"Well, well, he can still stand. Awakened Zoan users truly are monsters."
At the centre of the crater, a tall figure staggered to its feet. It was not much different from his full leopard form, just slightly smaller and with more humanoid features.
"You Marines really love to meddle in other people's business. As I recall..."
"The Kingdom of Kyros isn't affiliated with the World Government, is it? Meow~"
Pizarro felt deeply wronged. Having sailed the seas for many years, he was no fool.
Even when he decided to take over a country on a whim, he always chose nations unaffiliated with the World Government.
After all, he had just angered Big Mom; he couldn't afford to provoke the World Government as well.
"How unfortunate for you. It is now."
Atlas spread his hands, a half-smile playing on his lips.
"Make your choice. Surrender willingly, or... I'll beat you to death!"
"..."
His eyes bloodshot, a savage look flashed across Pizarro's face as he bared his teeth and roared.
"Are you kidding me? I'm a pirate!"
"Tch! The struggle of a cornered beast."
Swoosh!
Atlas once again appeared behind the hybrid-form Pizarro, his leg coated in Armament Haki as he unleashed the same sweeping kick.
"I won't make the same mistake twice!"
Feeling the wind whistling behind him, Pizarro grinned. He suddenly dropped low, all four limbs on the ground, narrowly dodging the incoming kick as it grazed past him.
"Heh!"
Atlas chuckled lightly, halting his attack mid-motion. Pivoting on his heel, he swung his leg back up, positioning it directly above Pizarro.
The veins on his calf bulged as he brought his leg down with immense force. Axe kick!
BOOM—!
The powerful kick slammed into the ground like a tomahawk dunk, creating a deafening roar. The earth buckled and tore, and the entire island seemed to shake violently.
"Steady, steady! Quick, give me a hand!"
"Ahhhh! Is this an earthquake?"
"Quick, hide in a corner! It must be that Marine officer fighting with the rotten pirate!"
The Marines' arrival on the island had not been a quiet affair. Many surviving civilians were peeking through cracks in their windows.
The braver ones had even run to the second ring of the city to watch from behind the Marine lines.
Whoa! What kind of ridiculous power is that?
Pizarro broke out in a cold sweat. How can this guy be so strong? Luckily, he had managed to roll out of the way at the last second.
He didn't dare to imagine what would have happened if that kick had landed on him.
"Mr Vice Admiral, could you please hold back a little? It would be a problem if you sank the island!" Kyros shouted helplessly from a distance.
"My sincerest apologies! I'll control my strength from now on!"
Humiliation!
This was utter humiliation!
Pizarro was now incandescent with rage. He had roamed the seas for so many years, never even giving the Emperors of the Sea a second thought. He was a man destined to stand at the very top!
"Bastard! Die!"
Inheriting the leopard's speed, Pizarro was like a perfect assassin, his movements far faster than the 'Shave' technique of the Six Powers.
In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Atlas.
Swoosh!
A Zoan user's greatest weapons are their own bodies—their sharp fangs and claws are treasures for vanquishing foes.
He raised an elbow, coating his claws in Armament Haki. They sliced through the air with a piercing shriek, a perfect combination of power and speed.
Atlas made no extraneous movements. A red light flared in his eyes as he tilted his head slightly. The terrifying claws swept past, not even touching the corner of his coat.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Clearly unwilling to give up, Pizarro attacked with both claws. His speed created a flurry of afterimages, each strike aimed directly at Atlas's face.
"It's time for this farce to end."
Clang!
Atlas's gaze hardened. His hand moved to the Futsunomitama at his waist. The longsword slid from its sheath, and a flash of brilliant silver light streaked through the air.
Black and red lightning crackled around the blade, and a sharpness that seemed capable of tearing space itself erupted forth.
"Lightning Cutter!"
The blade's light swept past Pizarro's arms. For a fleeting moment, it seemed like an illusion. Then, two lines of blood abruptly appeared on his limbs.
Plop!
His arms fell to the ground, severed. The cuts were so clean that his nerves hadn't even registered the pain, and the blood flow momentarily froze.
"Aaargh—!!!"
Pizarro let out a pained howl. Even with an awakened Devil Fruit, a Zoan user couldn't regenerate severed limbs. The most it could do was prevent him from bleeding to death.
Swoosh!
The blade flowed once more, and a flying slash imbued with Armament Haki shot out, aimed directly at Pizarro's neck!
Splurch—!
Again, the sound of a blade slicing through flesh. Pizarro's Armament Haki was like a decoration, broken in an instant.
He raised his stumps to block, and they too were cleanly severed at the base as crimson blood sprayed into the air.
"A futile struggle."
Atlas snorted. He could have beheaded him with the first strike. The man had only delayed his death by trying to block.
"This is bad! P-Pirates have arrived!"
Before the civilians watching from afar could cheer, a Marine ran over, panting, and yelled at the top of his lungs.
"New pirates?"
Atlas narrowed his eyes. The reporting Marine was one of the men left to guard the warship at the port. Judging by his expression, these were no ordinary pirates.
He subconsciously expanded his Observation Haki and instantly detected the Big Mom Pirates' fleet rapidly approaching Broccoli Island.
A familiar life force immediately registered in his senses.
Is that... Katakuri?!
Having fought him before, Atlas was all too familiar with Katakuri's presence. But... what was he doing on Broccoli Island?
Sengoku's intelligence report had certainly mentioned nothing about the Big Mom Pirates.
Had Pizarro joined forces with Big Mom? Even so, this reinforcement was far too fast.
—Meanwhile, Pizarro, who had been howling in agony, felt a surge of joy.
A chance!
It didn't matter if the arriving pirates were friend or foe; this was his chance to escape. Marines and pirates fighting each other was always chaotic.
He could fish in troubled waters and slip away. And when he did...
At that thought, Pizarro shot a hateful glare in Atlas's direction.
Swoosh!
The longsword flew through the air and sliced through the neck of the still-scheming Pizarro without any resistance. A look of utter disbelief and confusion remained on his face.
Clearly, he hadn't expected this Marine to be so decisive.
"Almost forgot about you," Atlas muttered to himself.
Unfortunately, Pizarro would never hear him. And even if he had, he probably would have jumped up in a rage.
Broccoli Island, Kingdom of Kyros.
After sailing day and night, Katakuri stood on the deck of the massive Queen Mama Chanter and finally saw Broccoli Island, which looked like a vegetable dish from a distance.
He slowly walked to the bow, gazing into the distance, and subconsciously scanned the somewhat dilapidated port.
Suddenly, as if seeing something that shouldn't be there, a look of shock appeared on Katakuri's face, his pupils trembling violently.
"Why is there a Marine warship here?!"
A warship bearing the G-5 base insignia was quietly docked at the port. With his superhuman eyesight, Katakuri could clearly see Marines walking back and forth on the deck.
"G-5..."
"It's his!"
This is trouble...
Katakuri knew he could no longer leave. The moment he approached Broccoli Island, he had likely been discovered by the Marines.
Furthermore, under that man's Observation Haki, unless he was willing to abandon Smoothie, escape was impossible.
"Hey! Smoothie, hurry! Call Mom! I think we're in trouble!"
With the situation as it was, Katakuri didn't hesitate, shouting towards Smoothie's bedroom. His only option now was to call Big Mom for help.
"What is it? It's just Pizarro. Brother Katakuri, do you really need to be so cautious?" Smoothie grumbled as she walked out of her room, clearly displeased.
To her, Katakuri was an incredibly strong and reliable older brother who had always looked after his younger siblings like a father.
The entire family acknowledged his strength. This was the first time Smoothie had ever seen him so flustered.
"I'm not kidding, Smoothie. That man is on this island!" Katakuri said gravely.
"Who?"
"The Marine Admiral Candidate, 'Byakko'!"
"It's him—?!"
A jolt went through Smoothie's heart. Although she had never met Atlas in person, her impression of him was incredibly deep.
Years ago, he was able to fight evenly with her brother Katakuri.
He had repeatedly caused trouble in Totto Land's waters, and on the most serious occasion, he had even drawn Mom herself into a chase, yet somehow managed to escape!
More recently, his massive battle with Kaido had made waves everywhere.
At only twenty-something years old, he had fought Kaido—an Emperor on the same level as Mom—to a standstill.
Without a doubt, that Marine Admiral Candidate was an absolute monster.
"Can't we just turn back now?"
"No. He's already found us. You don't understand, his Observation Haki..."
"It's already on my level, if not stronger!" Katakuri said with a bitter smile. If they could leave, he wouldn't have said what he did.
"What?!"
Katakuri had awakened his Haki at the age of three, but it had only been in the last few years that he had truly mastered Observation Haki to its peak—to the point of seeing the future.
Can that man do it too?
Smoothie subconsciously looked towards the rapidly approaching port. Suddenly, a pure white figure entered her line of sight.
"He's here. You stay on the ship. Remember to call Mom for reinforcements. I'll hold him off for as long as I can."
With those words, Katakuri walked towards Atlas.
Broccoli Island, Port.
The Marines had dispersed the surrounding civilians. The already dilapidated port now seemed even more desolate, with only a few lonely pirate ships docked quietly.
After beheading Pizarro with a single stroke, Atlas rushed to the port. He watched coldly as the Queen Mama Chanter slowly approached and as Katakuri disembarked.
"I never thought the Big Mom Pirates would be interested in this little island," Atlas said coldly.
"Our target is Pizarro. We have no desire for conflict with you Marines!"
"Conflict? With just you, Katakuri?"
Although he was loath to admit it, Katakuri was an admirable man. But being born into the Charlotte family was his greatest tragedy.
He was like a caged beast; despite his sharp fangs and claws, he was nothing more than a puppet on strings.
"Hand over Pizarro. Mom is already on her way. I trust you don't wish to see her angry."
Even though Atlas's recent battle with Kaido proved he had reached the pinnacle of power, Katakuri didn't believe he could withstand their mother's wrath.
Big Mom had made a fearsome name for herself back in the Rocks era and was now undoubtedly in her prime.
While she might be slightly inferior to Whitebeard, she was definitely stronger than Kaido.
"So it's true. Pizarro was acting on this island under the Big Mom Pirates' orders." A flash of understanding crossed Atlas's eyes.
He had overheard the pirates' loud talk outside the tavern, but the noise was too chaotic. He had only vaguely made out the name "Big Mom," so he was unaware of the full scope of their actions.
Katakuri paused, then quickly realised the misunderstanding. "My purpose is to bring Pizarro back to Totto Land to face Mom's punishment."
"Oh, my. It seems there was a misunderstanding."
"But it doesn't matter. Since you're here, don't plan on leaving."
"If you, the masterpiece of the Charlotte Family, were to fall here, I imagine Big Mom would be furious, wouldn't she?" Atlas said with a playful smile.
"Stop your boasting. I won't be taken without a fight!"
As soon as he spoke, Katakuri gestured with one hand. White mochi flowed and solidified into the trident, Mogura, in his hand.
He pointed the sharp tip at Atlas, his expression grim.
"I'd like to see for myself if your strength has truly grown as much as the rumours claim!"
This guy... Atlas narrowed his eyes, a meaningful smile on his face.
"If you're planning to run away with your tail between your legs like you did a few years ago, it won't be so easy this time."
Atlas knew that Katakuri was likely still not fully convinced of his defeat four years ago. He hadn't fought at his full potential in that battle.
Even though Atlas's own Devil Fruit abilities were newly awakened and unrefined at the time, his performance against Katakuri would not have been so pathetic.
"..."
Without offering a rebuttal, Katakuri's arm holding the trident transformed into white mochi, wrapping tightly around the weapon's shaft.
A large amount of mochi began to rotate at high speed, creating terrifying wind pressure.
The tip of the trident even began to spark from friction with the air as he coated it in Armament Haki.
"Mochi Thrust!"