"Tenma!!!"
Charlotte Linlin ground her teeth until they nearly shattered, her furious roar echoing over the shattered island, sending chills down everyone's spine.
"What? Still feel like dancing some more, Charlotte Linlin?"
Tenma looked down from above, his tone flippant and mocking.
Below, the Charlotte Family children turned deathly pale. One after another, they drew their weapons and formed a human wall in front of their mother, terrified that Tenma might follow up with another killing blow.
As his words fell, Tenma's aura not only failed to weaken—it surged even higher. Razor-sharp sword intent locked onto the ground below once more, his actions making one thing clear to everyone present:
That kind of ultimate move just now—he could still use it again.
Charlotte Linlin, too, stared unblinkingly at the figure in the sky. As long as Tenma couldn't one-shot her, or wasn't prepared for a multi-day war of attrition, she could keep dragging things out by devouring souls.
Yonko-level monsters—every single one of them had absurdly thick "health bars."
Just like in the original story: if that old hag hadn't fallen into an explosives depot at the end—and happened to be out of souls to eat—those two brats, Kid and Law, would've been beaten into minced meat long ago.
Tenma wasn't afraid of a prolonged battle, but the abacus in his heart was already clacking loudly. Today's gains had reached his expected target.
His goal in coming here was simple: step on Charlotte Linlin to rise in status, and firmly establish himself in the New World.
As for killing her?
The thought had crossed his mind. After all, he was drooling over the fat piece of meat that was Totto Land and the resources of All Nations.
But reason told him—now was not the time.
A fight to the death could indeed be won, but killing a thousand at the cost of eight hundred of your own was a bad deal. Afterward, he'd likely be crippled himself.
At his current stage, his forces and subordinates weren't fully formed yet. If he were seriously injured, it wouldn't just be other pirates eyeing Totto Land—the Navy and those scheming bastards in the World Government would absolutely swoop in to reap the benefits.
Until he was one hundred percent confident he could swallow the entire fruit, he wouldn't do something so stupid as to make a wedding dress for someone else.
What's more, the Charlotte Family was a whole clan of freaks—each with unique abilities, strength, and appearances.
If they could be brought under his command…
As Charlotte Linlin looked up at the imposing Tenma in the sky, the rage that had been boiling inside her suddenly fell into an eerie silence.
Tenma had already proven with his fists that he was no longer a newcomer to be toyed with, but a formidable enemy who could stand on equal footing with her.
That oppressive presence even surpassed what she'd felt from Golden Lion back in the day.
If the fight continued, she had no absolute certainty of victory.
She could still burn decades of her lifespan and go all out, and with her children's assistance, it might be possible to kill Tenma—but the price would be the destruction of Totto Land and the annihilation of her family.
That was the life's work she'd poured half her life into!
This was precisely why, even after becoming a Yonko, she and Whitebeard rarely engaged in true battles to the death. At this level, there were simply too many things to worry about.
But if she just let him walk away like this, then this tea party would become a complete joke.
Where would her face as a Yonko be put?
Sensing the tangled emotions below, the corners of Tenma's mouth lifted slightly.
He didn't give her much time to think. He sheathed his sword directly and revealed a meaningful smile.
"Thanks for the hospitality. That was a very enjoyable fight. In the future, perhaps we—and your Totto Land—will have even more 'pleasant' exchanges."
After tossing out that sarcasm-laden line, Tenma didn't even bother to look at anyone's reaction. His figure turned into a streak of light, swaggering away toward the edge of Cake Island.
Watching that figure gradually vanish beyond the horizon, Charlotte Linlin felt as if a volcano was stuffed into her chest, on the verge of eruption—so stifled she was about to explode.
Rage, humiliation, resentment… all kinds of negative emotions intertwined, twisting her face into that of a demon. Tenma's name once again accompanied her hysterical roar, resounding through the skies.
The onlookers who had witnessed the entire process felt their jaws nearly hit the floor. They stared at one another, not even daring to breathe.
Aside from Charlotte Linlin's howls, the entire scene was deathly silent.
Fear, shock, schadenfreude, deep-seated dread… all kinds of gazes intersected in the crowd.
"Mama…"
Katakuri's face was dark enough to drip water, but he quickly adjusted his mindset and fulfilled his role as acting head. While instructing his brothers and sisters to calm the frightened guests, he began directing the cleanup of the utter devastation left behind.
🌟 The story is already written… waiting to be unleashed.
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