Inside the great temple, Boros sat upon his throne, unmoving like an eternal statue. Only when all the highest-ranking combatants had arrived did his enormous single eye finally open.
"You may begin, Katakuri."
Boros spoke calmly. As soon as his voice fell, Katakuri—standing just below the throne—stepped forward.
"Understood, Lord Boros!"
Katakuri respectfully bowed toward Boros before straightening his posture and turning to face the officers gathered within the temple.
At present, the Cosmic Dark Matter Pirates counted four top-tier combatants among their ranks—Kaido, Charlotte Linlin, Esdeath, and Tatsumaki. But whether it was the two former Emperors or the newcomers Esdeath and Tatsumaki, none of them had the slightest interest in managing such a massive pirate organization.
Kaido and Linlin were more than happy to act as captains, but when it came to all the tedious administrative chores… both the Beasts Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates were infamous for being completely hands-off.
Thus, Katakuri—despite being only a "high-level combatant"—ended up becoming the steward of the entire Cosmic Dark Matter Pirate Group.
If not for his insufficient reputation and status, some newcomers might have mistaken him for the vice-captain.
"Brother Katakuri is so cool…"
"Shhh! Keep your voice down! If Mama hears you, you're dead…"
"Hmph. He just joined a little earlier than we did…"
…
The officers whispered among themselves. Although the Cosmic Dark Matter Pirates had only four supreme combatants, after absorbing two entire Emperor crews and recruiting hundreds of thousands of New World pirates…
The number of high- and mid-level fighters alone now numbered in the thousands.
Thankfully, the temple was enormous enough to contain them all.
Most importantly, Boros judged his subordinates by one standard only—combat power.
Meaning that if someone was strong enough, Boros would even overlook insubordination.
Because of this, Katakuri could not realistically stop the officers from whispering, even in such a formal setting.
"…According to reports from the vanguard fleet, the World Government is conscripting massive numbers of soldiers from every affiliated kingdom in the New World. Our informants in Paradise have also confirmed troop movements in several allied nations…"
Katakuri's expression was severe. Truthfully, he did not support Boros's idea of gathering a massive pirate armada to assault Mary Geoise.
Even though the reputation of the Beasts Pirates and Big Mom Pirates allowed their numbers to swell to over two hundred thousand in only a few months…
a force of that size moved painfully slowly.
A surprise attack on Mary Geoise was practically impossible.
Based on current intel, the World Government had already prepared thoroughly for their arrival.
What puzzled Katakuri was that Marine Headquarters at Marineford seemed unusually quiet.
"Lord Katakuri, what about the Marines? Has the Marineford fleet already been stationed at Mary Geoise as well?"
Several newly joined pirates exchanged glances. One among them—an actual high-level combatant—finally stepped forward to speak.
Though he addressed Katakuri respectfully, his gaze held no real respect.
Normally, a captain's right-hand man was second only to the captain in power.
Silvers Rayleigh for Roger, Ben Beckman for Shanks—both were renowned across the New World.
Their strength was nearly equal to their captains', giving them unquestioned authority.
While Katakuri was absolutely qualified to be the number-two of the Big Mom Pirates, now even that entire Emperor crew had been absorbed…
and Katakuri was placed in charge of most of the Cosmic Dark Matter Pirates' operations.
Naturally, the newly joined, prideful pirates were not convinced.
But since Katakuri's position was personally assigned by Boros, they didn't dare complain to Boros directly—so they vented their frustration on Katakuri instead.
"Unfortunately, our informants have been unable to track Marine Headquarters' movements. All we know is that Marineford has gathered an enormous fleet of warships, and elite forces from every Marine branch are being transferred there…"
Katakuri ignored the faint provocation in the other party's tone. If he had a choice, he actually didn't want to serve as Boros' right hand. That position meant that when his younger brothers and sisters were in danger, he wouldn't be able to appear at their side in time.
But he couldn't—and didn't dare—refuse Captain Boros' request. Besides, being Boros' right hand wasn't without benefits. Katakuri could fully use that authority during battle to help his siblings.
Even assigning them to lower-risk tasks would greatly increase their chances of survival.
Especially with the upcoming war against the World Government, even Katakuri wasn't confident he would survive. In such circumstances, there was no way he would willingly give up his authority.
---
"That damned Navy must be plotting something terrifying!"
"But they can't just sit there and let us attack Mary Geoise, right?"
"If you ask me, we should wipe out those Navy dogs before attacking Mary Geoise!"
"Are you an idiot?! Even Whitebeard and Red-Haired teamed up and still suffered a defeat at Marineford…"
"You bastard! Are you saying Boss Boros isn't as strong as Whitebeard?!"
…
Fortunately, those who were dissatisfied with Katakuri were still the minority. Most of the officers were more concerned about the upcoming assault on Mary Geoise.
That was the Holy Land that had ruled the world for eight hundred years and accumulated untold treasure. If they succeeded in capturing it, the rewards wouldn't be any worse than finding Roger's treasure.
Not to mention the fame that would come with defeating the World Government—
Even the infamous pirates of the New World couldn't resist the temptation of such a victory.
---
"Shut up."
Kaido, seated below Boros, suddenly opened his eyes and growled at the noisy officers.
His silent pressure alone crushed thousands of mid- and high-ranking combatants. Anyone strong enough to become a mid-ranking fighter could make a name for themselves in the New World even alone—
Yet under Kaido's terrifying presence, they struggled to breathe.
In comparison, the high-ranking combatants fared better. Most merely had their expressions turn serious, though some couldn't hide the fear flickering in their eyes.
After all, some among them were even stronger than Katakuri. And aside from the chat-group freeloaders Kizaru had stuffed in who were clearly unqualified, even the weakest high-ranking combatant could fight on par with a Marine Headquarters vice admiral.
---
"Ma ma ma ma! Why don't you just tell us what to do, Katakuri? Mama believes your plan won't disappoint her… right?"
Charlotte Linlin suddenly laughed, her face full of "motherly affection" as she addressed Katakuri.
Many high-ranking combatants who coveted his position wore gloating expressions. At first, they thought Katakuri only became Boros' right hand because of his connection to Big Mom.
Later they realized that within the Cosmic Dark Matter Pirates, the person who most wanted Katakuri dead was definitely NOT them—
If not for Katakuri's considerable strength, able to exchange a few moves even with Charlotte Linlin, he might not have survived up to now even with Boros protecting him.
"Understood, Mama…"
As if he hadn't heard the overflowing malice in Big Mom's voice, Katakuri simply looked toward Boros. After confirming the captain had no objections, he clapped his hands lightly.
The dome of the temple projected a massive map at just the right moment. When everyone's gaze simultaneously fell upon it, many immediately cried out in shock and confusion.
"Tch, they actually got their hands on the enemy's troop numbers and defensive layout? That guy's intelligence-gathering ability is pretty impressive…"
Esdeath, who had been feeling a bit bored, suddenly brightened, her eyes gleaming with predatory interest as she glanced toward Katakuri.
But she quickly remembered that this was Kizaru's world. A skilled intelligence officer was valuable no matter where one went, but Katakuri's value clearly wasn't great enough for Esdeath to spend a hefty price to bring him back to the Empire.
However, what Esdeath didn't know was that this detailed troop deployment map of Mary Geoise had actually been passed along by the traitor Kong, through Kizaru's channel, and then delivered to Katakuri via Boros.
Otherwise, no matter how good Katakuri was at intel work, it would have been impossible for him to uncover secrets this deep about the World Government.
"Is this… no way, right?!"
"Hahaha—this is amazing! With this map, we might actually be able to take Mary Geoise!"
"The World Government is finished! With such a small force, how could they possibly stop us?!"
"Don't get ahead of yourselves! Didn't you see the fortress clusters at Red Port? Breaking in won't be as easy as you think!"
…
The pirates stared greedily at the projection, which was so detailed that even the troop numbers inside each fortress were labeled. They wished they could burn the entire map directly into their minds.
Everyone knew how dangerous the coming battle would be.
But every one of them also knew—
If they won this war, they would win everything.
°°°
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