The cheerful tea party from just moments ago instantly turned tense.
Katakuri, who had once again activated his Observation Haki, noticed that Enel was also staring straight at him.
Their "Mantra" and "Future Sight" clashed in that very instant.
As arcs of lightning began dancing along Enel's fingertips, ready to unleash hell...
Michael suddenly raised his hand, blocking their way.
"Shut up. All of you."
The voice wasn't loud, yet an unprecedented pressure surged out along with it.
Even Charlotte Linlin lowered her head again to look at Michael.
"Mamama~ma... Conqueror's Haki, huh? I can't say I'm surprised. Anyone who could fight Whitebeard head-on obviously has the qualifications of a 'king.'"
"Charlotte Linlin, my purpose here today was to negotiate with your Big Mom Pirates about granting you two Shichibukai positions..." Michael shook his head, Holy Light and Sacred Flame flaring even stronger.
"Not to let some old hag like you grope me."
"I'm only twenty-five, you know!"
"So even boys have to protect themselves when they go out into the world, huh!?"
As he spoke, Michael drew his "Myōjō" in a flash, the blade pointing straight at Charlotte Linlin.
"I'm giving you a chance right now. If you want to talk about those two Shichibukai positions, we can keep this pleasant and civilized..."
"But if you still have other ideas about me, then be ready to see the entire Totto Land buried under a Marine Buster Call."
The moment the words "Buster Call" were spoken, even Charlotte Linlin showed a hint of dread.
She herself might not fear it.
But Totto Land feared it. The Charlotte family feared it.
Even though the Marines were currently being restrained by multiple forces, if they truly went all out to destroy Totto Land, aside from Charlotte Linlin herself, not a single soul would survive.
However, the temptation of the Lunarian race made Charlotte Linlin hesitate.
Reason and greed fought for dominance inside her.
And then Michael completely shattered the balance with one sentence.
"I'm not the Lunarian you think I am... I'm the Human-Human Fruit's Seraphim model."
"Se... Seraphim?"
For a brief moment, confusion flickered through Charlotte Linlin's eyes...
Then came the rage of someone who had been played for a fool.
At that moment, her Conqueror's Haki collided violently with Michael's in midair.
Black lightning-like energy crackled through the sky.
"The sky... it's splitting..."
Enel raised his head, eyes bulging as he stared at the unbelievable sight above.
Even the Charlotte family themselves had rarely seen Conqueror's Haki clash like this—let alone Enel, this country bumpkin.
For this to happen meant only one thing: in terms of the qualities of a king, both sides were evenly matched.
At the very least, when Charlotte Linlin trained Katakuri in battle, the sky had never split apart like this before.
This also indirectly proved that even though Katakuri possessed the qualifications of a "king," there were levels even among kings.
And Katakuri was nowhere near the level of his monstrous mother.
Michael glanced up at the sky, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
Truthfully, when he fought Whitebeard, he didn't even have Conqueror's Haki yet.
But in the half-year since that battle, Conqueror's Haki had begun surging from within him—growing stronger by the day.
Even he hadn't expected that in such a short time, his Conqueror's Haki would already be on par with Charlotte Linlin's?
Unfortunately, he still hadn't mastered the essence of Conqueror's Haki coating.
Otherwise, his combat power could rise yet another level.
But for now... this was enough.
"Mom! Looks like he's really strong!"
At that moment, the double-horned pirate hat on Charlotte Linlin's head suddenly spoke.
"Wait, what the hell!? The hat can talk!?"
Enel and the others stared in disbelief.
A Homie—products of the Soul-Soul Fruit—were similar in nature to the zombies created by Moria's Shadow-Shadow Fruit. The difference was that souls were stuffed into things instead of corpses.
"That's right! He's strong... but what a shame, he's just a scumbag who breaks hearts!" Charlotte Linlin put on a pitiful expression—but her hand moved without hesitation toward the pirate hat...
The next instant, the hat transformed into a massive sword with a human face, swinging straight at Michael!
Michael raised his "Myōjō" to block, instantly feeling the terrifying strength.
No wonder this monster could break giants' bones at age five!
Just one clash, and the resulting shockwave swept across the entire garden.
The tea party furniture was instantly blasted to pieces.
But Michael didn't back down in the slightest. He raised his head and shouted at Charlotte Linlin:
"Dammit! Who broke your heart!? You're about to marry your thirty-eighth husband! And you're the one who mistook my race in the first place!"
"Save your excuses, scumbag!" Charlotte Linlin roared, knocking Michael into the air before swinging upward with tremendous force.
In an instant, the massive shockwave engulfed the entire sky.
And Michael was right in the middle of it.
"Mi—"
Stella started forward, but was instantly stopped by Crocodile.
"He'll be fine... Anyone who survived under Whitebeard won't go down to Charlotte Linlin's attack." Crocodile shook her head, then glanced at Perospero nearby. "I think we should deal with the trouble in front of us instead."
"I strongly agree with the sand woman's suggestion," Enel muttered, standing up. "That guy in the scarf has been staring at me all this time... I get the creepy feeling he's seeing right through me."
"Have you been sleeping through every cultural class this past half year?" Crocodile growled through clenched teeth. "What the hell is a sand woman!?"
Even as they bickered, they silently turned to face the Charlotte family, ready to unleash large-scale AOE attacks at any moment.
The moment Enel finished speaking, he transformed into lightning and appeared right in front of Katakuri.
"You were watching me just now, weren't you? Be honest—I'm not too happy about that."
"Lightning... the Rumble-Rumble Fruit?"
A hint of wariness flickered in Katakuri's eyes.
"Sand, lightning, and... clouds? The Marines suddenly have three Logia users?"
"Too bad for you—you're all staying here today... including your Vice Admiral."
Enel shook his head, pointing upward.
"Him?"
"He's probably having the time of his life right now."
"Be careful. When he stops acting human, he'll wreck you like your old man."
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