Whoosh!
Just then, a sharp gust of wind broke the air behind him.
Katakuri turned sharply—only to see a short, round old man descending from the sky, stepping lightly through the air using Geppo before landing steadily on the ground.
The old man had a full head of white hair and looked lively and alert.
He wore a pink button-up shirt and a white apron, an outfit so mismatched it was almost comical.
Yet, the moment the Charlotte family children saw him, their expressions all turned solemn.
Katakuri immediately stepped forward with clear respect.
"Mr. Streusen, you've finally come.
If the situation weren't so dire, I'd never have dared to disturb your vacation…"
"Enough of that," Streusen waved a hand, his tone curt.
He lifted his gaze toward the sky, where Nao and Big Mom were clashing, and his face darkened.
"I may be old, but I'm not blind yet.
This… this is bad. I can't believe that brat Linlin is actually being completely suppressed…"
"Nao, YOU LITTLE BRAT!!!"
At that very moment, a furious roar erupted from the scorched battlefield, drawing everyone's attention.
In the enormous crater below, Big Mom—her face twisted in rage—once again poured her soul power into Napoleon.
With a scream, she launched herself skyward and re-engaged Nao in a ferocious clash.
Thunder rumbled. Flames roared.
In an instant, the sky blazed with lightning and fire.
The two figures crossed and collided again and again, leaving behind countless afterimages, their speed so extreme that the eye could barely follow.
Yet, no matter who was watching, the truth was obvious—
Big Mom was still on the defensive, completely overpowered by that man.
"What should we do, Master Streusen?"
Katakuri's hand tightened on his trident as he finally spoke up.
"Should we go help her?
If this keeps up, I'm worried…"
"Linlin never liked anyone interfering in her fights," Streusen replied after a short pause.
"Besides, the grudge between her and that White Dragon brat has been festering for years…"
After a moment of thought, he shook his head.
"Wait a little longer.
Have the younger ones retreat farther from here—this isn't a place they should stay.
The Sweet Commanders remain.
Only you four—and I—can actually make a difference at this level.
Anyone else staying will only get in the way."
"Yes, sir."
Katakuri nodded without hesitation. He understood completely and turned at once to carry out the order.
"Hey, who's that old guy?"
A few guests nearby whispered nervously to each other.
"How come even Katakuri listens to him?"
"You probably don't know—he's nearly ninety!
He's from the previous generation.
You're too young to have heard of him, but just remember this:
he's one of the original founders of the Big Mom Pirates."
"He's the one who guided Big Mom onto the path of piracy in the first place.
He retired years ago, so nobody really knows how strong he is anymore—but one thing's for sure:
he's definitely stronger than Katakuri!"
"Wha—seriously? The Charlotte family had a monster like that hidden away?
Then if he joins in, even that White Dragon guy can't win, right?"
"Who knows…" someone muttered, their voice shaking slightly.
"That White Dragon's power doesn't even seem human.
Still, we shouldn't stick around to find out. Come on! Let's move! The farther we are from here, the better!"
"What? We're already several kilometers away! Isn't that far enough?"
"Idiot! At this level of battle, they could wipe out an entire island—even a nation!
Now shut up and run! Before you get caught in it!"
Meanwhile, chaos spread across the ground as more and more guests realized the danger and began fleeing toward the coast.
Above them, the battle in the sky continued to intensify—
Lightning roared, sword auras howled, and within that apocalyptic storm, whole sections of buildings below were crushed and obliterated, turning the landscape into a wasteland of fire and ash.
Most of the Charlotte family's children had already been forcefully evacuated along with the guests to a safe area.
Now, apart from the Four Sweet Commanders, only Streusen and the eldest son, Perospero, remained on the scene.
As they waited in uneasy silence, time crawled by—
before they realized it, more than three hours had passed.
The sun was sinking toward the horizon.
Twilight spread across the sky.
And at that moment—
with a howling gust of wind, Big Mom's massive body was struck and sent flying backwards hundreds of meters.
She crashed into the ground, gouging out a long, terrifying trench before finally coming to a stop—
right in front of the Four Sweet Commanders and the others.
"Mama!"
Perospero cried out in alarm and rushed forward to help her up—
only to be violently shoved aside the next second.
"Get out of my way!"
Big Mom was covered in blood, barely managing to stand with the help of her cracked Emperor Sword.
Her breathing was ragged and heavy.
Her long pink hair fell wildly over her face, hiding her forehead.
The once-beautiful features of her face were now marred with deep, feral gashes—
she looked less like a woman and more like a demon cursed by vengeance.
Beside her—
Prometheus and Zeus, her two mightiest Homies, had completely lost their former ferocity.
They had reverted to their normal, smaller forms, floating weakly at her sides, utterly drained.
Katakuri and the others exchanged uneasy looks.
None of them dared to speak rashly.
Finally, their eyes turned toward Streusen.
"Linlin,"
the old man said gravely,
"You've done enough.
For the sake of the family… and the future of Totto Land—
let me, Katakuri, and the others take it from here…"
Big Mom suddenly turned her head.
Her bloodshot eyes glared at Streusen with such intensity that everyone felt a chill run down their spines.
Just as Katakuri and the others feared she might snap into another violent frenzy—
she coughed up a mouthful of blood, gave a low snarl, and stepped once more onto Zeus, shooting back toward Nao in the distance.
"…She's given her consent."
Streusen's face hardened.
He reached under his white chef's apron and drew a sword from his waist, his gaze sweeping across everyone.
"Follow the formation I gave earlier.
We'll attack with everything we have.
This is the end of the line—
we either win, or we die. Understood?!"
The Four Sweet Commanders stiffened, their expressions grim as they answered in unison:
"Yes, sir!"
They all knew:
No matter how unstable Big Mom could be—her moods, her gluttonous fits, her childish rages—
she was still one of the strongest beings in the world, standing at its very peak.
She possessed pride befitting her title as an Emperor of the Sea.
A warrior of that level would never tolerate anyone interfering in her personal battle.
Now, by allowing them to join the fight,
she had effectively cast aside the pride of an Emperor,
abandoning the dignity of a world-class powerhouse.
Even if they won now, it would forever stain her reputation in the eyes of the world.
But compared to the alternative—
that was a small price to pay.
Because if Big Mom were to fall completely,
what awaited them would be the destruction of the Big Mom Pirates… and the fall of Totto Land itself.
So…
Just as Streusen had said—
in this battle, they had to cast aside all hesitation and fear.
There was only one goal:
to give everything they had and help Mama defeat the White Dragon!
...
"Oh?"
On the scorched battlefield, Nao caught Big Mom's swing with one sword and sneered mockingly:
"Can't win one-on-one, huh? So now you're calling for backup after getting beat this hard?"
Big Mom's expression darkened.
She didn't respond—
instead, she roared and poured strength into her sword arm, forcing Nao's blade aside.
With her free left fist wreathed in searing soul fire, she drove it straight toward the opening in Nao's chest!
But before her punch could land, Nao's Wind Blade effortlessly intercepted it.
The roaring flames clinging to Big Mom's fist sputtered out instantly.
"Too slow."
Sensing five powerful presences rapidly closing in around him, Nao remained perfectly calm, his eyes cold.
"If you'd called that old hag from Onigashima to come help you, maybe I'd have been a little wary…
But this level of 'reinforcement'?"
"It's meaningless."
As he spoke, Nao parried Big Mom's Emperor Sword with his Azakana Sword—
and with his free hand, he swung the Wind Blade behind him at a speed the naked eye could barely follow.
Shhhh!
A torrent of radiant white sword energy burst forth, cutting through the air like a tidal wave—
and its trajectory was aimed directly at Amande, who had been the first to close in thanks to her incredible agility.
"Not good!"
Amande's face changed drastically.
The terrifying pressure coming at her seemed to lock onto her soul itself—
there was nowhere to run.
As the Charlotte Family's greatest swordswoman, Amande acted on instinct.
She planted her heel hard into the ground, gripped her blade with both hands, and unleashed the strongest attack she had ever executed in her life.
"One-Sword Style—Cold Blade Frostbloom!"
A sharp ice-blue slash, laced with a chilling aura, roared out to meet the incoming white arc.
And just ten meters ahead of her—
the two forces collided.
The explosion of energy sent a violent shockwave sweeping across the battlefield.
In Amande's widening eyes, the sword strike that contained the entirety of her swordsmanship—her life's training—
lasted barely two or three seconds before it shattered completely.
The white slash from Nao, still blazing with destructive energy, tore through her counterattack as if it were nothing—
and came straight for her chest.
BOOM!
With a deafening crash, Amande's body was hurled backward, smashing through a wall of rubble before crashing hard into the scorched ground.
Her white hat and sword rolled away beside her.
A single horrific wound stretched from her pale, serpentine neck all the way down to her abdomen, gushing blood.
She lay motionless in the crater—
eyes wide open, staring blankly at the sky, disbelief frozen in them even in death.
"She… she's dead!"
"Just one strike—how is that possible?!"
From the distant shoreline, where spectators watched through telescopes,
a collective gasp spread among the guests.
Amande, just like that, died?
This was one of the Big Mom Pirates' strongest fighters! Even if her strength ranked lowest among the Sweet Commanders, her bounty was a colossal 600 million Berries!
Yet, she was instantly killed by a single, casual sword strike unleashed by Nao, who was still fiercely battling Big Mom?
The remaining Commanders, who had been racing toward Big Mom to assist, froze mid-step.
Their eyes snapped to Amande's lifeless body, pupils shrinking as a chill spread down their spines.
"Damn it!"
Katakuri was the first to react.
The man who loved his younger siblings most dearly had his eyes turn blood-red in an instant.
From the northern side of the battlefield, he surged forward at blinding speed, charging straight for Nao's back.
At the same time, his arm muscles bulged and coiled like steel cables as he unleashed his most powerful ultimate technique without hesitation—
"Muso Mochi: Hymn of the Dough!"
In that instant, countless mochi rings—donut-shaped clusters—formed rapidly around him.
They expanded outward and morphed into massive arms like sky-piercing pillars,
then came crashing down toward Nao's back with the force to blot out the sun!
This was the most destructive strike of a Devil Fruit Awakener—
a level far more terrifying than Amande's sword energy.
Even for Nao, it was impossible to deflect something like that casually with just one hand, as he had done before.
Big Mom clearly realized this as well.
With a roar of fury, her assault became a wild tempest, forcing Nao into a tight defense.
And in that very moment, Katakuri's countless massive mochi arms struck like torrential rain,
each blow slamming into Nao's back with thunderous force.
His head, neck, shoulders, spine, waist, thighs—
every part of his back was buried under that storm of attacks.
The deafening rhythm of the blows made the air vibrate,
and the metallic clang of impact echoed like blades clashing in a forge.
"Mama-mama!!"
Sensing an opportunity, Big Mom threw her head back and laughed wildly, pressing her attack harder.
"Can't dodge, can you, White Dragon? Even you—after taking that kind of punishment—you won't be able to… huh?"
Her laughter cut off abruptly.
Before her stunned eyes, the man who had just taken the full brunt of Katakuri's ultimate move—
simply rolled his neck with a crack and then looked up again as if nothing had happened.
He grinned, flashing a row of pristine white teeth.
"Sorry to disappoint you."
Behind him, the muscles on his back began to pulse and expand,
healing the deep craters and dents almost instantly,
like memory metal snapping back into shape.
Within seconds, his body was perfectly restored.
"How… how is that possible…"
Katakuri's pupils shrank, cold sweat dripping down his forehead.
Before he could even recover from his shock, Nao suddenly kicked off the ground—
his foot wreathed in roaring lightning.
The next moment, his lightning-charged heel smashed square into Big Mom's face,
twisting her expression grotesquely as her huge body was sent hurtling backward dozens of meters.
And before Katakuri could even blink—
his vision blurred.
When he refocused, Nao, who had been hundreds of meters away a heartbeat ago,
was now right in front of him, his crimson Azakana Sword already swinging down toward his face.
Katakuri hastily raised his trident, Mogura, to block—
CLANG!
A blinding spray of sparks erupted.
He managed to stop the slash, but the sheer pressure pressing down on him was overwhelming—
like the weight of a mountain crushing him.
His trident creaked and sank downward inch by inch,
until the metal haft was pressed against his cheek, carving a deep line into his flesh.
"I don't really want to kill you, Katakuri,"
Nao said coldly, his expression unreadable.
The two men locked eyes—one calm as ice, the other red-faced, panting, straining with everything he had just to hold the weapon steady.
"But I also don't feel like letting you interfere. So…"
"Why don't you sit quietly on the sidelines instead."
HUMMMM!
The Azakana Sword flared violently, erupting with a terrifying storm of lightning.
The brilliant blue thunder engulfed Katakuri entirely,
and under the surge of that crushing power, he realized how laughable his resistance truly was.
Seven years ago, when they had first fought in the New World,
they had battled for a full day and night without a clear victor—
but back then, Katakuri had held the upper hand.
Now, seven years later…
He was still the same Katakuri.
But Nao—
was no longer the same man.
Their difference was now an unbridgeable abyss—
a gulf so vast that all Katakuri could feel was despair.
BOOM!
With an explosive crash, Katakuri's body was hurled hundreds of meters away,
slamming into the trunk of a massive, shattered tree.
He coughed up a mouthful of blood, clutching his chest and trying to stand—
but before he could rise, his vision went black.
His head tilted sideways as he collapsed to the ground,
unconscious in an instant.
...
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