She did not disappoint Charlotte Linlin. In the battle that followed, a figure appeared who truly surprised her: Brook. Seeing this strange, animated skeleton completely aroused Linlin's desire to collect him, which inadvertently gave the Straw Hat Pirates a chance to buy time. "Soul King!" Linlin's eyes filled with a fervor that could no longer be contained. She had collected many interesting specimens over the years, but none gave her as much excitement as these three—Chopper, Franky, and Brook—standing before her.
However, even with their combined efforts, the three were no match for Charlotte Linlin's terrifying power. "Heavenly Fire! Thunder!" At the edge of Cake Island, flames and lightning erupted. The wails of Chopper, Brook, and Franky rang out across the battlefield. Chopper was the first to collapse; his current state could only last three minutes, and even by risking his body, he only held on for two additional minutes. Franky followed; although the Franky Shogun was powerful in both attack and defense, it was still treated as a mere nuisance by the natural destroyer that was Charlotte Linlin. Finally, it was Brook's turn. He used his Soul King abilities to momentarily intimidate Zeus and Prometheus, but it was only for a short while. Lightning fell from the sky, engulfing him. This was only because Linlin, in her fondness for her new potential collection, was unwilling to destroy them outright. Even so, the three managed to buy ten minutes for Luffy.
"Boom!" Linlin excitedly grabbed the electrocuted Brook, shaking the skeleton like an interesting toy. Just then, an angry roar cut through the air. "Big Mom, you're not allowed to hurt Brook!"
"Hmm?" Linlin turned back to look. She saw Straw Hat Luffy, whom she had previously punched away, transforming back into his Gear Fourth state and flying toward her from the sky. Initially, Linlin did not care. The brat was too weak to withstand a single one of her moves, and he wasn't nearly as interesting as the skeleton in her hand. She truly suspected Kaido had lied about him being the "Sun God." But then, a sudden sensation made her pupils shrink sharply. She watched as Luffy's Armament Haki suddenly flowed rapidly around his body. "This... what is this?"
"Gear Fourth: Kong Gun!"
"Boom!" Luffy's strongest punch in Gear Fourth slammed into Charlotte Linlin's belly, and visible ripples turned into shockwaves. This time, Linlin no longer looked relaxed. Her pupils shifted rapidly, and an expression of disbelief washed over her face. "Boom!" Her massive body turned into a human cannonball, flying backward until she crashed into the castle behind her, utterly destroying it.
"So... so powerful!" "Luffy!" "Luffy actually hit Big Mom!" Everyone who witnessed the scene was shocked. If the Straw Hat Grand Fleet members were ecstatic, the Big Mom Pirates were gripped by terror. "How is this possible? That kind of Mom was actually hit by this brat!"
As the creator of this outcome, Hana no Hyogoro looked at the boy in the distance in disbelief. In just ten minutes, Luffy had actually mastered the strongest power of Wano Country: Ryou. "What is this guy's origin, after all?" Hyogoro suddenly harbored an incredible thought: perhaps this brat could truly help them defeat Kaido and liberate Wano Country.
At the edge of Cake Island, looking at the downed Big Mom, Luffy's face showed a trace of joy. "This power... it's so strong." He clenched his fists, feeling the Haki flowing through his body. Is this Ryou? But then, a dangerously strong sensation surged from afar.
"How is this possible?" Luffy looked toward the castle in disbelief. A piercing shriek rang out as terrifying Conqueror's Haki erupted from the dark ruins, followed by an ear-splitting sound. "Ah!" The sound transformed into waves of shock, sweeping across the entire sea. Everyone who heard the terrifying noise covered their ears in pain.
"Straw Hat!" An angry roar came from the darkness. Luffy, also covering his ears, froze as he watched an ancient demon god emerge from the shadows. Big Mom had entered a berserker state, her hair burning with mad flames, stepping on the lightning-shining cloud Zeus and holding Napoleon. She was in a frenzy, her long tongue sticking out and her eyes bloodshot. The flaming Napoleon was raised high. "I underestimated you, but this time it's different. Emperor's Sword: Hakuba!"
"What!" Napoleon's blade extended instantly with scorching flames, reaching Luffy in a flash.
"Careful, Luffy!" Fortunately, Zoro appeared in time, holding three swords to block the strike. "Hey, Big Mom, a swordsman's duel should be fought by swordsmen!"
"Hmm?" Looking at the green-haired swordsman whose katana was shrouded in familiar Haki, Big Mom's eyes showed a hint of shock. "These two swords belong to Oden!"
Indeed, the two swords in Zoro's hands were the katanas once held by Kozuki Oden: Ame no Habakiri and Enma. This was why Zoro had not appeared earlier. The origin of the blades lay with Shimotsuki Yasuie, the former Daimyo of Hakumai. Although Kozuki Hiyori had not left Zou due to her fear of Kaido, she had entrusted her father's swords to Yasuie before he left. After sensing the terrifying aura of the Emperor, Yasuie had found Zoro to hand them over, hoping to increase their chances of winning the war. With the power of these two blades, Zoro's strength had undergone a dramatic upgrade. From being unable to withstand a single blow, he now stood firm against Big Mom's angry attack. This only made Big Mom more furious. Being knocked down had humiliated her, and now her attack was being blocked by a mere swordsman.
"Unforgivable, unforgivable!"
"Boom!"
The two sides instantly clashed in battle.
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