"Did it collapse?"
Faced with Whitebeard's furious roar, Ragnar replied indifferently.
That single sentence instantly silenced the raging Whitebeard.
"Ragnar..."
"True Lord..."
Just as Whitebeard fell into brief silence, Charlotte Linlin fixed her gaze on Ragnar, her expression shifting continuously.
Within her eyes were a storm of emotions: shock, admiration, jealousy, fear—and a faint, fleeting trace of killing intent.
But that intent vanished almost instantly.
It wasn't because of her alliance with Kaido, nor any lingering sentiment.
Rather, it was because Ragnar's sheer strength and his terrifying display of power had shattered even her pride and arrogance, replacing them with wariness—and caution.
"Well, well, well... Kaido's greatest masterpiece… is a bit too strong."
Linlin murmured inwardly, her eyes lingering on the vertical pupil on Ragnar's forehead.
Suddenly, something stirred in her heart.
A new idea emerged—an idea that washed away most of her fear.
As for that earlier murderous impulse, it was gone completely.
"Well, well... it seems that once this matter is settled, I really should hold a proper tea party."
Whatever she had in mind made her grin widely.
"But before that... we need to keep that red-haired brat and the damn old man Whitebeard here!"
Her ferocious gaze swept toward Red-Haired Shanks and Whitebeard.
Her killing intent surged—igniting the signal to attack.
Kaido, standing nearby, immediately hefted his massive kanabo, releasing a wave of overwhelming Haoshoku Haki that shook the air.
King and Yamato—two users of ancient and mythical Zoan fruits—glared coldly at the Moby Dick's crew like predators eyeing cornered prey.
In the surrounding sea, dozens of pirate ships—dispersed earlier by the shockwaves of Ragnar and Whitebeard's battle—had regrouped, forming a blockade around the Moby Dick.
Especially the Queen Mama Chanter, Charlotte Linlin's flagship.
There, her children—led by Charlotte Katakuri—had drawn their weapons and prepared their Devil Fruit powers, awaiting only their mother's command to strike.
The combined killing intent from every direction weighed heavy on the hearts of the Whitebeard Pirates and the Red-Hair crew.
Their faces darkened, and their tension soared.
"Retreat!"
Suddenly, just as Kaido and Charlotte Linlin were about to strike—
Whitebeard's commanding voice rang out, cold and absolute.
The strongest man in the world—who had never once retreated, never once shown his back—had chosen his sons over his pride.
"Don't hesitate for even a second!"
With that, Whitebeard extended both arms, his ten fingers digging into the very air like blades piercing flesh.
The atmosphere cracked visibly at his touch.
Crack.
As Kaido and Linlin prepared to give chase, Whitebeard tugged.
Like a martial artist flipping an opponent—this time, he flipped the sky itself.
He caught the very atmosphere—and threw it down.
A cataclysmic shockwave surged out, tilting the sea as if gravity had reversed.
Boom!
Towering, irregular waves—like a staircase of water—rose high into the sky.
The surrounding ships were tossed and upended.
Even the Queen Mama Chanter couldn't escape the chaos.
Aside from Charlotte Linlin—standing on her living thundercloud, Zeus—Katakuri, Cracker, and a few elite fighters struggled to stay upright as the ship shook and spun wildly.
In the blink of an eye—
The Moby Dick, once surrounded and trapped like a beast in a cage, now had a clear path to escape.
"Oh? Why the rush?"
Charlotte Linlin narrowed her eyes, gripping Prometheus in her right hand and hurling him overhead.
Boom!
A giant flame ignited in the sky above the Moby Dick, and a blazing column of fire—so hot it warped the air—came crashing down from the heavens.
"Heavenly Fire!"
The only female among the Five Emperors made her move.
Though it seemed like a casual gesture...
Once it was unleashed—
The Moby Dick, crafted from the precious Adam wood and having braved half a century of voyages, would likely be reduced to ashes on the spot—meeting the same fate as the Red Force of the Red-Haired Pirates.
"Hmph!"
Before the pillar of fire could descend, Ben Beckman had already raised his pistol below deck.
Surging with Armament Haki—
A bullet cloaked in black light and crackling with vicious lightning tore through the falling inferno, shattering it into scattered flames that quickly vanished into the sky.
"Whitebeard, you think you can leave here without paying a price?"
Kaido soared upward, his figure engulfed in the raging blaze. Midair, he transformed—his human form vanishing, replaced by a colossal azure dragon, hundreds of meters long.
"Hot Breath!"
In the next instant—
A searing blast capable of boiling seas and incinerating rivers surged toward the Moby Dick's bow, engulfing Whitebeard entirely.
Visit patreon.com/ShiroTL for more chapters.