A Stronger Opponent!?

Charlotte Linlin's blow was immensely powerful. Ortolan was sent flying more than ten meters before slamming violently into the ground, shattering it once again. His burly body then bounced up from the impact, flew another ten-odd meters backward, and only came to a stop after crashing through a massive tree that would have taken two people to wrap their arms around.

Even with Sulong's boost, the frenzied Ortolan was somewhat dazed at that moment. He lay stiffly on the ground, his ears seemingly unable to hear anything, while his mind was filled with chaotic noise.

Yet the crimson in his pupils did not fade. After a brief moment of stupor, he let out another violent roar and struggled to get back to his feet!

However, after realizing that he showed no signs of regaining his senses, Charlotte Linlin gave Ortolan no chance to keep fighting. With a kick of her legs, she swiftly and nimbly chased after him.

Just as Ortolan got to his feet, he saw that iron fist, still wrapped in formidable Haki, looming before him once more!

But compared with the previous punch, this one came from a different angle. It was not meant to send Ortolan flying!

Sure enough, the next instant, the fist smashed into Ortolan's already bloodied nose bridge again. But instead of being knocked away, Ortolan was driven straight into the ground!

The back of his head hit the earth. While his so-called Steel Bones and Iron Muscles shattered the ground beneath him, he also spat out a mouthful of foul blood!

Charlotte Linlin still seemed unsatisfied—or perhaps she believed that blow alone could not drive away Ortolan's madness and wake him up.

In any case, after knocking Ortolan to the ground, Charlotte Linlin did not stop. Her sandbag-sized fists rained down on him like a violent storm.

Bang bang bang bang bang bang!

Chest, shoulders, arms, head—in the blink of an eye, Ortolan was pinned to the ground and pummeled with thirty or forty punches. The Steel Bones and Iron Muscles that could shatter the ground without a scratch seemed utterly useless before Charlotte Linlin's iron fists!

After those thirty or forty punches, seven or eight of Ortolan's ribs had broken, and even his tightly packed muscles were nearly beaten flat!

As though sensing the threat of life and death, Ortolan's frenzied instincts kicked in once more. Enduring the searing pain, he twisted at the waist, raised both legs, and kicked Charlotte Linlin squarely in the knees!

Using that force, Ortolan slid three or four meters across the ground. Then, disregarding the pain—or rather, unable to truly feel much of it in his crazed state—he scrambled to his feet.

Forcing himself through the uncoordinated ache and swelling pain in his body, he let out another meaningless roar and charged Charlotte Linlin like a wild beast, lowering his horns as he rushed forward!

Charlotte Linlin grinned savagely. "Your fighting spirit's pretty strong, brat!"

At the same time, Roger and the others, not too far away on the other side of the forest, naturally noticed the unusual commotion within the woods.

"What's going on?" Shanks asked in confusion.

Roger frowned slightly. "Someone should be fighting here..."

"Could someone have come to Cake Island to cause trouble for Charlotte Linlin?" Jabba muttered curiously.

"Doesn't seem like it, does it? When Charlotte Linlin gets serious, she's throwing around fire and lightning. She's terrifying..." Rayleigh said, pushing up the frame of his glasses.

Roger considered it for a moment before saying, "It has nothing to do with us, so don't worry about it. If someone can draw Linlin's attention away, that's a good thing for us instead. Let's go!"

With no intention of staying to watch the show, Roger and his group continued onward toward Cake Island.

But before they had gone very far, a dull boom erupted from the distant battlefield. The people present were all experienced, and they immediately recognized it as the sound of a fist landing heavily on flesh!

Then Rayleigh saw trees in the distance being knocked down as though something had crashed through them. It did not stop, tearing through several hundred meters of forest as it spread toward their direction!

"Damn it, it's coming our way. Move!" Rayleigh shouted in a low voice.

"Too late!" Roger's eyes flashed with gravity.

It truly was too late. The moment he finished speaking, Charlotte Linlin's furious voice rang out from afar. "Who's there!?"

Unlike Roger and the others, who did not dare casually release their Observation Haki, Charlotte Linlin was fighting on her home turf and had no such concerns. After sending Ortolan flying several hundred meters with a heavy punch, she naturally used Observation Haki to check on his condition.

And what a surprise—not only did she sense Ortolan, she also sensed a group of people sneaking around deep in the forest. One look told her they were up to no good!

When dealing with Ortolan, Charlotte Linlin had not gone all out. She had barely used her powers at all, relying only on Haki, her Innate Divine Strength, and her combat experience to suppress Ortolan completely.

After all, she only wanted to give Ortolan a severe beating and cure his mad blood, not kill him.

But Charlotte Linlin had no intention of holding back against these unknown sneaks. She pulled the captain's hat from her head, activated her power, and the hat instantly transformed into a long blade—Napoleon, one of Charlotte Linlin's three great Homies!

"Mother?" Napoleon muttered in confusion.

But Charlotte Linlin had no interest in talking to Napoleon. A vicious glint flashed in her eyes as she swung, sending a slash hurtling toward the group several hundred meters away!

The attack was incredibly swift. The flying slash tore free from the blade and instantly cleaved through the forest ahead!

On the other side, Roger was the first to sense the threat. Without another word, he drew the saber Ace from his waist and sent out a slash of his own!

"Kamunmiti!" Roger roared.

The two slashes collided, blasting away the surrounding forest, dirt, and rocks. Then Roger's Kamunmiti shattered Charlotte Linlin's slash first!

That was right. Though Charlotte Linlin had not held back, neither had she gone all out. Compared to Roger's Kamunmiti, her slash lacked sufficient power!

But because of that, Charlotte Linlin had already recognized the attacker. She roared furiously, "Roger!!!"

The next second, Kamunmiti came crashing in. However, having been weakened by the earlier clash, it was no longer overwhelmingly fierce. A vicious light flashed in Charlotte Linlin's eyes as Haki wrapped around her hand. Without dodging, she reached forward and grabbed it, her massive palm directly covering the slash before crushing it apart with brute force!

"It's Linlin! We've been spotted, run!" Roger shouted.

The group, who had originally been sneaking about, no longer bothered to hide. They all sprinted wildly toward Cake Island. Since their original theft plan had already fallen apart, they would just fucking take it by force!

Rayleigh took the lead, pushing aside the bushes and weeds before him as he tried to cross the small hill. But the instant his feet touched down, he saw a muscular man covered in blood, seriously injured, yet with scarlet eyes, dragging up the Warhammer that had also been knocked over here.

There was no doubt about it—the man who had abruptly appeared before Rayleigh was Ortolan!

Under normal circumstances, Ortolan would have recognized Rayleigh, that handsome bastard, at a glance. But now, he was in Sulong's berserk, mindless state, and after getting brutally beaten by Charlotte Linlin, he was absolutely furious!

So when he saw someone suddenly leap in front of him, Ortolan did not think at all. He swung his warhammer in a backhanded strike!

Rayleigh was somewhat stunned as well. Things had changed too quickly just now, and he had not even had time to release Observation Haki and check his surroundings. This first exchange nearly caught him completely off guard!

But it had only been by a little. As a top-tier expert, how could his ability to react in battle possibly be lacking?

As Ortolan swung his Warhammer down, Rayleigh coated his hand in Haki and moved to block it!

Yet the instant his palm touched Ortolan's Warhammer, his expression abruptly changed!

Why was it so powerful? Why was it so heavy!?

That was right. Faced with an Ortolan who appeared to be seriously injured, Rayleigh had not taken him too seriously. His move had merely been an instinctive reaction, not an all-out effort. The result was...

With a dull bang, Rayleigh, who had just tumbled down the hillside, was sent flying back up by Ortolan's hammer!

"Another expert!?" Jabba exclaimed in shock as he saw Rayleigh being blasted away.