Chapter 270: The Fall of a Yonko, a Legend's Final Curtain
That energy… belonged to Shane and Big Mom, who, without a moment's pause, continued their life-or-death battle!
In that instant, they had carved out a void thousands of meters wide, a barren wasteland extending from the shore out into the sea itself!
"Why aren't you dead yet, brat?!" Big Mom's greatsword, wreathed in lightning and fire, came crashing down. Shane dodged to the side and countered with a heavy punch, coiled with black-and-red lightning, that slammed viciously into her ribs.
Ten slashes, a hundred, a thousand!
Ten punches, a hundred, a thousand!
New wounds opened on both their bodies, and blood rained down ceaselessly. But neither of them cared!
In the vast expanse between the heavens and the sea, their eyes saw only each other. Their minds were consumed by a single, primal instinct.
Destroy the enemy completely!!!
The fight grew more ferocious. More brutal. They tumbled and grappled, their techniques no longer elegant, reduced to the most primitive and savage form of combat. Every attack was struck with killing intent, and every wound only provoked a more violent counterattack!
There was no time to breathe. No time for anything but the kill.
Time flowed by.
Unnoticed, the night began to fade. And when the first light of dawn finally broke and the sun climbed above the horizon…
Pop!
A sound like a bursting balloon rang out.
Big Mom's colossal, twenty-meter-tall body trembled violently. The bulging muscles on her frame atrophied and collapsed at a visible rate. The burning white soul-flames in her pupils receded in an instant.
"PUAH!"
She spat out a huge mouthful of blood and staggered, falling to one knee. Napoleon clattered into a crevice in the rock, while Prometheus and Hera, like deflating balloons, floated down limply to rest on her shoulders.
"Hey, hey… what's happening? Is… is time up already?" she mumbled, looking down at her rapidly withering hands. She touched her face, feeling the new wrinkles that had formed. The weakness from burning ten years of her life washed over her like a tidal wave.
She struggled to lift her head.
Shane, who had just been sent flying, was also staggering to his feet, gasping for breath. Compared to the previous night, his condition looked far worse than Big Mom's. A huge chunk of flesh was carved from his right shoulder, exposing the bone beneath. His left eye was swollen shut, and deep, bone-exposing sword wounds on his abdomen and legs oozed blood.
After betting all her remaining lifespan, the level of physical durability Big Mom had achieved could have been called the world's strongest. And he had, indeed, been brutally overpowered.
But… so what?
In the end, she couldn't finish him, could she?
This life-or-death gamble—victory was already his!
"Mamamama…"
Across from him, Big Mom let out a low laugh. She leaned on Napoleon, stumbling to her feet. Her pink hair whipped wildly in the morning breeze.
"I never would have thought, brat…" She glanced at Shane, then looked into the distance, towards the ice field over ten kilometers away. The sounds of battle had long since faded. It seemed the all-out war between their crews had ended before their own duel was decided.
As for who won or lost… it didn't matter anymore. Big Mom closed her eyes and let out a long breath.
"Given up?" Shane's voice called out. "You can see it too. I still have some fight left in me. But you… you're running on fumes. In this state, there's no way you can withstand my fists."
He's right.
Big Mom kept her eyes closed. The brat's words were harsh, but she couldn't refute them. She truly could not win. However, if she didn't want to die, she still had two options.
Surrender.
Or flee.
Even in her weakened state, with Hera, there were very few people in the world who could catch her if she decided to run. That Admiral, Kizaru, was one. Kaido in his Azure Dragon form was another. But that was about it. The brat in front of her was definitely not on that list.
As for surrender? That was even less likely to be refused. After all, who wouldn't be tempted to recruit a Yonko who had terrorized the seas for decades?
But… but!
If she did that, she would become just like Moria after Kaido crushed him—a broken man, his spirit crushed! The Soul Queen would be no more! All that would be left would be a walking corpse wearing the skin of Charlotte Linlin!!!
"Given up?" Big Mom's eyes snapped open. She burst into a wild, crazed laugh. "Don't you dare say I've given up, brat! What a joke!"
"I am Charlotte Linlin! The ruler of Whole Cake Island, the Queen of Totto Land! Who do you think I am?! Even in death, I will never bow my head to anyone!!!"
Her bloodshot, crimson eyes locked with Shane's. In that moment, all the noise of the world faded away. Time itself seemed to stop.
CRACK!
She ripped Napoleon from the rock. The last dregs of her soul power erupted. The lightning and flames on the blade, once as dim as a candle in the wind, flared back to life in a final, brilliant surge.
"Come! One last blow! Let everyone watching see who will be the first to fall!"
"That's just what I was thinking!" Shane grinned, raising his right arm. He focused nearly all of his remaining Haki into his palm, forming a spinning disc of pure power.
BOOM! They both shattered the ground beneath them and charged!
"Emperor's Sword: Blade of the End!"
"Godsplitter!!!"
BOOOOM—!!!
In the earth-shattering explosion, black-and-red lightning rolled out in every direction. The island, which had endured a full night of torment, finally reached its limit. It was obliterated, wiped from the face of the sea in a cloud of dust.
Splash…
When the dust settled and the waves slowly calmed, a light rain began to fall from the sky.
Big Mom's massive body lay floating on her back in the ocean. Her abdomen had been nearly torn open, and her lifeless eyes stared up at the sky. Napoleon, broken in two, sank into the depths beside her. Prometheus and Hera dissipated into specks of light.
The rain is so annoying, she thought, pattering on my face like this. A person can't even lie down in peace.
"Mamamama…" she murmured, her voice so low only she could hear it. "Whatever… It's been… so, so many years since I've had such a satisfying fight…"
Not far away, Shane was on one knee. His arm from the elbow down had been completely blown apart. He was practically a man made of blood. But he forced himself to stand.
He walked slowly to Big Mom's side. He stood in silence for a moment before looking down at the pirate who was, is, and always will be a legend.
"Hey, Linlin," he asked slowly. "It's all over. Do you… have any last words?"
Big Mom struggled to turn her eyes towards him. "Last words…"
"Mamamama." She managed a weak smile. "Rather than last words, there's something I want to ask you first… You brat, you promised during that Sabaody broadcast, didn't you? That you would end this era and change the world… Mamama, it's so arrogant that I still want to laugh just hearing it. Hey, Rocks couldn't do it. But you… you can, can't you?"
"If you can," she continued, not waiting for his reply, "then add my dream to yours. If you really achieve your dream, adding mine shouldn't be too much trouble…"
Big Mom's voice grew weaker, but the light in her eyes burned brighter. "To create a world where all races can live together peacefully on the same sea…"
"Elbaf… the giants… the fish-men… and those long-arm and long-leg people, and those little guys who aren't even as big as my finger… they all should… they all can… Hey, you… you understand what I mean, don't you? Can you do it?"
Her pupils began to dilate, but her sheer willpower kept her gaze locked on Shane's face, demanding an answer, a promise.
It's so frustrating. Even as a Yonko, her power was limited. The only place she could make her dream a reality was within the small confines of Whole Cake Island. Compared to the vast, endless sea, compared to the Red Line that pierced the clouds… it was nothing.
As a superior successor, this brat… he can do it, can't he? Go climb that mountain, go cross more seas!
Shane watched her in silence as the rain dripped from his hair. He never would have imagined that Big Mom, who had worn a face of vicious cruelty moments before, would have this as her final wish. Looking at her wrinkled face, he slowly nodded. "Yeah. I promise."
"Mamamama… That's good…"
A satisfied smile finally spread across Big Mom's face. That's good.
Her gaze moved past Shane, to the sky in the distance. The rain was falling harder now. In the grey expanse, she thought she saw herself as a child, running through Elbaf. She saw Mother Carmel's gentle smile, and the arrogant monsters on Rocks's ship…
Finally, her vision settled on the image of a certain pink-haired girl, happily holding a cake and grinning foolishly at her.
"Bonney…" she whispered, her eyes clouding over for a moment. It finally clicked. No wonder she had such an unshakable obsession with that girl. It wasn't just because of the Age-Age Fruit… it was because she saw her younger self in her, wasn't it?
That greedy, naive little girl who had lost her parents and craved love.
She finally remembered. It all felt so long ago…
Her breathing slowed, and her eyelids grew heavy. The rain washed over her face, cleansing the blood and slowly carrying away the last spark of life from the Emperor who had ruled the seas for decades.
"Take your final bow, old hag."
Shane reached out and gently closed her eyes.
Then, amidst the mournful cry of the sea wind, he stood in silence for a long time before straightening up and looking towards the whitening sky in the east.
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