The tea party plaza was in complete chaos. Guests fled in all directions, screams filling the air. Claudius and his group pretended to be caught up in the commotion, running around to avoid suspicion. However, their eyes darted around, carefully observing and clearly waiting for the right moment to act.
Through the thick smoke, Charlotte Linlin's massive, muscular arms suddenly burst outward, scattering the black haze. Her enormous figure emerged, towering and unyielding. She roared furiously, her terrifying presence undiminished. Though her appearance was slightly disheveled, and she bore some superficial marks from the attacks, she remained completely unscathed.
"You bastards! How dare you disrupt my tea party!!!" Charlotte Linlin bellowed, her voice booming across the battlefield.
"Tea party? Let's call it a funeral instead," Sakazuki shot back coldly. "Today is your death day, Charlotte Linlin!"
Without waiting for a reply, Sakazuki's body radiated intense heat, the ground beneath him melting from the sheer temperature. His arms morphed into molten magma as he launched himself forward, his stride leaving scorched craters in its wake. He raised his magma-coated fist, roaring, "Dark Hound!"
This was one of Sakazuki's most devastating attacks, infused with the explosive power of a volcanic eruption and carrying the heat to incinerate anything in its path.
Charlotte Linlin's body, famed for its near-invincibility, was often compared to a "steel balloon" or unbreakable diamond. Yet, as Sakazuki charged toward her, she felt an unfamiliar sense of danger. Unlike earlier, she didn't dare take the blow head-on. Her instincts screamed at her to act.
In an instant, her pirate captain's hat, Napoleon, transformed into a massive sword, landing in her hands just as Sakazuki's fist hurtled toward her.
"Die, Sakazuki!!!" Charlotte Linlin screamed, slashing at the incoming attack with all her strength.
But before her blade could connect, a wave of freezing cold air rushed in. Faster than Sakazuki's strike, the icy blast engulfed her, and in the blink of an eye, her enormous frame was encased in solid ice.
The source of the attack stood calmly nearby—Marine Admiral Kuzan. A light puff of icy vapor escaped his mouth as he muttered, "Ice Time Capsule."
Kuzan's freezing abilities were exceptional, but against a monster like Charlotte Linlin, such control could only buy a brief moment. She immediately began to shatter the ice with her overwhelming brute strength.
However, that moment was all Sakazuki needed. As the ice cracked and fell away, his Dark Hound smashed into her. Her sword, Napoleon, had lost its target and hung mid-swing.
Charlotte Linlin's reflexes saved her from a direct hit. She swiftly cloaked her chest in a thick layer of Armament Haki and altered Napoleon's shape. The blade curved and contorted, placing itself between her and the magma just in time.
Even so, the impact was devastating. Sakazuki's magma fist exploded as it struck, the force sending Charlotte Linlin's massive body hurtling backward. She tore through the ground, uprooting flowers and shrubs, her landing carving deep trenches into the earth.
Despite the sheer power of the attack, Charlotte Linlin managed to steady herself quickly, landing on her feet. Her chest smoked from the heat, and her clothes were singed, but her injuries were superficial, her skin was merely scorched black in places, with no significant damage.
Gripping Napoleon tightly, she roared, her eyes blazing with fury.
Sakazuki clicked his tongue in irritation. "If you'd pitched in earlier, Borsalino, we could've landed a clean hit," he said, his tone full of annoyance.
But instead of looking at Borsalino, Sakazuki's gaze shifted toward another figure nearby—Katakuri. Holding his trident, Katakuri stood with unshakable resolve, his glare filled with fury as he watched the Admirals who dared to invade his mother's territory.
Borsalino, hands raised in mock surrender, yawned lazily. "Look, even if I'd done something, it wouldn't have mattered. I'd have been stopped anyway, right?"
The moment he spoke, Katakuri's arm shot upward, his trident flying toward Borsalino with lightning speed. But if there was one thing Borsalino was known for, it was speed. With a flash of golden light, his figure disappeared, reappearing far off in a relaxed stance, his hands casually resting in his pants pockets.
He ignored Katakuri entirely and raised his leg, firing a laser beam straight at Charlotte Linlin's already scorched chest.
Charlotte Linlin didn't flinch. With a snarl, she raised her fist, unleashing her "Lightning-Fire Crit." Sparks of electricity and flames danced along her arm as she punched the incoming laser, causing it to explode mid-air in a burst of smoke and light.
Meanwhile, Katakuri moved to attack. His arms expanded, turning into enormous spiked weapons coated in Armament Haki. He charged toward both Sakazuki and Kuzan, his voice low as he growled, "Chikara Mochi!"
Katakuri's powerful strike was aimed at Sakazuki first, but the Marine Admiral didn't even glance at him. To Sakazuki, Katakuri was merely a secondary threat. His true target was, and always had been, Charlotte Linlin.
Kuzan, however, reacted immediately. With a single stomp, an icy wall rose to intercept Katakuri's attack. The force of Katakuri's mace-like arms smashed into the wall, shattering parts of it, but the structure held firm.
A chilling frost spread from the ice wall, creeping up Katakuri's arms. Realizing the danger, he quickly shattered the frozen parts of his limbs, retreating to a safer distance.
Katakuri's Mochi-Mochi abilities, though technically Paramecia, gave him a physique and adaptability similar to a Logia. The lost portions of his arms could easily be replenished, a distinct advantage in battle.
Just as Kuzan prepared to follow up with another attack, Charlotte Linlin's enraged scream echoed across the plaza. Leaping into the air with surprising speed for her size, she raised her flaming sword high.
"Emperor's Sword: Cognac!!!" she roared, bringing the blade down with earth-shattering force.
Neither Sakazuki nor Kuzan dared to block the attack head-on. They retreated simultaneously, while even Katakuri stepped back to avoid being caught in the blast.
The blade slammed into the ground, sending flames and shockwaves across the plaza. The earth cracked violently, trembling as if struck by an earthquake.
But Charlotte Linlin wasn't finished. Abandoning her embedded sword, she rushed forward, her enormous fist crackling with a mix of electricity and malice. Her target was Sakazuki, and she closed the distance with terrifying speed.
Sakazuki met her head-on, his own arm transforming into a gigantic magma fist. With a defiant roar, he swung at her incoming blow.
The two fists collided with cataclysmic force. The sheer energy of the clash sent shockwaves rippling outward, leveling everything around them. In her furious state, Charlotte Linlin unleashed the full brunt of her monstrous power, overpowering Sakazuki.
Her fist smashed into him, driving him into the ground with enough force to leave a massive crater. Dust and debris filled the air, obscuring Sakazuki's form as the ground seemed to collapse under the weight of the blow.
The plaza fell silent, the tension thick in the air as everyone strained to see the aftermath of Charlotte Linlin's devastating strike.