Chapter 789 - 788: Triumphant One Second, Terror-Stricken the Next

Whoosh—!

The screeching wail of a soul tore straight through the body of one of Kid’s core crew members. In a single strike, the man’s eyes lost focus, and his spirit shattered. The moment his soul was violently ripped away, his body collapsed to the dirt, his eyes rolling back into his head, completely motionless.

Under Charlotte Linlin’s supreme command, the freshly extracted, mist-like soul drifted through the air and flowed directly back into her bloated, lumbering frame.

Within seconds, the brutal wounds covering her outer flesh healed completely.

"We worked so hard to deal that damage!" Luffy bellowed in exaggerated shock.

"That’s a feat only achievable by someone who has mastered their Devil Fruit to absolute perfection," Bege noted grimly. "Though I’d love nothing more than to tuck tail and run right now, this entire island is basically bound to Big Mom’s soul. Anyone who wants a quick death can go ahead and flee!"

Bege’s blunt declaration laid the reality bare: those who wanted to die could try running, but staying to fight with everything they had was their only sliver of hope for survival.

"Ma-mamamama! Crush them!"

Charlotte Linlin laughed triumphantly. She still had no intention of personally entering the fray just yet. Instead, she waved a massive, fleshy hand, signaling her remaining subordinates to advance.

Even though all four of the Sweet Commanders were now completely incapacitated, figures like Charlotte Perospero, Charlotte Brûlée, Bobbin, and Amande remained top-tier combatants. It had to be said that while her own individual combat prowess had declined, her endless line of sons and daughters had certainly not been raised in vain. She had successfully cultivated them into powerful pawns and expanded her global influence through calculated political marriages.

Holding down the rear, Charlotte Linlin began stuffing her face with delicious cake, sneering, "Ma-mamama! There’s no need for me to even lift a finger. My children alone are more than enough to clean up you little brats."

"No, it’s far too early to be talking like that."

A cold voice cut through the air behind her, punctuated by a series of heavy, rhythmic thuds.

Charlotte Linlin and her gathered subordinates snapped their heads around. To their surprise, Dr. Vegapunk had arrived, leading the Immortal Pirates’ Science Research Unit.

Excluding Dr. Vegapunk himself, who possessed virtually no personal combat ability, the unit consisted of the Female Dragon Knight Aranea, Bartholomew Kuma, a squad of Pacifistas, and now, Edward Weevil. Together, they formed a formidable vanguard whose combat strength easily rivaled that of a Yonko faction. The fact that such a devastating group was merely a sub-division within the Immortal Pirates spoke volumes about the staggering might of Alucard’s empire.

"Dr. Vegapunk... are you planning to kill me?" Charlotte Linlin hissed, her face contorting as a knot of tension finally tightened in her chest. If this faction turned against her here, her situation would become catastrophic.

"Kill you? Don’t be ridiculous."

Dr. Vegapunk shook his head with a mild chuckle. Just as a wave of relief washed over Charlotte Linlin, his next words caused her face to instantly darken again. "I am merely here to run a field test on my latest creation."

The moment Dr. Vegapunk’s voice trailed off, Edward Weevil took several booming strides forward, positioning himself directly in front of Charlotte Linlin.

Letting out a deafening, pig-like shriek, Weevil furiously swung his massive naginata. The sheer force of his swing generated a localized gale, sending the neatly arranged banquet tables of the ruined Tea Party flying through the air.

"Whitebeard..."

Watching that wildly exaggerated display of spearmanship, the image of Whitebeard instantly flashed through Charlotte Linlin’s mind. To her, no one else in the world swung a naginata like that.

Hearing Charlotte Linlin mutter those words under her breath, the simple-minded Weevil beamed with joy. He roared proudly, "Of course! I am Whitebeard’s one and only son!"

At that moment, Dr. Vegapunk stepped up to Weevil’s right rear flank. "Well, what do you think, Charlotte Linlin-sama? This is my newest developed masterpiece. How about we make a wager? If you win, we leave immediately. But if you lose... heh, I’m afraid you will become sustenance in the eyes of many."

God only knew what kind of twisted scheme the brilliant scientist was cooking up in his mind. But trapped between the Supernovas and the Science Research Unit, Charlotte Linlin truly had no other choice. All she had to do was slaughter this idiot, right?

"Are you out of your minds?!" Kid roared furiously from across the battlefield while trading blows with Baron Tamago. "Big Mom’s head belongs to me! I am the one who will take it!"

"What an uncharismatic, psychotic little brat," Aranea muttered, tapping her index and middle fingers against her forehead in annoyance.

"Tamago, slaughter him this instant!" Charlotte Linlin snarled. Even among her enemies, she had rarely encountered anyone as thoroughly irritating as Eustass Kid.

"Understood, Mama," Baron Tamago responded, bowing gracefully to his orders.

Charlotte Linlin locked her gaze back onto Weevil. "As long as I tear this moron to shreds, you lot will leave, correct?"

"Naturally."

The moment Dr. Vegapunk gave his word, Charlotte Linlin launched a brutal, sudden strike. Her massive hand lunged forward, her claws violently gouging away a massive chunk of flesh from Weevil’s chest.

Soul Claw!

It was a devastating technique designed to tear not only through physical flesh but also to fracture the victim’s very soul.

"He’s finished! Now get the hell off my island!" Charlotte Linlin barked viciously, showing absolutely no shame for relying on a sudden ambush to gain the upper hand.

Yet, despite the horrific wound, not a single member of the Science Research Unit showed the slightest hint of panic. Dr. Vegapunk merely smiled and said, "Charlotte-sama, you shouldn’t jump to conclusions so quickly."

As his words fell, the massive crater in Weevil’s chest began to warp and knit together. The blood and ruptured flesh within the wound rapidly restructured themselves, generating fresh muscle tissue at an unbelievable speed.

"That immortal bastard’s ability?!" Charlotte Linlin gritted her teeth so hard they nearly shattered, her face twisting into a mask of pure rage.

"No, no, no. This is merely an artificial replication modeled after Alucard-sama’s physique," Dr. Vegapunk replied with a sinister smile. "But even as a mere replica, it is more than enough to claim your life."