**Chapter 74: Mutual Destruction**

"I really can't believe this," Linton said, holding his head in frustration. This guy just wouldn't die. But thinking about it, it wasn't surprising. Later in the storyline, this guy's feats became even more ridiculous—he took over 200 stabs, more than 100 bullets, and even lost half his head, yet still managed to send high-ranking generals running in fear.

Linton glanced at Whitebeard, who was now covered in wounds, almost looking like a bloody figure. Yet, Whitebeard still stared at Linton with unwavering determination, and Linton could feel his battle spirit burning.

Checking his own magic points, Linton noticed they were nearly depleted, despite having an enormous amount of magical power. The other side seemed just as drained, fighting on pure willpower.

"I'm an OP character! There's no way I'm losing to you," Linton said. He still had enough magic left to activate Susanoo, but as he was about to do so, his body started forming hand signs on its own.

"Hey, hey, Battle Assistant! Can you stop messing around?" Linton complained. There was absolutely no teamwork between them.

"Wood Style: Binding Forest Burial!"

Unexpectedly, Linton's body used a Wood Style skill he had just acquired. Soon, a massive swarm of tree branches emerged from the ground and wrapped themselves around Whitebeard.

Whitebeard was stunned. Linton's techniques were completely unfamiliar to him. He had no idea what kind of Devil Fruit power this was. First, there was the giant, and now trees? What was going on?

The tree branches quickly grew, binding Whitebeard in an instant. Whitebeard struggled and found the branches to be extremely tough, so he immediately used his Devil Fruit power.

With a loud *boom*, a white shockwave shook the entire tree. However, just as the branches shattered, new ones immediately replaced them. Wood Style techniques were notorious for being difficult to shake off.

Whitebeard realized just how troublesome this technique was. Even worse, he was aware of his own physical condition. He had exhausted so much energy that even standing was a struggle. Dealing with this stamina-draining technique was proving too much for him.

"Ha!" With another loud roar, Whitebeard shook the tree once more. Even though he hadn't broken free, Linton could tell that this wouldn't hold him for long.

"Black Rod!" Linton summoned a black rod using the Rinnegan. After experimenting with it for the past three days, he discovered it had a sealing effect. Taking advantage of the situation, he decided to try sealing Whitebeard before he broke free.

But to his surprise, as soon as he summoned the black rod, his body grabbed it and charged straight toward Whitebeard.

"Hey, wait!" Linton couldn't stop himself. In an instant, he was in front of Whitebeard, thrusting the black rod into his chest.

With a sickening *squelch*, the black rod pierced through Whitebeard's chest. Whitebeard grunted, grabbed the rod with one hand, and threw a punch at Linton with the other.

*Boom!* The world spun as Linton was sent flying. He quickly regained his composure, flipping in mid-air and skidding to a stop about ten meters away.

"Host's body has sustained severe damage. Healing with points is recommended," the Battle Assistant chimed in.

"I'm broke! No money, just my life!" Linton yelled. "This is your fault! I told you I can't handle close combat!"

"Please provide more battle data, host."

"Is that all you ever say? Can't you cooperate with me for once?"

Linton's injuries were worsening, and the system was urging him to heal, but it was clear that he couldn't hold out much longer. Glancing up, Linton saw Whitebeard being consumed by the trees. If Whitebeard had focused on breaking the tree branches instead of attacking him, he might have escaped, but he had used up his last bit of strength on that punch.

With the black rod still lodged in his chest, Whitebeard was finally swallowed up by the Wood Style technique. In the next moment, the branches coiled together to form a towering tree.

Linton sighed in relief. Wood Style techniques didn't just restrain opponents; they could also absorb chakra and stamina. Combined with the black rod's sealing effect, Linton thought that Whitebeard might finally be contained.

Even so, he still hadn't heard the Battle Assistant declare the fight over. Staring at the massive tree, he wasn't sure if the technique had worked. His own body, meanwhile, was on the verge of collapse. Despite taking only a few hits, the Shock-Shock Fruit's power was absurd. Each strike felt like his internal organs were being torn apart, and he couldn't stop coughing up blood.

Suddenly, *boom!*—a loud explosion echoed from within the tree. It felt as if the sound had hit Linton's chest directly. Whitebeard was still struggling, but this time he hadn't broken free.

*Boom!*—another explosion, but it was weaker this time.

*Boom!*—the third explosion was softer still, and then there was silence. Finally, the Battle Assistant's voice spoke.

"Battle over."

At the moment he heard the notification, Linton collapsed.

It was obvious his injuries had caught up with him. Linton wanted to get up, but he had no strength left. His body felt like it was falling apart. He realized that without the Battle Assistant, he wouldn't have even been able to stand, let alone dodge attacks or launch his own.

"Damn, that guy was insanely tough," Linton muttered. "I was hoping to take him down and ransom a Devil Fruit, but that's not happening now."

Resigned to his situation, Linton stopped struggling. He could heal himself, but he figured it might be better to just die and save some points.

As blood continued to pour from his wounds, Linton felt weaker and weaker. At least the pain was fading, but the slow process of dying was much worse than being killed instantly. It felt like an eternity.

Just before he lost consciousness, Linton saw people rushing toward him—probably Whitebeard's division commanders. He wanted to lift his head to get a better look, but his body wouldn't respond. In the next moment, everything went black. Then, suddenly, his vision brightened, and he found himself back in a forest.

Looking down, Linton realized he had indeed died and been revived. Death wasn't fun, but it had brought him back to life. He thought he was invincible, only to be quickly humbled. Top-tier characters were no joke; it seemed he still had more development ahead. In hindsight, he was glad he hadn't chosen to mess with the Marvel universe, where things would be even crazier.

"System notification: Mission completed. Exploration progress calculated... Progress: 13.5%. Points earned: 135,000."

"System notification: You've earned 498,000 battle points."

"System notification: You've received a random reward: Black Sword Shusui."

"Huh?" Linton blinked in surprise as a katana suddenly appeared in his hand. Out of habit, he drew the sword and inspected it. Sure enough, it was Shusui, one of the main swords used by Zoro later in the story. The black blade with its reddish-purple patterns was a beautiful weapon, and Linton never expected to get it as a random reward.

"Well, I guess the store has different categories of items. It's not too strange to get a random item." Linton nodded to himself. "But what's Zoro going to do without this sword?"

He wasn't sure if this was a copy of Shusui or the original. If it wasn't a duplicate, Zoro would have to find another sword in the future.

After some thought, Linton decided not to worry about it. Whatever happened, he could use the sword. He had briefly obtained a famous sword before—Orochimaru's Kusanagi—but he had to give it up since it was involved in killing the Third Hokage. This time, though, Shusui would be his to keep.

He swung the sword a few times and found it satisfactory, though his sword skills were limited to the basics. In a real fight, it would be more of a flashy prop than an effective weapon.

After storing the sword in his inventory, Linton began allocating his points. He hadn't earned a massive amount, but the battle points were decent. Although he hadn't fought many battles, his fight with Whitebeard had probably been rated highly.

First, Linton upgraded his Armament Haki to B-level. Armament Haki was incredibly useful, boosting both offense and defense. After experiencing it in battle, Linton couldn't resist upgrading it further. Next, he upgraded his Observation Haki. This was similar to a heightened sense of intuition, like the spider-sense he had considered learning before but had held off on due to its 100,000-point cost. However, Observation Haki had a wider application and, when fully developed, could even allow future sight. It seemed worth investing in.

With B-level Observation Haki now added, Linton still had 111,000 points left. He then considered the Shock-Shock Fruit. It cost 100,000 points to unlock, which seemed high for a Paramecia-type ability. He figured Logia-type fruits were better because of their added physical immunity. Still, Paramecia fruits like the Shock-Shock Fruit and the Phoenix Fruit both started at 100,000 points.

If he had to choose a Devil Fruit, Linton figured a Logia would be the best bet. However, he was worried about the

 potential downsides. What if it came with some major drawback? After some hesitation, he decided not to risk it just yet. Instead, he chose to invest in Wood Style and Sage Mode, learning as much as his points would allow.

(End of Chapter)