New World, Tachis Island.

At this moment, the stationed base under the Big Mom Pirates had already been completely annihilated.

The mountain that occupied half the island had been sheared off by more than half.

What remained was a massive, gaping crater carved into the mountain.

This was the destructive power of the Explosive Steam Kill.

Yet Knock showed no sign of joy. Standing at the edge of the pit, a shadow flickered in his eyes.

He had hoped to find a chance to escape.

To avoid a direct confrontation with Charlotte Linlin.

But Sakazuki, from who-knows-where, had obtained something that completely blocked Observation Haki—fixing his gaze firmly on him.

He could already feel Charlotte Linlin’s furious aura.

She still hadn’t left. Newest update provided by Nove1Fire.net

Looking at Sakazuki hidden in the shadows not far away, with killing intent flickering around him, Knock cursed silently.

…

From the horizon came a surge of violent Conqueror’s Haki.

Charlotte Linlin’s furious roar shook the heavens and came directly toward him. The skies changed color.

“Knock!!!!!”

A massive slash of sword energy tore through the sky and came crashing toward Knock.

Knock grunted.

His entire body exploded into steam and scattered in all directions. The sword energy split the vapor in two as it passed.

The slash carved a deep gorge in the earth behind, eventually reaching the sea, where it exploded—

Sending up a water curtain hundreds of meters high.

The steam recondensed into human form.

Charlotte Linlin had already closed in before him.

Knock activated his ability, forming a steam longsword in his hand, coated with Armament Haki.

Clang!

Blade and sword clashed.

Knock was forced to retreat continuously under the pressure.

Charlotte Linlin’s scarlet eyes locked onto him:

“Courting death!!!”

She added more strength to her strike. The explosive airwaves surged outward.

Veins bulged across Knock’s body as he resisted the crushing greatsword.

“Listen to me!”

“It was the Marines….!!!!”

Boom—

Before he could finish, he was sent flying by a massive force.

Like a meteor, he crashed into the mountainside.

Charlotte Linlin, covered in Prometheus’ blazing flames, followed right after into the mountain.

Boom—

A thunderous blast erupted as compressed white steam exploded from the mountain’s core in a massive disc-shaped wave.

Violent shockwaves tore through everything.

The entire island was enveloped in heaven-and-earth-splitting white steam.

Charlotte Linlin hovered midair with Prometheus burning atop her head—

Riding on a thundercloud formed from Zeus.

Suddenly, the white steam began condensing in various locations.

Forming gigantic steam giants lunging at Charlotte Linlin in the sky.

Charlotte Linlin swung Napoleon in her hand.

Prometheus’ flames and Zeus’ lightning wrapped around the blade—

Creating a closed circuit of energy.

She slashed toward the charging steam giants.

A giant female sword spirit composed of fire and lightning took shape.

It seemed to possess intelligence, autonomously hunting down the steam giants below.

With a wave of its hand, the giants were shattered one by one in violent explosions.

Knock, witnessing this, took a deep breath and suppressed the rage within his chest.

Power, power, power!!!!

One after another… Damn it all!!!

But he couldn’t keep going like this. He had to open a dialogue.

With that thought, he activated his ability.

Suddenly, the steam giants stopped charging toward Charlotte Linlin—

And instead exploded upward.

Layers of white steam surged into the sky.

Before long—

Several island-sized steam masses formed in the sky.

Within the steam, lightning bolts and giant sword slashes erupted from time to time.

The clash continued without pause.

…

Down on the island below—

Hidden in the shadows, Sakazuki narrowed his eyes and snorted coldly.

The rampaging Conqueror’s Haki above had completely disrupted Observation Haki.

He couldn’t sense anything clearly.

“Old fox.”

Truth be told, Knock was quite powerful.

Though his Devil Fruit ability and physique were perfectly countered by Sakazuki and Charlotte Linlin—

If he had been up against someone like Golden Lion or Rayleigh, he might not have lost so miserably.

The Death Boil Steam Kill was essentially a massively amplified version of the multiplying explosive tag.

Against someone whose physique wasn’t naturally resistant, just the shockwave alone would be difficult to withstand.

Unfortunately, he had run into Sakazuki.

From ability to Haki, strength to physique—

He was utterly countered.

Sakazuki waited patiently for the right opportunity.

The magma spear in his hand condensed further—

Molten magma continued to surge into it.

It was the same technique he had used during the Battle of the Skegli Sea.

But this time, he was going to test Charlotte Linlin’s defenses…

Time ticked by slowly.

It’s unclear how long had passed—

When suddenly a massive explosion rang out from the white steam clouds above.

The shockwaves instantly scattered the entire vapor mass.

A tremendous impact hurled Charlotte Linlin toward the ground.

Knock’s weak voice echoed from the sky:

“Sakazuki!!!”

Sakazuki gripped the spear with both hands—an explosive roar burst forth.

His entire body became a blazing red meteor as he launched himself toward the falling Charlotte Linlin.

In the blink of an eye, he was upon her.

At the moment his magma spear was about to pierce her—

Charlotte Linlin abruptly turned her body.

A terrifying killing intent burst out, her icy voice rang out:

“So it was you!!!”

Sakazuki sneered, completely unfazed.

As expected—there wasn’t any device capable of manipulating people’s minds here.

Knock’s betrayal was entirely natural.

His hand didn’t hesitate in the slightest.

The magma spear, wrapped in dual-layered Haki, thrust toward Charlotte Linlin’s heart.

Zzzzz—

Sparks crackled at the point where the two Haki forces collided.

The spear plunged deep into Charlotte Linlin’s body.

But Sakazuki knew—this was just the normal impact depth.

It hadn’t penetrated her skin at all.

In an instant, he increased both his magma and Haki output through the spear.

A flicker of discomfort appeared on Charlotte Linlin’s face—

But it didn’t hinder her movements.

With a ghost-like blur, her left hand reached out and grabbed Sakazuki’s shoulder.

Napoleon, in his right hand, was wrapped in Haki and slashed fiercely at Sakazuki’s neck.

Clang——

Sparks flew.

Sakazuki, cloaked in immense Haki, blocked the blade.

However, his skin was still slightly cut.

A trace of blood flowed out.

The two clashed and fell from the sky.

A cruel smile suddenly appeared at the corner of Charlotte Linlin’s lips:

“Knock!!!!”

As they crashed to the ground, tumbling, they shattered countless boulders.

Before they could stop, a deadly sense of danger surged from behind Sakazuki.

Sakazuki’s pupils shrank abruptly—he sensed Knock suddenly appear behind him.

And that deadly sense of threat—came from the short dagger in his hand.

Seastone? When did he…

No time to think further—just before Knock’s blade could pierce his body, Sakazuki self-destructed.

Boom——

The erupting magma blasted the two apart.

Knock and Charlotte Linlin unleashed Haki and charged through it directly.

They attacked the spot where Sakazuki was reforming his body.

His right arm, held down by Charlotte Linlin, was violently jolted.

Blood dripped down, but his movements didn’t stop.

A long magma blade formed and was wrapped in swirling Haki, clashing directly with Charlotte Linlin’s Napoleon.

A massive shockwave burst from their collision point.

The ground cracked in waves, and countless fragments shot out.

Knock gripped the short dagger.

His entire arm coated in Haki, a sharp sword aura burst forth.

He stabbed toward Sakazuki.

Sakazuki let go of the magma blade locked with Charlotte Linlin and withdrew.

His body blurred, instantly kicking toward Knock.

Having already been beaten badly by the two, Knock was almost out of strength.

He was sent flying with a single kick.

By the time he struggled to stand, the three had formed a triangle, facing each other in a standoff.

Sakazuki’s lips curled slightly.

He stared at Charlotte Linlin.

But he spoke to Knock:

“Your best option now is to join me in taking down Charlotte Linlin.”

Knock sneered coldly:

“I think taking you down isn’t a bad idea either.”

As he spoke, power surged from his body.

Charlotte Linlin also laughed cruelly:

“Looks like you’ll die here today.”

“Magma brat.”

Sakazuki chuckled lightly.

The magma blade in his hand formed and pointed toward Charlotte Linlin:

“Oh?”

“Is that so?”

“Then what if…”

“Golden Lion isn’t dead?”

“Knock.”

With that, ignoring Knock’s suddenly constricting pupils—

He charged at Charlotte Linlin.

Boom——

Intense Conqueror’s Haki and abilities clashed violently.

Their battle shook the heavens and the earth.

Hundreds of meters of sword aura slashed wildly.

Lightning and magma cleansed everything around them.

In the distance, Knock forcibly suppressed his panic and thought of a countermeasure.

Just as Sakazuki had said—

If Golden Lion wasn’t dead—

Then killing Charlotte Linlin would be the best option.

Golden Lion was already a sworn enemy. If Charlotte Linlin survived as well—

Knock would be crushed between the two.

But if he acted and somehow managed to kill Charlotte Linlin—

He still probably wouldn’t make it out alive.

That Marine’s heart… was pitch black to begin with…

Suddenly, Knock had a thought.

What if the news of Golden Lion’s death…

Was something he had leaked on purpose…

…

Damn it.

Knock gritted his teeth.

He turned the Seastone dagger in his hand and aimed it at Charlotte Linlin.

Now, the New World Navy couldn’t come in, and he had already thoroughly offended both of them.

If he could kill the harder-to-deal-with Charlotte Linlin—

Then he still had some confidence against Golden Lion.

After all, Golden Lion’s defense wasn’t as monstrous as Charlotte Linlin’s.

Although this Seastone dagger didn’t look like much, once it struck—

It would greatly sap one’s stamina.

That was exactly why Sakazuki had chosen to self-destruct just to avoid it earlier.

If one were weakened…

They could really die.

Taking a deep breath:

“Pin Charlotte Linlin down!!!”

Charlotte Linlin roared in fury:

“Fool!!!”

Before she could continue to explode with power—

Sakazuki chuckled softly.

A massive magma spear burst from underground.

Coated in Haki, it pinned Charlotte Linlin’s body in several places.

Just for an instant.

But that was enough.

A steam-powered fist clutching a dagger shot toward Charlotte Linlin.

Cautious as ever, Knock didn’t dare risk it.

He activated his ability and sent the dagger flying.

He himself remained hidden far away.

As long as the dagger hit—Sakazuki could seize the moment with his speed.

And launch a strike against Charlotte Linlin.

And Knock could take the chance to escape.

But…

He underestimated Sakazuki’s treachery.

In Charlotte Linlin’s suddenly constricted pupils—

The dagger was about to pierce her skin…

Sakazuki bent his knees slightly.

Steam burst around the distant Knock as he prepared to flee.

Charlotte Linlin’s right arm forced its way up to bat away the dagger.

But she was too late.

Ding——

The dagger struck.

A wave of weakness surged through her.

Her strength drained rapidly.

Before either could react—

Sakazuki’s lips curled up, and with a stomp—

Boom!

He vanished instantly!

That’s right.

He vanished in an instant…

Soared high into the sky, flying far into the distance, and disappeared…

The dagger dropped to the ground, and control over her body returned.

Charlotte Linlin stared at Knock.

The scene fell utterly silent for a moment…

Endless hatred, wrapped in thunder, blasted toward the fleeing Knock…

But this—

Had nothing more to do with Sakazuki…

—

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