Nomilo Island.
The ground, ravaged by a mushroom cloud, was a scene of devastation. In the sky, two figures stabilized their stance amid the violent shockwaves.
Knock's lower body had turned to steam. His entire form was semi-liquid, wielding a massive steam greatsword as he slashed toward Charlotte Linlin.
Charlotte Linlin's hair burned with flame. Standing on the thundercloud Zeus and gripping Napoleon, she looked at Knock:
"Mamamama~"
"You've grown quite a bit, little Knock."
Knock snorted.
"You, on the other hand, haven't improved much, old hag."
"This time, there's no old geezer like Golden Lion backing you up. Be careful not to get yourself killed."
Charlotte Linlin sneered:
"If you think you can do it, go ahead and try!"
She raised her hand, and a portion of the flames from her head detached and gathered in her palm. She hurled it toward Knock like a blazing spear tearing through the air.
Knock's figure instantly dissolved into white steam, merging into the air around him.
The flaming spear pierced through the steam and embedded into the distant ground.
A pillar of fire shot up from the ground, erupting and destroying everything in its path.
Boom—!!
Knock reformed in his previous position. Without looking back, he casually flung a spear of condensed steam behind him, driving it into the earth.
Immediately after, a massive white steam column exploded in the opposite direction, colliding and dispersing.
Whoosh!
A thick laser beam fired from the tip of Charlotte Linlin's sword toward Knock.
Knock's steam greatsword was coated in Haki. He blocked and leapt back, hurling the blade toward a distant mountain.
The mountain was instantly blasted into a crater, with debris flying in every direction.
The steam greatsword in his hand dissolved and merged back into his body.
"Stop with the useless tricks, old hag."
"Crushing Steam Kill."
As his words ended, he transformed into steam and disappeared into the air.
White steam spread across the island, generating giant steam beings—over a hundred meters tall—rushing toward Charlotte Linlin.
Charlotte Linlin snorted coldly:
"You're becoming more like a slippery eel, little Knock."
The problem was, she couldn't catch Knock.
Unlike brute-force fighters who face off head-on, Knock was more like a sorcerer with infinite energy.
In pure Haki and combat skill, Knock couldn't compare to Charlotte Linlin.
But he was impossible to pin down. With his stamina and mastery over his Devil Fruit...
He could easily stay hidden, using endlessly generated steam giants to fight her for days.
The result: a deadlock where neither side could gain the upper hand.
Knock couldn't break through her defense, and Charlotte Linlin couldn't grab hold of him.
They both understood this outcome, but the situation had escalated—there was no turning back now. It was a matter of pride.
This was the final island. Whoever backed down would lose reputation.
Both were emperors—neither would accept defeat.
Charlotte Linlin considered her options, but her hands never stopped moving.
She watched the charging steam giants, infused Napoleon with flames, and slashed horizontally.
The blade elongated forward, slicing through five steam giants at once.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The shattered steam giants exploded one after another, only to be replaced by new ones rushing toward Charlotte Linlin.
Explosions rang out in succession as mushroom clouds bloomed across the island, one after another.
Suddenly, she noticed something—when her flaming Napoleon slashed through the giants, it burned away part of the steam.
Charlotte Linlin grinned ferociously.
Napoleon erupted in a massive blaze, engulfing even Charlotte Linlin herself.
Gripping Napoleon with both hands, she swung it from behind her right side with full force.
A fire pillar extended endlessly from the blade, spiraling like a mosquito coil and wrapping around the entire island.
The fire spiral rapidly heated and thickened, then exploded.
From afar, it looked like a miniature sun rising from the island.
...
On a distant Navy warship anchored far from the island—
Sengoku stood with arms crossed, silently observing the battle's aura.
Behind him, the younger generation of Navy soldiers were dumbstruck.
"Hey hey, is that for real?"
"Did a sun just rise from the island?"
"That fireball's bigger than the island!"
"Can a human even do something like that?"
"Hssss..."
Most were in awe, though those who had followed Sakazuki before—like Doberman—showed little surprise.
They'd witnessed even more terrifying scenes while under Sakazuki's command.
Before they could finish processing the shock, a massive white steam sphere formed above the island and crashed downward in a massive explosion.
Even in daylight, the light was blinding, shooting out in all directions. The brilliant glow gradually faded...
The distant island was gone...
Kuzan commented seriously:
"That's a bit excessive."
Borsalino quirked an eyebrow.
"That's scary~"
Black lines formed over Kuzan's head as he replied irritably:
"Enough already."
"You say 'That's scary' about everything."
"I don't see you looking scared at all."
Borsalino acted like he'd discovered a new world, turning to Kuzan:
"That's~"
Sengoku interrupted:
"Alright, enough fooling around."
"It's just about over."
"Pull the warships back a bit."
At Sengoku's command, the two massive warships pulled back slightly, though they could still sense the presence of two distant pirate fleets.
...
Aboard the BIG MOM Pirates' ship.
Charlotte Linlin descended slowly, standing atop the thundercloud Zeus.
Her children immediately rushed forward:
"Mama!" × N
Charlotte Linlin waved her hand:
"I'm fine. But that little brat Knock... he's getting more troublesome."
"Didn't expect him to grow this much in just a few years."
"I'll need to reevaluate him going forward."
Katakuri stepped up at that moment:
"Mama, there are two Navy warships far in the distance."
Hearing this, Charlotte Linlin paused, then unleashed her Observation Haki fully, sensing in the direction Katakuri had indicated.
She snorted coldly:
"Sengoku and Garp, huh."
"Instead of hiding in their Navy base, they've come all the way here."
"Zeus, Prometheus."
Two orbs flew to her side.
"Here, Mama!"
One transformed into flame, the other into a thundercloud.
Charlotte Linlin held Napoleon through both Homies, aiming it at one of the warships.
Using the three Homies to form a closed energy loop, a high-density laser—several meters thick—fired straight ahead.
It skimmed across the ocean's surface, heading toward the warship.
A violent blast of shockwaves and sword aura split the sea open as far as the eye could see.
...
Aboard the warship—
Garp's powerful figure launched into the air, arms wide, right arm swinging fully.
He punched straight at the incoming laser cannon:
"Haaah!!!!"
His black fist, coated in thick Haki, struck the center of the beam.
The narrow laser ballooned into a wide oval, then under the explosive force of Garp's bicep, reversed and fired back toward the BIG MOM Pirates.
Tap tap.
Garp landed at the bow of the ship, picking his nose.
"Is this old hag looking for a fight?"
Golden light flashed in Sengoku's glasses:
"Just a probe."
"Doesn't matter."
...
Aboard the BIG MOM Pirates' ship.
Charlotte Linlin snorted at the reflected laser beam:
"Old geezer... hasn't lost his edge."
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