In Totto Land, preparations for the Tea Party were reaching their final stages.
The various dignitaries had mostly arrived at Whole Cake Island. The top-ranking officers of the Big Mom Pirates, along with her many children who oversaw the surrounding islands, had all gathered at the main venue.
Boom!
Thud!
Under the pitch-black night sky, welcome fireworks blossomed one after another. The massive, cake-shaped Whole Cake Island was illuminated by giant candles from top to bottom. The dreamlike glow, combined with the sounds of laughter, made the scene resemble something out of a fairy tale.
The centerpiece of Whole Cake Island was the royal palace of Totto Land—Whole Cake Château—designed in the form of a colossal, multi-tiered cake. The aboveground structure had nine stories.
In truth, Whole Cake Château also had an underground level: the B1 Prisoner Library, where criminals were sealed within books through the powers of Charlotte Mont-d'Or, Big Mom's Minister of Cheese and her nineteenth son, who possessed the powers of the Book-Book Fruit.
The first floor consisted of the main hall and connecting corridors; the second floor housed conference rooms and secret chambers.
The third floor, known as the "Atrium," contained infirmaries and the living quarters of Big Mom's children.
The fourth floor was where Big Mom kept her vast collection of treasures and her wine cellar.
The fifth to seventh floors featured numerous guest rooms and storerooms of various sizes.
The eighth floor contained the most important facility in the entire Château—a kitchen so vast it defied belief!
Finally, the ninth floor was the highest level, home to the bedroom of Totto Land's queen, the Emperor of the Sea—Big Mom herself.
"Yohohohoho…"
A strange chuckle echoed through the air. A ghostly "soul" drifted leisurely along the corridor on the fourth floor of the Château.
"Wow~ This place is huge~"
In his "Astral Projection" form, Brook floated through the air, phasing in and out of rooms as he searched for the location of the Treasure Vault.
"If I can find the Treasure Vault, there's a high chance I'll find the Road Poneglyph there…"
Brook pondered silently. His real body was hidden away in a secure location, ready to snap back into action once he confirmed his target.
In the days since the Straw Hats had arrived at Whole Cake Island, thanks to Capone Bege's assistance, they had been able to rest and prepare. For reasons unknown—perhaps Big Mom had simply forgotten about them—not a soul had come to bother them.
No, perhaps that was simply the confidence of a Yonko.
The plan to assassinate Big Mom was scheduled for tomorrow, at the Tea Party itself—meaning tonight was the perfect time to locate the Road Poneglyph.
During the Tea Party tomorrow, Big Mom would surely target the Straw Hat Pirates, coercing them into her crew to exemplify Totto Land's "all are welcome" philosophy.
That would lead to the event most beloved by all the attending underworld figures—the Sacrifice Ceremony.
And if the "guests" refused Big Mom's invitation...
Then it would be time for the Wheel of Souls—a deadly roulette where the price for defiance was death.
However, Capone Bege had long since revealed his entire scheme to the Straw Hats. They planned to turn Big Mom's strengths against her—Bege was confident that her greatest weakness was something she could not resist.
Bege was in charge of security for the Tea Party. At the event, only Captain Luffy, primary combatant Zoro, and Sanji would appear publicly; the rest of the crew would hide within Bege's body, courtesy of his Castle-Castle Fruit powers, ready to launch a surprise attack.
Sniper Usopp's critical mission was to destroy the photograph of Mother Carmel!
Thanks to Vito's tip-off, Bege had also taken special notice of the Vinsmoke siblings…
Which made him even more confident in their plan.
As for Vito himself, who had a tendency to burst into tears of emotion, Bege assigned him a different task—anything to avoid tipping off the Straw Hats.
Once Big Mom was assassinated and the venue descended into chaos, they would immediately escape via a secret route prepared in advance.
It could only be said that these Supernovas were truly bold.
But perhaps... they still underestimated the terror of a Yonko.
"Master Nekomamushi."
The Minks' Guardian Squad ship was sailing toward the territory of the New Whitebeard Pirates, seeking out the new "Emperor"—the "Phoenix," Marco.
Pedro, the jaguar mink and captain of the Guardians, approached Nekomamushi, who was studying the ocean currents.
"Hm? Pedro… Seeing the sea again brings back memories of those days, doesn't it, nya~?"
Nekomamushi puffed on his pipe, casting a sidelong glance at Pedro's complicated expression. He had already guessed what was on the young mink's mind.
"Yeah... Whenever I look at Bepo, I can't help but think back…"
Pedro reached up and touched his empty left eye, sighing quietly:
"Zepo died right before my eyes… and there was nothing I could do. I only barely escaped with my life. If not for Pekoms pleading on my behalf, I wouldn't even have managed to trade this eye for twenty more years of life."
"…"
Nekomamushi was silent for a moment. He pulled his paw out of his robe and smoothed his fur before saying slowly:
"Roger once said… the dawn of the world is near, nya.
"And you—will live to see it."
"But I… I still haven't found my role to play," Pedro said, lighting a cigarette and exhaling smoke with frustration.
"Boss… could it be that the Marines—or more precisely, Fleet Admiral Wright—is the 'dawn' Roger spoke of?"
"But... he's the Fleet Admiral, after all..."
"Goronyanyanya…" Nekomamushi let out a hearty laugh, clapping his most trusted subordinate on the shoulder.
"Relax, Pedro. I trust the judgment of Oden-sama and Kin'emon. And we've both seen for ourselves how this Fleet Admiral acts."
"Even among the Marines... he's one of the very few I actually admire. You saw the smile on the old man Whitebeard's face before he died, didn't you?"
"The things we are doing now, aren't they all to hasten the coming of that dawn, nya?"
"…"
Pedro remained silent for a moment, then smiled calmly:
"Yes, Boss."
For some reason, he found himself glancing toward a certain direction.
"That way…"
"Toward Totto Land…"
He didn't know why, but somehow, amidst the darkness that clouded his future, he felt a faint, emerging glimmer of light.
...
"Yohohoho… this must be the place…"
Brook finally found the Treasure Vault.
Although there were Chess Soldiers standing guard outside, Brook's soul form could easily bypass any physical obstruction—even phasing straight through walls.
Almost everything inside Whole Cake Château was imbued with life—Homies created through Big Mom's power.
Even the doors were living beings, but Brook's ability to phase through solid objects made him invisible to these "watchdogs."
Carefully floating into the Treasure Vault, Brook avoided the guards and scanned the room.
Before long, he spotted his target.
In a massive collection room on the Vault's second floor, there it was: an enormous, crimson slab—the Road Poneglyph!
And on the first floor—there was even a Instructional Poneglyph!
"Hmm… security is tight… even if my real body came, it wouldn't be easy to defeat all these guards and get a rubbing."
"Plus…" Brook eyed the storage area housing the Road Poneglyph, "there are so many barriers…"
"The keys must be in the guards' hands. We'd have to defeat them to get them."
"Looks like we'll need to cause a big commotion after all… and tomorrow's Tea Party would be the perfect chance."
"But why do all these guards look half-asleep, barely able to keep their eyes open? Maybe Big Mom's employee benefits aren't so great after all~ Yohohoho!"
Brook floated into the storage barrier:
"I'll take a closer look. Maybe I can memorize something…"
"Eh? Ugh…"
"You are…"
Inside the chamber housing the Road Poneglyph—someone was there!
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