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Byakuya had just used his unique "King Engine," a skill originally inspired by King from One Punch Man.
However, according to his system's description, the power and functions of Byakuya's "King Engine" would grow as his fusion rate increased.
After reaching 50% fusion, Byakuya noticed that his version had some key differences from King's.
While King's heartbeat would thunder, causing enemies to panic purely through intimidation, Byakuya's "King Engine" was capable of dealing direct damage—such as the recent attack that injured his heckler.
This made Byakuya even more eager to see what the skill would become at 100% fusion.
He also pondered what might happen if he could awaken Conqueror's Haki and combine it with this technique.
For now, that was something he'd have to explore later.
As Byakuya was deep in thought, Lucci had managed to kill Stussy, though he bore a few new wounds from the fight.
She had indeed been a formidable opponent. Suddenly, an air door appeared in the sky, and a figure wearing a minotaur mask cautiously peered out.
Upon seeing Byakuya and the others, Blueno leaped down and reported, "Lord Night, the two have been safely transported."
With Blueno's return, it was time for them to leave Totto Land.
Byakuya looked over at the silent Katakuri and remarked, "Think about my offer carefully."
"Big Mom isn't someone worthy of your loyalty. Even though she's your mother, she's never treated you all as her children."
"If not for yourself, you should at least consider your siblings."
Without waiting for Katakuri's response, Byakuya turned to Blueno and said, "Let's go. It's time to leave Totto Land."
"Yes, sir!" Blueno opened an air door, gesturing for Law and the others to enter.
Morgans, seeing that Byakuya was about to depart, flapped over anxiously.
With a flattering smile, he said, "Since we're all allies here, why not take me with you? I'd like to tag along."
"You're Big Mom's guest, aren't you? Why do you need to leave with us?" Byakuya asked.
Morgans took out his den den mushi and waved it. "If Big Mom finds out I recorded all this, she won't let me leave Totto Land alive, guest or not."
Byakuya chuckled, saying nothing more. Morgans had only recorded what Byakuya wanted him to capture.
By this point, most of Byakuya's objectives were achieved.
He even managed to tempt Katakuri with a job offer—a lighthearted attempt that would be beneficial if successful but inconsequential if not.
"Go on ahead; I'll cover you," Byakuya instructed the others.
Trusting his strength, Lucci and the rest entered the air door without argument, followed closely by Morgans.
However, just as Byakuya was about to step in, he sensed a powerful force—a shockwave strong enough to destabilize the air door itself.
"Ikkoku!" Big Mom, holding Napoleon infused with Armament Haki, unleashed a colossal blade of energy straight toward the air door.
"Night, you're not leaving Totto Land alive today! I'll kill you!"
The rage in her voice was palpable, her anger driven by the two heavy slaps Byakuya had landed on her, one of which had disfigured her left cheek and left blood dripping from her mouth.
Since becoming one of the Four Emperors, Big Mom had rarely suffered injuries, especially not those that wounded her pride more than her body.
Though she hadn't entered her Hunger Pangs mode, her fury clouded her judgment. The air door was close to Katakuri and his siblings.
If Byakuya dodged, Big Mom's devastating strike would hit them instead. Katakuri urgently shouted for his siblings, "Get as far away as possible!"
His hands turned sticky with mochi as he readied himself to shield his siblings, though he knew he'd likely be severely wounded.
But just as Katakuri braced himself, Byakuya appeared in front of him, saying calmly, "You owe me one."
At that moment, hundreds of black spheres formed a thick, dark barrier through Byakuya's telekinetic control.
"Boom!" Big Mom's strike clashed with the wall. Unlike the precise cuts of a skilled swordsman, Big Mom's attack was pure, overwhelming power.
The black spheres trembled violently under the assault but remained intact even after the strike dissipated.
"Now, it's my turn"
Byakuya muttered as he gathered energy.
"Kamehameha!"
Placing his palms together at his side, he thrust them forward, sending a torrent of black spheres surging toward Big Mom at light speed.
The spheres were coated in a faint red layer of Armament Haki, a combination of extreme telekinesis and Haki.
The result didn't disappoint. A single Haki-coated sphere struck Big Mom's abdomen, embedding itself deep but unable to pierce her iron-like skin.
The sheer force, however, rattled her organs. Blood trickled from her mouth as she staggered back, eyes wide with shock.
One sphere had such an effect, but the hundreds that followed blasted her skyward, ultimately sending her crashing into the ocean.
Blood splattered through the air as she fell.
Katakuri looked on, stunned. The sheer power of this man was terrifying. Not even their mother could withstand him.
After dealing with Big Mom, Byakuya walked to the air door. As he stepped through, he left a parting comment:
"I look forward to seeing you in the Night Organization."
With that, the air door vanished, leaving Cake Island in silence, its wreckage the only testament to the battle.
Katakuri initially didn't dwell on Byakuya's parting words.
Instead, he urgently ordered, "Send out search teams to find Mama in the sea. Ensure she's rescued."
Then, he turned to his crew, his voice cold. "No one who was on this island today is allowed to leave."
"Anyone caught attempting to leave… will be executed."
"Seal off today's news. Gather our forces across Totto Land's waters and initiate a full lockdown!"
Katakuri knew that if word got out about Big Mom's fall into the sea and her severe injuries, the weakened state of Totto Land would make it a prime target.
The other three Pirate Emperors and the newly arrived Supernova pirates would surely view Totto Land with greedy eyes.
Katakuri's biggest worry, however, was the nearby Marine G-5 Branch.
Rumors had already spread that the Marines were planning to act against the Big Mom Pirates, especially with the G-5 Branch's base commander, Byakuya, constantly provoking them.
If this news reached Marine headquarters, they'd launch an all-out attack on the Big Mom Pirates without hesitation.
With Big Mom absent, a single Marine Admiral could easily sweep through the entire Big Mom crew.
Their top priority now was to keep this quiet and find Big Mom.
As for whether Byakuya and Morgans would leak the news upon leaving, that was something beyond Katakuri's control.
He could only stall for as long as possible. Ironically, if Katakuri knew that Byakuya was the G-5 Base Commander, he might laugh at his worries.
After some training on Skypiea, Blueno could now teleport even greater distances.
Five doors later, he transported Byakuya and the others from Totto Land's core, Whole Cake Island, to an outlying defense island.
Byakuya turned to Morgans, who was holding a Transponder Snail tightly, as though it were a prized possession. "Hand it over."
Feigning ignorance, Morgans stammered, "Hand… hand what over?"
Byakuya gestured toward the Transponder Snail.
Morgan's face immediately fell, and he began to plead tearfully, "Night, my brother! I risked my life for these shots—you can't take them from me!"
Byakuya replied calmly, "If not for me, do you think you'd have gotten these shots at all?"
"Of course not! It's all thanks to you, Night! I'll remember this favor; anything you need in the future, I'll do my best to make it happen."
"I have a request now."
"So soon?" Morgans shivered, then quickly added, "Of course! Just tell me."
"Today's news—I'll allow you to publish it, even information about the Night Organization. But you're only allowed to release it three days from now, and you need to edit out some scenes."
"Editing out some scenes is fine."
Morgans sighed in relief, thinking it was only natural that Byakuya would want some secrecy around the Night Organization.
He'd be more suspicious if Byakuya allowed everything to be reported openly.
Morgans hesitated, "But won't three days delay the impact? Quite a few people know what happened today."
"Don't worry about that," Byakuya replied. "Katakuri won't let anyone leave Totto Land anytime soon."
"At least until Big Mom has recovered, none of them are leaving."
Morgans tensed up at this information. Since he'd entered the air door first, he hadn't seen what happened afterward.
But from Byakuya's words, it seemed he'd fought Big Mom again and left her seriously wounded. "Night, if I may ask—what happened to Big Mom?"
"Oh, nothing much—she just got knocked into the sea," Byakuya said casually.
Morgans drew in a sharp breath. Nothing much? Seriously? Big Mom was a Devil Fruit user; everyone knew what falling into the sea meant for them.
The Big Mom Pirates must be in utter chaos right now, desperately searching the waters for her.
If that news spread… So, the three-day delay—was it really to protect the Big Mom Pirates?
Could it be that Byakuya had some past connection to Big Mom? Morgans shot Byakuya a few curious glances.
If Byakuya knew what Morgans was imagining, he'd probably want to pluck his feathers and roast him for supper.
The truth was far simpler: Byakuya just didn't want the Night Organization to constantly stir up trouble every time he trained.
Once or twice could be overlooked, but if it kept happening, people would inevitably connect him with the organization.
Sengoku, that crafty old fox, had already started to suspect Byakuya's true identity.
Out of respect for Byakuya's strength and his connection to Zephyr, Sengoku hadn't reported it to the World Government or forced an investigation.
If Sengoku found out that Byakuya was present during the recent clash between the Night Organization and Big Mom in Totto Land, it wouldn't just be a polite inquiry this time.
Thus, Byakuya instructed Morgans to hold off on the news release for three days.
Now, he intended to return to the G-5 Base, acting as though nothing had happened.
Once the news broke, the world would know that the Night Organization's leader wields not only Armament Haki but also an ability similar to the "Conqueror's Engine," a skill unique on the high seas.
This way, no one would link Byakuya, known for his swordsmanship, with the Night Organization's techniques.
Even Sengoku, as cunning as he was, wouldn't guess that Byakuya possessed such powerful abilities beyond swordsmanship.
And that was Byakuya's entire purpose for attending the tea party.
<End Chapter>
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