220. Nonsense

"Mama! Smoothie has already been killed, and there's no reason to keep on battling!"

Katakuri's face showed no emotion, but his left hand, hanging low, was tightly clenched, giving off a powerful and somber vibe.

"Huh!?"

"Smoothie? Oh, that's a shame!"

Big Mom didn't catch on, and the rage on her face intensified.

Gritting her teeth, she glared at the unresponsive Atlas with fierce eyes, and begrudgingly uttered a few words.

"Zeus, retreat!"

"Yes, Mama!"

Zeus at her feet responded loudly, swiftly turned around, and without any hesitation, bolted away. The other Homies quickly followed suit upon witnessing this.

Clang!

Atlas sheathed his sword and didn't chase after her.

He couldn't take on Big Mom by himself. If Akainu were here, there might be a slim chance.

Furthermore, Big Mom seemed eager to engage in a fierce battle with him.

On the flip side, engaging in a battle while fleeing would not only lead to a siege when reaching Totto Land's lair but could also trigger a chain reaction among the New World Pirates. To start, the Whitebeard Pirates wouldn't approve, despite their own occasional clashes with the Big Mom Pirates.

While pirates, in general, may not boast high education levels, they grasp the concept of "lip death and tooth cold." (T/N: The proverb implies that if one partner is gone, the other will suffer as well.)

If the Sanko's equilibrium is disrupted and the sea's power balance is shattered, the New World will cease to be a haven for pirates!

Gazing at Big Mom's retreating silhouette, Atlas pivoted and soared towards Broccoli Island. With Big Mom successfully driven off, this journey to Broccoli Island reached its conclusion.

At the now rundown port, Smoker and Kyros, accompanied by a group of Marines, secured the recently returned warship, busily organizing the personnel.

"Brother Atlas, how are you?"

Observing Atlas descend onto the warship, Smoker approached to greet him.

Even without witnessing Big Mom directly, the distant commotion provided enough clues for Smoker to infer the identity of Atlas's opponent.

"I'm fine, but Big Mom managed to escape."

Atlas waved his hand, "However, Katakuri, for some reason, got wind that Akainu might be heading this way, so he pulled back early."

When did the Charlotte family's intelligence network beyond their territory become so formidable?

In his assessment, even if Smoker had summoned Sengoku for assistance promptly during the skirmish with Big Mom, this was confined to internal Marine communications. It would be impractical for the outside world to discern Akainu's actions until a week or so later.

"Vice Admiral Akainu?"

Smoker was taken aback. Despite reaching out to Sengoku to brief him on the situation, Sengoku didn't explicitly mention which Vice Admiral was dispatched for support.

"Well, never mind. Don't dwell on such matters. Let's focus on assisting Andrew in stabilizing this country."

Atlas gave Smoker's shoulder a firm pat and spoke casually.

"That..."

"Should we recall Vice Admiral Akainu? After all, Big Mom has been defeated, and there's no need for them to be here."

Smoker leisurely retrieved a cigar from his pocket, biting the holder with a perplexed expression.

"It's not necessary. They'll likely arrive shortly, and I'll personally explain the situation to them."

Atlas waved off the suggestion, a daring notion suddenly crossing his mind.

'Perhaps...I can shift the blame to the World Government?'

"I'll go change into something fresh, and I'll leave the cleanup to you. Don't detain any of the remaining pirates, to avoid forcing me to head to Impel Down."

Without uttering another word, Atlas strolled towards the bedroom on the warship.

After all, clothing tends to get damaged in every battle, so he typically keeps several sets on the warship that can be swapped out at any time. He doesn't fancy running around shirtless.

Doesn't the dignified Marine candidate for Admiral have to maintain a certain image?

Pere~Pere~Pere~Pere~

Suddenly, a buzzing sound emanated from the nearby phone.

In the interrogation room, a Marine hastily emerged through the door, dashed over with a den den mushi in hand, and exclaimed, "Your Majesty, Vice Admiral, this is Admiral Sengoku's phone number!"

Atlas scratched his head, glanced down at his slightly disheveled upper body, and grumbled impatiently.

"Old man Sengoku sure knows how to pick the perfect time for a phone call!"

Kachak!

Even though he grumbled, Atlas still picked up the phone with sincerity.

He didn't want to endure a lengthy lecture from Sengoku.

"Hello? It's Atlas."

"Atlas? Big Mom withdrew?"

Sengoku's deep and dignified voice resonated.

"Yes, but..."

Atlas paused and continued, "I heard that Katakuri got some information about Akainu from a woman named Stussy, so he pulled back early."

Atlas didn't particularly care whether Sengoku believed it or not, so he spoke somewhat nonchalantly. There was no way he could head to Totto Land to confront Katakuri, right?

As for Stussy, Atlas only had a faint impression of her. It seemed she was an agent of the World Government CP department and had a good relationship with Big Mom, so he decided to let her shoulder the blame.

"Stussy? The Queen of the Pleasure District?"

Sengoku was taken aback. Being an active Marine Admiral, he naturally possessed certain authorities that Atlas and others did not, and he remained informed about some secret operations of the World Government.

If his memory served him right...

Stussy appeared to be an undercover agent sent by the World Government to infiltrate the underground world?

"Yes, I heard it very clearly."

Atlas nodded, paying no mind to Smoker's puzzled expression.

He was gambling on the assumption that Sengoku was aware of Stussy's true identity. Even if he wasn't, Atlas believed her true nature would be revealed one day in the future.

And by then, what Atlas uttered today would become an irremovable thorn in Sengoku's heart!

"Okay, I understand. Just stay in Chris Kingdom for a while to discourage other pirates from returning."

Sengoku's voice remained calm, with no discernible change in tone, yet his heart was already filled with tumultuous waves.

First up is Kaido!

And now there's Charlotte Linlin again!

What does the World Government think of Marine's justice?!

Snap!

After ending the call, Atlas handed the phone bug to the Marine next to him and strolled to the bedroom with relaxed steps.

Even though Sengoku's tone was calm just now, Atlas knew.

As a general rule, the calmer the water surface, the higher the risk factor underwater. Sengoku must have been furious at this time.

Right after the call, with Marine's assistance, the reconstruction of Chris's kingdom also commenced in an orderly manner.

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