"Damn it..." Finn cursed internally, his jaw clenched so tight his teeth threatened to crack.
Sōzai was a twenty-one Great Grade sword, a top-tier famous blade recognized across the world. Even though he hadn't yet refined it into a permanent Black Blade, it had been nurtured by his Armament Haki for years. Now, with second-stage Ryuo flowing across its surface like protective clouds, the blade should have been nearly unbreakable.
But at this moment, Charlotte Linlin was cleaving it to pieces with raw overwhelming force.
And as the two of them continued their clash of strength, that fracture line kept widening with sickening inevitability.
Finn understood perfectly well that this famous sword that had accompanied him for several years was about to break completely.
The best tactical choice would be withdrawing before Sōzai shattered, but he simply couldn't do it. That option didn't exist.
He could only resist with every ounce of strength he possessed. If he relaxed even slightly, if he gave Charlotte Linlin the smallest opening, her Emperor Sword would definitely strike him. At minimum, he'd suffer severe injuries. More likely? Death.
But if he didn't withdraw? When Sōzai finally broke, he'd be the one getting stabbed anyway.
Damned if he did, damned if he didn't.
Finn noticed the spreading cracks on the blade in his hands. Charlotte Linlin naturally noticed them as well. A ferocious gleam flashed in her eyes, and her already brutal strength increased even further, pressing down with renewed intensity.
The crack on Sōzai widened again. The blade seemed to emit a mournful cry, as if the sword itself foresaw that it would fall here, destroyed defending its wielder.
With a sharp CRACK, the fracture could no longer hold. Charlotte Linlin's Emperor Sword Napoleon cut into Sōzai's blade, sinking halfway through, as if it would completely sever this famous sword in the next instant.
Invisible gravitational force continued erupting from Finn's body, attempting to push Charlotte Linlin away through overwhelming repulsive pressure.
But this woman's strength was so monstrous that she withstood Finn's equally powerful repulsive force and kept applying relentless pressure, refusing to be moved.
Yet it was also clear that Charlotte Linlin wasn't completely unaffected by the assault.
Although the brutal gravitational repulsion couldn't harm her iron-balloon exterior, under these continuous waves of impact, fresh blood flowed from the corners of her mouth again. Her internal organs were definitely being subjected to tremendous stress from the repeated force.
Besides, she'd previously taken Finn's Gravity Domain: Planetary Devastation head-on. How could she possibly be completely uninjured after that?
"Break!" Charlotte Linlin suddenly roared.
With a metallic CLANG that echoed across the island, Sōzai, the sword that had followed Finn for several years, snapped cleanly in two.
"Tekkai: Flowing Cloud Armor!" Finn shouted with desperate fury.
The power of Tekkai instantly spread throughout his entire body, forcing him into maximum defensive state. Simultaneously, the cloud-like Armament Haki coating his chest formed into protective armor, creating a final barrier before his vital organs.
The next moment, Charlotte Linlin's Emperor Sword Napoleon slashed viciously toward the Haki defense in front of Finn.
At that precise instant, a golden light flashed brilliantly across the battlefield. A laser-like beam of concentrated photons struck Charlotte Linlin's Emperor Sword with pinpoint accuracy, deflecting the blade's trajectory by crucial centimeters.
Then Charlotte Linlin's strike still connected, sending Finn flying backward with devastating force.
Simultaneously, Borsalino's figure, shimmering with golden light like solidified sunshine, appeared directly beside Charlotte Linlin. In the instant after she'd committed fully to her downward slash, leaving herself momentarily exposed, he raised his leg and delivered a kick to her head with blinding speed.
"Light Speed Kick!"
Speed is weight. At light speed, even a simple kick carried apocalyptic force.
Borsalino's signature technique was tremendously powerful. Although it failed to break through Charlotte Linlin's iron-balloon defense or inflict serious damage, the sheer kinetic energy still kicked her massive frame sideways, sending her hurtling away from Finn.
On the opposite side, Finn tumbled across the ground multiple times, sliding backward for hundreds of meters before finally dissipating the force transmitted through his body.
He opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood. A sword wound had been carved across his chest, blood gushing from the laceration.
However, the injury looked more serious than it actually was. Upon closer inspection, only flesh had been torn. Not even his ribs were broken, let alone anything deeper.
Charlotte Linlin's strike, powerful enough to kill most top-tier experts outright, had been first blocked by Sōzai's desperate sacrifice, then deflected by Borsalino's laser, and finally absorbed by Finn's Flowing Cloud Haki and Tekkai techniques layered together.
The combined defense had prevented the blow from achieving its devastating potential.
Finn grabbed the broken half-blade of Sōzai with one hand, regret flashing through his eyes. He covered his bleeding chest with his other hand and whispered in a low voice: "Life Return..."
The torn flesh was forcibly squeezed back together through pure muscular control. The bleeding stopped, preventing the injury from worsening further. Though it wasn't true healing, it at least stabilized his condition.
Due to his Iron Will ability, Finn felt no pain whatsoever. But he knew perfectly well that the injury wasn't minor, even if it wasn't immediately life-threatening.
Borsalino didn't pursue Charlotte Linlin after his kick connected. Instead, he appeared beside Finn instantly, his expression showing rare concern. "How are you? Are you okay?"
"Don't worry, it's just a minor injury." Finn's voice carried forced energy and bravado. "I can still fight her for another three hundred rounds!"
"We can't keep fighting. We need to leave immediately." Borsalino's tone was urgent, uncharacteristically serious. "I just received intelligence that the Big Mom Pirates have seven ships heading toward this location. The tactical situation is extremely unfavorable for us."
Finn froze momentarily, looking down at the broken Sōzai in his hand. Hesitation flickered in his eyes.
That damned old woman had destroyed his sword. If he retreated now, he'd be deeply unwilling to accept it, rage burning in his chest.
As for the injuries themselves? Those didn't really constitute a grudge worth holding. He'd stabbed her with Planetary Devastation's crushing pressure, and her internal organs had clearly been affected. She'd cut him with Napoleon, but he'd survived. Neither of them was seriously injured in any permanent sense. It was roughly fifty-fifty, and neither owed the other anything in terms of wounds inflicted.
But his sword...
Looking toward the distance, Charlotte Linlin had already stood up again, her massive form radiating menace. Katakuri and Perospero were about to land on the island, ready to join the battle.
Borsalino spoke again, more insistently. "Don't forget, our mission was to secure Dr. Vegapunk. That objective is complete. If you want to fight Charlotte Linlin again, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future!"
After hearing this reminder, Finn gritted his teeth and made his decision. "Let's go!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, he stopped hesitating. Activating his gravitational manipulation, he appeared beside Borsalino with a single weightless step. He picked up the broken section of Sōzai from the ground where it had fallen, then turned to look at Charlotte Linlin one final time.
Finn nodded to Borsalino. Without another word spoken between them, both Marines launched themselves toward the distant ocean at maximum speed.
Charlotte Linlin raised her hand to summon Zeus, the thunder cloud homie, stepping onto his dark surface. She prepared to give chase, but after glancing toward the open water, she stopped herself.
This Rodriguez Finn had genuinely surprised her. He was incredibly strong despite his youth. Although still somewhat weaker than herself at full power, he was definitely far superior to even her most outstanding son, Katakuri.
Given time, Finn would surely become one of the ocean's top-tier powerhouses. He'd also become a formidable enemy to all pirates everywhere.
During their battle, she'd already sensed clearly that although his strength fell short of her own, killing him would be extremely difficult. Perhaps impossible without sustaining serious injuries herself.
Moreover, he had Borsalino at his side right now. That man was a Marine expert who'd achieved fame even earlier than Finn. Although he held only Vice Admiral rank, his actual combat capabilities probably far exceeded most Admirals' strength.
If she rashly pursued these two Marines onto the open ocean, given their natural advantages in naval combat and coordination, the probability of her suffering significant losses was considerable. If they accidentally knocked her into the sea through some combination technique...
That would be genuinely troublesome. Catastrophic, even.
If she needed aerial pursuit support, Katakuri and Perospero couldn't fly. She'd be the only one capable of keeping up with Finn and Borsalino. Fighting two-versus-one against opponents of that caliber while over open water?
Not worth the risk.
After turning these calculations over in her mind, Charlotte Linlin finally sighed and abandoned the pursuit.
"Rodriguez Finn..." She murmured his name thoughtfully, raising one hand to wipe blood from the corner of her mouth. "What was his title? The Evil-Slayer? No, that wasn't it... The Violent Tiger of Marine Headquarters. That's more appropriate."
At first, she genuinely hadn't remembered who Finn was. But later, during the intense fighting, recognition had clicked into place. Wasn't this the mysterious Marine who'd supposedly captured Gol D. Roger according to recent rumors?
That reminder had brought back various other stories she'd heard about Finn's exploits and reputation.
After seeing him in person today, fighting him directly? She could confirm his reputation was well-deserved. Not exaggerated at all.
"Mama!" Katakuri and Perospero rushed to Charlotte Linlin's side, landing beside her with concerned expressions.
"Mama, Daifuku, Oven, and their ships are right behind us. Should we pursue?" Perospero asked immediately, eager for direction. "Vegapunk seems to be on those Marine ships!"
Charlotte Linlin shook her head decisively. "That Finn is no simple opponent, and Borsalino is even more formidable. Judging by their Devil Fruit abilities, naval combat definitely favors them. Pursuing would be disadvantageous."
After delivering this pragmatic assessment, Charlotte Linlin suddenly burst into laughter. She tossed Napoleon to the ground, and the homie Emperor Sword reverted to his captain's hat form. "Mamamamama! Never mind that we didn't catch Vegapunk. Today's battle with the Marines wasn't fought in vain. At least I personally witnessed the emergence of a new powerhouse within Marine ranks."
Her grin widened with genuine satisfaction. "This ocean will become more and more exciting in the future!"
Katakuri also felt that pursuit would be inappropriate. Who knew if Marine reinforcement ships were supporting Finn and Borsalino from behind? An ambush was entirely possible.
Moreover, when it came to naval warfare specifically, forget Devil Fruit advantages. The Marines were simply superior in tactics and technology.
After all, they were professionals at sea combat. Pirates might control territory, but the Marines controlled the oceans themselves.
"Yes, Mama," Katakuri acknowledged with a nod.
Charlotte Linlin looked directly at Katakuri, her expression turning more serious. "Years ago, you lost to Finn. I was very disappointed in you at that time. But today, I understand the truth. You didn't lose because you were weak. You lost because he was simply too strong. Katakuri..."
Her voice hardened with expectation. "Don't disappoint me again."
Katakuri straightened his posture, meeting his mother's gaze. "Yes, Mama."
Charlotte Linlin was currently at the absolute peak of her power. Her personality, strength, and fighting style hadn't yet developed the erratic instability they'd display in later decades. Her words carried heroic spirit rather than madness.
After delivering those instructions to Katakuri, Charlotte Linlin suddenly smacked her lips. "I'm hungry! I need some cakes!!!"
She ignored both her sons completely and turned to walk toward the Queen Mama Chanter moored at the harbor.
The Emperor Sword Napoleon, still stuck in the ground where she'd tossed him, transformed back into a living captain's hat. Roaring with indignation at being temporarily discarded, Napoleon caught up with Charlotte Linlin and landed back on her head where he belonged.
Elsewhere, aboard the Marine warship, Finn and Borsalino observed the island carefully for several minutes. When they confirmed Charlotte Linlin wasn't pursuing, both felt a mixture of relief and slight disappointment.
If she had chased them? Perhaps they might have secured some unexpected advantage, caught her overextended and vulnerable.
A military doctor was currently bandaging Finn's chest with professional efficiency, wrapping clean white bandages around the sword wound. Finn slowly lit a cigar, taking a deep drag before speaking. "That old woman is genuinely strong..."
"Old woman?" Borsalino blinked with mild surprise, then smiled with amusement. "She's only in her mid-forties, isn't she?"
"Exactly. She's at her absolute peak," Finn acknowledged with a nod, exhaling smoke.
"I know very well how strong Charlotte Linlin is. But I was genuinely surprised that you could fight her essentially evenly..." Borsalino's tone carried sincere respect beneath the casual words.
Finn slowly exhaled another stream of cigar smoke, looking down at the bandages being wrapped across his chest. He grinned wryly. "Evenly matched? Don't try to comfort me. After fighting someone directly, you can tell who's stronger. That old woman is considerably more powerful than I am currently."
Borsalino pulled out a pair of nail clippers from somewhere within his coat and stood there enjoying the ocean breeze while meticulously trimming his nails. He smiled and offered perspective. "She's in her mid-forties, and you're barely in your mid-twenties. In another twenty years? It's genuinely hard to say who'll be stronger."
"That's fair," Finn conceded.
"This should be an invaluable experience for you." Borsalino's voice carried the weight of genuine wisdom despite his relaxed posture. "With the experience of fighting Charlotte Linlin at this level, I believe that in the future, very few people on these seas will be able to genuinely threaten your life."
Finn nodded thoughtfully, then asked with obvious emotion coloring his voice: "Charlotte Linlin is this powerful. What would Whitebeard, known across the world as the strongest man alive, actually be like in combat?"
"Whitebeard?" Borsalino murmured the name, his nail-clipping pausing momentarily. Then he continued with unusual seriousness. "If it had been Whitebeard we encountered today instead of Charlotte Linlin, we wouldn't have been able to escape this easily. That old monster, when he gets truly angry, can turn the entire ocean itself against you."
He paused, choosing his words carefully. "No, that's not quite accurate. When Whitebeard gets genuinely enraged, even if you retreat to the ends of the earth, you won't find a safe place. His Tremor-Tremor Fruit can reach anywhere the ground touches, anywhere the sea flows."
"The strongest in the world..." Finn whispered longingly, his eyes distant with ambition.
The title called to something deep within him. The absolute pinnacle of power in this chaotic ocean.
One day, he thought. One day, I'll stand at that summit myself.
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