Inside the cabin, Luffy and Katakuri faced each other, an unspoken tension filling the air.
Neither acted impulsively nor uttered a word, yet both were acutely aware of the commotion outside.
Sensing the brutalization of the fighters he had brought, Katakuri's expression darkened considerably. He also focused on Cracker's situation; the one-on-three fight seemed to favor Cracker, but he wouldn't be able to decisively defeat all three in short order.
An unsettling feeling crept over Katakuri. He knew there was one member of the Straw Hats who had yet to engage.
Lightning Great Swordsman Carl, with a bounty of one billion Berry!
Individuals with such a high bounty were generally not to be trifled with, and the rumors of this Carl having killed the Golden Lion painted him as a decidedly dangerous existence.
Yet, he remained inactive, simply sleeping on the deck.
Was this a display of contempt for the Big Mom Pirates, or did he believe the Straw Hats were handling things adequately?
Katakuri dared not jump to conclusions. In any case, Carl warranted vigilance. And the Straw Hat Luffy before him was no weakling either; Katakuri felt a distinct uncertainty about his chances of victory.
As a powerful individual who could glimpse fragments of the future with his Observation Haki, Katakuri was undoubtedly formidable.
But now, he couldn't perceive any opening for victory; he even foresaw a scenario where he himself would be defeated.
Straw Hat... Dangerous!
"Second Gear! Gum-Gum... Jet Pistol!"
Bang! A compressed air-powered punch slammed into Katakuri's chest.
Katakuri was struck squarely before he could transform into his mochi form, a testament to Luffy's incredible speed.
The towering figure flew backward, but mid-air, his body morphed into a fluid mass of mochi. Halting his backward trajectory, his arms transformed into mochi clubs, coated in thick Armament Haki, and swung down towards Luffy's head.
"Mochi... Slice... Pound!"
Luffy remained unfazed, directly countering with his Jet Gatling.
The sound of the collision reverberated throughout the cabin as Luffy's rubbery fists relentlessly deformed the mochi clubs.
"Peerless Mochi Blade Bomb!"
Katakuri shifted his attack again, his right hand morphing into a mochi machine gun, firing Haki-infused projectiles rapidly at Luffy. This time, Luffy chose to evade, continuously reading Katakuri's movements.
"His Observation Haki isn't weaker than mine? Can he even predict my future sight?"
Katakuri was deeply disturbed. He had only reached the point of being able to predict parts of the future in his forties. How could this Straw Hat boy, barely seventeen, be so powerful?
"Grilled Mochi!"
Katakuri changed his tactic once more, a mochi fist enveloped in flames shooting towards Luffy like a bazooka.
Luffy directly punched downwards, shattering the ship's hull, and seawater gushed into the cabin.
However, neither of them paid any attention to the flooding.
Luffy deactivated Second Gear, tilted his head, and looked at Katakuri. "Is this the level of Big Mom's top fighter? Then you're not my opponent. You're far weaker than Kaido!"
Katakuri clenched his fists, a flicker of doubt in his eyes.
He had a nagging feeling that Straw Hat Luffy was telling the truth.
He might genuinely be no match for Straw Hat Luffy!
However, those words were incredibly arrogant, as if Straw Hat Luffy had defeated Kaido himself. Katakuri didn't believe it. None of those who had fought Kaido, except Whitebeard and Garp, had emerged unscathed.
Even he himself stood no chance against Kaido. What could this Straw Hat brat possibly do?
"You really think you can stand against a Four Emperor?"
"It's just a fact! It's not like I haven't fought Kaido before. I wasn't his opponent then, but now... I won't lose!"
Now, Katakuri was utterly speechless.
This kid really fought Kaido, and nothing happened to him!
Katakuri's heart sank. Imagining his mother's potential fury, Katakuri didn't choose to back down but resolved to fight to the death.
To protect the honor of the Big Mom Pirates!
"Mobile Mochi!"
Katakuri suddenly pressed his hand onto the wooden floor beneath him, and the cabin floor instantly transformed into viscous mochi, smoothly ensnaring Luffy.
Simultaneously, two massive donuts materialized in mid-air, and a fist coated in potent Armament Haki erupted from the center of each, striking Luffy's body squarely in the middle.
"Peerless Donuts!"
The combined surprise attack of these two moves caused Luffy significant damage.
However, Luffy's physical resilience was now immense, and he seemed relatively unharmed after being struck twice directly.
"The Nuo Tuan Sings!"
Katakuri continued his relentless assault, and numerous donuts appeared in the air, each unleashing a gigantic, Haki-infused arm that bombarded Luffy mercilessly.
Luffy had no intention of passively taking this beating.
He directly burst through the cabin roof, ascending to the sky above the ship.
Hearing the commotion, everyone immediately looked up at Luffy. Immediately afterward, countless mochi fists erupted from the cabin, ferociously attacking Luffy.
"Luffy!"
Everyone in the Straw Hats breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Although Luffy was already strong, he could be incredibly unreliable at times, often falling into the enemy's traps. Seeing him continue to fight unharmed was a great relief.
Cracker's face was a mask of frustration.
He hadn't managed to defeat Zoro, Sanji, and Law on his own. Unexpectedly, even Katakuri was taking a long time to subdue Straw Hat Boy.
This mission looked doomed to fail!
"You're distracted again!"
Sanji kicked at Cracker, but a Biscuit Soldier immediately intercepted the attack.
The Biscuit Soldier was directly struck by Sanji's kick, but Sanji was also shocked into taking several steps back.
"Damn it! Why are these biscuits so hard?!"
Sanji was incredibly annoyed. This Cracker kept hiding behind his Biscuit Soldiers, making it impossible to get close.
The main issue was that these biscuit constructs possessed astonishing hardness, even without Haki reinforcement.
Not only was it difficult for him to kick through them, but neither Zoro nor Law could easily slice them with their swords.
And with Cracker constantly clapping, new Biscuit Soldiers could be easily synthesized.
Difficult to deal with... no wonder!
Cracker's mistake, however, was going up against the chef. Sanji knew very well what biscuit's weakness was.
"Traman!"
Sanji yelled, and Law actually understood immediately.
Seeing Law once again activate his ROOM, Cracker immediately became wary. But this time, the "Amputate" didn't target the seawater; it targeted the air above everyone's heads.
Crash! Seawater poured down, instantly softening and shattering the biscuit constructs.
"Amputate!"
Law used his ability again. Cracker, who hadn't even begun to remobilize his biscuit army due to being drenched, suddenly found the three-sword green-haired swordsman directly in front of him.
"Ghost Qi... Nine-Sword Style! Asura... Illusion Nine Flashes!"
Zoro seemed to multiply into three figures, wielding nine swords enveloped in a powerful ghostly aura, simultaneously imbued with Armament Haki, and slashed at Cracker while spinning rapidly.
Cracker immediately defended with Armament Haki, but Zoro's Illusion Nine Flashes continued to rotate and strike relentlessly. The blades landed on Cracker's abdomen, each strike carrying immense force, and the combined damage of Armament Haki and ghostly energy was devastating.
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