Chapter 289: The Secret of Ledfield’s Cursed Rapier

“Ledfield, what kind of attack was that?”

Karl looked puzzled, thrown off by what just happened. Could Ledfield have actually invented some kind of illusion technique?

He doesn’t have a Sharingan—how could he pull that off?

Ledfield thought to himself, finally, something you haven’t seen before.

Tilting his head back, nostrils flared at Karl, he said with pride, “See, you don’t understand this, do you?”

“The secret’s all in my rapier.”

He raised the rapier on purpose, letting Karl inspect it up close.

Karl stared so hard at the dazzlingly white rapier he was practically hypnotized, but there was nothing out of the ordinary there.

Once Karl’s gaze was fixed on the weapon, Ledfield launched into a smug explanation.

“This rapier has soaked up the blood of tens of thousands of Navy soldiers.”

“Especially after that last battle at God Valley.”

Hearing that, Karl’s mind instantly flashed back to the carnage at God Valley.

What’s he getting at?

How come Ledfield wasn’t anywhere on the frontlines during that fight?

Turns out, he’d already noticed something strange going on with Ledfield’s rapier back then.

“A change in quantity brought about a change in quality.”

“Now, every single soul that’s ever died to this blade is sealed inside it.”

“That attack I used earlier? Looked like pure sword energy, but that’s only half the truth.”

“Within the attack’s area, even dodging it means getting dragged into a strange space—there you’ll have to fight all the souls this sword has absorbed.”

“Those souls revive again and again, wearing you down until you collapse.”

After Ledfield’s explanation, Karl finally understood. It was like an upgraded Infinite Tsukuyomi: one broke your mind, the other pushed you past exhaustion.

Either way, both methods were downright cruel.

Oh, wait—he’s on my side. Then it’s fine!

Honestly, Karl was curious about that technique—he actually wanted to try it, just to see if he could escape.

But would getting caught in it be dangerous?

Karl trusted he’d never lose his grip on reality the way Selma did. He was sure of it.

That was just pure confidence in himself.

“So are we just leaving him like that?”

“Of course not. Even if he’s going to get worn to death, it’ll take ages,”

“The fun part is, now no matter how I attack him, he’ll think it’s those souls going after him.”

Karl clapped his hands and praised him, “So that’s how it is! Right now he’s basically a sitting duck. Go at him all you want, he won’t even fight back!”

Ledfield then gave Karl a real demonstration of what happens when your enemy turns into a target dummy.

He stepped forward, rapier coated in Conqueror’s Haki, and gently slashed Selma’s left arm.

The razor-sharp blade sliced through Selma’s arm without any resistance. The severed limb fell a moment later.

But the weird part? Selma didn’t even flinch—there wasn’t a hint of pain on his face.

Clearly, the agony he suffered inside his mind far outweighed whatever happened to his body.

Maybe it felt like a mosquito bite to him.

It was honestly a shame about Selma. He was one of the World Government’s top fighters.

He’d handled the dirtiest and toughest missions for them, and now here he was, dying nameless in some godforsaken place.

He wouldn’t even get a proper burial.

“Wow, your technique’s wild—it can even block a person’s five senses.”

Kind of reminds me of that ultimate move from The Prince of Tennis, doesn’t it?

To shut out a person’s sensations on a mental level—straight up miraculous.

Ledfield didn’t bother responding. He simply kept hacking away at Selma, leaving him little more than a mutilated shell.

When Ledfield didn’t take Selma’s head, Karl wondered if he was being merciful, maybe hoping Selma would snap out of it and see what he’d become.

But that wasn’t it. Instead, Ledfield unfurled his huge wings, and a swarm of bats burst forth to feast on Selma’s blood.

Karl splayed his fingers and peered through the gaps, watching the whole gruesome scene.

“Yikes… That’s even more brutal than I pictured.”

“How’s my strength looking now?”

“Wanna spar a little?”

Karl waved his hands in protest. Now’s really not the time for friendly sparring.

“Nah, nah. Another day, for sure!”

He paid zero attention to the battlelust flaring in Ledfield’s eyes.

Karl turned and watched as the final battle on the island was about to begin.

Charlotte Linlin, Wang Zhi, and Silver Axe faced off.

Just then, Borsalino, Perospero, Davis and the rest arrived to watch the showdown.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Two pitch-black blades crashed together in the night sky over and over.

Now and then, a black iron fist would suddenly smash into one of the blades.

“This isn’t looking good.”

“Looks like the World Government’s side lost.”

Wang Zhi kept using Observation Haki to scan the battlefield.

When he saw Karl’s forces growing and forming a tight encirclement, and with the island silent—no more explosions—

“Isn’t it obvious where this is headed?”

Silver Axe, sweat trickling, spoke from where he’d been clashing with Charlotte Linlin.

“This goes without saying.”

“At this point, survival is all that matters.”

While the two exchanged hurried whispers, Charlotte Linlin swung her Emperor’s Blade at them again.

Her blade crackled with a fiery aura, the heat was enough to make you sweat.

That was exactly what Charlotte Linlin intended.

She made full use of her Devil Fruit powers, draining her enemies’ stamina and evaporating the sweat right out of them with every clash.

For a drawn-out fight, it was a perfect strategy.

“This can’t go on.”

Wang Zhi kept checking the surroundings. The Lab was blocked by Karl, the coast was guarded by Ledfield—he’d seen their strength up close and knew it was hopeless.

Charlotte Linlin stood at their right. The only exit was deeper into the island.

But escaping meant facing who-knows-what monsters lurking inside.

With no chance to leave Cake Island, they risked getting ganged up on, maybe even worse than now.

In a split second, Wang Zhi and Silver Axe exchanged a plan with a single look.

“One Sword Style—Cross Slash!”

Silver Axe sent two sword waves whirling together, crossing in midair and spinning toward Charlotte Linlin.

Meanwhile, Wang Zhi swung his Iron Fist, aiming low at Charlotte Linlin’s legs.

Silver Axe leapt high and slashed down at Charlotte Linlin’s head with his longsword.

“Ma ma ma ma!”

“Did you two really think that would work on me?”

Charlotte Linlin wasn’t fooled.

Despite her size, she moved with scary agility and slipped behind the Cross Slash before they even knew it.

Before Wang Zhi and Silver Axe could react, her counterattack landed.

“Heaven’s Fire!”

With her left hand, she peeled Prometheus off her blade and hurled him at Wang Zhi.

With the right, she gripped her longsword and unleashed Sovereign Nation straight at Silver Axe.