"This is a clash of Conqueror's Haki!"
"Rosinante's Conqueror's Haki can actually stand against Mama's—and it even feels evenly matched!"
"Impossible! His Haki isn't being suppressed by Mama's at all!" The onlookers were even more stunned.
As the Conqueror's Haki collided in the air, Rosinante chuckled and said, "Well, that doesn't really matter. How about we talk this over? Why don't you just let us leave, save everyone the trouble? Who knows—maybe in the future we might even work together."
"You think you can come and go from the Big Mom Pirates as you please? And besides, we haven't even settled the score for what just happened," Charlotte Linlin replied coldly.
"So that means there's no avoiding this fight. That's fine—might be a good way to improve communication and understanding. After today, I doubt the Big Mom Pirates will ever think about making trouble for me again," Rosinante said.
"You brat, daring to speak such big words… aren't you afraid you'll bite your tongue? Today, the Cake Castle will be your grave!" Linlin said with a sinister tone.
They stared each other down, and then, at the exact same moment, both moved—each unleashing a single slash.
"Ikoku Sovereignty!"
"Heaven-Crushing Slash!"
Their blades released devastating waves of force that clashed violently in midair.
For a moment, the two attacks locked against each other—but then Rosinante's slash began to falter, shattered by the sheer power of Ikoku Sovereignty, which surged forward toward him.
"As expected, an imitation is still an imitation. It can't compare to the real thing—especially when it's a secret technique someone's trained for decades," Rosinante sighed.
Then, he thrust forward with his sword—this time, his blade wreathed in the profound stillness of Silence.
The tip met the oncoming Ikoku Sovereignty. The tremendous impact made his Purple Inscription blade tremble violently—but then, the slash dissipated into nothing.
"H-He… he blocked it?" Oven said in shock.
"He actually took Mama's Ikoku Sovereignty without a scratch!" Daifuku exclaimed in disbelief.
"Rosinante's strength… has it already grown this much?" Perospero's face darkened.
Two years ago, he had witnessed Rosinante's abilities firsthand. Back then, his strength was decent—maybe a bit stronger than Katakuri's—but nowhere near Mama's level.
But after two years, his power had risen to a point that even Perospero felt he couldn't catch up to.
"So what if he blocked it? Mama's strength isn't limited to just that!" Opera said coldly.
"No matter what, Rosinante can't possibly be Mama's match," Cracker declared.
"You blocked one move? Mamamamama! Rosinante, I'll give you that—you've got some skill!" Charlotte Linlin said with a grin.
"Wow… so that's the giants' ultimate technique, Ikoku Sovereignty? It's definitely impressive," Rosinante replied with a smile.
"Mama, you'd better be careful from here on," Katakuri said, raising his head.
"Katakuri, stay where you are and keep your mouth shut. Once I've dealt with Rosinante, I'll come back for you!" Linlin snapped, her anger growing.
To her, Katakuri's words were a blatant sign of doubt—and that stung. But instead of executing him now, she wanted to make him see just how wrong he was to leave the Big Mom Pirates and join the Gray Kingdom.
"They say swordsmanship is twice as powerful with two hands instead of one," Rosinante said with a playful smile.
"Even if you had ten hands, you couldn't block this next strike!" Linlin growled.
"Elbaf's Spear—Ikoku Sovereignty!" Linlin roared. This slash was far stronger than before—its sword energy condensed into a massive, spear-like force, radiating overwhelming power, penetration, and impact as it hurtled toward Rosinante.
"Attack unleashed—Two-Handed Heaven-Crushing Slash!" Rosinante gripped his sword with both hands and swung upward like a lever, unleashing his strike.
The moment his blade moved, the very air twisted.
The enormous slash met the charging Ikoku Sovereignty head-on.
The two mighty attacks collided in the air, neither able to overpower the other.
With two hands, Rosinante could pour the combined force of both arms into his blade, fully compressing that energy before release.
The Heaven-Crushing Slash had originally evolved from the explosive force of his Collapse Fist, and two-handed compression was naturally about twice as strong as with one hand.
Combined with the lever-like motion of his swing, the power multiplied further.
And hidden within this strike was also the essence he had absorbed from the previous Ikoku Sovereignty—making its force almost unimaginable.
Yet even so, the two attacks remained locked in stalemate.
In pure power, Rosinante's slash had already surpassed Linlin's—but the reason they remained even was because of technique.
Ikoku Sovereignty was famed as Elbaf's spear. Its slash resembled the thrust of a giant's lance—razor-focused and piercing straight through.
Rosinante's Heaven-Crushing Slash, while domineering, was still rough in technique. His energy stayed compact while within the blade, but dispersed once released.
Thus, his attack appeared massive and overwhelming, but compared to the spear-like focus of Ikoku Sovereignty, its power was too spread out.
So even with greater raw force, all he could do was hold it to a draw.
"How… how is this possible? Rosinante's slash can actually match Mama's?" Daifuku gasped.
"Is it because he used both hands? Can a two-handed slash really be twice as strong?" Perospero muttered.
"Impossible. The strength of a slash depends on one's own power and technique—it has little to do with how many hands you use," Cracker scoffed.
"Then how do you explain what's happening right now?" Counter, the sixth son, asked.
"How should I know? Maybe he has some secret two-handed sword style that boosts his strikes," Cracker said reluctantly.
"Not good! Everyone, move back—those slashes are about to explode!" Perospero warned.
And then—it happened.
The two locked slashes shattered in midair, bursting apart into countless fragments. The deadly remnants of their power scattered in all directions, slicing through everything they touched.