Chapter 688: Ready to Eat Chicken
Boom! As BIG MOM's fist slammed down, another massive crater appeared on the ground.
Katakuri could only hold onto Brûlée, leaping away from the spot with a kick to dodge the blow. He knew full well that Mama had already gone berserk and couldn't be reasoned with in any way. In this state, the only words she would listen to were those related to food.
Similarly, Capone Bege wasn't a fool. He had already sensed Katakuri's murderous intent, so how could he stay put? Thus, while Katakuri was being attacked by BIG MOM, he and his Fire Tank Pirates quickly scrambled to their feet and fled.
They ran in Ian's direction.
As soon as he saw Capone Bege panting as he ran over, Ian grabbed him by the collar and asked, "What the hell happened!? Why did the bomb explode early!? And how did you let Brûlée get out!?"
"I... I couldn't help it!" Capone Bege said. "Someone picked up the bomb remote and pressed it at just the wrong moment. Didn't you get caught in the blast too?"
"Tch!" Ian grimaced, glancing at BIG MOM wreaking havoc not far away. He released Capone Bege and said, "Great, your plan didn't work. BIG MOM hasn't been weakened at all, and after going berserk, her destructive power seems even stronger!"
Capone Bege looked back, his expression vicious, and said, "Even though BIG MOM is more terrifying in her berserk state, have you considered that her indiscriminate attacks are actually good for us?"
Ian nodded and said, "Indeed. That way, we can deal with Katakuri and the others first. Once they're taken care of, only BIG MOM will be left!"
"Exactly!" Capone Bege nodded as he opened the castle door on his chest. Tiny figures began rushing out from within.
Like Brûlée earlier, these figures quickly grew back to their original size once they left the range of Capone Bege's Devil Fruit ability. Those released were all his Fire Tank Pirates crew members.
The Fire Tank Pirates had quite a number of people. Each of them carried guns and weapons, even rocket launchers and mortars. As soon as they appeared, they immediately set up their firearms around Capone Bege.
"I always carry my adorable subordinates with me. What about yours?" Capone Bege turned to ask Ian. "Don't tell me your people haven't arrived yet. That would be a problem, because on this Whole Cake Island, BIG MOM's crew can muster tens of thousands of subordinates at any time!"
"Don't worry!" Ian looked up at the massive cloud above and said, "Isn't that them coming now!?"
The Fire Tank Pirates looked up and saw numerous black dots descending from the sky toward the ground.
The fastest three black dots grew huge in no time. Then, with three loud thuds and tremors, three massive figures crash-landed behind Ian and the others, kicking up a cloud of dust.
As the dust gradually cleared, Capone Bege and his men stared in stunned silence at the three identical giant figures slowly rising from the ground.
These three giants looked exactly like the Tyrant Bartholomew Kuma—cold and expressionless. As they stood up, everyone even caught a fleeting red glow in their eyes.
"Pacifista..." Seeing this, Capone Bege recognized them instantly. Letting out a sigh of relief, he said to Ian, "Truly reliable and powerful allies..."
Ian smiled faintly without saying anything. The three Pacifista then strode forward with heavy steps.
When they reached Ian, the three Pacifista stood side by side. Their massive bodies exuded a sense of pressure that caused the Fire Tank Pirates to panic slightly.
A faint beeping sound rang out as the three Pacifista scanned everyone present. The lead Pacifista spoke in a low voice to Ian, "PX-7, PX-8, PX-9 are in position. Please issue combat orders!"
Ian nodded and asked, "Where's Waldo?"
The lead Pacifista, PX-7, replied, "Dr. Waldo is currently on Skypiea. He asked me to inform you that the experimental airborne Thunder Stone Cannon is ready and can be deployed at any time!"
"Oh, is that so!?" Ian felt a surge of joy.
The airborne Thunder Stone Cannon was a weapon Waldo had been researching for a long time. Previous Thunder Stone Cannons required Wine Iron Ore for casting, making them heavy and, due to their smaller size, not very powerful. During the Battle of New Edd War, Waldo had used Thunder Stone Cannons, but they had to be carried by people to fire, limiting their combat effectiveness.
Waldo had later wanted to rebuild his chariot and mount a larger Thunder Stone Cannon on it. However, Ian suggested that he abandon quantity and focus on building a single maximized Thunder Stone Cannon. This cannon wouldn't need people to move it; it could be installed beneath the Skypiea base for ground strikes. This would not only increase its power but also allow it to move with Skypiea.
Waldo took Ian's advice and had been working on it ever since. Ian hadn't expected him to produce results so quickly.
So, the world's largest Armstrong Cyclone Jet Armstrong Cannon had finally appeared!?
Ian felt an itch in his heart, eager to find a chance to test it out...
Turning around, Ian asked Capone Bege, "Let's proceed with the original plan. You and your Fire Tank Pirates, along with some of my Dragon Hunter Pirates' men and these three Pacifista, will handle BIG MOM's underlings. No problem?"
"With the Pacifista joining in? No problem!" Capone Bege pulled at the lapels of his groom's suit and laughed heartily. "It's settled!"
Ian knew that Whole Cake Island was BIG MOM's home base, where her elite forces were concentrated. As Capone Bege said, she could muster tens of thousands of subordinates at any time. Most were grunts, but their numbers could be troublesome. Now, with the Fire Tank Pirates handling the grunts, Ian and his crew could focus on BIG MOM's senior officers.
Actually, when it came to dealing with large numbers of grunts, Ian could use his Sunlight Judgment to take them all out at once. However, the problem was that these pirate grunts might not all gather in one place at the same time. If Ian fired a Sunlight Judgment, some might escape. So, he decided not to waste the effort and save his Psychic Power for dealing with Katakuri and the others.
Now that BIG MOM, the core, had gone berserk due to the missing wedding cake, this twist of fate was actually good for Ian and his allies. As long as they stayed away from BIG MOM, they could first weaken BIG MOM's forces from the periphery. Meanwhile, Katakuri and the others not only had to deal with attacks from the Dragon Hunter Pirates and Fire Tank Pirates but also with the rampaging BIG MOM. This shift in balance made them easier to handle.
Of course, despite the favorable situation, Ian couldn't let his guard down. BIG MOM's crew was still one of the Four Emperors' crews. Among BIG MOM's many children, there were several with formidable strength, along with various bizarre Devil Fruit abilities. They could still put up a fight.
As for the guests BIG MOM had invited, they were fine for now. Once the battle started, they would likely flee Whole Cake Island. However, the Vinsmoke Family was a problem. Ian still didn't know what Judge was thinking—whether he would cling to BIG MOM's thigh and attack Ian, or recognize the situation and make the right choice.
Thinking this, Ian looked toward Reiju and Judge's direction. He saw Judge looking somewhat at a loss in the face of BIG MOM's rampage...
Just then, Ian heard a thud behind him, followed by Crocodile's arrogant voice: "Hey, Captain, didn't we say it was just in case? How did it come to a fight after all?"
Ian turned to look at Crocodile, who was puffing on a cigar, and shrugged. "Sigh, it's a long story. I don't even know where to start complaining..."
Another thud sounded as Enel appeared, a gleeful grin on his face. "Who cares about all that? How can we miss such a big scene? Let's just get straight to it!"
"I think so too..." The bald Mr. 1 had already turned his hands into sharp blades and licked them lightly with his tongue.
"Hmph, a bunch of battle maniacs!" A cold snort came from Konenai, who was dressed in a dashing knight's armor, her hand resting on the hilt of her knight's sword as she stepped forward.
The long-haired, black-haired Robin, with a charming smile, put away her hands. As she landed, a pair of angel wings made of countless hands folded behind her. She asked, "Captain, I heard there are quite a few Poneglyphs on this island. Is that true?"
"Ian-sama, why are you an exhibitionist!?" Before Ian could answer, BABY-5, puffing on a cigarette, landed and immediately blushed as she stared at Ian, shouting, "Where are your clothes!?"
She then pulled out a set of clothes from behind her like a magician and handed them over. "Good thing I came prepared! Put them on quickly..."
"Hehe, Boss, it seems your luck isn't too good today!" The beautiful Baccarat, with her wine-red curly hair, covered her mouth and chuckled, teasing Ian.
"Is this Whole Cake Island? It looks so delicious..." The two little girls, Sugar and Walnut, dressed in matching bear outfits and cat paws, held hands and looked curiously at the fragrant buildings around them, their eyes sparkling.
"I want to eat too!" Dorry was even worse; his stomach was already growling loudly.
"Why... do... I... have... to... come... too...?" The dark-eyed Matthew asked slowly, but no one dared to answer him.
"Whoa!" Sardin landed with a massive tremor, then looked around and snorted, "Even though it's a disgusting island, if it's a fight, I don't mind joining in."
Zeke, standing beside him, rubbed his nose and clenched his fist, asking Sardin, "Want to have a competition?"
The scene was noisy and chaotic. Under the astonished gazes of Capone Bege and the Fire Tank Pirates, Ian's Dragon Hunter Pirates had almost all arrived. The airborne landing was complete, and they were ready to eat chicken...