Chapter 269: Betting It All! A Life-for-Power Gamble!
The blow punched clean through the ground.
The back of Big Mom's skull was deeply caved in. Her eyes were glazed over as she lay there, gasping for breath. Her pink hair was a tangled mess, and blood trickling from the corner of her mouth spread out, staining a large patch of the rock red.
She struggled to get up, but her massive body wouldn't obey.
"MAMAMAMA… It's been so, so many years since anyone has made me look this pathetic, you damn brat!"
A vein pulsed on her forehead. With a final, desperate roar, she launched herself out of the crater and slammed onto the ground, glaring viciously at Shane, who was hovering in the air.
"Same to you, you old hag!" Shane grinned, meeting her gaze. He was also covered in blood. His black coat was in tatters, and his face, neck, and chest were covered in purple bruises. Both of his fists were a mangled mess of flesh and blood.
His opponent was a veteran Yonko. In a life-or-death battle against a monster like this, even with the most powerful healing ability, it was impossible to stay clean and composed.
"Prometheus! Hera! Where the hell did you all go?!" Big Mom bellowed, drawing Napoleon.
"Mama, we're here!" Prometheus and Hera's voices called out from the distance. They had been blown away by the shockwave from Shane's Conqueror's Haki.
"Mama! We… we don't have enough power…"
"Mama, I'm so hungry, so hungry! Can you use that move already?" the three Homies pleaded tearfully.
"MAMAMAMA, you don't have to remind me. Even I've been pushed to the point where I have no other choice," Big Mom cackled. She closed her eyes for a moment, and when they snapped open again, HISS!, white soul-flames erupted from her pupils. She raised her right hand high, and an incredibly powerful soul pressure swept across the area!
"LIFE OR DEAD!!!" she roared.
VWOOM!
In a mere instant, countless white points of light illuminated the night sky. Like a summoned swarm of fireflies, or stars being pulled from their constellations, they surged madly into her body.
Her battered, wrinkled skin filled out at a visible rate. The craters in her chest and the back of her head healed instantly. Even her pink hair regained its luster.
"MAMAMAMA, it's back! It's all back! This is the feeling!!!" She threw her head back and laughed, a terrifying soul pressure erupting from her body. The very air seemed to tremble with her cackles.
At the same time, Prometheus's flames swelled to several times their original size, Hera's thundercloud form became even more menacing, and Napoleon grew thicker and sharper. The three great Homies had returned to their peak strength, perhaps even surpassing it!
But…
"It's not enough! It's not enough! This alone isn't enough to beat that brat!" Big Mom shrieked, holding out her palm. A purple soul bubble appeared and began to grow under her gaze. "The souls of low-tier pirates can only provide so much nourishment. To get stronger… I guess I'll have to use my own lifespan after all."
How much would she need? One year? Two? Three? None of it felt safe. None of it was a sure bet.
Since she was prepared to fight this brat to the death, she might as well bet it all in one go!
Ten years!
She would offer up ten whole years of her remaining life! It didn't matter if her soul was nearly drained dry. As long as Whole Cake Island stood, she could always get back what she lost today, and then some, from the soul tax!
"MAMAMAMA! Come on, brat!" Big Mom laughed maniacally as she shoved the purple soul bubble into her mouth and devoured it!
Instantly, her body began to inflate like a balloon. Her muscles bulged, and her aura became even more terrifying. Her already massive frame swelled to a height of twenty meters, reaching the stature of an Elbaf giant!
"Do you see?! This is my resolve!" she roared, looking down at Shane, who had slowly descended to the ground. White soul-flames blazed in her eyes. "Ten whole years of my life! That's more than enough to crush you into a paste!"
"Ten years?" Shane raised an eyebrow, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. "So you still had more than ten years left to live? You're really willing to part with that, old hag. But…"
He grinned, raising his bloody, mangled fists as black-and-red lightning coiled around them once more. "I don't care if it's ten years or twenty! Even if you bet your entire remaining lifespan, the outcome won't change!"
Even among the Emperors of the Sea, there were differences in strength. Whether it was the regular old hag or the powered-up, glowing old hag, he had been able to overwhelm the former, and he was confident he could defeat the latter too!
Her last name is Charlotte, not Monkey. What kind of plot armor is she trying to pull on me?!
"Stop your boasting, brat! Let me show you my true power!" Big Mom roared, gripping Napoleon. The lightning and flames on the blade flared with even greater intensity as she clashed with Shane once again!
RUMBLE!
The island, which had already been split in two, began to break apart even further. Countless rocks were sent flying by the shockwave, trailing fire as they fell into the sea like a meteor shower.
After a brief stalemate, Shane's body was sent flying like a cannonball. He crashed through a dozen massive boulders before falling into the sea with them.
So it's my turn to get blown away, huh? By burning ten years of her life, Big Mom's strength and Haki had finally surpassed his.
But…
"It's only by a little bit!"
In the next instant, a pillar of water erupted from the ocean! Shane burst out, covered in blood, but his eyes were still blazing with defiance!
"This small advantage isn't enough to end this fight! You can't maintain that state for long, can you, old hag?! If you've got the guts, then beat me to death before it runs out!"
Otherwise… when her life-for-power state faded, she would be the one getting beaten to death!
"Is that so?!" Big Mom gripped Napoleon again. Amidst the blinding light of the flames, she grinned savagely and swung her sword. "In that case, this blow will send you straight to hell! Roaring Light Sword!!!"
"Hell?" Shane laughed, not bothering to dodge. He met her attack with a punch of his own! "A place like that can't hold me. The one who should be going to hell is you, you old demon!"
Godslayer!
BOOOOM!!!!
This time, the shockwave was on another level entirely. It was so powerful that it pushed back the sea, exposing the bedrock of the continental shelf. The moment the water began to rush back in, it was instantly vaporized by an even more ferocious blast of energy
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