"That bastard… Rosinante's using Mama as a training dummy!" Daifuku growled.
"He's not afraid that one wrong move will get him sliced clean in half by Mama?" Mont-d'Or muttered in disbelief.
By now, the entire Charlotte Family had realized it—Rosinante was treating their mother as live combat practice. Faces twisted with outrage, but there was nothing they could do.
Mama was no longer recognizing friend or foe. No matter what they said, she wouldn't listen. At this moment, only Rosinante could stop her.
And even if they wanted to interfere, this level of battle was far beyond what they could insert themselves into.
So all they could do was stand there and watch as Rosinante used Mama as his sparring partner, utterly powerless to change the situation.
Now, all their hopes rested on Streusen's arrival—perhaps he could find a way to calm Mama down.
"Has Chef Streusen not arrived yet?" Perospero asked urgently.
"From the kitchens to here takes a little time, but I'd say he's close," Baron Tomago replied.
"This episode of Mama's is strange," Daifuku said grimly. "Whenever she had her eating disorder before, she'd chant the name of a dessert she wanted, and we could make it to restore her sanity. But this time she hasn't mentioned any sweet she wants—instead she's been calling for Sister Carmel over and over. What's going on?"
"Exactly. We've never seen anything like this. Right now, this Mama is unknown territory to us. Maybe only Chef Streusen knows what's happening," said the eldest daughter, Charlotte Compote.
"Contact Owen right now—tell him to bring Chef Streusen here as fast as possible!" Perospero ordered.
"Yes!" Baron Tomago replied, immediately dialing the Den Den Mushi.
"Already found Chef Streusen—he's on his way now!" Owen's voice crackled from the other end.
Her overwhelming power… her monstrous defenses… and now, stripped of reason, the primal, beastlike instincts driving her attacks made them even more lethal.
There was no opponent more suited for training than Charlotte Linlin in this state.
Of course, it was incredibly dangerous—just one hit from her could leave Rosinante half-dead.
But it was precisely this crushing pressure that forced Rosinante's growth at a shocking pace.
Her impenetrable defenses compelled him to sharpen his slashes to new levels of lethality.
Her ferocious attacks forced him to make his movements faster and more fluid.
In just a few minutes, the combat experience Rosinante gained surpassed what months of his own training could have achieved.
Under this intense pressure, his slashes no longer wasted force in the swing—every bit of power stayed within the blade. The attacks looked simple, almost ordinary, yet their true might was beyond imagination.
The proof? One casual slash had been enough to make Charlotte Linlin instinctively coat herself in Armament Haki.
And Linlin was known as the "Steel Balloon"—her body was harder than refined steel, and her skin possessed a unique elasticity that even a master swordsman's blade couldn't cut through.
Yet Rosinante's seemingly ordinary slash had triggered her body's danger sense, forcing her to defend.
This meant his sword was now strong enough to threaten her.
Meanwhile, Linlin's brutal assaults pushed his mobility to the next level.
Before, his mastery of Shadow Flicker allowed him to move precisely only within ten meters.
But now… he was controlling it at seven meters, then six, and finally down to five—each step an improvement in efficiency.
A ten-meter jump in close combat wasted both time and stamina. Shortening it to five meters might not look faster to the naked eye, but in truth, it cut the time in half.
And in battle, halving that movement time was the same as doubling his speed.
With Shadow Flicker's base velocity, doubling that speed was a terrifying boost to combat power.
Shorter, precise movement also made his footwork smoother, more flexible—enhanced further by the Silence ability absorbing shock force.
Now, Rosinante's movements were like a stream of light itself, able to curve and turn mid-step instead of traveling only in a straight line. No longer would he be helpless if an attack came along his path.
"This step technique… let's call it Flowing Light War Step. Shadow Flicker works best for lunges, but in close-quarters combat, Flowing Light War Step is perfect," Rosinante murmured, satisfaction glinting in his eyes.
Although his slashing power had improved, Rosinante knew his swordsmanship was still crude. Without a master's guidance, it would take long, patient refinement to truly elevate it.
What truly thrilled him was developing this new Flowing Light War Step under Linlin's crushing pressure.
With this technique, he could remain virtually untouchable in battle—even against top-tier martial artists, he'd have no fear.
Of course, if faced with a monster like Kong of the Marines, he'd still be in trouble…
Unless he could shrink the step's control to under one meter.
Because each reduction in range meant an equivalent increase in effective speed. If he could reduce it to one meter, his close-combat movement speed would essentially increase fivefold—an absurd, frightening prospect.
As the fight grew fiercer, even the Charlotte Family members could feel it—Rosinante was getting stronger before their very eyes. And that only made them fear him more.
The major members exchanged a glance, silent understanding passing between them.
They absolutely could not let Rosinante leave here alive today. Otherwise, they would be unleashing a new great enemy—one who could rival Mama herself for the title of Emperor of the Sea.
"Oi, Napoleon!!" Suddenly, in the middle of battle, Charlotte Linlin's cold, chilling voice rang out.
"Got it, Mama!" Napoleon, the Homie infused with her own powerful soul, instantly understood her command.
"Emperor Sword!!" Linlin swung her blade, the flames of Prometheus merging into Napoleon's steel until a massive longsword blazed with raging fire.
"Cleave Cutter!!" With a single motion, she brought the burning sword down toward Rosinante.