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One Piece: The Dragon All-Star - 102
🕑 Added 2025-09-16 18:41:32 +0000 UTCChapter 102: Charlotte Linlin Rejected by Two Men in Succession
Taking the massive elevator, Kai's group successfully reached Wano's interior.
Before they could catch their breath, an urgent council notice had already reached Kai's hands.
Onigashima Great Hall.
At this moment, the hall was crowded with people, the atmosphere heavy with tension.
It could be said that since Kai joined the Beast Pirates these years, the core members had never gathered so completely.
The three All-Stars, the Tobiroppo, and even Judge had joined the meeting.
"Kai-aniki!"
"Yamato-san!"
Dealing with the constant stream of greetings, Kai led Yamato directly to sit in the seat below King's right hand.
"Wororororo, perfect timing."
Kaido seemed quite excited.
He had been waiting for this scale of battle for far too long.
Following convention, King, who also served as chief steward, began his speech.
"According to reliable intelligence, the Red Hair Pirates have assembled their four strongest affiliated pirate crews: the Brujoah Pirates, Social Club Pirates, Puddle Pirates, and Butterfly Pirates. Currently, they're sailing at full speed toward Wano, expected to arrive at our outer waters in three days."
King then briefly introduced the general configuration and strength assessment of those four crews.
Overall, each had considerable strength, requiring at least Tobiroppo-level officers to lead countermeasures.
However, these affiliated crews were merely appetizers.
The Beast Pirates' true concern was one and only one: the Red Hair Pirates' main crew.
"Though the Red Hair Pirates have only nine members, all possess exceptional strength and are called the most balanced and formidable pirate crew."
Even King, when introducing the Red Hair Pirates, couldn't help but carry unprecedented gravity in his tone.
Kaido remained noncommittal.
He turned his gaze to Kai, asking with interest, "Kai, what's your take?"
"Doesn't matter. Since they're enemies, we'll just go all out."
That's what Kai said, and what he thought.
Though he'd had favorable impressions of Shanks in his previous life, since the other party had come knocking, he couldn't exactly say: Let's be friends and forget your grudge.
Even if Kai could now connect to the Red Hair Pirates through various channels.
The pirate world was like this. Once you decided to be enemies, there was no sentiment to speak of.
Fight with everything you've got first, then talk.
"Wororororo."
Kaido burst into satisfied laughter. "You're right! Whatever the case, let's fight first!"
In his life, he'd been defeated and fallen low, but never cowered.
"Exactly!"
Yamato was the first to respond loudly.
"Crush them!"
"Let Red Hair know our power!"
The others also felt their blood surge, loudly clamoring for battle. The hall's atmosphere was instantly ignited, becoming fanatically intense.
"Perfect time to let those bastards taste my newly developed plague bullets!"
Queen waved his thick arms while shouting, not forgetting to cast provocative glances at Judge across from him.
As if saying: In the coming war, I'll show Kaido-san who's the Beast Pirates' number one scientist!
In the scene's fanatical atmosphere, the self-proclaimed calm Judge seemed out of place.
A pre-battle meeting ended just like that?
At least plan some specific tactical deployments.
As if responding to Judge's thoughts, Kai spoke again, steering the topic toward practical arrangements. "Next, let's determine expedition and garrison personnel."
The Red Hair Pirates' main force was coming out in full because they hadn't been operating in the New World long; their foundation was shallow. Without doing this, they simply lacked the capital to directly confront the Beast Pirates.
But the Beast Pirates were different.
Wano Country, as their carefully managed headquarters for years, absolutely couldn't afford to lose. They had to leave sufficiently powerful forces to guard it.
Kaido nodded approvingly and began directly naming people. "King, Black Maria, Ulti, and Page One stay behind."
King and Black Maria remained calm, bowing obediently without objection.
Ulti, however, jumped up directly, pointing at Jack and others about to set out, shouting dissatisfiedly, "Hey Kaido! Do you think I'm weaker than them?"
Nearby Page One broke out in a cold sweat, frantically pulling his sister. "Sis, don't use that tone with Kaido-san!"
Kaido didn't get angry, instead waving casually. "Haha, it's fine. Since you want to go so badly, then go. Together with your brother."
At worst, he'd just leave a few more All-Stars behind.
"That's more like it."
Only then did Ulti satisfiedly cross her arms and lift her head.
Just then.
Buru buru buru buru...
A series of urgent Den Den Mushi calls suddenly rang out.
Kaido's thick eyebrows furrowed as he somewhat puzzledly pulled out a violently vibrating Den Den Mushi from his chest.
He pressed the answer button. The Den Den Mushi's facial features rapidly changed, soon mimicking a large face with thick lipstick and deep eyeshadow.
"Mama Mama!"
The Den Den Mushi opened its mouth, releasing Charlotte Linlin's distinctly characteristic hearty laughter. "Kaido, I heard you're going to war with that Shanks fellow?"
Her voice transmitted throughout the hall through the Den Den Mushi, making everyone prick up their ears.
"How about it? Want to team up with me? We'll join forces and sink them all!"
Charlotte Linlin has sent you an alliance invitation.
Kaido's mouth turned downward, his brow furrowing tightly as he replied roughly, "Do you think I'll lose?"
"Mama Mama! That's not necessarily true."
Charlotte Linlin on the other end let out a confident laugh.
"For the sake of our years of friendship, I'll give you some free intelligence. That Shanks fellow's relationship with those World Government bastards is quite unusual."
Oh?
Big Mom actually knew this information too?
The Charlotte family's intelligence network really was something else.
Kai raised an eyebrow slightly, glancing at the Den Den Mushi in surprise.
He clearly knew Shanks' relationship with the World Government was more than unusual. The man was pure-blooded Celestial Dragon stock, a former member of the God's Knights.
His family background was among the very top of the Celestial Dragons.
Charlotte Linlin then revealed her true purpose, her voice full of temptation. "How about buying some insurance? As long as you agree to give me a share of Wano's Seastone trade, we'll be an unbreakable alliance."
Then she began painting a beautiful future. "Think about it carefully. You and I joining forces—who in the New World could stop us? When that time comes, the entire New World will be ours!"
Kaido on the main seat let out a heavy cold snort, mercilessly poking holes in her pie-in-the-sky promises. "Don't even think about it, old hag! Wano is my territory! If you want to get involved, defeat me head-on first!"
He'd dealt with Charlotte Linlin for too many years and understood this woman's infinitely greedy nature all too well.
Occasional short-term cooperation for mutual benefit was possible, but a true alliance?
That would be like seeking skin from a tiger, ultimately only evolving into the beginning of mutual annexation.
Charlotte Linlin's laughter stopped abruptly, her tone instantly dropping to freezing as she directly issued a threat. "Kaido, aren't you afraid I'll team up with the Red Hair Pirates instead?"
As a Pirate Emperor, whichever side she joined would completely tip the scales of victory.
Kai watched with a twitching mouth.
That face change was too fast. Big Mom's mood swings were absolutely unpredictable.
Sometimes he couldn't figure out whether Kaido and Charlotte Linlin actually had any sibling affection.
"Then bring it on!" Kaido showed no weakness, roaring even louder at the Den Den Mushi.
The confrontation between two Pirate Emperors left all the officers below breaking out in a cold sweat.
Dealing with one Red Hair Pirates crew, they were confident of victory, but adding the Big Mom Pirates made the outcome uncertain.
The other end of the call fell silent for a long time, with only heavy breathing audible.
After a while, Charlotte Linlin's sinister voice finally came through. "Very well, then good luck to you, Kaido."
Then, with a click, the call was decisively hung up.
Totto Land, Whole Cake Island, inside the castle.
"Damn Kaido, how dare he refuse my perfect plan!"
After hanging up, Charlotte Linlin's anger hadn't subsided, her massive body rising and falling slightly with fury.
She thought for a few seconds, then actually dialed another number.
She didn't wait long. The Den Den Mushi was quickly answered, mimicking a stable male face with gray slicked-back hair and a cigarette in his mouth.
Charlotte Linlin immediately put on an amiable smile. "Hello? Is this Ben Beckman? This is Charlotte Linlin."
With the Charlotte family's intelligence network spread throughout the New World, obtaining the Red Hair Pirates' vice-captain's contact information wasn't difficult.
"Hmm?"
Beckman on the other end seemed somewhat surprised, his voice carrying traces of wariness and curiosity. "What business do you have with us?"
"Mama Mama, let's cooperate." Charlotte Linlin got straight to the point.
"Cooperate?" Beckman's eyes narrowed slightly as he exhaled a smoke ring. "There doesn't seem to be anything worth cooperating on between us."
Embarrassingly, though the Red Hair Pirates were now considered a major power in the New World, they indeed lacked talented business managers, and their territory had no unique natural resources.
Plus their own pride prevented them from lowering themselves to crude pillaging and plundering.
So they could only collect protection fees to barely maintain their lifestyle.
Of course, they weren't poor, but definitely not wealthy.
"Mama Mama! Very simple!" Charlotte Linlin's laughter continued. "We join forces to attack the Beast Pirates! How about it?"
She laid out her conditions. "As long as we defeat Kaido, Wano goes to me! All the Beast Pirates' other New World territories go to your Red Hair Pirates! What do you say?"
Beckman didn't immediately refuse or agree, only saying steadily, "I can't make this decision. Talk to my captain."
The other end went quiet briefly, then the image changed again.
Red hair, three distinctive claw marks over the left eye.
"You're Red Hair Shanks." Charlotte Linlin's voice became even more amiable. "My proposal sounds quite good, doesn't it? We each get what we need."
Without waiting for Shanks to respond, she immediately began skillfully painting grand visions again.
"Not just this time! After the war, we can form a complete pirate alliance. Then we can even take down that old fool Whitebeard's territory together. When that happens, the entire New World will be under our control!"
Finished speaking, Charlotte Linlin smugly waited for Shanks' response.
In her view, with such generous conditions, the other party had absolutely no reason to refuse.
"The conditions are indeed quite good." Shanks' voice came through with laughter.
Charlotte Linlin's smile bloomed even more brilliantly. She knew it! But the next second, her triumphant smile froze solid.
"But I must refuse."
The Den Den Mushi suddenly transmitted Shanks' decisive rejection.
"Why?!" Charlotte Linlin nearly went crazy, her voice suddenly shooting up.
One after another, she'd offered such generous conditions, yet they still didn't recognize good fortune.
"I'll avenge my friend's death myself."
Shanks' calm voice contained absolute confidence. "I don't have the habit of relying on others, nor do I need to borrow others' power to achieve my goals."
"Aren't you afraid I'll team up with Kaido instead?!" Charlotte Linlin raged, again playing the alliance card.
"Do as you please." Shanks answered lightly.
Click. Before he finished speaking, the call was directly hung up.
The Den Den Mushi instantly lost all expression, drooping its head listlessly.
"Shanks, you bastard! How dare you hang up on me!!"
Charlotte Linlin looked at the completely silent Den Den Mushi in her hands, her wrinkled old face twisting and convulsing with rage.
Her already terrifying aura spread out like substance, the entire Cake Castle hall's temperature seeming to drop several degrees, filled with suffocating oppression.
The Charlotte family children sitting at the long table below all lowered their heads.
They didn't even dare breathe heavily, afraid of becoming targets for Mama's furious venting.
The consequences would be unthinkable. Light punishment meant years of lifespan extracted; severe meant immediate death!
No one dared gamble on Mama's mercy at such times.
Only one man, the Charlotte family's greatest masterpiece, Katakuri.
He calmly looked up at the enraged Charlotte Linlin. "Mama, what should we do next?"
Charlotte Linlin took a deep breath, not immediately answering.
She reached out her giant hand, grabbing the mountain of massive cakes dripping with sweet cream from the nearby cart, frantically stuffing them into her cavernous maw as if venting.
After a terrifying bout of binge eating, the massive sugar intake barely suppressed her inner rage.
"Huff... huff..."
She panted heavily, suddenly standing up from her throne and commanding, "Katakuri, assemble the fleet and follow me to war!"
Since those two bastards Kaido and Shanks had both rejected her, she'd make them see the consequences of angering her!
She refused to believe she couldn't profit from this war.
Thinking this, Charlotte Linlin suddenly let out another bout of neurotic, low laughter. "Mama Mama... fight, fight! It's best if those two beat each other to mutual destruction. Then we can tear off the fattest piece of meat from their bodies!"
"I understand, Mama."
Katakuri showed no hesitation or objection, decisively bowing in acceptance.
Whatever decision Mama made, what he needed to do was give his all to execute it and fulfill Mama's expectations.
