As the Big Mom Pirates launched a relentless assault, the crew aboard the Konoha Senju immediately moved to engage.
Katakuri used the power of his Mochi Mochi no Mi to transform his arm into sticky mochi that wrapped around his trident. His arm then spun rapidly as he lunged toward Kushina.
Kushina instantly manipulated the seawater, shaping it into several massive dragon heads that charged forward to meet the incoming mochi strike.
The sea was the natural enemy of all Devil Fruit users. Katakuri, of course, wouldn't allow the seawater to touch him.
Using his Observation Haki, he foresaw Kushina's intent and quickly used Geppo to change direction several times, narrowly evading the water dragons.
However, that torrent of seawater seemed to possess a will of its own, it twisted sharply, breaking apart into countless droplets that chased after Katakuri relentlessly.
Seeing there was no way to dodge, Katakuri met the attack head-on.
He transformed his upper arm into mochi, coated it with Armament Haki, compressed it, and infused it with heat.
The arm became like a rocket launcher and fired forward, the scorching energy instantly vaporizing the seawater before him.
"Pretty good reflexes. Hm… so you can see the future too, huh? In that case… Great Explosive Water Wave!"
Kushina quickly formed hand seals.
Drawing on her Float-Float Fruit powers, she lifted an immense volume of seawater from the ocean, enclosing both herself and Katakuri within a massive water prison that hovered high above the waves.
Having once sparred with Arima in a simulated battle, Kushina knew that for opponents who could foresee the future, large-scale area attacks worked best.
Using Arima's guidance, she had developed this particular ninjutsu, a technique that used seawater to instantly form a gigantic ellipsoidal water prison to trap her enemy.
Unlike other Devil Fruit users, Kushina was unafraid of seawater, allowing her to move freely within the aquatic domain she created.
Katakuri foresaw her movements but quickly realized that no matter which direction he tried to escape, the prison's center followed him like his own shadow.
Seeing he was about to be cornered, Katakuri decided to stop holding back, he immediately entered his awakened state.
For the past nine years, he had trained relentlessly, always pushing himself beyond his limits, driven by a burning desire to one day take revenge on Arima.
Under that intense will, he had successfully awakened his Mochi Mochi no Mi.
Nine enormous mochi rings materialized around him, each birthing a massive, horned arm of hardened mochi.
They lashed out from every direction toward Kushina. In his mind, as long as he could defeat her swiftly, the water prison would naturally collapse.
But Kushina had anticipated this move. She darted back into the water prison, and the incoming barrage was swallowed whole by the thick water barrier, leaving her completely unharmed.
"Huh? She's not affected by seawater? But she's a Float-Float Fruit user, isn't she?!"
Katakuri's confusion deepened, he couldn't see through this woman at all.
"In that case, let's see you handle this!"
With the prison rapidly filling with seawater, Katakuri didn't hesitate. He unleashed his strongest new technique.
In his awakened state, dozens of mochi rings appeared around him. From each emerged a massive, horned mochi arm, all infused with Conqueror's Haki.
They struck from every angle, converging on Kushina's position.
The colossal arms, blazing with crimson energy, tore through the thick layers of water with terrifying force, continuing their assault with pinpoint precision.
Kushina hadn't expected his attack to pierce her seawater defenses so easily.
"Armament: Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
Five pitch-black chains shot out from behind her, interlocking in front of her to form a wall of defense.
The crimson mochi arms slammed into the chains and were instantly caught, no matter how hard they struggled, the chains only held tighter. It was like insects caught in a spider's web.
Now it was Katakuri's turn to be shocked.
He had believed his previous move would shatter her defenses, but in an instant, she had countered perfectly. For the first time, he realized this battle might not be an easy one.
A flicker of doubt crossed his mind. If he was already struggling this much against this woman, how could he ever hope to defeat Arima?
But he had no time to dwell on that thought. The water prison was rapidly filling up; once completely submerged, he'd be forced to cocoon himself in mochi just to survive.
Meanwhile, the rest of the battlefield was equally tense.
Mito was locked in combat with Cracker. Natsuka and Nawaki were holding off the Big Mom pirates' army together.
Arata, Yuna, and Sugar had formed a special strike team, using the Slow Slow Fruit and Hobby-Hobby Fruit powers to immobilize and transform enemies into toy soldiers, while Arata guarded their flanks and dealt with incoming threats.
Back aboard the Konoha Senju, Nono, Robin, Monet, and Violet defended the ship, maintaining its safety amid the chaos.
The clash between two Yonko-level forces had shattered the long-standing peace of Loguetown.
At this moment, Smoker lay gravely injured, leaving Aokiji to assume command.
Even as a Marine Admiral, he couldn't single-handedly suppress the combined chaos of two emperor crews. He had no choice but to call Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
"Hello, Fleet Admiral, it's Aokiji."
"Aokiji? You're still in Loguetown, aren't you?"
Sengoku had already received intelligence from the World Government and knew about Big Mom's assault on the Konoha forces.
"Fleet Admiral, are there any nearby reinforcements? If necessary, have Kizaru make a trip and help me contain this mess."
"I've already sent Garp back, he should arrive in half a day. I knew Big Mom's crew was making moves, but I didn't expect them to act this fast."
"I see. Then I'll hold out a bit longer. Talk later…"
Aokiji hung up the Den Den Mushi and fell into deep thought.
He suspected that the Five Elders were the ones orchestrating this entire conflict.
From the exposure of the Konoha Senju's location to Big Mom's ambush, everything had been perfectly timed.
"Five Elders… what are you really after?" he muttered, glancing up at the darkened sky, a heavy weight pressing on his chest.
…
On Skypiea, Arima immediately sensed the shattering of his illusion barrier. He hadn't expected anyone on the sea to see through his genjutsu.
His real body instantly appeared at Konoha Senju's dock, concealing his presence as he observed the battle from afar.
The situation was intense but evenly matched, neither side had gained the upper hand. Seeing this, Arima calmed himself and began to analyze the battlefield carefully.
Both Kushina and Mito were performing admirably.
Natsuka and Nawaki, powered up by Nono's stamina potions, were unleashing chakra like human-tailed beasts, fighting ferociously on all sides.
Robin and the others held their position on the ship, using their elevated vantage point to fend off attackers with ease.
But the ones who truly stood out were Arata, Yuna, and Sugar. Yuna froze enemies in place with the Slow Slow Fruit, Sugar turned them into toys, and Arata guarded them while striking swiftly and silently.
Together, they eliminated one powerful foe after another.
Watching this, Arima thought to himself, 'This time, unless absolutely necessary, I won't intervene.'
Looking at his family fighting valiantly within the enemy ranks, Arima murmured softly.
"Let me see how far you've all come."