One Piece: King of the World

Chapter 216: Laughable

From within the thick smoke and dust of the explosion, Linlin's voice echoed, carrying both fury and defiance.

"Kaido? Why are you here? Well, since you're here, let's join forces and wipe these bastards out!" Linlin roared as she waved her arm, dispersing the lingering smoke to reveal her massive figure.

She looked utterly battered. After enduring Kaido's Heat Breath, her body was scorched. Though the damage wasn't severe, her pink pajamas were now tattered, barely covering what they needed to.

Kaido turned his gaze toward her, his sharp dragon eyes taking in her state. Now that he could see clearly, even he was surprised by her appearance.

Linlin's chest bore a large, charred black mark where her wound had reopened, blood flowing freely. Her arm was slashed, dripping crimson, and her face was a mess, her broken nose had caved in, her hairline was streaked with blood, and half her face was dyed red.

What caught Kaido's attention the most, however, was her left eye or rather, the empty, frozen socket where her eye had once been.

Kaido stared for a moment before suddenly bursting into laughter, his deep voice booming.

"Ahahahaha! Linlin! What the hell happened to you? Aren't you the one who claims to be invincible? 'Diamond is unbreakable' or some nonsense? And now you've lost an eye?" Kaido jeered, his tone filled with mockery.

Linlin gritted her teeth in anger, the veins on her forehead bulging.

Easy for him to talk! Marine's three Admirals, CP-X, and the Seven Warlords of the Sea, so many top-tier combatants had attacked her all at once. That she was still standing was proof of her monstrous durability.

Even the so-called "Strongest Creature in the World" wouldn't come out unscathed under such conditions!

But Linlin didn't waste her breath responding to Kaido's ridicule. Her gaze locked onto the ruins ahead, where she sensed movement.

Claudius's figure slowly emerged, his body reforming from a hazy mist before becoming fully solid.

Unlike Linlin, Claudius appeared largely unharmed. As a Logia user, most physical attacks had little effect on him unless imbued with Armament Haki or other countermeasures like seastone. His Nitrogen-Nitrogen Fruit abilities made him nearly untouchable under normal circumstances.

However, Claudius's expression was dark, his irritation evident. He had been so close to defeating Linlin when Kaido decided to interfere. Now, it seemed the two Emperors of the New World were prepared to join forces.

This is bad, Claudius thought. While he had confidence in his ability to hold off Kaido for a time, capturing or killing Linlin under these conditions had just become nearly impossible.

The force of the kick jarred Kaido, making his neck twist slightly. The dragon's enormous body swayed, but Kaido quickly regained his balance, hurling Borsalino away with a powerful swing of his head.

As Borsalino engaged Kaido, Claudius launched his own attack. His feet pressed into the ground, and his body emitted dense, frost-filled smoke as he propelled himself toward Linlin. The air around him froze with each step.

Claudius's arm transformed into a giant fist, liquid nitrogen swirling around it. Linlin responded by coating her arm in thick Armament Haki, sparks of lightning and fire dancing along its surface as she punched forward to meet his strike.

The two fists collided with a deafening crash, releasing a shockwave that rattled the battlefield. Sparks flew, and the space around them seemed to warp under the sheer intensity of their clash.

Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum.

The sound of Claudius's King Engine reverberated through the air, his heartbeat growing louder and faster. With each beat, his muscles swelled, veins bulging under his skin. His face flushed as his body surged with renewed strength.

The power of his heart pushed him to his peak, erasing the exhaustion from earlier.

Linlin, feeling the weight of Claudius's strength matching her own, let out a furious scream. Her Soul-Soul Fruit powers flared, mixing with her Conqueror's Haki to create an overwhelming presence.

The sheer force of her aura caused Claudius to momentarily feel small, as if Linlin's massive frame had grown even larger.

But he quickly crushed the thought. A fiery surge of willpower erupted from deep within him, pushing back against Linlin's dominance.

In that moment, Claudius's own Conqueror's Haki exploded outward, clashing with Linlin's in a battle of sheer will.

From a distance, Gion watched in awe. "So it's true... Claudius also possesses Conqueror's Haki," she murmured. Strangely, she wasn't surprised by this revelation.

Claudius's voice roared across the battlefield, his words filled with unshakable conviction:

"I am Claudius! A descendant of the twenty kings! A god walking among mortals! Pirates like you think you can intimidate me with mere presence? How laughable!"

With his declaration, Claudius's strength surged once more. His fist slammed into Linlin with explosive force, sending her massive body flying backward.

Frost spread across her arm from the impact, rapidly encasing it in ice.