Michael finally experienced the legendary "Elbaf Spear" up close.
Admittedly, its power still fell short of Whitebeard's level of using advanced Conqueror's Haki as normal attacks...
But its advantage lay in its wide-range AOE damage.
Even a madwoman like Charlotte Linlin knew to launch Michael into the sky before using this move rather than attacking directly.
If she had struck directly, half of the Island would likely have been devastated.
"Hey, you crazy woman, you're the one who misunderstood, okay!?"
Michael's voice emerged from the massive shockwave of the "Ikoku," as a slash imbued with pale blue Holy Flame of Judgement cut through the sky, splitting the shockwave in two.
Michael pointed his sword directly at Charlotte Linlin.
"Let me say it again—though you're beautiful, our sizes just don't match..."
Even as he spoke, a thought crossed Michael's mind...
Didn't the Charlotte Family have... children from the Tontatta Tribe?
Yikes!
The more he thought about it, the more disturbing it became!
However, after this 'venting', Charlotte Linlin seemed to regain some of her rationality.
The madness in her eyes was suppressed by reason.
Her gaze toward Michael shifted from hatred to admiration.
"You're truly strong... Even if you weren't a Lunarian, you'd still qualify to be my husband." As she spoke, Charlotte Linlin transformed her sword back into her pirate hat.
"If you weren't a Marine, I'd definitely force you to stay... But now, I'm starting to feel bored."
With that, she turned and walked back toward the castle.
This sudden change left the Charlotte Family, who had already prepared for a full-scale battle, at a loss.
"Perospero... so are we still fighting or not?" Charlotte Daifuku was baffled—his Lamp Genie had just been summoned, and now they weren't going to fight?
"Without Mama... do you think we stand a chance against that guy in the sky?" Perospero took a deep breath and waved his hand, signaling everyone to stand down.
Michael, hovering in mid-air, watched Charlotte Linlin's retreating figure...
His eyes filled with wariness.
Originally, he had thought Charlotte Linlin was just a madwoman with no bottom line.
No matter how strong such a person was, dealing with her wouldn't be too difficult.
But now, he realized he had fallen into a misconception...He had mentally drawn an approximate equal sign between the "Big Mom" from the original timeline when the main events occurred and the current Charlotte Linlin.
But now, it seemed he was utterly mistaken.
The current Charlotte Linlin, though prone to occasional emotional outbursts, could quickly regain her composure.
Then again, it made sense.
Ruling over a vast territory like Whole Cake Island in the New World wasn't something achievable through sheer personal strength alone.
He had severely underestimated the current Charlotte Linlin—both her intellect and willpower.
The unwavering loyalty of the Charlotte Family wasn't solely due to blood ties.
From her every action, it was evident that while she discarded her past husbands like worn-out shoes, she poured boundless maternal love into her children.
This also highlighted just how terrifying the "Hunger Pangs" truly were.
It reduced a woman who embodied both wisdom and strength into a raving madwoman obsessed only with eating and destruction.
Among the original Four Emperors, aside from Kaido, not a single one was truly at their peak.
There was Whitebeard, on the verge of death; Charlotte Linlin, lost to madness; and Red-Haired Shanks, missing an arm…
Michael glanced at his own hand and smiled faintly.
If they could all avoid those fates…
Just how spectacular would the seas become?
.....
When Michael flapped his Wings and returned to the ground of wholecake Island, he noticed the Charlotte Family hadn't left.
Instead, they were staring at him with peculiar expressions.
"Uh, why are you all looking at me like that?" Michael instinctively touched his face.
"I know I'm handsome, but is it really worth gawking at me?"
"You're the first man in history to catch Mama's eye even after she discarded her obsession with rare races," Perospero said, frowning.
"Too bad you're a Marine… so it's a no-go."
"Damn… is that supposed to be a good thing for me?" Michael's lips twitched. "I don't care about virginity—hell, I even think married women have their charm… but not one who's been through dozens of husbands!"
Michael glanced at the shattered remnants of the tables and chairs on the ground and smirked.
"Anyway, you're Perospero, right?" Michael tilted his chin toward Perospero.
"As the Marine in charge of the Warlord nominations, I came to Whole Cake Island to discuss this matter with you. Your mom kinda interrupted things earlier… so let's rearrange and have a proper talk."
Perospero exchanged a look with Katakuri.
Seeing Katakuri's slight nod, he knew no immediate danger had been foreseen in the near future.
Which meant this Marine really was here to negotiate?
They'd heard about the neutral trade buffer zone in Fish-Man Island, but hearing and seeing were two different things.
"Fine, follow me."
Perospero tapped his cane, and a surge of blue syrup erupted, instantly forming a massive transparent table and dozens of chairs.
Michael gave the table a pat, then pulled out a syrup chair and sat down.
"The Paramecia-type Candy-Candy Fruit... quite impressive. In terms of performance, it could even be called a pseudo-Logia-type fruit."
One might say that pseudo-Logia abilities are a common trait among the strongest members of the Charlotte Family.
Take Katakuri, for example.
"Michael... Vice Admiral, when you mentioned the Warlord positions earlier, were you suggesting recruiting candidates from the Charlotte Family?"
"Of course. I came for you all... or more precisely, for the two of you."
As he spoke, he pointed at Perospero and Katakuri.
The brain and the fist of the Charlotte Family.
"Targeting the two of us... that makes it even more impossible," Katakuri shook his head.
"Becoming Warlords would mean turning against other pirates... inevitably putting the entire Charlotte Family in opposition to the pirate world."
"I understand your concerns... but don't reject me so quickly. I'm about to make you an offer you can't refuse..."
Confidently, Michael placed two Warlord appointment documents on the table.
"For instance, what if I cure Charlotte Linlin's Hunger pangs and incidentally grant official recognition to your 'Totto land'?"
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