After being sent flying by the punch, Charlotte Linlin turned her head to look at Katakuri. She wasn't angry that her son had interfered; instead, a wicked smile appeared on her face. She seemed satisfied with his decisiveness.
Diarmuid struggled in the air, about to fall into the ocean, but he forcefully created a pocket of gravity to hold himself up. He skidded across the surface of the sea for dozens of meters, then stabilized his body and rubbed his arm. It felt sore, but he had successfully blocked Charlotte Linlin's brutal strike.
After knocking back Diarmuid, Charlotte Linlin didn't pursue him. She didn't even care about the warships firing on her; she just flew straight for Hogley Island.
Diarmuid, after catching his breath, used Geppo and his powers to quickly follow her. Meanwhile, the Queen Mama Chanter and Diarmuid's warship fired at each other but kept their distance, passing each other by.
Katakuri and the others also moved toward the island, with the warship turning to chase them from behind, continuing to fire.
Seeing Charlotte Linlin about to land on Hogley Island, a fierce look crossed Diarmuid's face. He knew he couldn't stop her from reaching the shore. Just then, he saw two Marine warships at the harbor quickly start moving, heading to the other side of the island to avoid Charlotte Linlin and sail away.
'Borsalino succeeded!' Diarmuid's heart settled. Their mission was to retrieve Dr. Vegapunk, not to fight a deathmatch with Charlotte Linlin. Now that Borsalino had the doctor, all he had to do was stall Charlotte Linlin for a little while longer!
The scientists on the island had already mostly fled. The Marines' sudden appearance had scared away many who were working on illegal projects.
To be fair, very few of these private organizations didn't have something illegal going on; the Marines just usually didn't bother to check.
After Diarmuid and Charlotte Linlin's battle terrified the remaining islanders into running, the empty island was now the perfect place for a fight. Seeing this, Diarmuid no longer held back.
Charlotte Linlin had no idea of the Marines' true goal. She thought they had come specifically to stop her and was unaware that Vegapunk had already been taken. She ignored the "fleeing" warships. After landing on the island, she grabbed a scientist without a lab coat and demanded, "Where is Vegapunk?"
"Dr… Dr. Vegapunk was just taken away by the Marines!" the scientist stammered in terror.
"Taken away?" A flash of killing intent crossed Charlotte Linlin's eyes, and she crushed the man to death. She turned to look at the departing warships, a green soul aura glowing from her hand as she prepared to attack.
But then, an invisible force suddenly enveloped her. The ground beneath her shattered, and the broken rocks and dirt began to stick to her body.
"What is this?" Charlotte Linlin asked, startled. She looked up and saw Diarmuid with a hand stretched out towards her. As she watched, he clenched his fist.
"Planetary Devastation!!!" Diarmuid roared.
Before Charlotte Linlin could react, the entire island began to shake. The ground cracked from the harbor, as if from a massive earthquake. Buildings collapsed, and a massive amount of dirt and debris flew into the air, drawing Charlotte Linlin with it.
She was the center of the pull, and countless pieces of rubble smashed into her, her huge body quickly getting buried inside.
Unlike his previous use of Planetary Devastation at Long Ring Long Land, which only created a sphere the size of a warship, this new one consumed half the island in a matter of seconds.
The formerly round island was now a semicircle, and the rest of its land floated in the air, trapping Charlotte Linlin inside a gigantic sphere that looked like a small island floating in the sky.
The Queen Mama Chanter, which had been sailing toward the harbor, quickly stopped. Katakuri didn't dare to move forward. A few more steps and he would be in Diarmuid's attack range, and the power of this Planetary Devastation would likely pull their ship into the sky as well.
"He's so strong…" Perospero muttered, staring at the island-sized sphere in the sky, his eyes wide with shock. He had been surprised by the meteor, but this aerial sphere was on another level. Are all Marines monsters? The slightest move and they destroy a whole island.
After a moment, Perospero turned to Katakuri. "What do we do about Mama?" he asked. He figured Katakuri had experience with this move.
Katakuri stared at the Planetary Devastation in the sky, his expression solemn. He had a newfound understanding of just how fast Diarmuid's power was growing. But when he heard Perospero's question, he answered, "Don't worry. Even though that move is powerful, Mama is the real monster."
Just as Katakuri finished speaking, a burst of flames tore through the outer layer of the sphere. From a distance, it looked like the giant sphere had suddenly erupted in fire.
A tiny arm, insignificant in comparison to the sphere, reached out from the flames and grabbed onto the hard earth and stone.
Diarmuid was on the remaining half of the island, his hand still stretched towards the sky, keeping up the pressure with his overwhelming gravity.
But Charlotte Linlin's strength was simply too powerful. She was climbing out of the sphere against the pull of Planetary Devastation. A little blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, a sign of internal injury, but it wasn't noticeable. Her exposed body was completely unharmed, and the sharp stones that hit her simply shattered.
'An Iron Balloon?' Diarmuid thought, as he continued to increase the pressure.
He had to admit that some people on this sea were born at the finish line. They were truly monsters. Just like Charlotte Linlin. With her monstrous, innate strength, she could kill a bear with a single, gentle swat at the age of five and almost kill a Giant Warrior by trying to swat a mosquito. Her body was also naturally invulnerable. She didn't need to use Haki or Tekkai; her defense was already unbeatable.
When she was a child, a full-power strike from a Giant Warrior didn't even faze her, while their sword simply broke. If she added the power of Haki to her body, few people in the world would be able to hurt her.
And now, this monster had escaped from a full-power Planetary Devastation with almost no injuries, using only her physical strength.
"She's truly terrifying!" Diarmuid muttered to himself.
As he spoke, Charlotte Linlin's hand, glowing with a ghostly green aura, slapped the Planetary Devastation sphere. Diarmuid felt a loss of control, as if the sphere he was commanding had developed a mind of its own.
That's right, the Planetary Devastation had grown a face.
"Soul-Soul Fruit?!" Diarmuid's eyes widened in shock.
With her power now free, Charlotte Linlin quickly pulled herself out of the Planetary Devastation. Her eyes were filled with rage. She landed on the ground with a powerful stomp, and the outer layer of the sphere shattered from the force. She descended on Diarmuid like a giant cannonball, with lightning in her left hand and fire in her right. She put both fists together and aimed for Diarmuid.
"DIE!!!" Charlotte Linlin roared.
Diarmuid had no intention of taking the hit. He didn't even have to think about it; he could tell just by looking that he couldn't withstand her attack. If he did, she would critically injure him with one punch. He slid back, using his gravity and Soru to quickly disappear.
The next second, Charlotte Linlin's monstrous body slammed into the ground, her two fists punching into the earth. The ground cracked instantly, and the tremor of the island echoed beneath Diarmuid's feet. Lightning and fire shot out from the smoke of the impact.
"Gravity Blade: Flying Gale!" Diarmuid slashed at the approaching flames, lightning, and smoke, managing to hold back the attack. But before he could even sheathe his Nagasone Kotetsu, a massive black figure burst from the smoke—Charlotte Linlin.
Her Emperor Sword was coated in a dense layer of Armament Haki, and a powerful, suppressed energy coursed through the blade.
Diarmuid's eyes widened. He took a step back, leaned forward in a low stance, and held his Nagasone Kotetsu in front of him. He ran his hand along the blade, where it met the hilt.
"One Sword Style: Cloud Flow Tiger…" he said with a low growl. His hand passed over the blade, and a flowing, cloud-like Haki coated the sword. This was the second stage of Armament Haki, also known as "Ryuo!" This was not an offensive move, but a defensive one!
Just as his flowing Haki coated the blade, Charlotte Linlin's Emperor Sword crashed down on his Nagasone Kotetsu. The immense force almost sent Diarmuid flying, but he had prepared with that step back, and his stance held firm. The ground under his feet shattered, and the pieces flew behind him like cannonballs.
"Secret Technique: Emperor's Gift!!!" Charlotte Linlin yelled out the name of her attack.
As her words fell, the already powerful slash intensified even more.
The sheer air pressure from the clash made it hard for Diarmuid to open his eyes. The "Justice" coat on his shoulders was torn away by the wind, revealing his muscular physique. His arms trembled, veins bulged on his forehead, and his muscles looked like they were about to explode. Tiny specks of blood seeped through his skin as he overstrained himself to hold on.
In all his time on the seas, Diarmuid had never had to face an attack this strong head-on. While fighting Shiki, he had been in a support role and never felt this level of extreme power. But now, he truly understood what a world-class fighter was capable of.
If his own core strength weren't so solid, Charlotte Linlin would have cut him in two right now!
He was blocking a full-power, ultimate-level attack from Charlotte Linlin in her prime!
Then, he heard a faint cracking sound. He saw it on the blade of his Nagasone Kotetsu, a blade that was one of the 21 Great Grade Swords. Even with the protection of advanced Armament Haki, a crack was forming on the blade.
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