The sheer intensity of the scream made everyone present tremble, causing goosebumps to rise across their skin. They turned their attention toward Blackbeard, only to see him covered in thick smoke; half of his hair stood straight up, while the other half was completely singed, making his already ugly appearance even more hideous. Blackbeard opened his mouth, exhaling a long, weary puff of smoke. The Dark Cave technique ceased, and the seawater that had been swallowed rushed back to the surface, causing the entire sea to turn turbulent.
However, no one was watching the water; their focus was entirely on Blackbeard. His eyes burned with rage. "Hmm! Charlotte Linlin! What is the meaning of this?! Why did you attack me?"
Big Mom paused, confused. Before she could answer, Carl interjected, speaking over her. "Blackbeard, your life is incredibly resilient. Mom realizes that you are a potential threat to her, so she wants to take this opportunity to eliminate you! You are ambitious, and everyone knows you have your sights set on the territory of Totto Land. Mom has known for a long time. She invited you here to help destroy the Straw Hats, but she also plans to use this moment to dispose of the Blackbeard Pirates. A person with three Devil Fruit abilities is far too dangerous to leave unchecked; it is only natural for her to attack you!"
Blackbeard was taken aback. Had he not known how eloquent the bastard Carl could be, he might have actually believed the lie.
"Hmph! Bastard Carl, stop talking nonsense!" Blackbeard growled.
"An explanation is just a cover-up, and that is exactly what you are doing!" Carl countered quickly. "Blackbeard, do not say I didn't warn you. Big Mom is famous for betraying her teammates. Do not wait until your entire crew is wiped out before you start to regret your choices!"
Big Mom remained silent, unsure of how to respond. She was not a particularly clever person, and her eloquence paled in comparison to Carl's, leaving her without a rebuttal.
Blackbeard let out a sharp laugh. "Thief hahaha! Bastard Carl, do not try to sow discord between us. I know exactly what Captain Charlotte is like. Even if she wants to deal with me, she will wait until after the Straw Hats are destroyed. Regardless of any potential threat I pose, nobody compares to the danger posed by the Straw Hats!"
Hearing this, Big Mom grinned broadly. "Well said! You, Blackbeard, you understand the situation perfectly!"
"That is natural. No matter how silver-tongued you are, Carl, I will never forget that you force-fed me the Raspberry Fruit. You would never speak for my benefit; you are clearly up to no good!" Blackbeard stared at Carl, hatred gleaming in his eyes.
Carl merely shrugged, indifferent to the accusation. Regardless of the outcome, he had successfully interrupted Blackbeard's spellcasting and forced Big Mom to attack her own ally for no reason.
Luffy, however, shouted in frustration, "Mr. Carl, I told you to leave Blackbeard to me!"
Carl looked entirely innocent. "Luffy, that has nothing to do with me. I was simply dodging Big Mom's attack. I never expected Blackbeard to be unlucky enough to be standing right behind me."
"Is that so?" Luffy asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Of course. I am fighting one of the Four Emperors; how could I possibly have the energy to engage in a conspiracy?" Carl asked with a straight face.
"Is that so? I blamed you wrongly, Mr. Carl! Let us keep fighting and defeat them!" The simple-minded Luffy believed him immediately.
Everyone else stood by with dark expressions, gaining a deeper appreciation for Carl's brazen nature. Robin, on the other hand, smiled proudly. "Hehe, he truly is the husband of Nico Robin. He is so cute."
The people around her felt a chill. They secretly thought that she was indeed worthy of being called the child of the devil; her tastes were truly bizarre. She actually found a guy like Carl to be cute, rather than hateful or terrifying.
"Yo ho ho ho! Teacher Carl is as wicked as ever. I have goosebumps, even though I have no skin! Yo ho ho ho!" Brook laughed until tears streamed down his face. It was a mystery how tears could even emerge from a skeleton's eye sockets.
His opponent, Charlotte Owen, looked on in silence. He continued to release hot-wind punches, but the damage to the skeleton was minimal. As Brook had noted, he was a soul returned from the Underworld; his body was cold and entirely unaffected by heat.
"Luminescence: Straight Through!" Brook lunged at Owen suddenly.
Owen, unfazed, wrapped his right hand in Armament Haki and firmly grasped Brook's blade. He pushed out waves of intense heat from his palm, instantly heating the metal to a glowing red.
"It is hot! It is hot! It is so hot that my skin is ripping apart!" Brook screamed, before quickly adding, "Oh, wait, I have no flesh! Yo ho ho ho!"
Owen's expression was grim. He felt as though the skeleton was mocking him, never taking the fight seriously. In that case, he would hold nothing back. Owen pulled his tachi from his back, heating it until it burned with intense flames, and slashed toward Brook.
"High Heat Slash!"
The air around the blade seemed to ignite, creating a trail of fire. Brook's skeletal face remained expressionless. He took one step forward, and in the next second, he was standing behind Owen.
"It is finished," Brook said softly.
Owen stood stunned, looking back in confusion. He had no idea when Brook had maneuvered behind him.
"Nose Song: Arrow Tail Slash!"
Brook sheathed his sword, and a deep cut appeared on Owen's chest. Owen watched as his blood began to flow, unable to comprehend what had happened before his eyes rolled back and he collapsed, unconscious.
Brook slumped to the ground, exhausted. "Yo ho ho ho, I am so tired that my bones feel like they are falling apart. The officers of the Big Mom Pirates are truly difficult to deal with!"
He complained while catching his breath. He and Owen had been locked in a stalemate for two hours. His Yomi Yomi no Mi fruit seemed special, providing a certain immunity to the heat of Owen's fruit, which was the only reason Brook had managed to survive this long. Furthermore, Brook's own strength had improved significantly, allowing him to hold his own; otherwise, he would have been defeated long ago. Although he was beaten badly, the lack of skin and flesh meant he didn't have to worry about bruises or swelling. Thankfully, he had persevered, and his hidden Arrow Tail Slash had finally secured the victory. After this battle, Brook realized how much he had grown and discovered a clear direction for his future growth.
"Take a rest, then hurry up and help your friends!"