I Punch the Tailed Beast Ball

Charlotte Linlin’s enormous body and the savage, ferocious expression on her face instantly embodied the aura of a Pirate Emperor.

"Pirate Emperor? She’s just a large-scale pirate—a bandit," one civilian watching the broadcast commented.

No matter how much people tried to glorify pirates as freedom-seeking adventurers, the suffering and oppression endured by ordinary people was an undeniable reality.

Pirates neither produced anything nor worked for a living.

So where did their money come from? Where did their supplies come from?

Even if a pirate started out with a conscience, they would gradually lose themselves through constant indulgence. Living without earning was highly addictive, and as they continued indulging themselves, their moral bottom line would retreat again and again.

Even adventurer-type pirates were hardly saints. They might not commit heinous crimes, but dining and dashing was practically second nature to them.

Charlotte Linlin’s appearance caused the Marines present to change expressions.

Even Marine Vice Admirals like Onigumo and Momonga wore vigilant expressions as though facing a formidable enemy, tensing their bodies and preparing themselves for the terrifying attacks that might come at any moment.

Facing a Four Emperor directly, even Vice Admirals of their caliber could not help but feel nervous.

After all, when Kaido had been defeated, only Nagasawa’s own unit had witnessed it.

But the defeat at the Summit War had been witnessed by every Marine at Headquarters.

Although the successful campaign against the Beasts Pirates was an inspiring victory for most Marines, facing another Four Emperor head-on still caused many to recall the tragic scenes of the Summit War.

The sight of the current three Admirals—the Headquarters’ greatest military power—being suppressed by Whitebeard remained vivid in their minds.

How could they possibly remain calm in the face of another Four Emperor?

"My wrath? Charlotte Linlin, are you prepared to face the judgment of the Marines?"

Nagasawa stepped to the very front of the warship, standing tall with Ryujin Jakka in one hand as he spoke calmly.

"So you’re the brat who killed Kaido?" Charlotte Linlin glared at Nagasawa.

"That’s right. Are you in such a hurry to reunite with Kaido? I’ll grant your wish soon enough," Nagasawa taunted.

"Arrogant little brat! Let’s see what you’re capable of."

A cruel smile appeared on Charlotte Linlin’s face. With a casual wave of her hand, countless purple bolts of lightning surged toward Nagasawa’s warship.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Deafening thunder echoed across the sea.

The countless purple lightning bolts dyed everything around them violet. Endless flashes danced throughout the purple world, making it seem as though the battlefield had become a hell of lightning.

Big Mom primarily fought using the three special Homies created through the Soul-Soul Fruit.

They were Zeus, who controlled lightning; Prometheus, who controlled fire; and Napoleon, who normally served as her hat but transformed into a sword during battle.

Those countless purple lightning bolts were generated by Big Mom through Zeus.

The purple lightning swept forward with overwhelming force.

Those watching the livestream elsewhere could only see a sea of purple, causing them to worry about the warship being bombarded by endless lightning.

"As expected of a Pirate Emperor. A casual move is already this powerful," Aramaki observed cautiously, ready to assist Nagasawa at any moment.

Naturally, with the whole world watching, Nagasawa had no intention of allowing Big Mom to dominate the battlefield.

Gripping Ryujin Jakka tightly, the flames surrounding the blade instantly burned even more fiercely.

Then Nagasawa swung the crimson-flame-wreathed Ryujin Jakka forward.

The flames erupted wildly from the blade, instantly forming an enormous wave composed entirely of pure fire, colliding head-on with the incoming sea of lightning.

The crimson flames and violet lightning wrestled for supremacy over the sea.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Massive explosions erupted.

The explosive force blasted seawater dozens of meters into the air, making it appear as though countless water pillars had suddenly risen from the ocean.

But lightning was no match for the flames.

Only moments after colliding, the flames gained the upper hand, steadily pushing toward the pirates.

Charlotte Linlin immediately formed an enormous spear of lightning to halt the advancing flames.

Only then did both the flames and lightning dissipate simultaneously, leaving the turbulent sea as silent testimony to the intensity of their clash.

Standing at the bow of the warship, Nagasawa maintained his sword-swinging posture.

The flames on Ryujin Jakka still blazed fiercely as the shockwaves whipped his Justice Coat violently in the wind.

"Admiral Nagasawa!"

Seeing their Admiral suppress a Four Emperor, the Marine forces erupted into thunderous cheers.

The Vice Admirals stared blankly at the scene before them.

It felt as though they had returned to the Summit War, watching Whitebeard suppress the Marines with his overwhelming flaming slash.

But after thinking carefully...

The roles had been completely reversed.

Now it was the Marines attacking while the pirates defended.

And the one suppressing the enemy with overwhelming flames was their own Marine Admiral, not some pirate.

"It’s exactly the same..."

A Vice Admiral could not help muttering.

Perospero frowned upon witnessing the scene.

This Fujiwara Nagasawa was not easy to deal with.

"Charlotte Linlin, if this is all you’ve got, you’ll be joining Kaido very soon," Nagasawa said with a smile.

Charlotte Linlin also knew the Marines were broadcasting the battle live through Den Den Mushi.

Countless people had undoubtedly witnessed what had just happened.

Her anger instantly exploded.

Anyone who dared make her lose face—even her own children—would never be forgiven!

"Napoleon!"

Charlotte Linlin roared.

The hat atop her head instantly transformed into a massive blade and leaped into her hand.

Grinding her teeth in fury, Charlotte Linlin ignored everything else, riding Zeus straight toward Nagasawa with her greatsword raised.

Nagasawa did not remain idle.

Holding Ryujin Jakka, he stepped through the air toward Big Mom.

He had no intention of fighting her atop the warship.

Even the shockwaves from their battle would be enough to destroy it.

The instant Charlotte Linlin’s blade collided with Ryujin Jakka...

Her hands immediately trembled.

’Damn it! How is this brat stronger than me?!’

Charlotte Linlin was shaken to her core.

It was the first time she had ever been overpowered in terms of raw strength.

How great was her strength?

At only five years old, without any training whatsoever, she had seriously injured an elder of the Giant race.

There had been no technique involved.

It had been nothing but pure, innate monstrous strength.

Even the legendary might of the Giants was insignificant before her natural power.

Yet this little fellow, not even two meters tall, possessed even greater strength than she did.

Charlotte Linlin found it utterly unbelievable.

What she did not know was that Nagasawa possessed Whitebeard’s strength while also enhancing himself with Breathing Style and Chakra.

If Charlotte Linlin could still overpower him through brute force under those circumstances, Nagasawa would have been the one finding it absurd.

Unable to withstand Nagasawa’s overwhelming strength, Charlotte Linlin was sent flying.

Fortunately, Zeus caught her in time.

Otherwise, she would have fallen into the sea.

"What terrifying strength!"

Perospero’s pupils contracted sharply as he exclaimed.

The Marines who had never fought Big Mom directly might not understand how terrifying her physical strength truly was.

But her own children knew it all too well.

Even as her family, they feared her sudden fits of madness.

Once that terrifying strength ran wild, destroying an entire nation would take little time.

Yet such an overwhelmingly powerful Big Mom had been sent flying with a single strike.

Perospero realized he had severely underestimated Admiral Nagasawa.

’Could it be... the Marine report was actually true?’

’Did Fujiwara Nagasawa really destroy the Beasts Pirates alone?’

Perospero recalled the recent news.

Originally, he had assumed the Marines had exaggerated everything to make their new Admiral seem stronger.

After all, if their Admirals were truly that powerful, how could they have suffered such a miserable defeat during the Summit War?

But judging from Nagasawa’s performance...

It no longer seemed like propaganda.

It might actually be true.

Although the Marines did not understand just how powerful Big Mom’s physical strength truly was...

It was obvious that Nagasawa had gained the upper hand once again.

Marine morale immediately soared.

Seeing the situation deteriorate, Perospero hurriedly ordered every pirate ship to launch a full assault.

The Three Sweet Commanders also decided to quickly crush the Marines before going to assist their mother against the Marine Admiral.

The Three Sweet Commanders were the three strongest fighters in the Big Mom Pirates aside from Big Mom herself.

Their strength far surpassed that of ordinary officers.

The moment they joined the battle, they immediately caused considerable trouble for the Marines.

The warship carrying Smoker was attacked by Katakuri.

Fighting Katakuri was utterly miserable for Smoker.

Every movement he made was completely seen through.

Each of his attacks accomplished nothing, while Katakuri’s blows landed solidly on him every single time.

The other Marine Vice Admirals fighting the remaining Sweet Commanders likewise found themselves at a disadvantage.

Marine Vice Admirals were undoubtedly powerful.

However, the Sweet Commanders were the strongest fighters beneath a Four Emperor.

Ordinary Marine Vice Admirals simply could not compare.

At that moment...

Aramaki finally made his move.

A flower suddenly bloomed behind him.

Its petals spun rapidly, lifting him into the sky.

Then countless enormous trees burst forth from both of his hands.

Branches rapidly extended toward the pirate forces, with the Sweet Commanders being the primary targets.

Katakuri’s powerful Observation Haki sensed the danger immediately.

His expression became serious.

"So there’s another hidden powerhouse..."

Seeing yet another terrifyingly powerful Marine Vice Admiral appear, Perospero instantly realized their plan to quickly defeat the Marines and assist Big Mom had become impossible.

Although he had never expected victory...

The current situation was nothing like what he had imagined.

In his expectations...

The Marines would have deployed all three Admirals together, supported by veterans such as Garp and Sengoku.

Only such an overwhelming force should have been enough to defeat the Big Mom Pirates.

But what was happening now?

Only a single Marine Admiral had appeared...

Yet the situation had already spiraled completely out of control.

At this rate, Perospero felt that only another Four Emperor crew arriving in full force could possibly deter the Marines.

Only possibly.

The other two Admirals had not appeared.

The Fleet Admiral had not shown himself.

Neither had the older Marine legends.

The Marines had concealed far too much strength.

Perospero looked upward toward the battle between Big Mom and Nagasawa.

While the battle at sea was intense...

The battle in the sky had become completely one-sided.

Wounds had begun appearing across Big Mom’s body.

Meanwhile...

Not even a speck of dust had landed on Nagasawa.

"Damn Marines!"

Charlotte Linlin had completely fallen into a rage.

She could no longer remember the last time she had suffered pain like this.

The burning agony across her body, combined with the humiliation of losing face...

She had completely lost her reason.

Only one thought remained in her mind—

Kill the Marine who had injured and humiliated her.

"Ikoku Sovereignty!"

Charlotte Linlin first unleashed an enormous shockwave slash toward Nagasawa.

Immediately afterward, she merged all three Homies together, preparing to unleash her ultimate attack.

"Maser Cannon!"

Charlotte Linlin roared.

Zeus released his power.

Thunder roared across the heavens as the sky became terrifyingly dark.

Moments later, raging flames materialized out of nowhere.

A sea of fire appeared amidst the lightning.

Under the combined control of Zeus and Prometheus, both the lightning and flames fused into Napoleon, nurturing an overwhelmingly terrifying beam of energy.

Charlotte Linlin’s mere movements were enough to change the weather itself.

The civilians watching the broadcast could not help holding their breath for Nagasawa.

They did not know whether a Four Emperor or an Admiral was stronger.

Nor could they truly understand the battle unfolding before them.

But in their eyes...

Charlotte Linlin looked less like a human and more like a monster.

With a casual gesture she summoned lightning capable of covering an entire region.

Moments later, she ignited an entire sea of flames in the sky.

Compared to such a brutal pirate who looked capable of devouring people alive...

The civilians naturally hoped the Marines would emerge victorious.

At least the Marines did not openly rob people.

Sakazuki stared fixedly at the livestream.

Big Mom had finally become serious.

Now...

He would finally witness exactly how Nagasawa defeated a Four Emperor.

Many others also focused intently.

They were about to witness the clash between two of the world’s absolute strongest.

Meanwhile...

One of those very protagonists...

Nagasawa...

Found the fight rather boring.

Big Mom’s raw strength was indeed no weaker than Kaido’s.

But her intelligence left much to be desired.

She also lost her temper far too easily.

Fighting her felt almost like bullying a child.

Still...

Since Big Mom had already unleashed her ultimate move...

He should at least respond appropriately.

With that thought, Nagasawa immediately released Ryujin Jakka’s Bankai.

"Zanka no Tachi: North—The Ashes of Heaven and Earth!"

The instant Bankai was released, Nagasawa’s Spiritual Pressure reached its absolute peak.

Without holding anything back, he immediately unleashed Zanka no Tachi against Charlotte Linlin.

Charlotte Linlin’s Ikoku Sovereignty was instantly erased by Zanka no Tachi.

The overwhelmingly imposing Maser Cannon likewise vanished beneath that terrifying slash.

Charlotte Linlin had never witnessed such a horrifying attack.

At that moment...

She only felt unbearable heat.

The surrounding temperature rose continuously.

She wanted to dodge—

But the instant that thought formed...

Unimaginable pain exploded through her mind.

The slash was simply too fast.

She had only just thought, This is terrifying... I need to dodge...

And the slash had already reached her.

Half of Charlotte Linlin’s body vanished instantly.

Only by using the Soul-Soul Fruit to infuse her own organs and bones with souls did she barely survive.

What she did not know...

Was that this was only because Nagasawa had not yet harvested her Devil Fruit.

The Soul-Soul Fruit was far too valuable.

As long as it could still be harvested...

Nagasawa certainly had no intention of killing her immediately.

A single slash had nearly reduced a Four Emperor to nothing.

Every Marine...

Every pirate...

And everyone watching the livestream...

Stood frozen in shock.

Perospero’s face became one of utter despair.

Just how terrifying had that slash been?

It had nearly killed his overwhelmingly powerful mother in a single blow.

Retreating and making a comeback...

Had become nothing more than a fantasy.

The Big Mom Pirates’ end had arrived.

They had underestimated the strength of the Marines.

They had underestimated the power of the Marine Admiral known as Fujiwara Nagasawa.