The clash of blades was thunderous. Even the residual shockwaves from their attacks were enough to shatter boulders and churn the ocean.
Charlotte Linlin's face twisted into a wild grin. "Break!" she roared.
A maelstrom of shockwaves laced with Prometheus's flames erupted between them, swirling into a blazing inferno that spiraled into the sky like a flame tornado.
"Hiss—!"
A massive black serpent, created from Carl's compressed Haki, writhed through the air—only to be ripped apart instantly.
The black-gold Slash Waves, infused with Conqueror's Haki, were largely obliterated by Linlin's burning shockwave. The few remnants that struck her frame sparked but couldn't pierce her skin.
"As expected… her body really is a 'Steel Balloon'." Carl narrowed his crimson eyes, locking onto the emperor opposite him.
In truth, it was the infamous Tough Body Physique, a terrifyingly durable natural trait. He understood it well—because his own body had inherited the same monstrous resilience.
Ordinary blows? They wouldn't even leave a scratch.
"Hmph… Solomon Carl, that sword style—" Linlin squinted at the long blade in Carl's hand. "That's Shiki's technique, isn't it?"
"Slash Wave," Carl confirmed, unfazed. "Golden Lion's unique form of ranged cutting. Unorthodox, but effective."
Slash Waves, the flying slashes Shiki could release without touching his target, were notorious in the old era. It was a technique that didn't rely on basic swordsmanship, but rather spatial force generated by absurdly powerful Haki.
Charlotte Linlin knew it well—she had clashed with Shiki countless times during their prime.
"But it won't matter," Linlin declared, hoisting Napoleon, now aflame from Prometheus and crackling with Zeus's lightning. "You're still not at my level!"
Carl met her eyes, steady and calm. "Shiki might've been insane, but his swordsmanship deserved respect. So I learned it. That's all."
He had fought Shiki before—killed him, even. The man was unhinged, but undeniably powerful. That fight had carved his understanding of battle to a new height.
"I still don't get it," Linlin grinned, her toothy mouth stretching ear to ear. "A man like you—why be a Marine?"
She gestured broadly toward the sea.
"Come join my BIG MOM Pirates. With your strength, I'd make you a Sweet Commander. You'd have all the freedom in the world!"
To Linlin, the idea of justice, order, and restraint was laughable. Her life was indulgence, ruled by cravings and personal whims.
"That's the problem," Carl muttered. "That's why you're chaotic evil. You think freedom means no consequences."
He tapped the hilt of his sword, red light flashing in his right eye.
"I'm lawful neutral at best. I don't follow orders blindly, but I don't throw morals to the wind either."
He'd killed many, yes—but he'd never done it for pleasure or chaos. His justice was cold, but precise.
"What are you babbling about?" Linlin tilted her head, visibly confused. His alignment-based philosophy clearly flew over her head.
Above the sea, their standoff was like two storm systems circling each other. Even from Whole Cake Island, the tension was suffocating.
Perospero stood on the shoreline, licking his candy cane anxiously. "That Marine… that's Solomon Carl."
His voice trembled.
"If he's here, then what happened to Katakuri and the others…? He went to Fish-Man Island with Opera…"
The realization struck—if Carl was here now, alone, then something had gone terribly wrong.
Back above the waves, Linlin's expression twisted. "So, you're rejecting my offer, huh?"
Her body radiated heat and malice, her Homies—Prometheus and Zeus—cackling with energy.
Carl rolled his eyes. "Of course I am. Me? A pirate? Please. Just because you're the 'Southern Madness' of the Four Emperors doesn't mean I'm about to become a lunatic."
He'd seen all the Emperors—Kaido's suicidal madness, Big Mom's bipolar rage, Blackbeard's greed, and Shanks' strange neutrality.
The east was insane, the west was crippled, the south was deranged, and the north was ignorant.
No one among them was truly sane.
Not yet, anyway. Once Blackbeard revealed his hand, and the Straw Hats began to rise, the balance would shatter.
It'd become:
Ugly in the east, crippled in the west, crazy in the south, dumb in the north, and second in the middle!
Carl smirked to himself. A meaningless thought—but somehow satisfying.
Meanwhile, Linlin glanced down at the sea. "My son… Katakuri… and my cake!"
It finally registered—her children weren't returning. The snacks were gone.
Carl twitched. "This old hag is certifiably insane."
Unstable, unpredictable—her kind of mental instability was dangerous beyond comprehension.
"SOLOMON CARL!!!" she screamed, her voice reverberating across the ocean.
A pulse of pure Conqueror's Haki exploded from her body, turning the sky blood-red. The clouds split, the sea rippled, and birds dropped from the air, unconscious.
"I'll KILL YOU for ruining my snacks! And how DARE you refuse my invitation!"
Carl didn't flinch. His right eye glowed—within it, the number "one" surfaced. [Hell Road] activated.
Invisible spiritual pressure rippled out, clashing violently with Linlin's own Haki.
This was no longer a political battle.
It was personal.
One Emperor… against a Marine who refused to yield.
And the heavens themselves would bear witness to the collision.
Let me know if you want the next chapter prepped in this same style!
"Then prepare to pay the price!!"
The long sword Napoleon in Charlotte Linlin's hand was raised high. "Ikoku Sovereignty!"
The overwhelming shockwave blasted forward like a giant lance of compressed air, splitting the clouds and violently piercing a colossal hole through the atmosphere. Wherever Ikoku Sovereignty passed, it distorted space like a vacuum had opened.
In an instant, Carl's silhouette was engulfed and obliterated.
Swish!
A shadow emerged from the air behind Linlin's massive frame. Sakura Ten slashed downward, trailing dark lightning imbued with Advanced Armament Haki and Conqueror's infusion.
Clang!!
A titanic arm, hardened with black Busoshoku Haki, blocked the descending blade.
"You're quick, brat," Linlin smirked, tongue sliding across her lips as if savoring the danger. The black lightning crawled across her arm, but she didn't even flinch—it was as though pain simply didn't register.
Carl's mouth curved into a grin. "With that massive frame, you can still react like that?"
Even though he wasn't as fast as that old monster Redfield, he was far quicker than before. And yet, Linlin reacted. That was absurd.
"Well then—!" Her other arm swung Napoleon at close range with monstrous force!
Clang!!
Carl raised Deadwood with his left hand just in time to intercept.
The shriek of clashing steel echoed like cannon fire, sending violent shockwaves that rippled through the air. Carl was blown back several hundred meters before steadying himself midair.
"Whew! You're a walking disaster…" Carl's gaze hardened.
Charlotte Linlin was a collection of absurdities—Soul-Soul Fruit powers allowed her to manipulate human lifespans and animate objects into Homies, creating entities like Prometheus, Zeus, and Napoleon.
Her Conqueror's Haki mastery was top-tier, able to imbue it into her attacks, clashing even with Kaido. Her sword techniques like Ikoku Sovereignty and Emperor Sword possessed city-level destructive force.
But her most terrifying attribute? Her natural-born steel balloon physique.
Even as a child, she fractured a giant's bones with a slap. Her voice alone could burst eardrums. Her raw strength was monstrous, beyond even Kaido's infamous durability in some ways.
"Mamamama… You blocked that one too?" Linlin grinned widely.
Carl's gaze shifted downward—to the thundercloud Homie, Zeus, beneath her.
Though he lacked a soul-affecting Devil Fruit like the Yomi Yomi no Mi, he smirked. "I can't slash souls, but…"
He vanished.
Clang!!
Midair, Sakura Ten and Napoleon locked in another clash. But then—Carl's crimson right eye gleamed. The number "one" lit up faintly.
He unleashed—[Hell Road]!
An invisible mental shockwave pulsed from his right eye and struck Zeus head-on.
The thundercloud suddenly stiffened, losing all power, and began to plummet toward the ocean.
Carl exerted pressure through Sakura Ten, forcing Linlin's balance.
"Mama!" Prometheus shrieked. "Zeus! Snap out of it!!"
Both Linlin and Zeus were falling fast. If they hit the ocean, it'd be over!
"Attacked Zeus directly?!" Linlin's eyes widened as she saw the water rushing up. A cold sweat trickled down her temple.
Veins bulged in her arm. With a furious roar, she released a blast of Haoshoku-infused strength that forced Carl back through the sky.
Then she slammed her palm into Zeus, restoring him with a surge of soul energy.
Swish!
Just before impact, Zeus re-ignited, lifting Linlin back above the sea.
"Whew… that was close," Linlin snarled, her grin returning with malice. "Boy, you nearly got the better of me."
Carl hovered in midair, pointing Sakura Ten straight at her.
"Old hag… blame yourself for choosing the wrong battlefield."
"Fighting over the sea—watch closely! I'll show you how a mere Marine kills a Yonko!"
He didn't eat a Devil Fruit.
That was the difference. That was the edge.
He would exploit it—to end her.
Let me know if you'd like the next part or a visual of this clash!
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