Chapter 266: C'mon, Linlin, Put Some Muscle Into It!
The figure plummeting towards the sea was none other than Big Mom.
"Mama!" Hera cried out in panic, streaking after her towards the point of impact.
However, before the cloud could even get close, Big Mom's massive body came to an abrupt halt in mid-air. She stomped down on empty space, using the recoil to launch herself out from between the waves and land steadily on Hera's back.
"MAMAMAMA! No need to worry, Hera!" Big Mom wiped a trace of blood from her lip. "This level of power… this is nothing! This doesn't even count as a warm-up!"
"Shane, you little brat!" she roared, her crimson eyes locking onto the black silhouette high above.
Shane hovered in the sky, looking down on her imperiously. Black-and-red lightning crackled around his sword, Masamune, its tip pointed directly at her. He was using the Flight Technique. He had practiced it a bit more on the way to Whole Cake Island; while he hadn't fully mastered it, it was more than sufficient for combat.
"Mamama, so you can fly…" Big Mom's mouth split into a wide grin. "I don't know how you're doing it, but flying higher than me… it's really starting to piss me off… Hey! Prometheus, help me get this bastard out of the sky!!!"
"You got it, Mama!" Prometheus yelled, detaching from her hair. In the next instant, Napoleon, the greatsword clutched tightly in Big Mom's hand, erupted in a cataclysmic inferno!
At the same time, Hera, the thundercloud beneath her feet, crackled with blinding electricity, carrying her soaring into the sky.
"Mother's Flaming Blade!"
A torrent of raging flames surged forward, expanding as it traveled until it had practically swallowed half the sky. The scene was apocalyptic. The sudden spike in temperature made many of the fighters below instinctively look up in awe.
"If all you've got is fire, that's not nearly enough, you old hag!"
Shane, however, seemed completely unfazed by the approaching inferno. He sneered, and instead of retreating, he dove straight down. His blade cut through the air, unleashing a wanton cascade of black-and-red lightning!
"Divine Departure!"
The colossal black-and-red slash tore through the sea of fire like divine punishment, cleaving the flaming torrent in two!
This move again?
Big Mom's pupils constricted. She dodged sideways in a flash, narrowly avoiding the aftershock of the attack. Looking back at the massive, several-kilometer-long chasm it had carved into the ocean, her face turned grim.
As the queen of the soul realm, she knew power when she saw it. She could clearly feel the terrifying will embedded in that sword strike. It was an absolute force that fire could not burn and lightning could not shake. Just as its name implied… it was a power that ruled the seas, a power that even gods would avoid!
Neither Prometheus nor Hera, on their own, could stand against that sword. They wouldn't even be able to hold their ground, let alone repel it!
"MAMAMAMA, that's why…"
"…we have to fuse!" Big Mom roared with a savage smile as she landed on the ice, raising Napoleon high above her head. The blazing sun, Prometheus, shot forward and bit down on the pommel of the sword, while Hera churned violently at its tip, gradually merging with the blade.
The three great Homies became one.
"MAMAMAMA! Witness the power of an Emperor!"
As Big Mom cackled, an energy ring around the sword expanded, transforming into a vortex of black-red lightning and fire over ten meters in diameter. Blazing white, deep violet, and fiery orange energies spiraled together, ionizing the air around them into blinding arcs. When the energy reached its absolute peak…
Big Mom swung the sword with all her might!
"Roaring Light Cannon!"
A world-destroying torrent of energy erupted, blasting towards the heavens! Everywhere it passed, the glaciers vaporized, the seawater evaporated, and space itself seemed to twist and tremble!
High in the sky, Shane's black hair was whipped about wildly by the gale, his face contorting under the pressure. Yet his response remained unchanged—he raised his sword.
"Divine Departure!"
A blinding, cross-shaped sword light flared to life! The slash descended from the heavens and collided with the Roaring Light Cannon. Countless thick bolts of black-red lightning intertwined with the tri-colored energy torrent, exploding with a sound like mountains collapsing and tsunamis crashing!
Fortunately, the collision occurred high in the air. Otherwise, the entire vast glacier battlefield would have shattered completely. The aftershocks of a clash between Emperors were no joke!
Even so, a terrifying shockwave radiated outwards in a massive arc, blasting away the dark clouds for thousands of meters in every direction and revealing the endless azure sky above.
SCREEECH! Big Mom's massive body slid back dozens of meters from the recoil, carving two deep trenches in the ice.
"Even an attack of this magnitude only results in a draw?" Big Mom bared her teeth, running her tongue over her upper palate. "Truly worthy of the title of the World's Strongest Swordsman. Your swordsmanship is even more incredible than I imagined, you brat!"
On the other side, Shane was also thrown back by the shockwave, tumbling several times in the air before he managed to stabilize himself.
"Hmph…" He glanced down at his slightly numb right arm and grinned. Once that old hag got serious, her power was not to be underestimated.
Though this was their first real fight, they had long since acknowledged each other as equals, with neither holding anything back. That was why, in less than half an hour, the warm-up was over, and the battle had escalated straight to a white-hot intensity!
Let's continue!
SWOOSH~!
With a flash of black, Shane vanished from the sky.
"Hmm?" Big Mom frowned, a red glint in her eyes as her Observation Haki precisely caught a blurry afterimage.
"MAMAMAMA! You can't hide from me, Shane!"
As for where he would reappear… it had to be—
"Right here!"
She let out a cackle and spun around. Her massive body moved with an agility that defied her size, flipping three or four times before thrusting her reverse-gripped sword at the black figure that had just materialized.
"Mama's Raid!"
This preemptive defense gave her the upper hand. A less experienced opponent would have been severely wounded the moment they reappeared. But while Shane was young, he had fought too many opponents as strong as himself to be lacking in this area. He was prepared.
And so, the response Big Mom received was the same two words as before—
"Divine Departure!"
The Roaring Light Cannon, after gathering energy, had enough power to cancel out a direct hit from Divine Departure. This hasty raid, however, was clearly not up to the task.
"UWAAA!"
Big Mom cried out in pain as Napoleon was knocked from her hand. Caught off guard, she was sent flying like a cannonball, blasting straight through seven or eight tart ships without slowing down. She flew past the ice, over the sea, leaving the battlefield entirely before finally crashing onto a large island over ten kilometers away…
BOOOOM!!!
Big Mom's colossal body slammed into the beach like a meteor, kicking up a sand tower dozens of meters high. The entire island shuddered from the impact, and a monstrous tsunami erupted from the nearby sea.
"Cough, cough cough…" Amidst the dust, Big Mom staggered to her feet and spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva. She looked down at her chest, where a gruesome gash stretched across her entire torso. The flesh was torn open, and blood oozed from the wound.
A nameless fury ignited within her. Big Mom gritted her teeth and screamed in humiliated rage at the figure flying towards her.
"What the hell is your problem?! Shane, you brat! As the World's Strongest Swordsman, is that the only move you know?!"
Divine Departure, Divine Departure… an endless stream of Divine Departure! A trump card of that level had to be draining. Using it once as a greeting was one thing, but who in their right mind spammed it like this?! Did he really think he could just cut her down with it? No one in the world could do that! What was he trying to prove?!
"I just wanted to see how many slashes it would take to pop your 'iron balloon' skin," a calm voice drifted down.
Shane landed gracefully on the beach. Seeing the deep wound on Big Mom's body, he finally nodded in satisfaction and casually tossed his sword into the air.
CLANG!
The blade fell perfectly back into its sheath.
"I'm a man who values fairness. Since you've lost your sword, it's only fair that I don't use mine either."
Is he serious?
Big Mom stared at him with suspicion. But after watching Shane roll his neck, producing a terrifying series of cracks like popping beans, and then genuinely assume a fighting stance without drawing his sword, she was stunned.
"There's no one else here, so we can speak plainly," she said, her eyes fixed on Shane's face. "It's not just your strength; I've always admired your spirit. If a new era truly has begun… then the sole legend will be you! It can only be you! There is no one else who can compare!"
Then again… this guy can go toe-to-toe with Kaido in a fistfight. He's not as reliant on his sword as I thought.
"Menopausal old hags sure are fickle, starting with the compliments all of a sudden," Shane continued to stretch, unfazed. "Does this mean we can negotiate about Bonney?"
"Don't be ridiculous, brat," Big Mom sneered, straightening up and baring her teeth. "At our level, we don't need to fight and kill over every little thing like those low-tier pirates. Most things can be discussed. But Bonney… that's the one thing I will absolutely never hand over!"
How could she let go of the one thing she desired most! She had just gotten her back; to lose her again, even for a day, was unacceptable. That little girl, who was just as gluttonous and cute as she was, and even had pink hair… she had to stay by her side until the day she died!
"Figured as much," Shane scoffed, glancing around. "Speaking of which, why is this island so deserted? Where are the residents? Did you eat them all?"
"?" A vein pulsed on Big Mom's forehead. "What are you talking about?! What do you take me for! You bastard, take a closer look! Doesn't this island look familiar?!"
Really?
Shane zipped to a higher vantage point, took a careful look around, and understanding dawned on him. He landed back on the beach and nodded at Big Mom. "I see. So this is the island Golden Lion Shiki dropped back then."
"That's right!" THUMP! Big Mom spread her legs into a stance, her expression savage as she instantly coated her arms in black Armament Haki. "It took a lot of effort to move this island to the outskirts of Totto Land to serve as the 35th territory of Whole Cake Island! Construction just started, so there's nobody here! It's perfect, isn't it? We can finally let loose completely!"
Swordsmanship was just an accessory for her anyway. Thanks to her uniquely gifted body, even without much training, there were few in the world who could match her in a brawl!
"It suits me just fine!" Shane laughed, cracking his knuckles. An incredibly powerful Armament Haki surged out like a tidal wave. "Then let's let our fists do the talking!"
SWOOSH!
They both exploded into action, charging at each other like meteors at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye! As Emperors of the Sea, both possessed physical strength that normal people could only dream of.
Beyond that, Big Mom's giant fist was wreathed in a layer of pale white soul-fire, like a knuckle duster, enhancing both her defense and impact. Shane's fist was coiled with black-and-red lightning. The two collided in the center of the beach!
BOOOOM!!!!!
A terrifying shockwave erupted, instantly blowing away hundreds of meters of sand and exposing the bedrock beneath. The ocean was pushed back, forming a circular tsunami dozens of meters high.
"MAMAMAMA! This is great!" Big Mom's pink hair whipped around her as she threw her head back and laughed, swinging her other fist. "It's been years, years since I've had a fight this satisfying!"
SMACK!
Shane dodged to the side and delivered a vicious whip kick to Big Mom's fleshy waist!
THUD!
A heavy impact! She grunted, her features twisting in pain, but she didn't budge an inch. Instead, she took the opportunity to grab his ankle.
"That one hurt! But now I've got you!" A凶惡 light flashed in Big Mom's eyes. She swung Shane around and began smashing him into the ground.
"Thunder Bagua!!!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Shane was used as a hammer, slammed into the ground three times. He was fine, but the bedrock beneath them couldn't take it. It began to crack and splinter, the fissures spreading rapidly towards the island's center, causing earthquake-like tremors.
"Couldn't come up with your own move, so you stole his, huh? But if you're going to use that name, this is nowhere near enough! C'mon, Linlin, put some muscle into it!"
"Oh? Is that right? Then as you wish!" Big Mom roared with laughter, gripping Shane tightly and lifting him high into the air. Just as she was about to slam him down a fourth time, Shane's eyes narrowed. He flexed his core, twisted his body to break free, and simultaneously locked his legs around her wrist like a pair of scissors.
In the next instant, he used the rotational force to unleash a burst of explosive power, so fast and fierce that he managed to hurl the massive Emperor of the Sea into the air!
"You've got guts, I'll give you that! But don't even think about it! In a close-quarters brawl, there's no way I'd ever lose to you, old hag!" he laughed, his fists suddenly glowing with a blinding black-and-red light. Armament and Conqueror's Haki fused perfectly on his knuckles as he shot up from the ground like a cannonball.
SWOOSH!
In a flash, he surpassed Big Mom's altitude, positioning himself directly above her. He grinned down at her, revealing a full set of pearly white teeth.
"Galaxy… Impact!"
He brought his fist down with all his might, striking Big Mom square in the abdomen!
Her colossal body plummeted into the center of the island like a meteorite. The terrifying impact instantly shattered the already damaged bedrock. The entire island trembled violently amidst a deafening roar.
Then, CRACK CRACK CRACK, a massive fissure spread from the point of impact towards the northern and southern coasts, growing and widening with terrifying speed!
ROOOOAAAR—!
With an earth-shattering cataclysm, the island—which had survived being dropped from ten thousand meters by Golden Lion Shiki—was split clean in two by that single punch.
☆☆☆
-> SUPPORT ME WITH POWER STONE
-> FOR EVERY 200 PS = BOUNS CHAPTER
☆☆☆
-> 20 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Inkshaper
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you