"Pudding-sama, all the ingredients have been delivered."
Since Pudding's Cocoa Island was on the edge of Totto Land, many of the 'fantasy ingredients' plundered from all over the New World had been transported here before making their way to Whole Cake Island. As a result, there were still some left—
Which was why Pudding suggested making a new wedding cake.
"Pudding-sama, today was supposed to be your big day, but 'Germa 66,' the 'Straw Hat Crew,' and the 'Fire Tank Pirates' all caused such a mess… We really feel bad for you…"
"It's fine. Compared to me, the people of Whole Cake Island are more important. Right now, our top priority is making the wedding cake to cure Mama's hunger pangs. Don't worry, I won't let Whole Cake Island fall."
The people of Chocolate Town were moved to tears at the sight of the determined young girl.
"Pudding-sama is so strong!!"
The other chefs who were helping make the wedding cake had also been transported to Chocolate Town through the 'Mirror World' and were now on standby.
"Alright, everyone, time to move! Every second counts!"
Seeing Pudding in a chef's uniform, Sanji's eyes instantly turned into hearts.
"Ooooh~~ Little Pudding looks adorable in her chef outfit too~!"
Thud.
Pudding collapsed on the spot.
...Did these two really need to be 'monitored'?
Charlotte Custard rubbed her temples. She had been sent to keep an eye on them and make sure they didn't poison the cake, but now it felt completely unnecessary.
Honestly, it would be more reasonable to worry about whether these two could even finish the cake…
But in the end, her worries were unnecessary.
"Move, move, move! You, handle the cake baking! Pudding, make sure the chocolate is tempered properly!"
Once he entered cooking mode, Sanji became completely confident and in control. Under his command, the kitchen ran like a perfectly synchronized machine, rapidly turning raw ingredients into fine pastries.
Charlotte Custard could only stare in shock.
She was an expert at making cakes, but compared to Sanji…
She was nothing.
"The younger generation really is impressive…"
Even 'Streusen' had to admit it—some people were simply born to be kings of their craft.
---
"Gomu Gomu no King Kong Gatling!!"
Against the overwhelming barrage of fists, Charlotte Katakuri stood still, letting the rain of punches pass right through his body!
Even though those fists were covered in Haki strong enough to split mountains and seas, they still couldn't land a hit.
Even—
"Gomu Gomu no Leo Bazooka!!"
Boom—!
After his punch failed to work, Luffy struck out with an open palm. A massive shockwave, impossible to describe in words, instantly spread across the battlefield. The ground beneath Katakuri's feet seemed to be bitten away by an invisible Sea King, carving a massive trench hundreds of meters long. Rocks flew in all directions like cannonballs, and the entire battlefield trembled violently.
"Haki projection? That won't work."
Even though Luffy's attack was incredibly powerful, whether it was a solid punch or an invisible blast of Haki, none of it could hurt Katakuri. Meanwhile, his counterattack—
"Gomu Gomu no…"
"Mochi Thrust!"
Katakuri's Haki-covered fist slammed into Luffy's raised arm, not only stopping his attack dead in its tracks but also sending a sharp, stinging pain through his own Haki-covered arm.
"Gomu Gomu no Rhino…"
"Willow Mochi!"
Katakuri's kick struck first, hitting Luffy's lower body and making him stumble to the side, even in his Gear Fourth form.
Damn!
Luffy ignored the pain and quickly rolled away. As soon as he got back on his feet, he threw a punch toward where his Observation Haki sensed Katakuri was.
"Gomu Gomu no Gatling—"
"Buzzcut Mochi!"
But just like before, Luffy's punch hadn't even landed when a barrage of Haki-covered mochi fists slammed into him, completely shutting down his attack. It was Katakuri's extra arms made of mochi, mimicking Luffy's own Gatling attack, except—
"Aaaaargh!!!"
Luffy roared in frustration as he forced himself to stand. But the reality was clear.
"Frustrating, isn't it? Every time you try to punch, I hit your arm first. Every time you try to kick, I take out your footing. Even when you try a flurry of attacks, I shut you down before you can start."
"This is what happens when your moves are completely read. You're no match for me."
Katakuri wasn't mocking him—he was just stating the facts.
"But I don't blame you. You're still young. Just submit to 'Big Mom' and—"
"Never!"
Luffy took a deep breath and got back into his fighting stance.
"If I submit to Big Mom, how can I become the Pirate King? Besides…"
"I can't stand that woman who destroys people's homes just because she feels like it!"
"…You don't like her? What a childish reason."
Katakuri saw the determination in Luffy's eyes and said nothing more. Anything else would be an insult—to Luffy and to himself.
Boom!!
"Gomu Gomu no Thor Elephant Gun!"
"Giant Mochi!"
Their massive fists collided, and the battle raged on.
———
"Lick lick~~ Seeing your captain struggling, are you starting to panic?"
Perospero spoke smugly, but Roman didn't even bother responding.
He wasn't even focused on Luffy—after all, he believed that Luffy was someone who only got stronger when faced with powerful opponents.
Instead, he was staring at the documents in his hands.
These were the Poneglyph copies Brook had taken from Big Mom. One of them contained map coordinates, but Roman didn't even want to look at it. He wasn't saying he couldn't understand it, but if he dared to interpret it himself, he might end up slightly off—and when it came to navigation, a tiny mistake could mean total disaster. It was better to leave it to Nami.
The other two, however, were… strange.
Holding the Poneglyph translations Robin had worked on, even with a mask covering his face, the way Roman's aura wavered made it clear just how shaken he was.
"Roman, have you seen Robin's translation?"
Nami's voice rang in his ears, and Roman only needed to "think" to send his response back.
"Yeah, this thing..."
"Right? It feels like it was made just for us."
The first Poneglyph contained information about a "weapon," and both Roman and Nami were very familiar with it!
A Mass Accelerator Cannon—combining the ability of a coilgun to fire heavy projectiles and a railgun to launch ultra-fast rounds. In short, it was a **space-based weapon**. Simply put, it was like an upgraded version of the **electromagnetic cannon** on the Going Merry.
Of course, the "Mass Accelerator Cannon" described in the text also used a Devil Fruit power as its energy source, which made it unique to this world.
If that Poneglyph was still within reason, then the second one was what truly shocked Roman!
The second Poneglyph wasn't about a weapon—it was a declaration:
My friends, today I speak to you. Now and in the future, we may face hardships and setbacks, but I still have a dream.
I dream of a day when this brutal, war-torn, and bloodstained world will end. When the light of civilization will spread across the seas, fulfilling the promise we made together—peace and laughter filling the world, and all races born equal.
I dream of a day when, atop the Red Line, giants and fish-men will sit together as brothers.
I dream of a day when, in Mary Geoise, the kings of all nations will gather to settle disputes with diplomacy instead of war.
I dream of a day when people judge others not by their birth but by their character.
I dream of a day when the Longarm and Longleg tribes end their centuries-long conflict, when giants and dwarves can walk freely in any land, and when fish-men are no longer seen as myths or legends.
I dream of a day when islands rise, the Red Line breaks, and the world becomes one—when laughter echoes across the seas and joy shines on the faces of all intelligent beings.
I believe this day will come. My friends, with you by my side, I will press forward without hesitation!
—Joy Boy
...
"This is... this is..."
Roman stared at the golden words on the stone, reading them over and over. There was nothing "crazy" hidden between the lines, but still—
"This is absolutely ridiculous."
It couldn't be!
No way that he had time-traveled too, right? But still—"So, Joy Boy..."
The text mentioned, "fish-men and us will no longer be seen as myths or legends." Eight hundred years ago, the only ones who could be called "legends" were the people of Skypiea—or rather, the people of the moon. Those who descended from the sky with advanced technology, seen as almost god-like.
This Poneglyph was most likely the one Jinbe found in the ruins beneath the sea—remnants of what was once part of the Great Kingdom.
If that's the case, then the so-called "Void Century" and the vanished Great Kingdom were probably founded by the moon people. Otherwise, how could a kingdom appear out of nowhere, become so powerful that it took a coalition of twenty nations—the predecessors of the World Government—to defeat them, and then disappear so completely that erasing just a hundred years of history was enough to bury their existence?
The Great Kingdom was the moon people!
But...
A golden dream—?
"Roman! Roman! Roman!!"
?! "Sorry, I was thinking about something."
"Ugh, the moment you see something that could boost your strength, you get all worked up..."
Unfortunately, even Nami, who understood Roman well, misread him this time. His reaction wasn't because of the "Mass Accelerator Cannon"—but never mind that.
Nami's voice snapped Roman back to reality. He shook his head. This was just ancient history from 800 years ago. Whatever secrets it held had long turned to dust. Right now, the real problem was—
Luffy, struggling under Katakuri's relentless assault.
----
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