Linlin's face contorted with anger as she spoke in a dissatisfied tone,
"Serious business? What could be more serious than having children?"
Roger felt truly helpless. Newgate was adopting sons at every turn, and here Linlin obsessed over offspring constantly. What kind of situation was this? Was the ultimate goal of pirates simply playing house?
He sighed deeply and replied,
"Linlin, the Navy's momentum is growing too strong. If this continues, there might soon be no place left on the seas for us."
Linlin frowned, slowly straightened her posture, and said with a deep voice,
"Roger, will a man like you ever grow weary and lose heart after defeat?"
Roger was silent for a moment, then said plainly,
"No, I am merely concerned about the future of this world."
Linlin rolled her eyes and sneered,
"Here we go again. I remember back then you also helped the Navy defeat Rocks for the same reason. At that time, you and the Navy got along very well, especially with that man Garp."
"Garp has been reassigned to a prison post. I do not know if we will see him again."
"From the sound of it, you feel some regret."
"That is right. Garp was a great opponent. If all in the Navy were like him, perhaps the world would be very different."
"Mamama… yes, that would be a paradise belonging to us pirates!"
Roger's expression froze. He did not truly mean that. To be fair, he understood the virtues and flaws of his peers. If the world became the kind of "paradise" Linlin dreamed of, then it would truly be ruined.
Still, for now, he had to placate her.
"Linlin, we must act. At least let the Celestial Dragons know these seas do not belong to them!"
"Oh?" Linlin looked down at Roger with interest and asked,
"So what is your plan?"
Roger took a deep breath and said in a solemn voice,
"You were once a member of the Rocks Pirates, so you must have heard of the end point, right?"
The moment those words fell, Linlin's expression shifted dramatically. A terrifying aura burst from her, and she stared at Roger with intense focus.
"That place… does it truly exist?"
Roger nodded slowly,
"Actually, you believe it exists too, right? Otherwise you would not have held on to that red stone."
At that, Linlin made her move. She removed her hat, and from its top a blade extended — Napoleon, the powerful Homie she created with her Soul-Soul Fruit.
She gripped Napoleon tightly and brought it down hard toward Roger.
Roger's Observation Haki was trained to a terrifying height, and his reactions were instantaneous. He drew his sword and met her strike without hesitation.
Red and black sparks flashed where their weapons met, and the castle behind Linlin trembled violently as though it might collapse at any moment.
Linlin screamed fiercely,
"Zeus! Prometheus!"
"Present! Mom!"
From behind her, a white cloud and a ball of fire shot out of the castle, floating to her sides.
Immediately thereafter, one transformed into a pitch‑black thundercloud, and the other into a blazing sun, wrapping around the entire Roger Pirate crew in domineering force.
Roger gritted his teeth as he blocked another assault from Linlin,
"Linlin, calm yourself a little. I do not wish to fight you!"
Linlin snarled with fury,
"Keep quiet! That thing belongs to me! I will not let you have it!"
"I am not taking it from you. I only need to see it!"
"Over my dead body!"
At that moment, Linlin's children gathered around, their expressions hostile toward the Roger Pirates.
Seeing this, Rayleigh, Bullet, and the others dropped their restraint and entered combat mode, preparing to clash with the Big Mom Pirates.
…
Meanwhile, on Oven‑Baked Island,
Charlotte Owen, stationed there, saw crimson lightning streaking over Cake Island and barked orders to prepare ships. He intended to rush to Cake Island and support his mother.
Just as he was about to board a vessel, a sharp roar came from the distant surface of the sea.
Owen squinted toward the horizon, spotting a small boat rapidly approaching shore.
That boat came at remarkable speed, heading straight for the island.
Seeing this unexpected visitor, Owen snorted coldly,
"Who dares come here? Do they think they are Roger?"
As he spoke, two flames blazed in his eyes. His body turned blood‑red, and intense heat radiated from him. The ground beneath began to melt from the sheer temperature.
His subordinates scattered in fear, unwilling to come near him.
Owen was a Heat‑Heat Fruit user, and when his ability was active, almost no living thing could withstand the intense heat he emitted.
He thrust his hands into the seawater, instantly boiling it, bubbling and hissing with violent intensity. He intended to melt that approaching boat and its passengers together.
However, even after a long moment, the small vessel showed no signs of damage. Instead, it adjusted its course slightly and continued directly toward him.
Owen rose to his full height, disdain in his voice,
"Using heat‑resistant materials? So you came here specifically for me, is that it? Foolish… do you truly believe you can deal with me like this?"
He spread his legs, planted his feet firmly, extended both arms, and declared,
"Come! Watch me rip you off that vessel!"
In the next instant, the small boat thundered onto shore.
Owen roared, "Show yourself!"
Crack!
Under the shocked gaze of his minions, the small boat stopped perfectly still.
A tall young man stood aboard it, speaking in a deadpan voice,
"Are human speed bumps popular these days?"
Someone in the assembled ranks seemed to recognize him. Their face turned pale with terror as they shouted,
"Black Dragon! That is Admiral Black Dragon!"
The man standing on the boat was Lloyd. He had grown sleepy while flying, so he summoned his personal sea vehicle and dozed on it for a time.
Then he received a rather unpleasant wake‑up call from Owen.
Lloyd scanned the surroundings and the minions gathered on shore. He lifted his right hand and extended his index and middle fingers.
Pfft, pfft, pfft!
A series of sharp explosions echoed out, forming a circle of crimson fireworks on the beach. A dense mist of blood smoke spread outward in an instant.
Then Lloyd stepped off his sea vehicle, adjusted his neck with a slight stretch, and placed the vehicle back into his dark bible before looking down at Owen, who was pinned to the ground.
Owen had not lost consciousness and tried to push the speedboat off his chest, but he could not budge it. With it removed, he immediately tumbled out of the shallow pit but landed with a heavy crash a short distance away.