Facing Allen's provocation, Katakuri's expression remained cold. His only response was the icy gleam of the trident in his hand!
His arm transformed into mochi, wrapping tightly around the trident's handle in a funnel shape, leaving only the sharp tip exposed.
"Mochi Thrust: Roast!!!"
Katakuri roared as he charged forward. His mochi arm spun at high speed, granting the trident even greater power as it thrust forward, accompanied by high-temperature flames!
"No-Sword Style..."
Facing this powerful and rapid attack, Allen calmly raised his right arm above his head and took a step forward, coating his entire arm in pitch-black Armament Haki.
As Katakuri rushed in front of him, Allen let out a fierce shout and viciously chopped down with his pitch-black hand!
"Black Arm: Heavy Blade!!"
Clang!!
The heavy chop of his Haki-hardened arm struck the high-speed spinning trident, instantly halting Katakuri's charge!
A terrifying burst of sword aura pressed downward, tearing through Katakuri's black leather jacket and leaving a series of slash marks that drew beads of blood.
Boom!!
Countless smooth slash marks erupted on the ground, slicing the earth into neat squares like tofu. A ring of dust billowed outward from the impact.
Katakuri clenched his teeth, a gleam of crimson flashing in his eyes. He raised his fist, hardened it with Armament Haki, and punched forcefully toward Allen's face.
Allen tilted his head to dodge and instinctively reached out to grab his opponent's arm for a shoulder throw. However, in the next instant...
Allen's pupils shrank. He was astonished to find that the opponent's fist had been aimed at his dodging direction from the very beginning, making it look as if he had actively offered his face to the blow.
'Future Sight...!'
Bang!
Katakuri's punch landed solidly.
Allen's head snapped back violently, lifting his body into the air. After completing a full flip, his feet landed steadily back on the ground.
'Force dissipation?'
Katakuri frowned. Even though the hit had landed squarely, the sensation transmitted from his fist felt like striking cotton; the force had been completely dispersed.
Even the Haki coating his fist had been neutralized by the opponent's Haki. What an incredible force dissipation technique...
Katakuri thought solemnly.
Without time to dwell on it, a red light flashed in his eyes. He quickly raised his leg, delivering a high whip kick viciously aimed at Allen's waist!
If the opponent had used the rotation to perfectly dissipate the force just now, then as long as he attacked the center of the torso...
Bang!
Another kick landed. Allen was sent flying sideways through the air, spinning several times before landing steadily.
"There was a bit more force behind that one, but it makes no difference to me."
Under Katakuri's astonished gaze, Allen smiled disdainfully, once again using Shaori to perfectly neutralize the attack.
Through countless battles and sparring sessions with Zephyr simulated by his Demon Brain, Allen had long since mastered Shaori to the pinnacle of perfection.
Any physical attack, as long as its power didn't reach a certain threshold, could be almost perfectly neutralized by his Shaori.
In other words, apart from powerhouses on his level, almost no one could break through his defenses!
"How is that possible...!"
A hint of shock appeared in Katakuri's eyes, and ripples finally disturbed his perpetually calm face.
Although they were just simple punches and kicks, he had pushed his force and Armament Haki to the absolute limit, only for them to be easily neutralized.
After all, the Mochi-Mochi Fruit didn't have any special added effects; compared to his own physical strikes, it at most added a bit of weight to increase the power slightly.
If his physical attacks couldn't cause any damage to Allen, it undoubtedly meant that his other attacks would also struggle to have much of an effect.
"Ah, realized it already, have you?"
Allen curled his lips, looking at Katakuri with a teasing gaze, and said, "Realizing you have absolutely no chance of winning this fight—it feels pretty powerless, doesn't it?"
"Stop being so full of yourself. My Observation Haki is above yours. The one standing invincible might not be you."
Katakuri shouted in a deep voice. He spread his legs, dropped into a half-squat, and brought his arms to his waist.
"Peerless Donuts: Mochi of Monstrous Strength!!"
Awakened ability activated! Two mochi donuts appeared out of thin air above Katakuri's head. A massive amount of mochi flowed within the rings, condensing into giant fists!
Since ordinary methods were useless, he would directly use his most powerful move!
A crimson gleam flashed in Katakuri's eyes.
His Future Sight mapped out the attack route, and the house-sized giant mochi fists, coated in Armament Haki, struck out fiercely!
Facing this powerful attack, Allen didn't act arrogant. He sank into a half-squat and assumed a defensive posture.
Katakuri's Armament Haki was not weak. The attack looked unpretentious, but its true power was only known to those who had experienced it firsthand.
Combined with the giant-like fists formed by the Mochi-Mochi Fruit, this strike could even have an effect on an Iron Balloon like Big Mom.
And his Future Sight mapped out the attack route in advance, making it incredibly difficult for the opponent to dodge.
Allen simply chose to take it head-on. He accelerated his blood flow, let out a low shout, and tensed all the muscles in his body.
"Iron Body: Steel!!"
Bang!!
The giant fists crashed down like a solid wall. The terrifying force pushed Allen backward continuously, his feet plowing through the ground for dozens of meters before he finally managed to stop.
"Not bad power. Even among giants, there are probably few who can unleash such strength. Without using my Devil Fruit powers, it really is a bit tough to parry."
Allen smiled casually. His arms, crossed in front of him to block, were covered in a dense layer of Armament Haki, shimmering with a dark light.
"Hah!"
Allen suddenly exerted force, throwing his arms upward to deflect the giant mochi fists.
However, what greeted him were hundreds more attacks!
"Peerless Donuts: Monstrous Strength: Nine-Headed Mochi!!"
Katakuri roared furiously. A massive number of mochi donuts generated out of thin air above his head, and from each donut, a pitch-black giant fist coated in Armament Haki extended outward.
Facing this menacing onslaught, Allen's expression grew a bit more serious, but he still didn't use his Devil Fruit powers.
If he directly activated the Dark-Dark Fruit, this battle would be over in less than three minutes.
Even if he just used his transformation forms, his strength, speed, and combat methods would completely crush Katakuri in every aspect, allowing him to end the fight just as quickly.
But Allen didn't want to do that. Even though his overall strength was far superior to his opponent's, in terms of Observation Haki, Katakuri was still considered a "good teacher" to him.
"I'll just treat this as a warm-up before the final battle."
Allen grinned, his eyes narrowing slightly as he pushed off the ground and shot forward!
Demon Brain activated. Time seemed to slow down, and everything in the entire world was clearly reflected in his mind.
The hundreds of giant fists crashing down before him, every blade of grass on the ground, the insects resting on the petals, and even the breeze sweeping across the meadow.
It was as if all things were emitting their own unique sounds. Allen closed his eyes and listened carefully, focusing his Observation Haki on the entire surrounding space.
Boom!!
Allen leaped sideways, dodging a giant mochi fist that smashed into the earth and cracked the ground, followed by a second, and a third.
Boom!! Boom!! Boom!!
Allen's figure flickered amidst the storm of crashing attacks, continuously advancing as the earth trembled violently under the wanton bombardment.
With his Observation Haki pushed to the limit, he never opened his eyes, yet he managed to narrowly dodge the attacks every single time.
Until his movement trajectory was finally accurately captured by Katakuri.
Bang!!
A giant fist coated in pitch-black Armament Haki sent Allen flying. His body shot back dozens of meters, his back scraping against the ground and plowing a deep trench.
Even so, Allen still didn't open his eyes. He planted his hands on the ground and sprang up with a kip-up.
Wiping away a streak of blood from his nose, Allen curled his lips and continued to charge forward with his eyes closed.
"What is the meaning of this? Is this bastard using me for practice?!"
Katakuri seemed to see through Allen's intentions, and a hint of anger couldn't help but appear in his eyes.
Could it be that this guy had fought him with this intention from the very beginning?
"That arrogant attitude of yours is really pissing me off! In that case, let's test it out!!"
Katakuri clenched his teeth, his gaze darkening as he pushed his Observation Haki to the absolute limit. At the same time, every attack became faster, more bizarre, and trickier!
Boom!! Boom!! Boom!!
Countless giant mochi fists smashed down violently, frantically ravaging the earth.
Allen gradually began to struggle under this stormy onslaught. He kept advancing only to be knocked back, looking slightly battered.
Even so, he didn't have the slightest thought of changing his approach, instead continuing to rush up and take a beating.
Although he couldn't see images of the future, his Observation Haki was still considered powerful. Even while being frantically suppressed, he wasn't completely unable to dodge.
And so, the cycle of dodging, blocking, and being knocked back repeated over and over.
Meanwhile.
The Executives.
While Allen and Katakuri were fighting, Sanji and the others weren't idle either. They had all mobilized to intercept the Big Mom Pirates—excluding the Charlotte Family—at the coast.
Bege, Pekoms, Baron Tamago, and about a dozen other experts naturally hadn't been sunk into the sea along with the warships during the two rounds of devastating strikes just now.
They led the remaining few warships and hundreds, if not thousands, of Homies to land on the island after Katakuri, engaging in a fierce battle with Sanji and the others.
Though the battle was almost entirely one-sided.
Gin wielded two large-caliber revolvers, activating his More-More Fruit powers.
Under the fifty-fold comprehensive amplification, every bullet was enlarged to the size of a cannonball, crashing into the ground at speeds far exceeding the speed of sound.
Boom!! Boom!! Boom!!
As soon as they landed, a massive number of Homies were swallowed up by this devastating bombardment, where every single shot was enough to sink a warship.
"Uwaaa—!!"
"Ahhh—!!"
In an instant, the coast was filled with wails of agony. A large number of Homies sank into the sea along with the collapsing coastline, leaving only a few massive craters on the surface.
A thick cloud of dust filled the air. A moment later, a giant fortress equipped with tank treads rumbled out.
"Are you kidding me?! That bastard Katakuri basically brought us here to die!"
Facial features resembling a face appeared on the roof of the fortress. Capone Bege, who had used the Castle-Castle Fruit to transform into his "Big Father" form, shouted angrily with a dark expression, "Damn it! I'm not going to stay here and die with you!"
Although he hadn't expected Allen's crew to be this terrifyingly strong before coming here, he had clearly realized by now that their forces were a complete joke in front of the enemy.
Faced with this situation, apart from the Homies who couldn't disobey orders, almost everyone else had lost the will to continue fighting.
After escaping from the collapsing coastline, Bege in his fortress form quickly turned and drove toward the flank.
His subordinates were all hiding inside the castle within his body. He had no intention of dragging his entire pirate crew down to the grave along with those worthless Homies.
However.
In the distance, Gin quickly noticed his movements and immediately aimed his gun at him.
A chill ran down Bege's spine. He hurriedly glanced back and desperately accelerated the tank treads that served as his feet.
Although his massive size made him a sitting duck, the Castle-Castle Fruit granted him formidable defense. He could easily withstand even cannonballs; shrinking back down would truly be waiting for death.
"More-More: Hundredfold Pistol!"
Bang!!
A bullet shot out of the muzzle, suddenly expanding to the size of a cannonball mid-flight, its speed also skyrocketing!
Boom!!
Empowered by the More-More Fruit, the bullet's destructive force far exceeded that of a naval cannon.
It blasted into Bege's back. Under the massive impact, even the formidable defense of the Castle-Castle Fruit couldn't completely withstand it, and a gaping hole was instantly blown into the outer wall!
"Puhwaa—!!"
Bege spat out a large mouthful of blood with a pained expression. Fortunately, the fortress was massive, so this hole was only equivalent to him being shot in his human form.
He gritted his teeth and continued to flee. At the same time, figures appeared in the numerous cannon ports on the fortress, frantically firing guns and cannons to provide cover.
"Bege!! You bastard, fleeing from battle! Aren't you afraid Mama will find out?!"
Seeing Bege run away, Baron Tamago couldn't help but shout in fury.
However, the other party acted as if he hadn't heard a thing, not even turning his head back.
Seeing this, Gin's lips curled into a cold smirk. "Don't worry, none of you are getting away today."
Saying that, he waved toward the Nyaban Brothers not far away. The dachshund gun, Lasso, ran up with its tongue hanging out and a highly excited expression.
This was the cannon that had eaten the Dog-Dog Fruit, Model: Dachshund, which Buchi had subdued after defeating Mr. 4 back in Alabasta.
Because its true body was a cannon, Gin's abilities could also take effect on it.
"Lasso, set the cannonballs to contact detonation mode."
"Woof!"
Gin hoisted the dachshund gun onto his shoulder, closed one eye, and aimed the dog's mouth at the retreating Bege.
A handgun amplified a hundred times possessed power surpassing a naval cannon. A cannon amplified a hundred times could easily level a small town with a single shot!
Gin activated his ability, and a strange blue light radiated across the surface of the dachshund gun.
"More-More: Hundredfold Baseball Cannon!!"
"Achoo!!"
Lasso tilted its head back and let out a massive sneeze, firing a baseball from its mouth that instantly pierced through space and blasted into the back of the fortress.
A blinding white light bloomed as the baseball cannonball suddenly detonated, instantly illuminating the surrounding space for hundreds of meters!
Boom!!!
Amidst the vast expanse of intense white light, a massive explosion thundered in everyone's ears!
Terrifying flames mixed with thick, cloud-like black smoke soared into the sky.
Back at the coastline, Allen and Katakuri paused their battle, both drawn by the exaggerated sound of the explosion.
Turning their heads, they saw a giant black mushroom cloud slowly rising, followed closely by a fierce gale whipped up by the shockwave of the explosion.
"Is there some troublesome enemy? To cause such a huge commotion."
The fierce wind blew his black hair wildly. Allen, interrupted from his fight, raised his hand and impatiently dug his pinky into his ear, his eardrums aching from the blast.
Without using the powers of the Dark-Dark Fruit, Gin was capable of fighting him to a standstill for a short period of time; that was the terrifying enhancement the More-More Fruit brought him.
Unless Big Mom herself went over there, Allen didn't need to worry about the situation on that side at all, not to mention that Sanji, whose strength was not inferior to Gin's, was also there.
Turning back, Allen fixed his gaze on Katakuri again, grinned, and said, "Things will be wrapping up over there soon. We should probably finish this up too."
"Try it if you can," Katakuri said calmly.
Even after fighting at full power for quite a while, not a hint of fatigue appeared on his face.
The next second.
Bang!!
Allen pushed off the ground without any warning. Without even a wind-up motion, his entire body shot forward explosively!
Katakuri's gaze tightened as he pushed his Observation Haki to the limit. In his mind, he already saw the image of Allen appearing in front of him and throwing a punch at his chest.
Although Allen's movement speed was too fast to track, he had already seen the outcome in advance, so he quickly crossed his arms in front of his chest to block.
An instant later, Allen indeed crossed the distance of dozens of meters, suddenly appearing in front of Katakuri with his fist raised!
He threw the punch, but it didn't aim for Katakuri's chest as predicted. Instead, it went straight for his head!
"What?!"
Katakuri's expression changed drastically as the rapidly enlarging fist reflected in his pupils.
Bang!!
Allen's eyes gleamed with ferocity as he smashed his fist into the opponent's face!
The fist crushed against flesh and skin, completely distorting Katakuri's face as he was viciously sent flying by the blow!
Boom!!!
With a massive crash, Katakuri's body smashed into the grassy slope like a cannonball!
The earth caved in, forming a giant crater, with cracks spreading out densely like a spiderweb.
"Although I'm not as proficient with it as you are, I can barely see a glimpse of the future too, so..."
Allen smiled coldly. He slowly raised his arm, spread his five fingers, and a massive amount of black smoke surged from his palm.
"Blackwater."
Opposite him, Katakuri had just coughed up two mouthfuls of blood and was struggling to stand up from the deep crater when he suddenly felt a powerful suction force acting on his body.
In the next second, his body flew out uncontrollably.
"It's over, Katakuri."
Grab.
Allen's gaze was icy as his large hand clamped around Katakuri's neck, his five fingers digging in tightly.
"My ability... I can't use it... Cough, cough...!!"
Katakuri was astonished to find that he couldn't activate his Devil Fruit powers. At the same time, he tilted his head back with a pained expression, his breathing becoming extremely difficult.
But right at that moment.
Before Allen could make another move, he frowned. His Observation Haki suddenly warned him of a powerful attack coming his way!
"Juice Squeeze Slash!!"
Allen instinctively turned his head and saw a massive slash made of condensed juice hurtling rapidly across the sea, aiming vertically at the arm holding Katakuri.
Seeing this, Katakuri seized the opportunity to raise his leg, using his knee to knock Allen's hand away. After breaking free, he quickly retreated.
Allen ignored him, stepping slightly to the side to dodge the incoming slash. He shifted his gaze upward to look at the person who had launched the attack.
Charlotte Smoothie stood on the bow of a massive warship, wielding a two-handed greatsword, her gaze cold.
Behind her, hundreds of warships suddenly appeared on the horizon, a dense, dark mass that seemed to cover the entire sea.
Above the fleet, thick, heavy dark clouds churned wildly, flashing with lightning and roaring with thunder, advancing alongside the ships.
And on the bow of the massive warship where Smoothie stood, a dense crowd of people was gathered alongside her.
Her fellow Sweet Commanders Cracker and Snack, the eldest son Perospero, Katakuri's triplet brothers Oven and Daifuku...
And leading them all, the massive, obese figure of Big Mom!
The entire Charlotte Family had arrived!