New World, Tachis Island.
The Big Mom Pirates' outpost had been utterly wiped from the map. What was once a mountain spanning half the island was now a jagged stump, a colossal crater yawning where its heart used to be.
Such was the devastation of Explosive Steam Kill.
Yet Hale Nock stood at the crater's edge, not a hint of triumph in his eyes—only a gathering storm of unease. He'd hoped to slip away in the chaos, to avoid a head-on clash with Charlotte Linlin. But Sakazuki had somehow obtained a device that completely blocked Observation Haki, keeping him under relentless, suffocating surveillance.
Now, even as the air thickened with Charlotte Linlin's wrath, Sakazuki still hadn't left. The man lingered in the shadows, killing intent swirling around him like a viper.
Damn it...
Suddenly, a violent wave of Conqueror's Haki swept across the sky. Charlotte Linlin's furious voice thundered over the island, the very clouds and wind recoiling.
"Hale Nock!!!"
"Ikkoku Sovereignty!"
A titanic sword slash tore through the heavens, hurtling toward Hale Nock.
He snorted, his body bursting apart into a cloud of steam. The sword energy split the vapor in two, then carved a deep trench across the earth, exploding into the distant sea and sending a wall of water hundreds of meters high into the air.
The steam reformed. Charlotte Linlin was already upon him.
Hale Nock summoned a long steam blade to his hand, coating it with Armament Haki.
CLANG!
Steel crashed against steel. Hale Nock was driven back, step by step, under the onslaught.
Charlotte Linlin's crimson eyes blazed with murder. "You've got a death wish!"
She pressed harder, a shockwave of force rippling outward. Hale Nock's veins bulged with the strain as he gritted his teeth, holding back the massive blade.
"Let me explain! It's the Marines—!"
BOOM—!
Before he could finish, a tremendous force sent him flying, smashing him into the mountainside like a meteor.
Charlotte Linlin, her head wreathed in Prometheus's flames, charged after him atop Zeus's thundercloud.
BOOM—!
A deafening explosion rocked the mountain. Compressed white steam burst outward in a giant disc, shockwaves shredding everything in their path. The island was split by a curtain of steam.
Hovering above, Charlotte Linlin surveyed the battlefield—Prometheus blazing on her head, feet planted on Zeus.
Suddenly, the steam below coalesced into a legion of towering giants, all lunging for her.
With a sweep of Napoleon, flames and lightning—Prometheus and Zeus entwined—wrapped the blade in a crackling circuit. She slashed at the incoming giants.
"Maser Cannon: Three Thousand Leagues!"
A gigantic sword-wielding woman, forged from fire and lightning, sprang forth—hunting down the steam giants with uncanny intelligence. Each swing shattered another foe in an explosion of vapor.
Watching, Hale Nock drew a deep, ragged breath, forcing down the fury burning in his chest.
Power. Power. Power!
One after another... Damn it all to hell!
But he couldn't keep this up. He needed to talk—needed to negotiate.
He shifted his ability. The steam giants stopped charging and, instead, exploded upward. Layers of white vapor clawed into the sky. Soon, island-sized clouds of steam billowed overhead, lightning and fire slashing out as the battle raged on.
———
Down below, Sakazuki lurked in the shadows, eyes narrowed, a cold sneer on his lips.
The rampaging Conqueror's Haki above had thrown his Observation Haki into chaos—he couldn't sense a thing.
"Old fox."
Truth be told, Hale Nock was no pushover. Against the likes of Golden Lion or Rayleigh, he might not lose so badly. His Perilous Steam Slaughter was like a hundredfold explosive tag—without a natural counter, the shockwaves alone could flatten most enemies.
But against Sakazuki? He was doomed from the start. Power, Haki, physique—every advantage was crushed.
Sakazuki waited patiently, magma spear forming in his hand, molten rock pouring in. This was the move from the Skgri Sea battle. Now, he'd see if Charlotte Linlin's defense could withstand it.
Time ticked by.
Suddenly, a thunderous blast erupted from the sky. The massive steam cloud was ripped apart, the shockwave slamming Charlotte Linlin toward the earth.
A faint, weakened voice echoed from above: "Sakazuki!"
Sakazuki gripped his spear, a roar splitting the air as he launched himself like a blazing meteor at the falling Charlotte Linlin.
In an instant, he was upon her. His magma spear thrust toward her heart.
But Charlotte Linlin twisted midair, her killing intent surging. "So it was you!"
Sakazuki only sneered. As expected—without some device to control minds, betrayal was inevitable.
His spear, wrapped in both colors of Haki, stabbed deep into her body.
Zzzzt—!
Lightning crackled where Haki clashed. The spear sank in, but Sakazuki knew—her monstrous skin hadn't been pierced.
He poured more magma and Haki into the weapon. Charlotte Linlin grimaced, but it barely slowed her down. Her left hand flashed, seizing his shoulder; her right, Napoleon wreathed in Haki, slashed for his neck.
CLANG—!
Sparks flew as Sakazuki blocked, but her blade bit through his skin, drawing blood.
Locked in a deadly embrace, the two plummeted to earth, crashing through boulders.
Suddenly, a chill of danger prickled down Sakazuki's spine. He sensed Hale Nock behind him, dagger in hand—a deadly aura radiating from the blade.
Seastone? When did he—
No time to think. At the last instant, Sakazuki self-destructed, magma erupting in a violent blast.
BOOM—!
Both Hale Nock and Charlotte Linlin surged with Haki, forcing their way through the explosion, charging at Sakazuki as he reformed.
Charlotte Linlin's grip on his right arm sent fresh pain lancing through him, blood flowing freely—but his hands never stopped moving. A magma longsword formed, clashing with Napoleon in a shockwave that shattered the ground.
Hale Nock pressed the attack, dagger in hand, his arm blazing with Haki and sword energy.
Sakazuki abruptly released his blade, flickering aside in a blur and lashing out with a savage kick that sent the exhausted Hale Nock flying.
When he finally staggered to his feet, the three stood in a tense triangle.
A smirk curled Sakazuki's lips. He fixed his gaze on Charlotte Linlin, but his words were aimed at Hale Nock:
"Your best move now is to help me take down Charlotte Linlin."
Hale Nock snorted. "I think killing you sounds better."
Power surged around him. Charlotte Linlin let out a cruel laugh of her own.
"Looks like you'll die here today, magma brat."
Sakazuki gave a soft chuckle, magma blade aimed at her.
"Oh? Is that so? But what if... Golden Lion isn't dead, Hale Nock?"
He didn't wait for Hale Nock's eyes to widen in shock. He charged at Charlotte Linlin.
BOOM—!
Conqueror's Haki and Devil Fruit powers collided, their battle shaking heaven and earth. Sword energy hundreds of meters long slashed through the air, lightning and magma scouring the battlefield.
In the distance, Hale Nock forced down his panic, mind racing.
Just as Sakazuki said—if Golden Lion wasn't dead, then killing Charlotte Linlin was his best shot. He'd already made an enemy of Golden Lion; if Charlotte Linlin survived too, he'd be caught between two monsters.
But if he moved against Charlotte Linlin now, could he really escape alive?
This Marine's heart was black as pitch...
Then it hit him—what if the rumors of Golden Lion's death were spread by Sakazuki himself?
Damn it.
Hale Nock gritted his teeth, shifting the seastone dagger's aim to Charlotte Linlin. The Marines were locked out of the New World, and the two people he'd crossed were right here.
If he could kill the nearly unkillable Charlotte Linlin first, he still had a shot against Golden Lion—after all, Golden Lion's defense wasn't nearly as monstrous.
The dagger looked plain, but if it landed a blow, it would sap her strength.
That's why Sakazuki had risked self-destruction earlier—if he'd been weakened, he'd be dead meat.
He drew a deep breath.
"Lock down Charlotte Linlin!"
Charlotte Linlin erupted in fury. "Fool!"
Before she could unleash her rage, Sakazuki let out a sly chuckle.
Thick magma spears burst from the ground, coated in Haki, pinning her body in place—just for an instant, but it was enough.
A steam-forged fist, dagger in its grip, shot toward her. Ever-cautious, Hale Nock didn't dare risk it himself—he used his powers to send the dagger flying, hiding far away.
If it struck, Sakazuki would be fast enough to seize the moment and attack. Maybe Hale Nock could slip away in the chaos.
But...
He'd underestimated Sakazuki's treachery.
In Charlotte Linlin's wide, panicked eyes, the dagger was about to pierce her skin—
Sakazuki bent his knees.
Far away, Hale Nock exploded with steam, preparing to bolt.
Charlotte Linlin's right arm lunged to swat the dagger aside—but too late.
Ting—!
The dagger struck home. A wave of weakness crashed over her, sapping her strength.
Before either could react, Sakazuki's lips curled in a wicked smile. He stomped the ground—
BOOM!
And vanished—gone in a flash, soaring into the sky and disappearing over the horizon.
The dagger clattered to the ground as Charlotte Linlin regained control of her body. She stared at Hale Nock. A heavy silence fell.
"Heavenly Sovereign!"
A storm of hatred and thunder crashed down on the fleeing Hale Nock...
But as for Sakazuki—he was already gone, leaving chaos and carnage in his wake. ~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
The story isn't over...
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