a manly man! But Baron Tamago, what do you think?”
Charlotte Linlin still did not give a direct answer but instead left the decision to Baron Tamago.
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