Starting as a pirate, he rose to become the strongest Shinigami in Soul Society.

Chapter 280 Lingling, you truly are the woman destined to become the Queen of the Sea!

After tumbling several times in the air, Bane landed on his feet and stood firmly without staggering.

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, feeling the pain in his body, and sneered, "Lingling, if that's all you've got, I won't give you any more room to perform."

In the distance, Charlotte Lingling was still standing on Zeus the thundercloud, her chin slightly bruised and swollen, but her soul power quickly healed the injuries.

Charlotte Linlin felt a little heavy-hearted as she watched Bane's figure disappear.

The Soul-Soul Fruit is extremely powerful, allowing it to utilize a large amount of soul power to enhance its current state. However, the problem is that Bane's Dark-Dark Fruit is indeed too effective against Devil Fruit users.

Despite the immense psychological pressure, Charlotte Linlin didn't show it outwardly. She scoffed, "Kid, if you want to beat me, show me your true skills!"

With a powerful punch, Bane unleashed a surge of energy that instantly shattered his already tattered navy cloak and black suit, revealing his muscular upper body.

The lines of those muscles were as if they had been sculpted, exuding a powerful beauty.

At this moment, Bane did not intend to underestimate Charlotte Linlin, but as he had just said, if she didn't have any other trump cards up her sleeve, then Charlotte Linlin's defeat was already inevitable.

That's his confidence!

The battle I just fought against two opponents was itself a test and a trial.

Charlotte Linlin is indeed very strong, and even in her current state, where her entire body is enhanced by soul power, she is more imposing than Kaido.

However, in several encounters, Bane's Dark-Dark Fruit power was able to completely suppress Charlotte Linlin's soul power, which was enough for Bane.

Putting aside abilities, whether it's strength or physical attributes, Bane is already confirmed to be stronger than Charlotte Linlin; in some ways, he is an enhanced version of Charlotte Linlin!

Therefore, he has absolute confidence in victory!

"Then don't let your eyes be deceived." Bane grinned, a vicious smile spreading across his face.

The moment he finished speaking, he unleashed a powerful step, and Bane vanished from his spot.

Charlotte Linlin's Observation Haki was constantly monitoring Bane's movements. The moment he disappeared, Charlotte Linlin had already locked onto his trajectory and slashed forward with the Emperor Sword in her hand.

Sure enough, Bane appeared at the spot Charlotte Linlin had predicted.

Facing the Emperor's sword hurtling towards him, Bane sneered, "To me, there are too many flaws!"

He neither dodged nor defended; instead, he met the emperor's sword head-on and grabbed it, billowing black smoke rising between his fingers!

A flash of blood appeared as Bane's palm was cleaved open by the Emperor's Sword, crimson blood flowing out. At the same time, Bane grabbed the blade of the Emperor's Sword, and the power of darkness erupted, instantly destroying the soul power that had been imbued into the blade. The Emperor's Sword was stripped of its so-called 'life' on the spot, abruptly turning into an ordinary pirate captain's hat.

In their previous encounter, Bane had not used this power, so Charlotte Linlin was caught off guard and did not have time to react.

This situation, however, is a huge weakness for Bane!

Before he could even drop the captain's hat, Bane grabbed it, turned it into an iron fist, and punched Charlotte Linlin in the stomach.

This attack was also imbued with dark power. Wherever the fist landed, the power there was nullified. Charlotte Linlin's soul's eerie green light spread outwards from her abdomen as the powerful fist struck her abdominal muscles with full force!

The fierce force of the punch caused Charlotte Linlin's expression to contort in pain, and blood involuntarily spilled from the corner of her mouth. However, this blood did not activate and flow back, indicating that her soul's blessing had been interrupted at that moment.

Charlotte Lingling lost her footing and failed to hold onto Zeus the Thundercloud; she was sent flying by the punch.

Bane did not pursue, but instead took a deep breath, and a strange dark mist emanated from the corners of his eyes. His strong upper body was shrouded in black smoke, indicating that he had used his ability to the fullest.

As the dense dark power surged to his fist, condensing without being released, Bane stomped his foot, his figure rising hundreds of meters into the air, unleashing an incomparably powerful aura. His Conqueror's Haki instantly enveloped the entire island—no, the entire sea!

"That's the move!" Ain exclaimed from the deck of the warship.

Sengoku, standing to the side, also wore an unusually solemn expression. Sensing Bane's overwhelming aura, he said gravely, "So strong."

Charlotte Linlin, who had just been slammed into the ground by the previous punch, didn't even have time to roll over and dissipate the force before she felt an irresistible, surging attraction that forcefully pulled her body upwards into the sky.

Having fought Bane for a long time, she naturally understood that this was Bane's ability!

Looking up, he saw that he was flying rapidly towards the area where Bane was in the sky, and Bane's power was already at its peak!

"Unleash your power, Starburst Fist!!!" Bane roared.

With that roar, Bane's figure, like a dazzling sun, trailed a red streak across the sky as he flew toward Charlotte Linlin, who was flying toward him.

"Damn it." Charlotte Linlin felt the extremely terrifying power, and a ruthless glint flashed in her eyes.

There was no way to escape it; she couldn't break free from that terrifying attraction. As a top-tier pirate with incredibly rich combat experience, she performed far better than Weevil had back then.

At the crucial moment, Charlotte Linlin adjusted her posture, and her already dull heartbeat, like a heavy drumbeat, became even more intense. The blood in her body seemed to be rushing wildly, causing her skin to turn red rapidly, and even her skin was radiating blood-colored steam.

The eerie green soul energy continuously gathered from all parts of her body to her fist. At this moment, without dodging, she unleashed a strike that embodied her own beliefs and power, meeting Bane's heavy punch head-on!

Even Kaido, Sakazuki, Issho, and the others who were engaged in fierce battle all stopped their attacks and looked up at the sky.

Two figures, one large and one small, collided in the line of sight at the angle of the sun.

They were clearly very powerful before, but at the moment of their actual collision, not a sound was made at all. They were formless and intangible, and the greatest sound is silent!

Those present were all top experts, and everyone saw it immediately. When Charlotte Linlin's punch, which was gathered with the power of her soul, had not yet taken effect, it was invaded by darkness the moment it came into contact with Bane's fist wind. In the blink of an eye, the power of her soul dissipated and disappeared.

Immediately afterwards, like a star exploding, endless red light burst forth in the sky, momentarily blinding everyone!

Nothing could be seen; it seemed that everything was shrouded in darkness!

And this is not an illusion!

In an instant, the dazzling red light, as intense as a star exploding, truly transformed into boundless darkness that spread, completely obscuring the entire sky, so that even the sun, higher up, could not appear.

But this darkness was only fleeting.

When everyone's attention returned to normal, a burst of blood-red light exploded in the sky.

Charlotte Linlin's arm, which had clashed with Bane's, shattered and exploded into pieces, turning into rotten flesh and bone fragments that flew through the air and fell to the ground. Following closely behind, her figure, as if unable to withstand this terrifying force, was also sent flying backward.

At first, it seemed slow, but in the next second, she had already disappeared.

Immediately, the entire island trembled as if a mountain had collapsed and the earth had split open. Only when the tremor came did everyone realize that Charlotte Linlin had been punched from the sky and pierced into the depths of the island!

While everyone was astonished, Yixiao was the first to use his powerful Observation Haki to detect Bane's figure, and then disappeared from the sky.

Then he realized that Bane had appeared in the pit where Charlotte Linlin had fallen.

At this moment, in the deep pit that almost pierced through the entire foundation of the island, Charlotte Linlin was crushed by several pieces of rubble, her face contorted in pain, blood streaming from the corner of her mouth, and even her breath was filled with blood foam, indicating that her injuries were extremely serious.

Her left arm, in particular, was completely gone; her shoulder blade had shattered, exposing flesh and blood to the air.

Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!

"Ugh..." Charlotte Linlin tried to suppress her voice, but some muffled groans of pain still escaped her lips.

A ghostly green aura of soul light illuminated the entire pit. Visibly, her injuries were healing. The bleeding had stopped. While she might not be able to regrow an arm, given a few minutes, it would be enough for the horrific wound to completely scab over and heal!

Perhaps because she had mobilized too much soul power, Charlotte Linlin's face began to show signs of aging, and she seemed to be reverting to her original form.

"Don't struggle anymore, you've already lost, haven't you?" Bane's figure emerged from the deep pit illuminated by the ghostly light of the soul, and said softly.

Charlotte Linlin's expression was ferocious as she struggled to get up, using her other arm to support herself against the pit wall.

However, it was clear that Bane did not give her that chance. He stepped on her chest and used his powerful strength to slam her back to the ground!

At the same time, a strange black mist emanated from beneath his feet, and the soul power that Charlotte Linlin had used to maintain her condition dissipated once again. The wounds that had shown signs of healing instantly collapsed, and blood gushed out.

Charlotte Linlin, whose physical abilities were already inferior to Bane's, was now severely injured and had her soul power sealed. Her face turned pale, and her youthful appearance began to age. In just a few breaths, apart from the fat that had been burned off, which made her less muscular than before, she had completely returned to her original appearance.

"It's over," Bane said softly.

These words seemed to bring Charlotte Linlin a sense of relief. Her eyes relaxed instantly. She clearly still had the strength to continue fighting, even with these injuries, for a long time. But now, she stopped making futile struggles. Her resistance dissipated, and she lay in the crater, saying with a sigh, "It seems the sea didn't favor me this time."

"From the moment you bore the name of a pirate, the first time you plundered everything from others and enjoyed that thrill, your fate was sealed today, wasn't it?" Bane clicked his tongue.

"Heh heh heh, you don't need to be so hypocritical. You're making it sound like a declaration of justice, aren't you? You probably know perfectly well what this ocean looks like. Your fists have already told me that we're all the same kind of people, just wearing different coats." Charlotte Linlin sneered, her tone somewhat mocking.

Bane nodded upon hearing this, and without saying anything more hypocritical, said softly, "You're right, we are the same kind, it's just that I'm more cunning, and I've simply put on a cloak of hypocrisy and righteousness."

Bane was good at understanding the principle of "you are what you eat," so he knew a certain truth.

On this vast ocean, you can't become a superior person by enduring hardship. As long as you can endure hardship, you will have endless hardship. On the contrary, you can become a superior person by eating other people.

Whether it's a general or an emperor, the underlying principle is the same.

The only difference is that Bane doesn't prey on the weak, only on the strong. Perhaps that's why he can still barely raise the banner of justice?

Charlotte Linlin didn't continue the conversation. She knew her injuries weren't fatal, but the man in front of her had no intention of letting her live any longer.

"I knew I would lose, but I didn't expect to lose so quickly. How did Kaido manage to hold out for two days and three nights against you?" Charlotte Linlin said with some resentment.

With a Bane of this strength, how could Kaido fight him for so long? She found it absurd! As one of the Four Emperors, am I already that far behind Kaido?

Bane paused for a moment upon hearing this, then shook his head and said, "I was just putting on a brave face back then. I wasn't this strong back then."

Hearing this, Charlotte Linlin's eyes widened in disbelief. After a moment, she said regretfully, "Our biggest mistake was underestimating your growth rate."

"Thank you for the compliment. Considering your renowned reputation that has traversed the world, is there anything else you would like to say before you die?" Bane raised an eyebrow and asked, black smoke rising from his hand.

Charlotte Linlin paused for a moment, then said quite nonchalantly, "It's a pity I never got to taste the flavor of a giant man."

Upon hearing this, Bane looked somewhat surprised, as if he never expected that such a heroine as Charlotte Linlin would utter these last words.

After regaining his senses, Bane laughed heartily, "Hahaha, at a time like this, I actually admire you a little, Lingling. You truly deserve to be called the queen of the seas! You certainly have the demeanor of a queen!"

"I'm in so much pain all over, you bastard! If you're going to do something, hurry up and do it!" Charlotte Linlin said with a bright smile on her face.

Then, darkness engulfed her body like a tidal wave.

(End of this chapter)