Chapter 542: The Storm Before the Clash

“You’ve really got a heart of stone.”

“Katakuri’s barely holding on and you don’t even think of going down there to help.”

Suddenly, a figure in a crimson cheongsam appeared behind Karl.

It was none other than Ledfield.

He had just finished absorbing a massive amount of Army blood—his strength was peaking once again, stamina surging past all previous limits. This was all thanks to the World Government carefully selecting soldiers with special talents for their Army, letting him feast from start to finish.

He didn’t reply right away. Instead, he turned to look behind at Perospero.

“Perospero, you all go down too. I want to see what other tricks Im has up their sleeve.”

“Yes, Father!”

Perospero had wanted to help as soon as Katakuri faltered, but without Father’s order, he couldn’t move. Now, given the command, he immediately spun around, leading the remaining twenty-something siblings—each just having turned eighteen—leaping from Skypiea to the battlefield below to back up Katakuri.

“Linlin, are you going too?”

“Mamamama!”

“Can’t let Kaido and Whitebeard hog all the spotlight.”

“Zeus!”

“Here, Mama!”

A tuft of cloud shot out beneath her feet, pausing in front of Charlotte Linlin and wearing a tiny red hat.

“Prometheus!”

“Here, Mama!”

A small sun drifted over from behind her bench, coming to float beside Charlotte Linlin.

“Time to show the World Government just how fearsome we can be.”

Charlotte Linlin waved her hand, Zeus dipped lower, letting her step on top. Instantly, her body turned pitch black, sparks of lightning crackling around her.

Flames erupted from Prometheus, swirling around Charlotte Linlin until she looked every inch a queen of fire.

With Zeus picking up speed, Charlotte Linlin charged straight for the plaza, eyes set on the last three of the Five Elders.

“So… You picking first, or am I?”

“Heh, I’ve got more than enough stamina right now. Leave the light beams to me.”

“Im, that old fox—leave them to you. I won’t fight you for this one.”

Ledfield had already fallen for that trick more than once.

What he didn’t realize, though, was that this time too he’d walked straight into a trap. Im might be tough, but those light beams above weren’t any easier—and who knew just how many were left up there?

If their energy held out, they could fire until even Ledfield doubted his own existence.

“It’s all yours. Force Im out and the final battle will start.”

“Don’t worry. Scenes like this… you only see once in a hundred years.”

Karl stood up, watching the fight below, nodding to himself.

On the field, the Revolutionary Army, pirates, Karl’s own forces—even sleeper agents hidden in the Four Seas years ago—all converged on this battlefield.

The World Government side was everywhere—golden armored guards in black suits, ostentatious Celestial Dragons running wild.

Within this ten kilometer radius, the two sides clashed in all-out war.

Yet Karl could see clearly: the World Government was losing ground. His soldiers injected with Titan Gene, along with his fierce children, fought like demons.

Especially the youngest—Ye Fan and Nannan. Ye Fan, inheriting all his bloodline’s power and a golden sacred body. Nannan, blessed with a template from Stealing the Starry Sky September, could use brainwaves to turn anything she’d touched into bombs and detonate them at will.

At least a tenth of the battlefield was in ruins because of Nannan’s massive explosions.

Her skill was almost too practical—just a brush against a wall and boom, another giant bomb went off. World Government soldiers were terrified. Nobody would expect walls and rubble to just blow up out of nowhere.

“Looks like the missiles are running out. Even if rocket launchers cut down the incoming beams, some will still hit our people below. I’m heading out.”

Ledfield had spotted it instantly—even after a storm of rockets fired skyward, stray beams still blasted down, shattering giants, Revolutionary Army fighters, even members of Karl’s own ranks.

“Go on ahead. I’ll catch up soon.”

What ultimate play is Im still hiding?

Karl mulled it over. If it was only the Heavenly King, they’d more or less managed to hold their own. Yet there was always a thorn in his gut, the nagging feeling Im still had cards left to play. But what?

After hearing this, Ledfield gave a sharp nod. Two midnight-black wings burst from his back as he soared into the sky, taking point at the very front of the oncoming beams.

“Whoosh!”

“Bat Swarm Formation!”

Reaching midair, Ledfield spread his vast wings wide—so wide they blotted out the sun. He transformed into countless bats, swarming overhead until the sky was black as pitch, sun all but gone.

“Hey, why’d it get so dark?”

The pirates noticed right away. Ever since that enormous shadow appeared, not a single beam of light managed to pierce through from above.

“No, it’s not the sky—it’s Lord Ledfield.”

“Even Lord Ledfield is fighting now. How could we possibly lose?”

“Looks like the World Government’s trump cards are played out.”

This sudden shift energized the pirates and Revolutionary Army even more—victory suddenly felt just an arm’s length away.

“Buzz!”

“Who’s letting loose with that Conqueror’s Haki?”

“Whoa—so strong.”

One after another, World Government fighters began to collapse. Black and red lightning flashed in the air, proof of the overwhelming force behind this Conqueror’s Haki.

“Sorry I’m late.”

The newcomer was Shanks. He was drenched in blood, his crew behind him equally stained, looking like they’d crawled straight out of hell—and in Shanks’s hand was their family leader’s head.

Shanks had already made it to the Red Line, tearing into his family’s stronghold the moment war erupted.

Though many innocents died by his hand, he couldn’t overlook what some family members had done. If not for the World Government’s overwhelming power, he never would have played along all these years.

Now was the time to tie up loose ends and make sure Karl couldn’t hold anything over him when this was all finished.

He knew Karl well enough—after the war, Karl would come collecting every debt, one by one.

“Shanks?”

“You… you’re joining the fray as well? Don’t forget, you’re Celestial Dragon stock!”

Marcus saw the head in Shanks’s hand and let out a furious roar.

He was already shaken to the core by Karl’s charge, but to have their own center collapse was heartbreaking.

Wasn’t a Celestial Dragon’s life good enough?

The Celestial Dragons never treated him badly—how could Shanks turn his back on that in an instant?

“Where do you think you’re looking, old man?”

“Sovereign Nation!”

BOOM!

Before Shanks could reply, Charlotte Linlin swooped from above, Emperor’s Blade flashing as a raging blast of energy hurtled right at Marcus.

A cloud of smoke swirled as the attack blasted open a bottomless pit, gouging hundreds of meters of fissures into the ground.

“Quake!”

Strike while he’s down—don’t give him a chance.

Whitebeard found an opening. He roared, throwing a fist straight at the figure tumbling in the smoke.

CRACK!

With the sound of shattering glass, the victim flew, smashing into a far wall.

“Whitebeard?”

“Shouldn’t you be at Navy Headquarters?”

Amidst tumbling rubble, Nassourang Saint stepped from the smoke, draped in bone armor and clutching a spear fashioned from bone.

He was the user of the Horse Bone Fruit. From afar, he looked like a skeletal knight right out of hell.

He could manipulate his own bone growth endlessly, extending his reach and making his bones as tough as a Supreme Grade Great Blade.

“Old man, that’s Devil Fruit Awakening, isn’t it? I never saw you pull that out on the battlefield back then!”