"Mom!!
Her lips trembled as she finally murmured:
"Observation of assassination!" — He pointed, desperate. "That was definitely an assassination observation he used just now!"
The words trembled in his mouth, recalling stories he had heard from Shanks himself.
"The same move… as the Red-Haired…" — he added, almost breathless.
But Charlotte Linlin, the fearsome Big Mom, didn't even glance at her son in consolation. Her eyes were fixed on the young man before her. Every step she took toward Luffy made the ground tremble. Her aura grew increasingly suffocating, and her Conqueror Haki spread in waves, crushing everything and everyone around indiscriminately.
The air became dense. The sound of cracking bones and distant soldiers' screams echoed.
Luffy, however, did not back down. His eyes shone with the same determination he had carried since East Blue.
He took a deep breath and also released his Conqueror Haki, blocking Linlin's overwhelming pressure.
In the next instant, the collision of their wills completely changed the world around them.
The island's climate transformed brutally. Thick black clouds covered the sky in seconds, as if the heavens themselves feared the two. Lightning cracked, the wind howled like a wild beast, and violent waves crashed against the shores of Totto Land.
All of Snack's subordinates screamed in despair as they were swept away by the gale.
The night sky, once calm, was now covered by an apocalyptic storm.
Charlotte Linlin smiled, a toothy, mocking, and cruel grin.
"Mamamama… Straw Hat… came here to make a 'deal'?" — she asked, sneering.
Luffy crossed his arms, his expression calm, almost insolent.
"No. I just came to say hello… and remind you to prepare the copy."
The simple, calm words made Big Mom's face contort with anger. Her eyes narrowed dangerously, then slid behind Luffy.
She noticed Uta.
"This brat… traveling with a girl?" — she thought, disdainfully.
The empress spat the words like venom:
"There's a limit to how much you can belittle people, brat! Napoleon!!"
Immediately, the bicorne on her head opened its eyes, coming to life.
"Yes, Mother!!" — Napoleon responded, vibrating.
In a second, the hat transformed into a giant sword, which Linlin grabbed with both hands, raising it above her head.
The air seemed to crack as she brought it down toward Luffy.
But the Straw Hat just chuckled quietly, confident.
"Hehe… how could an attack like that hit me?"
Moving in an instant, he wrapped Uta in his arms and leapt into the sky, stepping on white flames that propelled him like wings.
Big Mom's blade cut through the empty space. The impact, however, was devastating: the sea split like a colossal fissure, and giant waves rose like walls, roaring like a tsunami.
Linlin raised her face, eyes half-closed, staring at Luffy in the sky. He held Uta firmly, and the flames around his feet illuminated the darkness.
With every second she looked at that scene, her fury increased.
With a monstrous thrust, she bent her knees and launched herself like a missile, surrounded by Conqueror Haki. Napoleon's blade now shone with absolute power.
Uta clutched Luffy with all her strength, her body trembling. Even pale and nervous, she didn't let go for a moment.
"Don't be afraid." — Luffy said with a smile, his eyes firm.
He lifted his foot, aiming at Big Mom's attack.
BOOOOOM!!!
The moment Luffy's shoe touched the sword, both of their Conqueror Haki collided. An invisible explosion shook the atmosphere.
In the sky, a colossal rift opened between the clouds, tearing the heavens apart for dozens of kilometers. Lightning exploded within the crack, as if the skies were about to collapse on Earth.
Charlotte Linlin's eyes widened, surprised.
"What Conqueror Haki… so strong!!"
Seriousness overtook her face. For the first time, she recognized that this boy wasn't just bold: he had the power to face her on equal terms.
But Luffy only smirked.
"So strong? I don't recall ever showing anything that could truly be called 'so strong'."
"What…?!" — her eyes blazed with fury.
At the same instant, Luffy's Conqueror Haki exploded again. The IV5 level that had previously balanced against Big Mom now soared brutally to IV6!
A thunderclap shook the island.
"Nani…?!"
Like a lightning bolt from the heavens, Luffy descended, smashing Linlin with a devastating kick.
BOOOOM!!!
The impact opened a colossal crater in the ground, shaking all of Totto Land.
"Mother!!" — Snack shouted, incredulous.
His mother… had lost in a direct Conqueror Haki clash!
Uta, protected in Luffy's arms, felt none of the destruction. Her eyes shone with admiration.
"This is amazing, Luffy!" — she exclaimed, her heart racing.
She had known Big Mom's reputation since childhood, when she traveled on Shanks' ship. She knew how feared that woman was… and now she saw Luffy crushing her power with his own hands.
He held her tighter, smiling.
"Are you okay? In many places… I'm very reliable."
As he spoke, Linlin emerged from the crater, shaking off the debris. Her smile was fierce.
"Unbelievable, Straw Hat boy! But… so? Will you reconsider? My daughters are no worse than the girl you're holding in your arms!" — she said, offering her proposal once again.
It was clear she saw in Luffy not just an enemy… but a potential ally or even son-in-law.
He laughed loudly.
"Then call all your daughters at once!"
Uta pinched his arm, embarrassed and furious.
"Luffy! When did you become like this?!"
"This is just an act." — he said, raising his hand.
Suddenly, the power of the Gura Gura no Mi emerged.
CRAACK!!
With a single punch in the air, the atmosphere shattered like glass.
"What…?! Whitebeard's ability!!" — Linlin shouted, incredulous.
Outside Whole Cake Island, colossal waves hundreds of meters high rose, sweeping the horizon.
"Impossible…!" — she choked. "This power… this is… the Awakening of the Gura Gura?!"
Her face lost color.
It was impossible to believe. Luffy not only possessed the power of two Devil Fruits, but he had also awakened the most destructive one… so soon after Whitebeard's death.
"How… how is this possible?!"
But before she could react, Luffy was already laughing loudly, his gaze burning like fire.
"Goodbye, Big Mom! My crew and I will return soon. Prepare the Road Poneglyph!"
Embracing Uta, he disappeared in a flash, flying through the clouds and vanishing into the sky.
Charlotte Linlin roared, furious.
"Damned brat!! You promised!!!"
A colossal sphere of fire appeared in her hand and collided with the tsunami. The impact generated a curtain of steam that covered the entire island in a suffocating mist.
But soon Linlin realized that the distant sea… was vibrating again.
Another colossal wave was coming toward her.
"No… it can't be…" — she whispered, astonished.
It was as if space itself was being torn apart from within.
The Awakening of the Gura Gura no Mi.
(End of Chapter)
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."