The Only Chance

However, Navy Vice Admiral Borsalino endured several more attacks from Katakuri and finally managed to create the "Ama no Murakumo" again, which made him breathe a sigh of relief.

Being able to create a light sword meant that while the clouds hindered his body from elementalizing, the Glint Glint Fruit's other abilities could still be used.

Borsalino immediately unleashed his ultimate move without hesitation—"Yasakani no Magatama!" Countless Light Bullets exploded outward from his body!

This kind of large-area AOE attack was not especially useful against opponents of the same caliber, but Katakuri was not the target Borsalino intended to deal with.

Borsalino had now guessed what exactly the vast clouds trapping him were, and this move was the countermeasure he had hastily devised!

As the future designated leader of the Navy's scientific forces, Navy Vice Admiral Borsalino might not yet have been a scientist, but he at least possessed a considerable breadth of scientific knowledge.

It was through that knowledge that he quickly came up with a way to deal with "a huge mass of clouds." Clouds are actually countless tiny droplets of water, so they must fear being heated and evaporated. But the light sword and laser beams had little effect because their volume was too large, and they didn't care about the tiny amount evaporated along their paths? Then I'll increase it ten thousandfold and see!

Not a single Light Bullet pierced through the clouds and flew out. Most of those watching from the ship did not even realize that Kizaru had unleashed his ultimate move, but after the clouds absorbed the Light Bullets' energy, it was all converted into heat and evaporated countless water droplets.

After a scream, the enormous cumulonimbus rapidly reverted into a palm-sized white "marshmallow" and flew away crying. "It hurts! It hurts! Stop hitting me! I surrender! I surrender~"

With the clouds around him gone, Navy Vice Admiral Borsalino's expression relaxed involuntarily.

But before he could turn into photons and pull away again, returning the battle to the style he excelled at most, a sharp pain struck his right chest. He actually charged through my Yasakani no Magatama?

In the blink of an eye, Katakuri used "Mochi Thrusting Stab", channeling nearly all the Armament Haki he could wield, and viciously drove "Mochi Thrust" into Borsalino's chest. "There won't be another chance. Die!"

To match Katakuri's towering stature, the spearhead of "Mochi Thrust" was already exceptionally thick. It also spun as it thrust, instantly boring a massive hole through Kizaru's right chest!

For a moment, even his heart on the left side was directly exposed in plain sight. Blood sprayed out like a ruptured water pipe. Even with the future Marine Admiral's formidable vitality, suffering such a grievous wound likely meant he was more dead than alive.

Fortunately, Navy Vice Admiral Borsalino was battle-hardened and remained calm in a crisis. After being struck, he fought free of Katakuri's Armament Haki restraints, transformed into photons, and fled far away.

Then, without the slightest hesitation, he made the most correct decision for himself. He set his course directly for Marine Headquarters Marineford, hundreds of kilometers away, paying no heed at all to the important mission he had yet to complete when he came.

"Why is it suddenly so noisy outside? Does this place have no semblance of Marine Headquarters left?" Fleet Admiral "Steel Bone" Kong had already been plagued with splitting headaches these past few days over the sudden disappearance of One Piece Gol D. Roger and his pirate crew. Hearing a burst of commotion downstairs, he finally slammed his hand on the desk.

But before he could send anyone down to investigate, a Navy colonel rushed in with a panicked expression. "Report! Vice Admiral Borsalino—he, he fell from the sky! He's covered in blood!"

"What happened? Wasn't Borsalino sent to capture that illegal research team? How was he injured so badly? He was so wretched that he fled back alone without even bringing his subordinates? Could that illegal research team actually defeat even a future Marine Admiral? Does technology really possess such terrifying power?" Steel Bone Kong could no longer maintain the dignity of a Fleet Admiral. In his anxiety, he jumped straight down from the building.

Yet all the Fleet Admiral saw was that horrifying pool of blood on the ground. Only after asking did he learn that Borsalino had been rushed away for emergency treatment because his injuries were too severe.

"Seven broken ribs, four of them completely shattered. His heart and left lung are damaged and are being repaired, while his right lung has been completely destroyed. How did he end up this badly injured?" After roughly learning the extent of Borsalino's injuries, Fleet Admiral Steel Bone Kong felt his limbs turn cold.

The Navy was currently in a transitional period, and they were counting on those four Logia-type geniuses—Dragon had presumably not yet left the Navy at this point—to grow up and take over. If even one of them died young now, the loss would be far too great.

While Marine Headquarters was gripped by panic, Pharaohs, which had nearly been destroyed, became a sea of celebration.

The surviving citizens of the royal capital took to the streets in celebration while helping the Homies soldiers tie up the Navy officers and soldiers who had yet to awaken.

After the battle ended, their king, who had nearly become a commander without an army, was finally able to thank the benefactors who had saved him and his country. Yet because of Big Mom's fearsome reputation, he could not help feeling somewhat uneasy.

"Enough nonsense. We came here to find someone. If Your Majesty truly wants to repay us, then help us find them quickly." Katakuri impatiently waved a hand, cutting off King James Glenn's flattery.

Defeating the Navy so decisively would certainly make Katakuri famous throughout the world, but it would also bring Totto Land considerable trouble. If they still failed to complete their mission, it would be far too great a loss.

James Glenn was instead relieved. What he had feared was driving a tiger out the front door only to let a wolf in through the back.

Now that the BIG Pirates had neither intended to occupy his country nor planned to plunder or extort it, the king actually felt somewhat embarrassed. He immediately thumped his chest and promised that he would definitely find the person.

However, the result was beyond his expectations.

It was not that the people could not be found. Though it had never been publicly announced, even the young Mousse in Totto Land had been able to uncover it. How could the royal family of this country fail to guess that the Great Pirate Charlotte Linlin, whose name shook the New World, was that little/big chubby girl who had caused such shocking destruction back then?

In fact, it was precisely that incident that had prompted the Faros Kingdom to reform and strengthen itself afterward. Even James Glenn had only been able to inherit the throne because of it—martial strength had become the most valued talent.

Thus, the Faros royal family had always kept an eye on the Charlotte family. Even though the kingdom had now lost a large number of officials, finding them was not difficult.

But the problem was that they had found them, yet the person they found was not alive.

It turned out that Charlotte Linlin's parents had both been ordinary people, while living conditions in the New World were generally extremely harsh. Dying in one's sixties or seventies was considered fortunate, so her older father had already passed away two years ago.

Her mother had not died, but she had inevitably become seriously ill and bedridden. Then, this time, she happened to be frightened by the Navy's invasion and followed her husband in death.

What was worse, because the Faros Kingdom had lost too many officials and its work efficiency was too low, time had been delayed. By the time the royal family's people found her, the remaining relatives had already hastily buried her.