This massive explosion didn't just injure her.
It also killed a large number of Marines and pirates fighting nearby.
This terrified the other Marines and pirates engaged in combat, causing them to quickly flee from this dangerous area.
On the shattered ground, clumps of oil still clinging to flames wriggled and converged, once again outlining Haines's figure.
With a cruel smile on his face and burning clumps of fire dripping from his body, he walked step by step toward Linlin, who lay on the ground with blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
His clenched fist slowly rose, locking onto Linlin's head.
"Very well, I'll finish one off first..."
Just as he finished speaking.
The sound of something cutting through the air echoed in his ears.
A dull whistle approached at high speed.
Its source: the sky!
Haines looked up indifferently as a pitch-black line rapidly expanded in his vision, pinning straight into his face, piercing through his body, and slamming heavily into the ground behind him.
"Boom!"
Amidst the heavy impact, Haines's burning body exploded with a bang, scattering into a sky full of fireballs.
Within the burning flames, a pitch-black halberd was thrust diagonally into the ground, with more than half its length submerged.
A golden figure, over six meters tall with wings on his back, crashed straight down from the sky next to the black halberd, reaching out to pull it from the ground and grip it in his hand.
Seeing the newcomer, Linlin, who lay on the ground coughing up blood from her injured internal organs, showed a look of surprise and joy in her eyes.
"Carlo! You've come to save me? Excellent, I knew I wasn't wrong about you as an ally..."
"Cut the chatter, Linlin. If you don't want to die here, use your soul ability to heal your injuries quickly."
Carlo gripped the heavenly dragon halberd and turned to look behind him.
Behind him, the scattered oil, like burning black monsters, wriggled and gathered from all directions to form a figure radiating cold killing intent.
"I knew that a traitor like you, who betrayed the World Government, wouldn't be able to resist jumping out again like a hopping flea!"
Haines's entire body was wreathed in flames, but his expression was icy, and his gaze toward Carlo was even more cruel and fierce.
"Undercover, you say? A Marine like you—undisciplined and disrespectful of rank—is nothing but a pirate through and through!"
"If White knew in the afterlife that his son is now working for Rocks, the man who killed his father, I wonder if he'd be so enraged he'd crawl out of his grave?"
Carlo met his gaze coldly. "You talk as if you have courage. Hmph. Twelve years ago, during that attack on the Holy Land, I wonder which old dog was so terrified by Rocks that he ran away with his tail between his legs? Only that foolish man charged forward without hesitation, fighting Rocks to the death just to save those few kings."
"Yet afterward, that old dog emerged unscathed, kneeling to lick the boots of the World Government and pledge his loyalty."
"Meanwhile, my old man not only lost his life but was also stripped of his Admiral title, becoming the shame of the Marines."
Hearing the sarcasm in Carlo's words, Haines's face grew increasingly dark.
Violent killing intent radiated from his eyes.
"Brat, who are you calling an old dog?!!"
Carlo pointed his halberd at the ground as pitch-black Armament Haki surged from his body and coiled around it.
"I said you're an old dog! Didn't you hear me?"
"Old dog!!"
"Impudence!!!"
Enraged, Haines threw a flaming fist violently toward Carlo.
"Today, I shall clean house on behalf of White, the World Government, and the Marines! I will execute you, you justice-betraying brat!"
"You want to kill me? With just an old dog like you? Not enough!!"
Facing Haines, who was even more powerful than Linlin, Carlo knew that with his current strength, he definitely couldn't go toe-to-toe with him.
Therefore, the moment he moved, he gave it his all!
Pitch-black Haki surged wildly from his body, coiling around the heavy heavenly dragon halberd. Grasping the handle with both hands, he unleashed a violent overhead slash at the charging Haines!
"Heavenly Dragon—Star-Burst Slash!!"
"Swish!"
A crescent-shaped black slash shot out, striking Haines squarely in the chest, cutting through a large spray of oil before flying out behind him.
But Haines was not harmed.
He had elementalized his body beforehand, evading Carlo's strike!
Meanwhile, Haines's fist, charging forward, turned a glowing red in mid-air and slammed toward Carlo's face!
The burning fist carried a suffocating aura.
Although he didn't yet possess the Future Sight level of Observation Haki.
Carlo seemed to see the moment the fist hit him, triggering a world-shaking explosion on his body.
Even with his eight-star physical body, he wouldn't be able to withstand such massive damage.
Not to mention, this explosion also contained Haines's Internal Destruction level of Armament Haki.
He absolutely couldn't take this hit head-on!
Otherwise, he would be severely injured instantly.
"Wind!"
Carlo shouted as his golden wings flapped rapidly, creating violent wind pressure that blew toward Haines, extinguishing all the flames burning on his body.
At that moment, Haines's right fist successfully slammed into the halberd Carlo had barely managed to raise in front of him.
"Clang!"
With a thunderous explosion, Carlo's body shot backward like a cannonball.
The heavenly dragon halberd in his hand buzzed, nearly flying out of his grip.
While flying backward, he beat his wings to negate the momentum, flipped in mid-air, and swung his halberd once more at the pursuing Haines.
The pitch-black blade of the halberd collided with Haines's fist.
The clanging sounds of impact were like rain hitting banana leaves—continuous and unrelenting.
In this brief confrontation, Carlo was forced back repeatedly by Haines.
But to Haines's irritation, Carlo was not injured.
Every attack he threw was blocked by Carlo using the heavenly dragon halberd.
"This brat..."
Haines arched his body, and black arms and tentacles surged from his body one after another, all wrapped in Haki, shooting toward Carlo from all directions.
"Let's see how you block this!"
"Black Gold Storm!!"
Seeing the hundreds of arms attacking instantly, Carlo swung his halberd with increasing speed, generating surges of air.
Due to the extreme speed, dozens of halberd shadows appeared, seemingly meeting the dense attacks from all sides at once and intercepting them all!
"Total Clarity! Heavenly Dragon—Hundred Rending Slashes!!"
"Clang, clang, clang—!"
"Boom, boom, boom—!"
With each collision, arms were intercepted and blown apart by Carlo.
Haines's expression grew uglier and uglier.
Carlo's strength was clearly far inferior even to Charlotte Linlin just now.
Yet at this moment, he was completely holding him back.
He wasn't even injured.
This was a direct slap to his face!
Finally, unable to contain his rage, his power erupted fully. No longer attacking Carlo's body, he aimed directly at the halberd in Carlo's hands, his arm extending and shooting forward like a high-pressure water jet.
Carlo swung his halberd again.
Haines's fist struck the handle of the heavenly dragon halberd heavily.
"Boom!" The violent power was fully unleashed, slamming the heavenly dragon halberd back against Carlo.
A cracking sound of a bone breaking echoed from Carlo's chest.
Immediately after, he finally spat out a mouthful of blood through his clenched teeth.
He was sent flying by Haines's blow.
Haines was about to pursue.
In the sky above, a pitch-black cloud rapidly appeared, flickering with crackling electricity, and suddenly shot a thick bolt of lightning at him!
"Mighty Drum!"
Lightning, like a towering giant tree, crashed down swiftly, blasting the charging Haines to pieces!
At the same time, a broad palm pressed against the back of the flying Carlo, canceling his backward momentum.
"Carlo, are you alright?"
Linlin supported Carlo and gently set him down.
"I'm fine."
Carlo stared intently at Haines, who was reforming his body and walking toward them step by step.
Linlin stepped out from behind him, large blade in hand, standing shoulder to shoulder with him.
Seeing the two of them standing side by side, a mocking sneer appeared on Haines's face.
"Finally stopped pretending? Pirate... Carlo!"
"You talk too much! Since you want to kill me, then bring it on! Let's see who survives in the end: an old dog like you clinging to life, or the 'evil brat' who betrayed your justice!"
Gripping his halberd, Carlo was the first to attack.
"Wait for me! Carlo!"
Linlin followed closely behind.
"Hehehe, then come! Let me wring your heads off!"
The three figures collided like meteors!
"Boom!"