Katakuri's extremely cold words immediately made Taro alert, but before he could speak...
Jack, who had just stopped his bleeding over there, spoke first.
His mammoth eyes were blood-red, and he swung his trunk to clear his head a bit.
"Katakuri, I haven't been defeated yet!"
Jack's voice was only slightly low, but his vitality was still very full.
This caused the expressions of both Taro and Katakuri to change simultaneously.
Taro was extremely shocked in his heart.
It turned out that his ability to take a beating was Jack's greatest asset for establishing himself as one of the 'Three Disasters' in the Beasts Pirates!
The recovery ability from the combination of Fishman lineage and an Ancient Species...
Was terrifyingly formidable!
Katakuri hadn't actually cared much about a reckless brute like Jack before.
Even though the status of the two in their respective Four Emperors' crews was roughly equivalent and their bounties were at the same level.
However, Katakuri had always held contempt for those who did things without using their brains.
Especially for a young and reckless hothead like Jack.
But now, besides the powerful recovery ability, he saw a glimmer of fighting will in Jack.
This couldn't help but make Katakuri view him in a higher light.
After staring at Jack for a while, a dark-faced Katakuri turned and backed away a bit.
"This is the last chance, Jack!"
His tone was very impatient.
"My afternoon tea is already two hours late, I'll give you at most another 10 minutes this time!"
Katakuri walked to the edge of the battlefield and raised his mochi-fied arm.
"Mochi House!"
The viscous white mochi on his arm quickly shaped into a clean and beautiful small house, with the walls and roof carved with cloud patterns.
Katakuri was quite the sophisticated man!
Then, he pulled a mirror out from his coat.
"Brulee, have them send the afternoon tea over!"
Brulee's old witch-like face immediately appeared in the mirror, her tone a bit hesitant.
"Brother Katakuri, how is the situation over there? That guy named Taro..."
As she spoke, she noticed Katakuri's face becoming increasingly unsightly, and she didn't dare say another word.
In the Mirror World, two chefs came running over pushing a cart loaded with Doughnuts, while another chef held a large pot of hot black tea.
Brulee used her ability to send the cart and the tea out.
She poked her head out of the mirror again, about to check the situation on the battlefield.
Katakuri applied pressure with his hand, and the mirror shattered with a sound, falling to the ground.
In a fragment of the mirror, half of Brulee's face was visible as she cried out.
"Brother, what are you... if Taro is too strong, you..."
Before she could finish, Katakuri was already staring down at her, his tone cold and firm.
"There is no victory in Taro's future! I am doing this only because only something done with one's full effort can be called a battle, that's all! Brulee!"
It was still that familiar Brother Katakuri, full of fighting spirit!
Brulee immediately felt much more at ease.
"Hee hee~ This is my elegant, calm, and powerful perfect brother!"
Katakuri didn't respond further. He hoisted the cart with one arm, crushed the mirror fragments with a step, and walked into the small house.
Taro kept a wary eye on Jack while also paying attention to Katakuri's movements.
Seeing Katakuri walk into the house, his thoughts of running away became active again.
His eyes darted around, and just as he was about to move, a mochi arm stretched out from Katakuri's house.
"Don't try to escape. If you disturb the mood of my afternoon tea, I will be very angry!"
Taro cursed inwardly.
Katakuri, you abyss-mouthed glutton.
Sitting cross-legged, eating Doughnuts with black tea, and he's still freaking locking onto me with Observation Haki.
Damn it!
He suppressed the urge to slash Katakuri's house in half, pushed down the anger in his heart, and concentrated on facing Jack.
Jack's powerful recovery ability was showing significant effects; new flesh had actually grown over the huge wound on his abdomen.
"Taro, I underestimated you!"
His voice was more robust, indicating that his body was no longer in serious trouble.
Taro was very puzzled.
Vibration Energy had exploded inside Jack's body; with that kind of injury, even if he were an Ancient Species, he shouldn't be able to recover this quickly!
Jack wasn't like Mingo, who could stitch up his internal organs!
"Thump, thump, thump~"
The mammoth charged forward again with an indomitable Aura.
The speed of the charge was very fast, and the ground shook incessantly.
Taro held his blade with both hands.
"Second Gear!"
"Armament Hardening!"
"Conquerors Haki Infusion!"
"Vibration Energy empowerment!"
Taro stacked his buffs to the max once more, pushing the Internal Energy in his entire body to the limit, his Observation Haki staring at Jack's every move.
Then, his gaze narrowed, finding the future he foresaw somewhat hard to believe.
However, Taro understood this was a good opportunity. Without any hesitation, he swung his blade.
"Naginata: God of War!"
At the same time, an evil and sharp shout rang out.
"Shadow Spear!"
A huge, pitch-black spear suddenly shot out from underground, stabbing straight into the sole of Jack's left hind leg.
Jack, who was in the middle of a wild gallop, suddenly felt his foot give way, and his body stumbled.
Seeing that his massive body was about to fall, his thick trunk dropped down and slammed into the ground to support himself.
However, the Vibration Energy released from Taro's blade arrived in an instant, erupting between the eyes of his lowered mammoth head.
Boom!
The violent Vibration Energy suddenly exploded, instantly causing the space to vibrate.
Crack!
With a crisp sound, one of the mammoth's huge tusks snapped off at the base, spinning as it flew into the sky.
Rumble!
After snapping the tusk, the vibration power was no longer obstructed and surged out recklessly.
Although Jack tried to force his body to stabilize, the injury to his hind leg made it difficult to balance his strength, and he was pushed back over a hundred meters by the shockwave.
At the edge of the battlefield, the air flickered, and Moria's figure emerged.
His forehead was still bleeding, and he was covered in dust. It seemed his battle with Lucci and the others had left him quite injured.
Taro had foreseen Jack being ambushed, but he never expected it would be Moria who made the move.
Katakuri had been paying attention to the situation on the battlefield while eating an equally massive Doughnut with his wide-open mouth, but the future he foresaw almost made him choke.
He swallowed the Doughnut in one gulp, tied his scarf, and walked out with a dark expression.
In a decisive battle, no matter who it was or for what reason, a sneak attack on either side of the combatants was, in his view, an extremely disgraceful thing.
His good mood for afternoon tea was completely ruined!
Jack, who had been pushed back by the joint efforts of Moria and Taro, had bloodshot eyes. It was unclear if it was from the Vibration Energy or from rage.
He flipped himself up and stood, his injured left foot scraping the ground twice.
"Moria, you piece of trash actually didn't die?!"
His tone was both shocked and furious. "You, you dare to ambush me!"
Moria had created an opportunity for Taro, but Jack hadn't been killed. This left him with some regret, but he still started laughing.
"Hee hee hee, one of Kaido's 'Lead Performers', how was the timing of my move?"
"Surprised? Unexpected?"
"Hee hee hee!"
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