Chapter 83: Chapter 83: Inviting Katakuri to Join the Crew, Candidate for Fleet Admiral
An Emperor was still an Emperor. There were only four people in the entire world who could claim that title.
Charlotte Linlin wasn't someone who could be defeated so easily.
At the critical moment, she sensed Roy's movements. The moment her Observation Haki was lifted, she was already prepared to sacrifice Napoleon, using the blade to block the attack.
Napoleon returned to her body, and amidst the explosion between the two, Charlotte Linlin lost consciousness, while Roy spat blood and collapsed.
"My body isn't strong enough yet. The cells have become active, but I still need time to train. Hopefully, I'll make it in time. If I take care of myself, I can maintain this cellular state," Roy muttered, clutching his chest as he stood up.
Linlin's current condition was similar to when she had fallen into the sea in Whole Cake Island, briefly losing consciousness.
Right now, she was completely at his mercy.
And Roy wasn't about to waste the opportunity.
"Time for you to die," Roy said, going for Charlotte Linlin's neck.
Linlin's eyes suddenly flew open. She turned her head, her remaining eye locking onto him. With a sudden motion, she swung her arm down at him.
BOOM!
The ground trembled. Roy narrowly avoided the sudden strike.
"Damn, killing her isn't that easy. Her soul might be asleep, but her body's instincts are still active. Whatever, the goal this time was plunder, we've already achieved that."
Roy glanced at Linlin's eye before turning away.
Charlotte Linlin's eyes remained open, watching Roy walk away. Her gaze fixed on his retreating figure, deep, terrifying, unfathomable. Who knew what secrets lurked in her soul?
That brief moment when Linlin had opened her eyes had sent a chill down Roy's spine. He didn't know why, but when he tried using Observation Haki to listen to her thoughts, he couldn't hear anything.
There were too many chaotic voices, and Charlotte Linlin's voice was completely drowned out. But one thing was certain: she was a monster.
...
Meanwhile, with the arrival of Oven and Daifuku on the battlefield, Vista and the others were gradually being overwhelmed.
"Is Big Bro done yet? We need to retreat," Vista said.
"He should be," Blamenco replied.
"You think you can just escape?! Hand over everything you stole!" Katakuri stepped forward, gripping his weapon tightly, his presence suffocating.
"What we took is ours now. Since when did the Big Mom Pirates become so naive?" Vista laughed.
"If you keep fighting, you'll all die here." Katakuri threatened.
"Oh? Who's dying?"
A calm voice rang out behind Katakuri.
When he turned, he saw his siblings lying defeated on the ground. Roy stood there, holding Oven by the throat. Oven's body was steaming, but under Roy's powerful Haki, his fruit abilities were completely suppressed.
"Impossible… Where's Mama?" Katakuri demanded.
"Charlotte Linlin is down. Don't worry, I didn't kill her. But I could if I wanted to," Roy said casually.
"What do you want?" Katakuri asked.
"What I want, I take. But more importantly… how about you? Want to join my crew? I'll save you the position of Second Division Commander."
"Are you kidding me?" Katakuri snarled.
He struck instantly, his trident thrusting toward Roy, but he froze before it could land.
Roy had raised Oven like a human shield, hiding completely behind his massive frame. The Big Mom Pirates were all giants compared to Roy's average human size.
Oven was on his knees, being choked and unable to move.
"One more move, and your brother dies," Roy said with a grin.
Katakuri, still masked by his scarf, retracted his trident.
"I would never join another pirate crew," he said coldly.
"No problem. Just throwing it out there. But if you joined, it would've been nice, though." Roy smirked.
Offering him the Second Division Commander position would make him one of Whitebeard's sons, of course, Katakuri would refuse.
"Can we go now? If we keep fighting, do you really think you can beat me?" Roy asked.
Katakuri said nothing and simply watched them leave.
And he knew exactly where they were heading, Whole Cake Island.
As expected, by the time Charlotte Linlin regained consciousness and returned to the island with her crew.
Whole Cake was emptied.
The treasure, copies of the Poneglyphs, were all gone. Even the food in their storage was gone. The only thing left would be starving rats, not a single grain remaining.
"ROY!!! I WON'T FORGIVE YOU!!!" Charlotte Linlin screamed into the sky, overflowing with rage.
Roy returned triumphant. The news of the battle quickly reached the Marines.
"The battle's over. The Whitebeard Pirates won," Sengoku announced in the meeting room.
The world remained in chaos. Whitebeard was still alive. The seas were still turbulent. The mass breakout from Impel Down couldn't be hidden—the Marines were scrambling to recapture prisoners worldwide.
The Admirals were now deployed to quell the chaos: Kizaru remained in the New World, Akainu pursued the Blackbeard Pirates, and Aokiji chased down the Impel Down escapees.
"Charlotte Linlin has lost twice in a row—even her own home was looted. That guy is even more ruthless than Shanks… and far more underhanded," Vice Admiral Tsuru sighed.
Many pirates are thick-headed, especially captains. Not many of them are intelligent.
Usually, those who use underhanded methods have weaker strength, like Doflamingo or Crocodile.
But Roy combined overwhelming Haki with utterly shameless tactics. He didn't care about honor, only results. That kind of pirate is the most dangerous.
"For now, ignore the New World. No matter how chaotic it gets, it won't affect us. The priority is recapturing the Impel Down escapees, especially Blackbeard." Sengoku clenched his teeth.
The war's failure wasn't his biggest concern; it was Impel Down's collapse that forced him to take responsibility.
"We still don't know where he's hiding. Sakazuki is pursuing him, but with many Level 6 prisoners under his command, he remains the greatest threat," Tsuru agreed.
"Regarding my successor… Tsuru, the World Government rejected the proposal." Sengoku said.
"They didn't approve of Kuzan…" Tsuru folded her arms.
"They want Sakazuki to take my place," Sengoku replied.
"Well, we'll see how it plays out," Tsuru sighed, shaking her head.
The Marines were already divided. Sengoku's impending resignation was common knowledge.
The question was: Would it be Aokiji, favored by the Marines themselves, or Akainu, favored by the World Government?
The decision needed to be made soon, otherwise, the Marines risked falling into internal chaos.
No one wanted to see the Marines tearing itself apart.
Especially now that pirate forces were growing stronger, if balance was lost, the world would fall deeper into chaos.
Back at his base, Roy barely rested before launching his next operation.
...
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