Refining Observation Haki to the point of perfection, even being able to briefly see the future… this was the reputation Charlotte Katakuri held within the Big Mom Pirates.
In truth, "seeing the future" wasn't some mystical third eye; Observation Haki is inherently an anticipatory ability. At the moment an opponent strikes, one predicts the trajectory of the enemy's attack.
However, Katakuri's Haki was so powerful that the slightest movement from an individual would reveal exactly what they intended to do next. If a swordsman so much as touched their blade, he knew the point of impact; if an enemy shifted their hand, he knew whether they were moving to attack or defend.
Yet, this girl, who looked no older than fifteen, had appeared within his immediate vicinity out of thin air. Until the second she spoke, Katakuri had not sensed her presence at all.
For the first time in years, a sense of crisis surged through Katakuri's heart.
"One of the Sweet Commanders? Charlotte Linlin certainly is a breeder, but that is precisely why she herself is so laughable and weak."
As soon as Loli A spoke, the entire area fell into a deathly silence.
What was this girl saying? Had they misheard?
Did she just call... Big Mom weak?
Katakuri stared intensely at Loli A. After a few seconds, he tossed Sanji and Caesar toward the Queen Mama Chanter like baseballs and said in a low voice, "How did you evade my Observation Haki?"
Katakuri wasn't enraged by Loli A's insult to Big Mom; instead, he first questioned her method. It was clear that Big Mom did not hold a supreme, untouchable status in his heart.
"Evade? Are you joking?"
Although a man's voice eerily emanated from Loli A's throat, it felt strangely fitting, charismatic yet utterly demonic. "I neither run nor hide. If you didn't perceive me, it simply means you are too weak!"
Insulting Big Mom, followed by a Sweet Commander... Bege and the others at the bow of the Queen Mama Chanter felt cold sweat pouring down their backs. Is that girl insane!?
The fur collar around Katakuri's neck almost completely hid the lower half of his face. Hearing Loli A's words, his fists clenched until his veins bulged.
In the Big Mom Pirates, he was essentially beneath only one person and above ten thousand. When had he ever been subjected to such contempt?
Suddenly, something flicked from Katakuri's fingers, streaking toward Loli A's brow to pierce through her skull.
Blood sprayed from the entrance and exit wounds. Loli A's body fell vertically onto the artificial grass of the Thousand Sunny, staining a patch of the lawn red.
"You didn't have to kill her like that..."
Nami covered her mouth with one hand. The Straw Hat Pirates rarely killed; they almost all had a habit of showing mercy. They were in a completely different world compared to true pirates like Katakuri, for whom killing was a casual affair.
"No, that's not right..."
Momonosuke, hiding behind the door on the second floor, looked at Loli A's "corpse." He recalled the scene years ago when that woman invaded Wano, killing countless people. He whispered tremulously, "She... she isn't dead."
"Hmph. That mouth of yours provided enough talk to brag about in the next world," Katakuri snorted coldly, turning to leap back onto the Queen Mama Chanter.
At that moment, Bege and his men looked on in shock. Katakuri instinctively felt danger and swung a punch behind him, but he was still too slow.
BANG!
A bullet grazed his cheek, leaving a horizontal bloodstain stretching from below his left ear to the bridge of his nose.
Katakuri saw it clearly: the one who had fired was the very girl he had just "killed." She stood there now, holding a gun with white smoke drifting from the barrel.
"A Sweet Commander was wounded!?"
"Impossible! In just one exchange..."
"I heard that Gran Tesoro has gathered a host of powerhouses, but could she be one of them?"
"Which crew is she from? The Immortals? Or the Donquixote Alliance?"
The Fire Tank Pirates aboard the Queen Mama Chanter were in an uproar. To see Katakuri, whom even Bege considered a threat on par with Big Mom, wounded in a single exchange was simply inconceivable.
"Just what are you..."
Katakuri could not accept this. He absolutely could not accept this reality.
Why? Why could she appear behind him without being caught by his Observation Haki? He possessed top-tier Haki that could see the future!
"What's with that expression?"
Loli A looked directly at Katakuri with pure disdain. "A Sweet Commander is only at this level? That 'Juice Girl' lasted much longer."
Juice Girl?
Was she talking about Charlotte Smoothie, one of the former Four Sweet Commanders? The one who had been erased by Alucard, the strongest man in the world and captain of the Immortal Pirates?
Since this girl knew about that, was she... a member of the Immortal Pirates?
"Don't be so tense. It's rare to meet someone with such an ability. Why don't we play a game?"
Loli A sat down nonchalantly at a cafe table on the grass, crossing her legs. "Tell me... will I appear behind your head to shoot, or in front of your heart? Or perhaps I'll appear in mid-air and shoot out both your eyes?"
Katakuri didn't reply, thinking to himself: I can't read this person's thoughts at all. Just what is she...
"Is that so? You're likely observing me right now, but no matter. Let the game begin."
As the last word left her lips, Loli A vanished on the spot, causing everyone's pupils to shrink.
What was happening?
"Where is she!?"
Katakuri could not perceive her location. Normally, this would mean the enemy was no longer nearby, but this opponent was different.
"What kind of battle is this..." Bege's subordinate, Vito, clicked his tongue.
"A battle between top-tier users of Observation Haki," Bege muttered.
"What are you looking for?"
The cold voice came again. Suddenly, Loli A reappeared, still sitting at the cafe table, but this time, she had something in her possession: Nami.
"What!?"
"Nami-san! When did that happen!?"
The Straw Hat Pirates turned to look at the spot where Nami had just been lying; it was now empty.
Incredible. When had Nami vanished?
Nami's expression was currently blank, and a closer look revealed her eyes were glowing red, she had clearly been brought under control by the Vampire's hypnosis.