"Worororo, Linlin, don't be so petty."
Kaido turned around, grinning fiercely at Linlin.
"Your most outstanding son isn't dead, and didn't I rush over with you to rescue him?"
Linlin summoned Prometheus and grabbed hold of it.
"Kaido, you…"
"Mom, I'm fine."
At that moment, Katakuri's voice rang out. From the distant rubble, a somewhat disheveled young man stood up.
Katakuri looked at his opponent, the fighting spirit in his eyes still burning brightly.
He knew he had already lost.
If his mother hadn't rushed over and kicked him away at that last moment, that explosive attack filled with killing intent would have definitely detonated right in the center of his body.
With good luck, he might not have died, but he would have definitely lost most of his combat ability.
"I lost. If I had underestimated my opponent just now, I would have been severely injured."
"But I won't give up. Whether it's next time, or the time after that, I will definitely defeat you!"
Bazel's eyes closed and opened, the high-temperature Gear 2's form vanishing.
"Challenge me to your heart's content, Katakuri."
"Mamamama~"
Linlin's sudden loud laughter broke the stare-down between the two.
"As expected of my son, Katakuri. Step aside, Kaido."
"I want to test Bazel's fists myself."
Licking her lips with her tongue, Linlin was like a lioness locking onto her prey, the greed in her eyes completely unconcealed.
Kaido still wanted to say something, but Bazel patted his back a few times.
"Kaido-san, I also want to test the strength of Charlotte-senpai. Don't worry, my appetite is very good… I won't overeat and burst here."
A double entendre.
Hanafuda, who understood Bazel's character, looked utterly strange.
Even though Bazel's words were polite, the emphasis on 'Senpai' was heavier than on any other syllable.
This was clearly expressing one meaning:
The other party was an old woman.
He was fresh meat… the two were parallel lines that could never meet.
Bazel saying his appetite was good expressed that he could digest any tough food, so he absolutely wouldn't be eating soft rice. (T/N: Eating soft rice means a man completely dependent on woman.)
"As expected of you, Bazel…"
As if hearing this murmur, Bazel turned his head and gave Hanafuda a strange look.
Hanafuda responded with eight big teeth and a thumbs-up.
'Cultural invasion is truly terrifying. I didn't expect Hanafuda to understand so quickly.'
Thinking to himself, Bazel stepped out from behind Kaido.
"Kaido-san, staying under the captain's protection forever won't help me grow."
"This era is an era that devours people. The slightest misstep and you become fish paste for others to feast on freely."
"Rather than becoming fish paste in the future, it's better to die now, unable to break through."
Hearing this, Kaido raised an eyebrow but said no more. He silently turned and left, yielding the battlefield to his brother.
"Kaido-sama~"
Hanafuda sidled up to Kaido, who had his arms crossed.
"What are Bazel's chances of winning?"
"Zero. The current Bazel cannot defeat Linlin."
Kaido didn't disparage Linlin just because Bazel was his own man.
"How do you think Linlin, a woman, survived in a place like the Rocks Pirates, where it was dog-eat-dog?"
"If she weren't strong enough, she would have been devoured clean by those jackals long ago."
Gazing at the big sister who was somewhat different from her younger days, Kaido's expression was complex.
"Linlin is human, pure human. But her strength and skin defense are even stronger than an ordinary giant's."
"Do you understand now how terrifying her talent is?"
Hanafuda inwardly clicked his tongue.
'Human?'
'Such a tall woman is actually a human!?'
"The battle begins!"
Kaido's low shout immediately focused Hanafuda's attention.
"Now the thing to watch is how long Bazel can last."
Boom…!!
Conqueror's Haki surged towards the opponent.
Auras of different colors collided mid-air. Black and red lightning occasionally shot out from the clash, pitting the nearby ground.
"Boy, this level of Conqueror's Haki…"
"You…"
"Are you really human?"
Whoosh…
As the Conqueror's Haki collision ended, a fierce wind erupted from the center point between the two, spreading outward.
"I should be the one asking that. Are you sure you don't have Giant's bloodline?"
"Mamamama~ I am pure human!"
"Prometheus, Heavenly Feuer!!!"
"Yes, Mom!"
"Yamata's Phantom!"
As countless fireballs shot towards him, snake spirits slid from his sleeves, flying towards the incoming massive fireball.
"Awaken, Fire Kirin!"
"Roar!!!"
The fireballs merged and transformed. In just a few seconds, a lifelike Fire Kirin materialized out of thin air.
Seeing this, Linlin was first stunned, then her eyes filled with wild joy.
"Soul power!!!"
"Boy, does your Devil Fruit power also have the ability to manipulate souls?!"
Without waiting for Bazel's answer, the excited Linlin called for Zeus and used Raitei.
Bazel responded with the awakened Phantom Serpent Spirit.
Another terrifying lightning snake appeared by his side.
Zeus, seeing its lightning being used by the enemy, immediately transformed into a massive black thundercloud.
"Damn you! How dare you steal my stuff!!"
"Lightning Serpent, it's yours to deal with."
A rumbling thunderclap responded. The lightning serpent circling Bazel shot into the sky, charging towards the cloud continuously shooting lightning.
At the same time, the Fire Kirin beside Bazel, as if receiving an order, charged towards Prometheus, its hooves treading on flames.
"King against king, general against general."
Swallowing seven Phantom Serpent Spirits, Bazel instantly activated Gear 2.
"Charlotte Linlin, let me see who is stronger between you and the Dark King Rayleigh!!"
"Rayleigh? That guy isn't fit to be mentioned in the same breath as me!!"
Two fists collided mid-air. The center was a constantly twisting and distorting shockwave ring!
The black and red lightning representing the will of Conqueror's Haki tangled and deformed before collapsing and vanishing.
Boom…!
Bazel retreated several steps, nearly gasping for breath.
'So strong!!!'
'Her speed wasn't as fast as Rayleigh's, but her strength definitely surpassed his!'
Linlin stood her ground, lifting her fist to look at it.
"Not bad strength. But…"
"Fists aren't what I'm best at."
"Napoleon!!"
The hat on her head suddenly extended a sword hilt.
As its master grasped the hilt, a massive retractable sword appeared before her.
"Bazel, let me show you my true power!"
"The Spear of Elbaf!"
Tap tap tap…
"Ikoku Sovereignty!!"
Linlin didn't hold back because her Whole Cake Chateau was behind the opponent. Instead, she attacked with full force.
A shockwave more than twice the size of Bazel's entire body surged forth!
Wherever it passed, the ground shattered!
Bazel didn't use his speed to dodge. He wanted to personally experience Linlin's power.
Armament Haki flowed to his right arm, followed by high-temperature flames, and then the deciding Conqueror's Haki!
The three merged. His entire right arm suddenly turned into a golden, glass-like state.
First Form: Solar Phantom!
"Mamamama~ Yahahaha~!"
Seeing the enemy actually planning to block her move head-on, Linlin leaned on her sword, laughing strangely.
"I won't hold back, Bazel! If you die from this move, it means I misjudged you!"
"Only the man who survives is qualified to become my husband!!"
"If you can defeat me, I might even agree not to take any other husbands in the future!"
Hearing this, Bazel's face turned green.
His fighting spirit instantly plummeted.
'Defeating her = Being pursued by her = Gaining a wife = ...'
Bazel didn't want to continue this equation.
'No!'
'I must lose!!'
'There's no way I can beat Big Mom!'
To be honest, he didn't mind having a few more women around, but he absolutely could not bear being cuckolded!!!
This had nothing to do with personal preference… any normal man wouldn't like the idea of a 'blessed with many children' Linlin!
"Bazel! With me here, fight without worry!"
Kaido's sudden shout made Bazel force out a faint smile.
"Even if I jump into the sea from here, even if I don't drink for a hundred years, I will never hand you over to Linlin to be her husband!"
"Let me see the results of your training!"