Kaido was still being pummeled into the frozen battlefield by Borsalino and the other Admirals, completely unaware that Shiki had already been killed. At this moment, he was too busy trying to survive.

But Charlotte Linlin?

She saw it all.

The moment Shiki fell, she understood the gravity of the situation. And then—she saw Claudius.

"That bastard!"

Her mind reeled. That damn Claudius… he was disguised as Doflamingo?!

Then who was the one causing trouble at Sabaody Archipelago?

Did she even need to think about it? It had to be the real Doflamingo!

The two brothers truly were cut from the same treacherous mold.

And with that, everything clicked into place for Charlotte Linlin.

This Pirate Expo… it was a trap.

A trap orchestrated by Douglas Bullet, the World Government, and the Marines.

It all made sense.

First of all, Claudius and the others were far too well-prepared. Almost every top fighter had shown up, except for the truly old generation.

That meant this was never some hastily arranged battle. The Marines had planned this for a long time.

Then there was Douglas Bullet himself.

Where the hell was he?!

He was the one who set up this whole Pirate Expo, yet he hadn't shown his face once since the battle began.

That could only mean one thing—he had betrayed them.

Sure, he was once Roger's crewmate. Sure, he had spent decades rotting away in Impel Down, just like her. Sure, Claudius had humiliated him in the past.

But in the end, none of that mattered.

Bullet had sold his soul.

He had turned his back on his fellow pirates, working with the World Government to set them up.

Using his reputation as Roger's crewmate, he had lured them all into a perfect trap.

Charlotte Linlin was furious.

She wanted to spit in Bullet's face.

She could already picture how this all played out:

1. The Four Emperors and their crews would be crushed here.

2. With them gone, Bullet would be the last true pirate powerhouse left in the New World.

3. The Shichibukai were already dogs of the World Government.

4. The rest of the pirates in the world were second-rate at best.

At that point, Douglas Bullet would be the last true pirate kingpin left standing.

Then, with his secret alliance with the World Government, what would stop him from seizing the One Piece?

Charlotte Linlin couldn't help but sneer.

"So, even you crave the title of Pirate King, huh? And you're willing to play dirty to get it?!"

But at the same time… she had to admit.

It was brilliant.

If she were in Bullet's position, would she do the same thing?

Yes. Absolutely.

Use the World Government, seize power, and then turn on Claudius once she had the strength to do so.

Charlotte Linlin smirked bitterly.

Claudius must have anticipated this. He was no fool. If he had been careless, then all of them, the ones who walked into this trap wouldn't just be idiots.

They'd be complete morons.

But none of that mattered now.

This wasn't her fight anymore.

This was a battle between Claudius and Bullet, two treacherous bastards playing their own game.

And yet… for some reason…

She knew Claudius would win.

Because Claudius always won.

This time was no different.

She had lost.

And when you lose…

You cut your losses and run.

Forget the Log Pose to Laugh Tale, that had to be a lie anyway. Bullet had never been there. How could he possibly have it?

They were fools for believing it.

…No, wait.

She hadn't believed it from the start!

Right?

…Right?!

The realization made her even angrier.

"Damn it! I've been fighting alongside fools this whole time!"

Meanwhile, Claudius had no idea Charlotte Linlin was mentally rewriting history to fit her own narrative.

In reality, Bullet hadn't betrayed anyone.

Most likely, he was currently getting his ass kicked by Dragon or Bartholomew Kuma somewhere.

But given how things looked?

Bullet was definitely going to take the blame for this.

And now, Charlotte Linlin was scared.

She had one plan left—RUN.

Forget the One Piece, she was done.

But the problem?

Could she even escape?

Ace and Hancock were going all out, keeping her locked down.

And now, Gion and Fujitora were closing in fast.

For the first time in decades, Charlotte Linlin felt a sense of helplessness.

She was trapped, just like Kaido.

Surrounded by four top-tier opponents.

Had it not been for her monstrous endurance, she might have already ended up like Shiki.

"Gravity Blade—Tiger!"

Fujitora's sword slashed downward, unleashing a gravitational force.

Charlotte Linlin roared in frustration.

"Bullet!!! I curse you!!!"

At the same time, she threw a devastating punch at Fujitora.

But it didn't stop there.

"Sky Ripper!"

Gion launched a powerful kick from the left.

"Perfume Femur!!!"

Hancock attacked from the right.

"Flame Emperor!!!"

Ace's massive fireball erupted from behind.

Just like Kaido earlier, Charlotte Linlin was now surrounded—besieged on all sides.

At that moment, from a distance, Shanks observed the battle with a thoughtful expression.

"That old hag… why is she cursing Bullet?"

He turned to Mihawk.

"Was Bullet really behind this?"

Mihawk shook his head calmly.

"I can say with absolute certainty, this war was planned by Claudius alone. Bullet had nothing to do with it."

Shanks frowned. "Really?"

Even though Mihawk's answer was clear, there was still doubt in Shanks' eyes.

Could it really all be Claudius?

Was he truly capable of pulling off such a perfect trap?

Mihawk ignored Shanks' doubts and instead asked, "What will you do? If you don't leave now, you might not get the chance later. You can see it—the battle's outcome is already decided."

Shanks sighed.

"Yeah. It's over."

Whether it was Charlotte Linlin or Kaido, they weren't getting out of this.

Once they were dead, the New World would be left wide open for the World Government and Marines to take over.

This battle wasn't just a war.

It was the end of the Great Pirate Era.

"Twenty years…" Mihawk muttered. "It's time to end this."

After a pause, Mihawk turned back to Shanks.

"So? Are we going to keep fighting, or are you going back to play 'Emperor'?"

Shanks laughed bitterly.

"Four Emperors? Three of them are dead or dying. What's the point?"

Then, he smirked. "Can I really just leave?"

Mihawk nodded. "Of course. You were never part of the plan. Claudius sees you as a meddler, not a threat. As long as you don't interfere, he won't bother with you."

Shanks scoffed. "So he never even took me seriously?"

He shook his head.

"I don't know whether to feel lucky or insulted."

With that, he turned around and walked away.

Mihawk watched him go but made no move to stop him.

(To be continued.)

***

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