Charlotte Oven, the fourth son of the Charlotte family, and a triplet alongside Katakuri, possessed the Paramecia-type Heat-Heat Fruit. His power was undeniable.

  Cudius had always thought that Oven's strength was suffit to earn him the position of Sweet ander. He might even surpass Cracker, though Smoothie's ranking was harder to gauge. As for Snack, the st Sweet ander? While petent, he wasn't on Oven's level.

  Perhaps Oven's ck of promotion was out of respect for his brother Katakuri. Regardless, his Heat-Heat Fruit was immensely dangerous—a Devil Fruit of the "rule" type.

  If developed deeply enough, there was theoretically no upper limit to the heat he could gee. Iure, Oven would even gain the ability to instantly boil the sea, a testament to the frightening potential of his power.

  Now, Oven stood before Cudius, catg his frost-infused ssh head-on. The chilling effects of Cudius's liquid nitrogen-based attack seemed to have no effe him.

  Oven's sudden arrival gave Linlin the reprieve she desperately needed.

  It wasn't just Oven. Many of Linlin's other children were beginning to join the fray. Though some were visibly hesitant in the face of the powerful foes before them, their unique Devil Fruit abilities and bined urhe battlefield into utter chaos.

  While their bat prowess couldn't match Cudius or the others individually, they could still create enough interfereo stall and disrupt.

  The se grew chaotic as the Charlotte family rallied together.

  Charlotte Daifuku, the third son of the family, summoned his Genie Homie with a wave of his hand. The massive, otherworldly figure moved in perfect coordination with Daifuku, their attacks well-practiced and seamless.

  Oven, Daifuku, and the other siblings unched a terattack against Cudius's forces.

  Oven specifically targeted Sakazuki, whose earlier ferocity itle had left him heavily injured. Having acted as the proverbial shield—or MT—throughout the fight, Sakazuki was in no dition to fight at full strength. Oven, armed with his Heat-Heat Fruit, seemed to hold the upper hand, his abilities even managing to suppress some of Sakazuki's magma-based attacks.

  The two cshed repeatedly, volic eruptions wreaking havoc across the battlefield and leaving much of Cake Isnd in ruins.

  Elsewhere, Enel's lightning raged in the skies, toppling tall buildings as he fought Daifuku and his Genie Homie. Though Enel's Thuhunder Fruit was clearly superior in raw destructive potential, Daifuku's hard-hitting tactics, bined with the Genie's fwless support, mao hold E bay for the time being.

  Mihawk, meanwhile, was regaining his posure after his earlier all-out attack. He brandished his bck bde Yoru, engaging in a fierce battle with Perospero, the eldest son of the Charlotte family.

  While Perospero's abilities and strength were no matihawk's swordsmanship, he was supported by several of his siblings. Together, they mao keep Mihawk tied up, though just barely.

  Amidst the chaos, Charlotte Linlin found herself once again fag a three-ouation. Only Cudius, Gion, and Borsalino remained unoccupied by Linlin's children.

  Cudius sed the battlefield, evaluating the situation. Borsalino, true to form, was tent to remain at a distance, firing precision attacks like a proper le specialist. Close bat wasly his forte, and Linlin's brute strength wasn't something that pyed to his advantage.

  As fion, while her Zoan-type Mythical Moon Rabbit Fruit gave her exceptional physical resiliend strength perhaps even awakening her full potential, Cudius wasn't about to let her lead the charge.

  After all, Cudius had a personal e with Gion. He couldn't treat her like Sakazuki, whom he had no problem watg ehe brunt of the enemy's wrath. Gion, oher hand, ractically family. Though their retionship hadn't reached its final stages, they had lived, dined, and eve uhe same roof.

  How could he let her take unnecessary risks?

  That left Cudius himself.

  "Damn it," he muttered under his breath. "So, it's e to this after all."

  Meanwhile, Charlotte Linlin, holding her broken Emperor's Sword and standing atop Zeus, seemed to take and of the teroffensive. From the skies, she desded with feroomentum, signaling the charge of her Big Mom Pirates.

  "I'll hold her off. You two, strike back when you !" Cudius yelled.

  As his voice echoed, the demon sword Shinsō in his hand sshed out, colliding with Linlin's broken bde midair.

  The sheer force of Linlin's strike sent shockwaves rippling through the ground, causing it to crack beh Cudius's feet. His legs sank slightly into the earth, a testament to her overwhelming power.

  His arms trembled uhe strain, but Cudius gritted his teeth, his muscles swelling as he stabilized himself. He wasn't going to back down.

  "Alright, Linlin," he growled, a grin spreading across his face. "If yoing all out, then I guess it's time for me to get serious too!"

  As Linlin began to press her advahe sound of a deep, rhythmic heartbeat suddenly echoed across the battlefield.

  Ba-dum. Ba-dum.

  The sound grew louder, each beat resonating with power.

  Cudius's momentum surged as the King Ehe unmistakable mark of his full bat state—roared to life. His trembling arm steadied, and he began to push back against Linlin's overwhelming strength.

  Borsalino, watg from a distance, raised an eyebrow in surprise. But he didn't hesitate, fshing forward in a burst of golden light. Appearing above Linlin, he shed out with a glowing kick aimed squarely at her head.

  But Linlin was uing.

  Armament Haki instantly coated her head as she surged forward, meeting Borsalino's attack head-on with a brutal headbutt. The impact sent Borsalino flying, a faint trail of blood trig from Linlin's scalp.

  Before Linlin could recion appeared in front of her with blinding speed.

  "Moon Rabbit: Pound the Medie!" Gion cried, delivering a thunderous punch to Linlin's chest.

  Zeus reacted immediately, unleashing a massive burst of lightning that struck Gion mid-attack. Even so, Gion's fist nded squarely, f Linlin to stagger backward.

  The moment Linlin's focus wavered, Cudius seized the opportunity.

  With his King Engine in full throttle, he deflected Linlin's broken sword and nded a direct hit with Shinsō. The impact left a dark purple bruise on Linlin's body, elig a pained scream as she was sent crashing to the ground.

  Wasting no time, Cudius used a bination of Shave and an airburst from his feet to propel himself toward Linlin's fallen form.

  As she struggled to react, Cudius's fist smmed into her face with devastating force. Jets of pressed air from his elbows and shoulders amplified the blow, driving Linlin's head into the ground.

  The satisfying ch of her nose breaking reverberated through his arm, but before Cudius could press the advantage, Linlin's massive hand swiped at him instinctively.