"Slaughtering the innocent, treating human lives like game points..." Charlotte Linlin's voice was low, yet it felt like the final silence before a storm, every word carrying immense weight.
"And then, to gloss it over with so-called 'World Order' and 'necessary evil'... Is this the 'justice' that you Marines risk your lives to defend, Garp?!"
"Wantonly trampling on the freedom of others, what kind of... damn justice is that?!!"
"Roar—!!!"
The final sentence transformed into a heaven-shaking dragon's roar!
It was not an imitation sound brought about by the Dragon-Dragon Fruit, but an eruption of all the resentment, all the sorrow, and all the ultimate questioning of this unjust world from the depths of her soul!
Accompanying this roar, changes were also taking place in Charlotte Linlin's body!
Her right hand still clutched the nodachi [Void].
And her left hand, palm facing upward, clenched sharply!
A long sword manifested out of thin air, and then purple light extended and solidified, forming a long sword with an ancient and majestic design—[musou isshin]!
At the same time, her pink lips parted, biting onto another slender tachi that appeared out of thin air, with a dark red blade—[Seven Thunders of Purification]!
The white dragon scales that originally covered her body now rapidly deepened and mutated in color, transforming from pure white into a suffocating dark red!
An aura far more violent, more chaotic, and filled with the contradictory scent of destruction and rebirth, like a tangible tsunami, erupted from her body.
"This is...!" Garp's pupils constricted sharply, his expression grave as never before.
As a powerhouse standing at the pinnacle of the sea, his perception was incredibly sharp.
At this moment, the sense of threat Charlotte Linlin brought him was climbing exponentially!
It was not just an increase in energy intensity, but a change in "quality," as if she had briefly touched upon some more fundamental level!
And those three swords, each one exuded an aura vastly different from before, one that made one's heart palpitate.
"How did that guy Zephyr manage to survive in the hands of this woman, who is even more terrifying than Rocks!"
No nonsense, no declarations.
Having entered the Demon Dragon Mode, only raging flames remained in Charlotte Linlin's eyes.
She shattered the ground with her feet, her dark red Dragon Wings whipping up destructive gales, and her Three Sword Style traced dazzling trajectories as she launched a fierce, storm-like assault on Garp!
[Void] remained the primary attack, its slashes heavy and magnificent, with black lightning running wild; [musou isshin]'s purple lightning was pure yet incomparably sharp, specifically designed to break Armament Haki defenses; [Seven Thunders of Purification] had the most bizarre and tricky trajectories, and wherever its dark red blade light passed, it seemed as if even space was stained with a layer of sinful crimson, eroding Garp's will and stamina.
Garp pushed his Two-Color Haki to the limit, his iron fists dancing like rain, the wind from his punches solidifying like a steel wall.
He attempted to use the purest strength and technique to withstand this irrational Three Sword Style onslaught.
However—Bang! Boom! Click!
The deafening sounds of collision were incessant.
But this time, the balance had been broken.
Every slash of Charlotte Linlin's was as heavy as ten thousand jin, the strength boost brought by the Demon Dragon form was beyond imagination, and under Garp's direct blocks, he was actually forced back step by step, with deep pits constantly exploding under his feet.
The three different types of elemental slashes were even harder to defend against, eroding his Armament Haki defenses.
"What's wrong?! Iron Fist Garp! Marine hero! Is your justice only this tough?!"
Charlotte Linlin slashed down, and Garp crossed his arms to block, but was smashed down onto one knee by the immense force, cracking the ground.
"Look at this land! Look at those corpses! Where is your Marine justice?! Is it when you are protecting the Celestial Dragons during their hunts?!"
With a backhanded thrust of [musou isshin], lightning exploded; Garp rolled to dodge, and a large hole was blasted where he had just been standing.
"When civilians are crying out, begging, and being hunted down like livestock, is your Marine justice busy helping the perpetrators maintain Order and move stolen goods?!"
[Seven Thunders of Purification] transformed into countless dark red threads to entangle and cut; Garp roared and unleashed his Haki to shatter them, but the hem of his clothes was still corroded with holes, and his skin felt a burning pain and an eerie sense of weakness.
Garp gritted his teeth, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.
It wasn't that he didn't have counterattacks; his heavy fists could still shake mountains, and occasionally when he seized an opportunity to strike Linlin's dark red dragon scales, he could explode with astonishing air waves, leaving shallow marks.
But it was completely useless; he was completely trapped in a passive defense, utterly suppressed by Charlotte Linlin!
The opponent's strength, speed, and the combination of those three bizarre sword styles formed a nearly unsolvable, violent offensive.
Even more terrifying was the anger and questioning contained within that offensive, which was almost becoming tangible; every sentence was like a heavy hammer smashing against his mental defenses.
"Answer me! Garp!"
"Why does your so-called justice never go to save those who truly need saving?!"
"Why are you always standing on the side of the perpetrators?!"
"Who is your justice fighting for after all?!!!"
Charlotte Linlin's roars and slashes merged into one, the dark red Demon Dragon shadow almost completely swallowing Garp.
In the distance, Bogard and all the Marine Soldiers had their hearts in their throats; they had never seen the invincible Vice Admiral Garp in such a sorry state, completely suppressed!
Every slash that fell made their hearts jump with fear.
It wasn't just a gap in strength, but more like a crushing of ideals, a ruthless interrogation and trampling of what the Marine's stance believed in!
"Vice Admiral Garp!"
"No... we have to do something!"
But Bogard stopped the soldiers who wanted to rush up, his face pale, his knuckles white as he gripped the hilt of his sword.
He knew better than anyone that in a battle of this level, going up would just be suicide, and might even distract Garp.
Finally, after a violent collision, Garp was fiercely struck in the chest by [Void], let out a muffled groan, and flew backward like a cannonball, crashing through three rock walls before stopping in the dust, kneeling on one knee, gasping for air, with blood dripping continuously from his forehead and the corner of his mouth.
Charlotte Linlin hovered in mid-air, her three swords pointed at Garp.
There was no joy of victory in her dark red dragon pupils, only a cold, almost indifferent rage.
"It seems your justice cannot even protect your own life."
She slowly raised [musou isshin], pure lightning condensing highly at the tip of the blade, compressed into a point of blinding purple light, which contained the destructive power to purify everything.
She was going to plunge this blade through Garp's chest, and also through that "justice" of his which she saw as hypocritical and contradictory!
Garp raised his head, looking at that deadly blade tip; there was no fear in his eyes, only a trace of deep exhaustion and... unfinished regret.
Just at this critical moment—
A powerful and strange aura descended without warning!
The sky, the void torn open by the aftermath of the battle, now transformed into an ominous dark gray tone, like a bruised wound, covering the entire sky above the island.
Charlotte Linlin's attack, which was ready to be unleashed, came to an abrupt halt; she looked up sharply, looking toward the direction from which the aura came.
"It seems... the 'guy' who has been hiding behind the scenes is finally unable to sit still."
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