Starting from One Piece: Multiverse Simulation

It wasn't surprising to Doflamingo that Wood possessed Conqueror's Haki. After all, Wood was now one of the most formidable figures on the seas—someone without the qualifications of a king would be the strange one here.

What shocked Doflamingo, however, was that despite awakening Conqueror's Haki after him, Wood's Haki was far stronger.

Those present on Whole Cake Island were no ordinary individuals, yet Wood's Conqueror's Haki had managed to knock out more than half of them.

Even an underworld figure like the Undertaker had been mentally shaken by the sheer force of Wood's Haki, proving how terrifyingly powerful it was.

What Doflamingo didn't know was that when Wood first awakened his Conqueror's Haki, it wasn't particularly strong. The reason he had progressed so rapidly over the past decade was because of his system.

Normally, Conqueror's Haki, unlike Armament and Observation Haki, cannot be strengthened; it's an innate trait. But through completing numerous system missions over the past decade, Wood had managed to defy this limitation.

Even though he hadn't used the "World Simulation" mode in his system, he had run countless "Life Simulations." Each time a simulation ended, he focused on enhancing his Haki and physical attributes, resulting in what should have been an unenhanceable Conqueror's Haki being strengthened to absurd levels.

In addition to his Conqueror's Haki, Wood had also elevated his Observation and Armament Haki to a near-impossible degree through continuous simulations over the years.

Now, Wood had not only awakened his Conqueror's Haki, but according to intelligence gathered by the Donquixote Family, Doflamingo knew that Wood had displayed a Logia-type Devil Fruit ability in Alabasta.

Seeing how easily Wood had just dispatched the Undertaker, and factoring in all the information he had, Doflamingo realized that he stood no chance against Wood.

Yet, if he didn't respond to this public provocation, how could "Joker" continue to make a name for himself on the seas?

Boom—

Just as Doflamingo steeled himself to fight Wood, Big Mom suddenly smashed the table in front of her with a single punch.

The force of her blow not only shattered the table but caused the entire ground to shake. A massive crack extended from her position, separating Wood and Doflamingo.

"You two, how long do you plan to keep this up? This is my tea party! Are you disrespecting me, Charlotte Linlin, or do you think nothing of the Big Mom Pirates?"

With Big Mom's angry roar, her three top fighters—Katakuri, Cracker, and Smoothie—immediately closed in, surrounding both Wood and Doflamingo. It was clear that with one command from Big Mom, they would move to subdue both troublemakers.

Doflamingo, already aware that he stood no chance, seized the opportunity to step down as Big Mom intervened.

As for Wood, he glanced at the three Sweet Commanders, his aura still pulsing. He hesitated, considering whether he should take this moment to kill Doflamingo.

"Wood, this is Whole Cake Island, the territory of the Big Mom Pirates. Show me some respect, and it'll be better for everyone.

If you push things too far, even if you can leave safely, I doubt your second-in-command will be as fortunate."

Big Mom's anger was barely contained. No one had ever dared to cause such a scene at her tea party before. If it hadn't been for Doflamingo's instigation and her desire to recruit Wood, she would have already retaliated.

While she wanted to teach Doflamingo a lesson, she couldn't allow Wood to kill him. After all, Doflamingo was still valuable to her, particularly regarding his work with Caesar on the gigantification research.

Wood knew that if he fought with everything he had, he could kill Doflamingo and escape despite the pressure from Big Mom and the Sweet Commanders.

But as Big Mom had said, it would take all his strength just to escape alone. Taking Robin with him would make it impossible.

Doflamingo could be killed another day. But if he clashed with the Big Mom Pirates now, not only would Robin's life be in danger, but Gion's mission would also likely fail.

After considering the situation, Wood slowly retracted his aura and released the grip on his sword.

The Sweet Commanders, noticing this, also began to relax. Meanwhile, Big Mom, seeing that Wood had backed down, broke into a wide grin.

"Mamamama! I've admired you for a long time, Navy traitor Wood. I'm delighted you attended my tea party this time.

Though we're both major players in the underworld, you're clearly not the same as Joker and the others. I want to form an alliance between your weapons company and the Big Mom Pirates. What do you think?"

Big Mom's laughter filled the room as she directly revealed her intentions.

Wood's decision to back down gave her face, and she acknowledged that he wasn't on the same level as the other underworld figures.

"As everyone knows, the Big Mom Pirates are one of the strongest pirate crews in the world, and your weapons company controls much of the world's finances, with unparalleled connections and technology.

If we join forces, even the Beasts Pirates or Whitebeard Pirates would be no match for us.

The Big Mom Pirates could help you dominate the entire underworld, controlling all arms trade across the world.

In return, you'll support me in becoming the Pirate King, help me defeat the other Yonko, and fulfill my dream."

Big Mom didn't mince her words, laying out her grand vision in front of the entire underworld's top figures. Though many of them had mixed expressions, none dared speak up.

For them, Big Mom was already an insurmountable power. If Wood joined forces with her, they would have no choice but to bow their heads.

What Big Mom said wasn't wrong. If Wood agreed, the Big Mom Pirates would undoubtedly become the strongest of the Yonko. Even Whitebeard wouldn't stand a chance.

"Even if I were to agree, how could the Big Mom Pirates trust someone from the underworld? Alliances are never that simple."

Would Wood ever form an alliance with the Big Mom Pirates? Of course not.

Aside from knowing that the Big Mom Pirates were destined to fall, Wood didn't believe that Charlotte Linlin had what it took to become the Pirate King.

The Yonko, while powerful, all had their own glaring weaknesses.

Kaido was a brainless brute obsessed with suicide. Big Mom had her hunger pangs and frequent outbursts of madness. Whitebeard was too old. And Shanks—though level-headed—was missing an arm.

Four great pirate emperors, the so-called rulers of the sea, yet none of them could be considered normal. Either they were too old, sick, or crazy.

Wood wanted the Big Mom Pirates and Beasts Pirates to fight, but only so he could complete his mission. He would even offer Big Mom support if it helped stir conflict.

But forming an alliance? No way. It wouldn't benefit him at all.

His weapons company had money, people, and influence. Wood was secretly a Navy vice admiral and a top figure in the Revolutionary Army.

On the surface, he was also a powerful pirate with connections to both Shanks and Whitebeard's crews.

Why would he need to hitch his wagon to Big Mom, losing his current advantages?

Controlling the entire underworld? The Wood Weapons Company could achieve that on its own without Big Mom's help.

But Wood knew that staying out of the spotlight, with a few pawns to take the heat, was far safer than ruling it all outright.

"An alliance on its own wouldn't be enough to build trust. So, I plan to marry off one of my daughters to you.

If you marry one of my daughters, we'll be family, and any doubts between us will be put to rest. It'll make our cooperation even stronger."

Ignoring the implications of Wood's previous words, Big Mom pressed on, offering a marriage alliance.

In the pirate world, even an alliance sealed by marriage wasn't foolproof. After all, Big Mom had so many sons and daughters.

But that didn't matter to Big Mom. To her, her children were merely tools to fulfill her ambitions. She cared little for their personal feelings.

The key was that if Wood married one of her daughters, their alliance would be seen as a done deal in the eyes of the world.

As Big Mom spoke, she began calling out the names of her daughters, Galette, Charlotte Pudding, and Flampé.

Because of the overwhelming force of Wood's Conqueror's Haki earlier, most of the guests had fallen unconscious. Pudding and Flampé, who were among those knocked out, were no exception.

However, at Big Mom's command, Perospero used some unknown method to wake both Pudding and Flampé.

Terrified of their mother's wrath, the two girls hurried to her side.

As they overheard the surrounding discussions, Pudding and Flampé slowly realized that their mother had planned to use them as bargaining chips.

No wonder they, who normally wouldn't qualify to attend the tea party, had been invited this time. No wonder Perospero had insisted they dress their best. Now they knew why.

Pudding felt deeply disheartened. On the one hand, she had hoped that her mother's invitation meant Big Mom had finally changed her opinion of her. But instead, it turned out that she was simply being used.

Moreover, despite all her efforts to hide her true self, Pudding realized she had failed to escape her fate—just like her sister Lola.

Flampé felt similarly downcast. She had always idolized her brother Katakuri, even before knowing what he truly looked like, and had dreamed of becoming the most beloved sister in the family.

While Wood was certainly an impressive man, in Flampé's eyes, no one could ever surpass her beloved brother, Katakuri.

Unlike Pudding and Flampé, however, Galette was much more accepting of the marriage proposal.

As the 18th daughter of the Charlotte Family, Galette was now 29 years old. Compared to her younger sisters, she was more mature.

Standing at a normal height for a human woman, with pink hair, yellow eyes, lipstick, and fair skin, Galette was a beauty by most human standards.

Unlike the still-young Pudding and Flampé, Galette's thoughts were more grounded, and she didn't object to the marriage arranged by her mother.

Anyone with eyes could see that Big Mom didn't truly care for her children. Being sacrificed in a political marriage was inevitable, and Galette had accepted this reality long ago.

Their fates were in Big Mom's hands, and resistance was futile. The only option was to accept it.

Besides, Galette reasoned that Wood was an exceptional candidate.

The Wood Weapons Company was one of the most powerful organizations in the world, and even her mother valued him highly, a testament to his status.

On top of that, Wood had just displayed incredible strength.

Moreover, in addition to being wealthy, powerful, and highly skilled, Wood was also good-looking. Who wouldn't want to marry such a man?

As the Minister of Butter in the Big Mom Pirates, Galette had never been one of the core members of the family, despite her standing.

But if she married Wood, her status would skyrocket.

Becoming the wife of the Wood Weapons Company's boss would elevate her position within the family, and even her siblings would no longer dare to ignore her.

Even Big Mom herself wouldn't be able to control her so easily.

Galette, while outwardly strong, was timid and lacked real inner strength. For someone like her, having a powerful husband to rely on wasn't such a bad deal.

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Don't forget to give Power Stone

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