Chapter 686: Caesar's Flash of Insight
After killing Arest, Ian didn't go far. He simply floated in midair, waiting for the tremors on the island to gradually subside.
In his pocket, the Den Den Mushi kept ringing incessantly. He didn't need to pick it up to know it was probably Crocodile and the others calling from Skypiea, likely asking what on earth had happened to Ian.
After all, they must have seen the strange phenomenon in the sky just now. It was a good thing the Skypiea base wasn't directly above Whole Cake Island at the time; otherwise, that sword slash shooting straight into the clouds might have hit the Skypiea base.
Not only was the Den Den Mushi ringing, but the system notification in his mind was also going off. Ian's intuition was right: after that slash he delivered to Arest, his swordsmanship skill had truly broken through its bottleneck, reaching the Master level.
Thinking back to that slash, Ian couldn't recall at all how he had swung the sword. He only remembered that when Arest charged at him, his mind seemed utterly devoid of stray thoughts—a state of emptiness, free from sorrow or joy.
Recalling this, Ian began to understand a bit of the realm of Master-level swordsmanship...
It didn't require momentum or killing intent. It was a state where even the opponent had no idea how you would strike them.
This profound and mysterious realization was something Ian could only ponder and internalize through repeated reflection.
Just as Ian was about to pick up the Den Den Mushi, he saw from afar the Big Mom Pirates and a group of guests returning.
To be honest, the incident with Stussy and Arest had caught Ian completely off guard. Originally, Ian's only target was Big Mom. But before his planned scheme could even begin, this newly promoted Marine Admiral, Arest, had popped up to fight him. Ian didn't know what to say about this situation.
However, when he saw the massive wedding cake behind Big Mom, Ian understood. It seemed Big Mom still intended to continue her wedding tea party.
Indeed, in Big Mom's mind, the tea party was the top priority. Even the death of a Marine Admiral and the near-destruction of Whole Cake Island couldn't stop her obsession with the tea party...
Since the tea party was still going on, it meant the plan he and Capone Bege had agreed upon still had to be carried out. Even if they didn't act, when Big Mom ate the bomb, there would still be trouble.
Of course, Ian could also pin the bomb on the already-dead Stussy and Arest. Since both were dead, there was no evidence to the contrary, and they could explain it however they wanted.
But the problem was, if he changed the plan and stayed put, letting the tea party continue, Ian would essentially be solidifying the marriage alliance with the Big Mom Pirates. Ian had only been playing along to gather information; he didn't actually want to be this live-in son-in-law!
If he didn't want to sell himself out, then he had to fall out. There were many ways to fall out, but after weighing the options, Capone Bege's bomb was still the best opportunity.
Let it stir, let it stir. He'd already killed a Marine Admiral; killing a few more wasn't a big deal.
But no matter how he thought about it, this time, wherever he went, chaos followed, and he was probably going to take the blame for it...
So, Ian picked up the Den Den Mushi and said to Crocodile on the other end, "It's fine. Stick to the original plan and get ready to come down..."
However, before he could even finish speaking, a massive roar suddenly erupted!
Boom!!! Amidst the thunderous sound, Ian watched in shock as the huge wedding cake not far behind Big Mom turned into countless fragments in a burst of flames!
At that moment, even Ian's jaw dropped to the ground...
Since Ian was facing this head-on, he saw it most clearly: the bomb's power was immense. The blast wave sent everyone near the cake flying. The chefs of the Big Mom Pirates took the brunt of it and were blown away. The head chef, Longbread, fell unconscious upon landing. Katakuri and the others, who had been walking in front of the cake, were pushed forward by the blast from behind, sprawling onto the ground.
Besides these people, what Ian couldn't understand the most was Capone Bege and his Fire Tank Pirates. Because Ian saw very clearly that at the moment of the explosion, the Fire Tank Pirates were right near the cake. So, including Capone Bege, they were also sent flying with screams.
What... what the hell is going on!?
Ian wasn't stupid. He knew this couldn't have been Capone Bege's doing. Not only had Big Mom not even eaten the cake yet, but the fact that Capone Bege and his men were also blown up made it impossible. Who would plant a bomb and blow themselves up too!? Even a self-inflicted injury trick wasn't played like this!
Where had things gone wrong!? Had the bomb malfunctioned and exploded on its own, or...
The original plan was now completely thrown into chaos...
Ian wasn't the only one stunned. The Big Mom Pirates weren't in much better shape. Aside from those caught in the blast, everyone else stood there dumbfounded, staring at the destroyed wedding cake. Pieces of cream kept falling from the sky, pattering down on people, but they didn't react at all.
It wasn't until the cream rain stopped that Big Mom and her children finally snapped out of it.
"What... what happened!? Why did the cake explode!?"
"Dammit, who!? Who did this!?"
Katakuri's forehead was covered in bulging veins. He crouched down and punched the ground, creating a deep crater, his face full of regret.
His Observation Haki hadn't predicted this! This was a major failure!
But it couldn't be helped. Katakuri's precognitive ability wasn't truly seeing the future. To be precise, he used his powerful Observation Haki to "hear" the target's aura, emotional changes, and similar thoughts, comprehensively sensing what the target would do next, thereby achieving a "precognitive" ability.
When his Observation Haki was focused on a specific target, this predictive ability reached its peak. But if the target also had equally strong Observation Haki, it would interfere with his prediction.
Similarly, if he wasn't targeting a specific person but maintaining a broad sensory range with his Observation Haki, he might still foresee some future events, but those predictions would be very vague.
This was why he couldn't constantly monitor everything happening on-site. When there were too many targets to sense, the information to process also increased.
Especially since the bomb in the cake had been triggered by Caesar's unconscious action, making it even harder to predict!
At that moment, the culprit who had detonated the bomb, Caesar, was still frozen in the pose of pressing the remote button. But he was completely stunned, turning into an emoji prince, looking back at the exploded cake with a bewildered expression.
His nose was running again. Even as stupid as he was, he realized that the remote in his hand was actually the detonator for a bomb hidden in the wedding cake.
Once he realized this, Caesar felt like fainting on the spot!
This was too damn unfair!!
Which bastard did this!? Not only did they plant a bomb in the cake, but they also threw the remote out for me to pick up!? Wasn't I unlucky enough already, and now you want to screw me over even more!?
Next to Caesar, Charlotte Brûlée's eyes nearly popped out when the bomb destroyed the cake. When she came to her senses, she looked at Caesar beside her as if he were some kind of demon!
This was terrifying! Caesar's scheme was so deep! He pretended to be harmless, tricked me into unlocking his handcuffs, and then, right under my nose, he blew up Mama's wedding cake!?
At that moment, Brûlée's mind raced. She felt she had figured out all the cause and effect.
The kidnapping, the victim act—it was all a lie! Caesar was actually in cahoots with Stussy and Arest! He pretended to be kidnapped by them, but in reality, everything was his own plan, aimed at destroying the harmony and beauty of Whole Cake Island. Now that Stussy and Arest had been exposed and killed, he couldn't hold back and took action himself!
Brûlée's face was a picture of terror, as if she had just discovered the true identity of the mastermind behind it all. Her expression was incredibly dramatic. She looked at Caesar and quietly began to step back.
However, Caesar also remembered Brûlée, the witness, and slowly turned his head to look at her.
This made Brûlée even more terrified. Just as she was about to scream to attract everyone's attention, Caesar, with a fierce expression, lunged at her and pinned her to the ground!
Their original position was at the very back, so hardly anyone noticed them. Most people were staring at the spot where the cake had exploded.
Thus, Caesar's action of pinning Brûlée down went completely unnoticed!
Caesar knew he had caused a huge disaster, so he absolutely couldn't let Brûlée, the witness, speak. Once pinned down, Brûlée began to struggle desperately. Caesar grabbed both her hands with his, pressed his legs over hers, and lay on top of her.
But this way, he couldn't cover her mouth. Brûlée realized her mouth was free and instinctively tried to scream.
Sensing Brûlée's intention in an instant, Caesar had a flash of inspiration. He suddenly lowered his head and directly covered her mouth with his own!
Brûlée froze instantly. Her pupils dilated, and her entire body went stiff. She forgot to scream...
Her hands, pinned by Caesar, tightly clutched the grass on the ground, then slowly relaxed. Her feet, also pinned, went from being tense and pointed to gradually loosening...
The entire scene fell silent, with only a strange, sizzling sound echoing...