Not far from the Cake Castle, the structure had vanished entirely. It was as if the castle had been erased from existence, swallowed cleanly without leaving behind a single trace.
Across the enormous crater that now dominated the island, Kaito and Charlotte Linlin faced each other in tense silence.
"I didn't expect this," Charlotte Linlin growled, her voice thick with venom. "Even without summoning any giant form, you still wield power of this scale."
"You talk too much." Kaito's tone remained cold. He raised his left hand and pulled Thundercloud Zeus out of the air as if retrieving a discarded object. "I never needed this thing. It's useless to me."
"Mother! It's Zeus! It's Zeus!" Prometheus and Napoleon cried out in panic.
"Let Zeus go!" Charlotte Linlin shouted, her complexion turning pale. "Release him, and I'll forget everything that happened today. Leave Cake Island and I'll pretend none of this occurred!"
The air snapped with black lightning. In Kaito's grip, Zeus screamed in agony, the cries echoing across all of Cake Island.
In moments, the thundercloud's form ruptured and burst apart, scattering into nothingness.
Zeus was dead.
"I told you that you talk too much. Now that Zeus is gone, I want to see what you're going to do about it." Kaito tossed aside the last sparks of Zeus's essence and glared down at Charlotte Linlin.
Charlotte Linlin let out a guttural roar. Her hair erupted into blazing flames and her aura spiked as she unleashed her monstrous power. She looked less like a woman and more like a raging beast stripped of sanity.
Her enormous figure vanished in a single burst of speed.
The sky dimmed. Appearing above Kaito with a fiery longblade, Charlotte Linlin swung downward with all her might.
The ground below split open like fragile paper, carving a long, jagged trench. Her body swayed as she searched wildly for Kaito's position.
"Fast for your size, but still lacking." Kaito hovered high above, evaluating calmly.
Lightning surged through his hand. He unleashed it downward.
Sparks crackled as the thunderbolt descended, expanding into a black sea of lightning. It spread like a massive storm web, devouring everything in its path.
Although the black lightning was thin compared to Zeus's massive bolts, its destructive power was far greater. Charlotte Linlin felt her heart pound violently as dread washed over her.
"How can his lightning be like this... impossible," she muttered, panic twisting her features.
Bolts hammered the island like a divine punishment.
With no time to dodge, Charlotte Linlin had only one option.
"You think I'm afraid of you?" she barked, biting her lips before raising Napoleon.
Prometheus fused into the blade, turning it into a blazing inferno. Three slashes erupted instantly, each a wave of fiery sword aura.
Sharp arcs sliced upward, merging into a burning sea of sword energy that surged toward the falling lightning.
Thunder clashed with flame. Explosions tore through the air as Cake Island shook beneath the shockwaves.
The flaming barrier barely held as more black lightning rained down. Cracks formed across the wave of sword aura, sounding like shattering glass.
One by one, openings formed. The black lightning pierced through the flaming sea and shot straight at Charlotte Linlin.
Only a second had passed.
Dozens of bolts crashed down. Charlotte Linlin screamed as the lightning tore across her body, rolling her violently across the ground. The sound of her suffering spread through all of Cake Island and beyond.
Far off the island's shore, the battlefield between the Big Mom Pirates and the Thunder Pirates shifted.
Katakuri, wrapped in bandages, struggled to hold the line with the remaining officers. Redfield and Issho dominated the area, slaughtering their opponents with overwhelming superiority.
"Are you kidding us?" Galette cried as she barely dodged one of Page One's attacks and retreated toward Katakuri.
"We hold. Stall them. Wait until Mother finishes her battle with Kaito," Katakuri said, voice strained but steady.
"I don't think we'll last that long!" Cracker limped over, covered in wounds. "Can't you see? This is just Redfield. The other two haven't even started fighting yet!"
A massive sword slash burst from Smoothie as she aimed toward Issho's group.
"We still wait," Katakuri insisted. "Our only hope is Mother."
Mundor approached, brows furrowed deeply. "It seems the other side is doing the same. They're waiting as well. Everyone is relying on the result of that battle."
"Do you think…" Smoothie began, but worry flickered in her eyes.
A piercing scream ripped through the air.
"It's Mother!" Cracker gasped. "She's in danger!"
"I'm going!" Katakuri launched himself forward toward Cake Island.
But Redfield appeared in front of him, smiling calmly. "You should stay here. Let the captain handle the captain. Who do you think you are?"
Katakuri froze. His eyes narrowed. The wounds on his body throbbed as he confronted the man who had inflicted them.
At the same time, Issho stood on the deck of his ship. Hearing Charlotte Linlin's screams, a faint smile crossed his face. He lifted his bamboo blade.
"Full attack. The captain has the advantage."
He stepped into the air, gliding toward Smoothie's ship with incredible speed.
The rest of the Thunder Pirates followed without hesitation, transforming into their respective battle forms.
Mundor watched the sudden shift and sighed heavily. "As expected, they waited just like we did. But now that Mother is losing and the Hanxing Pirates are moving… there's no hope left."
The Big Mom Pirates were collapsing. Their final chance rested not in strategy or strength, but in the battle happening at the heart of Cake Island.
And Charlotte Linlin was losing.
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