At the same time, Borsalino made his move. Folding his hands across his chest, his index fingers and thumbs formed a regle. Golden light began to gather within the frame, and Borsalino spoke softly:

  "Light Prism – Prismatic Strike."

  As soon as the words left his mouth, a regur beam of light shot out, bzing toward Linlin with incredible speed.

  But Linlin had already escaped the aftermath of Sakazuki's Great Eruption. Tumbling midair, she eadily atop Zeus, her thundercloud Homie.

  The prism of light roared toward her, but just before it could strike, Linlin raised her left arm. A burst of soul energy fred out, f a translut protective barrier in front of her.

  The light prism collided with the shield, but Linlin's sheer brute force stopped it in its tracks, preventing it from breaking through.

  Then, as if to retaliate, a sphere of fire resembling a miniature sun formed beside her. Linlin grabbed the bzing orb with her hand, molding it into a fiery fist.

  Now armed with fmes in one hand and Napoleon iher, with Zeus h beh her feet, Charlotte Linlin exuded a terrifying aura. Her soul energy surged wildly, radiating a palpable pressure as if she were entering a fully unleashed state.

  Without hesitation, Linlin terattacked. Wielding Napoleon with both immerength and soul energy, she unleashed a powerful strike.

  "The Spear of Elbaf – Hakoku!!!" she roared, her voice shaking the battlefield. She eled the fmes from her left hand into the ssh, creating a fiery tornado that raged toward Sakazuki, Cudius, and the others.

  Cudius instinctively raised his hand, ready to unleash his own power. But before he could act, a dark green ssh tore through the sky, intercepting Linlin's fiery tornado midair.

  The collisioed in a burst of fmes and energy, scattering into nothingness. Both attacks had beeralized.

  Everyouro see the source of the ued ssh.

  Walking toward the battlefield, calmly wielding the bck bde Yoru, was her than Dracule Mihawk. Dressed in his signature ire, his eagle-like eyes gleamed with excitement as he approached.

  "Looks like the battle at East Blue helped him take aep forward in his swordsmanship," Cudius thought, a flicker of admiration crossing his face.

  Mihawk's gaze locked onto Charlotte Linlin, his i clear.

  The reason for Mihawk's appearance wasn't plicated. Having beely persuaded—perhaps tricked—by Cudius to join the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Mihawk felt it necessary to respond to this summons. Ign such a call would be disgraceful.

  But beyond formalities, Mihawk had his own reasons. Linlin -tier pirate of the New World, known for her unparalleled physical resilience. For Mihawk, cutting her down was an irresistible challe was a test of his bde—his ultimate pursuit.

  Mihawk had always been obsessed with "cutting." Others sought to cut steel or diamonds, but Mihawk's ambitio beyond. He dreamed of cutting even iructible objects, from historical texts to mythical legends. Linlin, with her monstrous durability, was simply the step in his relentless quest.

  "You…" Linlin muttered, narrowing her remaining eye as reition dawned. Mihawk's reputation as the world's greatest swordsman preceded him. His name aloruck a chord, as tales of his ued streak against tless swordsmen were legendary.

  However, Mihawk didn't respond to her words. Instead, his every step seemed to build momentum, his aura intensifying. As Linlin's voice broke the silence, Mihawk reached his peak. The energy and strength he had been gatheried in one decisive strike.

  With a flick of his wrist, the massive bck bde Yoru sshed forward.

  "Bck Bde Fsh," Mihawk whispered.

  The ssh tore through the air, its sharp edge carrying an almost tangible force. Even though Mihawk's focus was solely on Linlin, Cudius and the others could feel the suffog pressure of the strike from where they stood.

  The bde's aura seemed to pierce the heavens, leaving no doubt as to its lethality.

  Linlin reized the danger immediately. Wielding the Emperor's Sword, she unleashed a powerful ter-ssh. The two attacks collided midair.

  But her retaliation barely slowed Mihawk's attack. His ssh crushed her defense, reag her sword with uing force.

  Zeus trembled beh her feet as Linlin struggled to remain standing. The Emperor's Sword, Napoleo out an anguished cry.

  "Mamaaaa!!!" Napoleon wailed in distress.

  The bck bde's aura overwhelmed Napoleon, slig ly through it. The once-mighty on was severed in two with a sirike.

  Though the ssh had weakened after cutting Napoleon, its remaining power surged toward Linlin. C her arm with Armament Haki, she crossed it in front of her chest, brag for impact.

  The ssh struck her, f her backward. She punched forward with her fmi hand, targeting Mihawk directly.

  However, Mihawk's energy seemed drained. His single ssh had been his peak strike, and his stamina waned. He couldn't evade Linlin's fiery atta time.

  Cudius, the se, couldn't help but groan inwardly.

  You've got to be kidding me, Mihawk! After that incredible dispy, you're out of energy already?

  Moments ago, when Mihawk severed Napoleon, Cudius had thought him invincible. But now, it seemed Mihaut everything into one move without sidering what would e .

  Still, Cudius couldn't afford to let Linlin's fiery punch burn Mihawk to ash. Though Mihawk's durability was far above that of ordinary humans, he was no match for Linlin's monstrous strength and Devil Fruit powers.

  Taking a deep breath, Cudius expanded his chest before exhaling sharply.

  "Breath of the Mountain!" Cudius shouted, releasing an invisible stream of nitrogen that spiraled toward the ining fme.

  The wind-like current wasn't ordinary air; it was nitrogen, a non-fmmable gas. The cold stream engulfed Linlin's fme, extinguishing it instantly.

  For a moment, the battlefield fell silent as everyone—including Linlin—stared in shock.

  Linlin's powerful fme, unleashed in a fit e, had been snuffed out in a single breath.

  "What the…?" Linlin muttered in disbelief.

  Cudius stood calmly, though inwardly he cursed Mihawk's recklessness. "Was that really your pn, Mihawk? A five-sed dispy of brilliance, and then nothing? How irresponsible you be in a fight like this?"

  Still, he wouldn't let Linlin's wrath destroy one of his carefully recruited Warlords.

  At this moment, Linlin's bloodied arm caught everyone's attention. A deep wound marred her skin, evidenihawk's earlier ssh. Blood dripped freely from the injury, staining Zeus beh her feet.

  But before Cudius could strike again, a figure suddenly rushed in, blog his frost-itack. The wave of ice power hit the newer, but it seemed to dissipate almost immediately, as though ralized by some natural resistance.

  "Oven!" Linlin called out in surprise as her son, Charlotte Oven, stood before her.