"Is it a coincidence?"
"Or is this the weight of this man?"
"On the day he became an emperor, he actually attracted all Four Emperors to gather."
At this moment, Marco finally understood.
Why were Red-Haired Shanks and Ben Beckman so grim and silent?
Why did his father, Whitebeard, suddenly stop Flower Sword Vista from attacking?
Why did Ragnar laugh at him, Marco, for being only a man of that level?
Everything—because of the figure approaching this sea.
Charlotte Linlin.
The only woman among the Four Emperors.
With her arrival, the situation was once again rewritten.
Even the gathering of Four—no, now Five Emperors—meant that any minor clash could alter the entire landscape of the New World… even the Grand Line itself.
"Trouble..."
As thoughts whirled through his mind, Marco's face turned more serious than ever.
The situation had escalated.
Whether for the Red Hair Pirates or the Whitebeard Pirates, things had turned grave.
"Two of the Sweet Commanders have come."
"Almost half of the 34 Ministers are here."
"What is Big Mom planning?"
Especially when Marco saw the unmistakable Queen Mama Chanter, with not just Charlotte Linlin aboard, but also a line of BIG MOM children led by the towering Charlotte Katakuri, he couldn't help clenching his fists.
"She's not alone."
"The Big Mom Pirates are here in full force."
"Trouble."
Red-Haired Shanks and Ben Beckman scanned the sea.
Pirate ships filled the waters—each flying the flag of the Big Mom Pirates.
A clear signal.
Unlike Ragnar's side—just himself, Yamato, and King the Wildfire—Charlotte Linlin had come fully armed.
The threat of a single Emperor is terrifying enough. One who comes with her whole crew? A different beast entirely.
"Kaido! So you didn't invite me to your little Four Emperors tea party, huh?"
Charlotte Linlin stood on the bow of the Queen Mama Chanter, her sharp eyes scanning the scene before locking onto Kaido.
"Well, well, well... Don't forget, you owe me a favor!"
"Now it's two!" she cackled, raising two fingers at him.
"Hmph. Old hag, stop spouting nonsense."
"I paid that debt long ago."
"And when did I ever need your help?"
Kaido's face darkened at her reminder, clearly unwilling to acknowledge any past favors.
But Ragnar and King exchanged a glance. Having known Kaido long enough, they could sense the subtle weakness in his tone.
Clearly, Kaido hadn't truly forgotten or dismissed those debts—he just didn't want to admit it.
But as one of the Four Emperors, a tyrant of the New World, his arrogance wouldn't allow him to show vulnerability.
"A sick old man and a broken Red Hair crew? My family of three can handle them. Why would I need help from an old hag like you?"
Kaido scowled, brushing off Linlin's gesture and outright rejecting her "kindness."
"A suicidal brute!"
"Kaido!"
How to offend three Emperors with one sentence? Just follow Kaido's lead.
With one line, both Whitebeard and Shanks visibly turned cold—the hostility in their gaze nearly tangible.
"A family of three…?"
Charlotte Linlin's frown faded slightly at Kaido's denial, but when he mentioned the "family of three," her eyes lit up—remembering her true objective.
She didn't waste time being angry with Kaido.
Her gaze turned first to Yamato, holding a kanabo much like her father's. Despite being a girl, she radiated strength and presence on par with any man at sea.
"Kaido's daughter..."
"What a beautiful girl..."
"Hmm… She's clearly inherited Kaido's bloodline."
Even Charlotte Linlin, who had single-handedly established the Big Mom Pirates, couldn't help but be amazed at the sight.
But she only glanced briefly.
The overwhelming Haki radiating from Yamato, along with the powers of a Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit—the Great Mouth True God form—was enough to make even this seasoned Empress of the New World regard her with newfound interest.
"Other than Katakuri, none of my children can compare to Kaido's daughter!"
Charlotte Linlin, proud of her many husbands and dozens of children and grandchildren, couldn't help but feel a pang of dissatisfaction.
There's nothing wrong with my bloodline...
It must be the worthless men I picked—they weakened the potential of my offspring.
Why not... have a child with Kaido?
The thought slipped into her mind like a serpent.
And once it appeared, it lodged itself deep—unshakable and persistent.
From that moment, the way she looked at Kaido shifted—less scorn, and far more... desire.
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