On the battlefield shrouded in blood mist, the clash between Charlotte Linlin's massive sword and Reed's Black Tide greatblade rang out like thunder. Black-and-crimson lightning born of Conqueror's Haki tore through the air, exploding wildly between them.
"Mama mama! You little brat, die! Die! Caramel cream puff!"
Linlin sneered as she swung Napoleon down with all her might, the blade wrapped in ghostly blue soul-flames.
Reed snapped back, furious. "What is wrong with you? Fighting me while thinking about dessert? Are you some kind of deranged rodent?"
His body dissolved into mist in an instant. The enormous sword cleaved through the blood fog, stirring only ripples. Reed's voice echoed from every direction.
"Oh? Then take this."
"Lord of the Mist Style: Blood Dragon Devourer!"
Dozens of savage blood dragons burst from the fog, tearing into Linlin's limbs. Blood seeped from her skin and was greedily swallowed by the crimson mist.
Some readers might recognize this move. Reed had used it before during the battle in Wano.
"Aaah!"
Linlin roared in rage as her Conqueror's Haki erupted, shattering the blood dragons. But in the next heartbeat
Reed re-formed behind her. The Black Tide greatblade thrust straight toward her back.
A sharp, piercing sound rang out.
Charlotte Linlin remembered the humiliation she had suffered in Wano.
The blade pierced her back, and her blood vanished instantly into the mist. Her pupils shrank violently as memories flooded her mind. The same technique. The same pain. The same disgrace.
There was no deeper meaning behind it. This was simply Reed indulging his awful taste. If he truly wished it, the mentally unhinged Reed could kill Charlotte Linlin in an instant.
In truth, emperors and sea tyrants alike could clash head-on with Reed. Kaido included.
Only Charlotte Linlin could not.
Why? Because in Reed's youth, she had cast a shadow too deep to erase. Back then, no matter how hard he fought, he could not even break her skin. Now, he could wound her whenever he pleased.
Thirty years east, thirty years west. No one stays invincible forever.
"Mama mama…"
Her laughter twisted as Napoleon spun violently in her grip. "You think the same trick can defeat me twice?!"
Reed's body dissolved again, his silhouette forming within the blood mist. "So what? I used it. It worked. Why wouldn't I?"
He even stabbed her again for good measure, without indulging any of his stranger habits. Then he snapped his fingers.
"Blood Prison Scroll: Final Act."
In an instant, Linlin's vision drowned in red.
She stood in a crimson void, surrounded by countless mirrors. Each reflected her most terrifying memories. The nun's betrayal. Children dying in her arms. Totto Land reduced to ruins.
"No… this isn't real…"
Napoleon slipped from her grasp and crashed to the ground.
We will not dwell on her thoughts inside the illusion. They were only fragments. Outside the illusion, everyone saw Charlotte Linlin standing perfectly still.
In reality, her massive body was frozen in place, eyes empty, like a lifeless statue.
Just as Reed's Black Tide blade was about to strike the unmoving Linlin
"Please, wait!"
A small figure rushed forward and stood in front of her.
Pudding trembled as she spread her arms wide. Tears welled in all three of her eyes.
"Lord Reed… please… spare my mother just this once…"
At the same time, Katakuri and Perospero flashed in from either side, shielding Linlin.
Perospero slammed his candy cane into the ground. Syrup surged upward, forming a barrier.
"Enough for today, members of the Crimson Dawn. Let us end it here, perorin."
Katakuri said nothing. His trident, Mogura, was held firmly before his chest. Beneath his scarf, his gaze was unwavering.
Reed's blade stopped an inch from Pudding's nose. The blood mist wavered slightly. He raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
Tesoro's golden armor clinked softly. "Captain, do we proceed?"
Lightning danced across Enel's fingertips. "Hmph. They're courting death."
Moria smacked his lips. "Heh… a family drama."
The blood mist surged violently as Reed's Conqueror's Haki descended like a mountain. Katakuri's knees bent slightly. Perospero's candy barrier creaked under the pressure. Pudding's face turned pale, but her three eyes remained stubbornly open.
"Interesting…"
Reed narrowed his crimson eyes and slowly withdrew his blade.
The blood mist dispersed, and the crushing pressure vanished with it.
Only then did Reed remember that he still needed their help preparing the hundred-day banquet. He could not make things difficult for them. They had come to attend a wedding. Ruining their mood would be rude. Reed was not some unreasonable brute. He was, after all, a considerate man.
Katakuri exhaled deeply. A thin line of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth beneath the scarf.
"Thank you."
Reed suddenly smiled and fully sheathed the Black Tide blade. "You're thanking me too early. Charlotte Linlin's hunger frenzy isn't cured. I only suppressed it with force. Once I leave, you'll have trouble again."
Katakuri replied in a low voice, "Mother's condition is dangerous. But as her children, we cannot stand by and watch her be hurt."
Perospero wiped the cold sweat from his brow. "As for today's wedding, no, the preparations for the hundred-day banquet. We will take full responsibility, perorin. We promise to satisfy you."
The members of Crimson Dawn exchanged glances.
Reed stared at Katakuri for a few seconds, then turned away. "Fine. I don't feel like fighting anymore." He waved a hand casually. "Pudding, right? Lead the way."
Tesoro was stunned. "Captain? That's it?"
Reed walked on without looking back, blood mist trailing behind him. "Why argue with a madwoman?" He glanced at Linlin, still trapped in the illusion. "Besides… she's suffered enough."
Katakuri bowed slightly. "Thank you."
Watching the Crimson Dawn pirates depart, Perospero let out a long sigh as the candy barrier collapsed with a splash.
"I really thought it was over, perorin."
Pudding's small hands clenched tightly around her skirt. "Brother Katakuri… Mom…"
Katakuri gently patted her head. "She'll be fine." He looked at Linlin, whose expression remained vacant, his gaze complicated. "After all… she is our mother. Take good care of the Crimson Dawn Pirates. Pudding, I'll leave them to you."
Pudding froze in shock.
She had acted purely on instinct. She had never imagined she would be personally hosting the so-called Lord of the Sea of Mist afterward.
The fear hit her all at once.
When Pudding had first appeared before Big Mom, her third eye had disgusted her mother, earning only hatred. When she tried to play with other children, they were either afraid of her or bullied her because of that eye, leaving her completely alone.
Her experience mirrored Sanji's childhood in many ways. Eiichiro Oda loved this kind of narrative symmetry. Later, what made Pudding "stronger" than Sanji was that she could not endure that contrast. In the end, she embraced the darkness.