As Whitebeard and Kaido's battle erupted, Red Hair—one of the newly crowned Four Emperors—turned to his companion with undisguised exhilaration.
"Beckman! Whitebeard and Kaido are going at it! Looks like this era might be seeing its first major turning point!"
"What are you on about, you idiot captain?" Beckman retorted.
"Those two have been clashing for years. Though this time does feel different... Whitebeard's strength is beyond anything I imagined. Is this really a man pushing his seventy?"
Listening to Beckman's words, Shanks knew that his first mate, with his formidable Observation Haki, had already seen the battle scenes unfolding nearby.
With a smile, he patted Beckman's arm and said.
"Many years ago, during our battles with Whitebeard and the others, I witnessed that near-apocalyptic level of power. But after Captain Roger's passing and Whitebeard's gradual aging, I haven't seen battles of that caliber in a long time. It really brings back memories."
Shanks' voice carried a hint of nostalgia and emotion.
Beckman clicked his tongue and remarked.
"Truly an era where monsters keep emerging. Good thing I was still farming back home back then. But hey, Captain, what's the plan now? Big Mom and her crew seem to be approaching. And the Marines too—I can sense both scorching heat and extreme cold closing in. Probably those two newly promoted Admirals."
Hearing this, Shanks turned his gaze toward the Big Mom Pirates, whose flags were gradually coming into view.
His scarred eye gleamed with an intimidating sharpness.
"Though many consider us the fourth Emperor of the sea, we've never really had a serious clash with the other Emperors. Now that everyone's gathered, let's make the most of it and stir up some chaos!"
Beckman sighed with a helpless expression, though the smile tugging at his lips betrayed his not-so-bad mood.
"Such a willful Captain. But it's about time we measured ourselves against the other Emperors. Let's make our boss's name resound across the world!"
Amid the excited cheers from Shanks' crew, the Red Force surged forward at full speed toward the Big Mom Pirates.
.....
Meanwhile, aboard the other ship, Katakuri—who had been sitting calmly—suddenly stood up.
Even before Big Mom could sense anything, he had already spotted the terrifying vessel speeding toward them.
Without hesitation, he grabbed his weapon and, to the stunned expressions of his siblings, interrupted Big Mom mid-meal.
His voice was calm, but everyone could tell it carried more authority and seriousness than usual.
"Mama, the Red-Haired Shanks and his pirate crew are charging toward us at full speed. Their leader has already drawn his sword—it seems they're looking for a fight."
Though annoyed at being interrupted during her meal, Big Mom quickly lost interest in the cakes upon hearing Katakuri's report.
Unlike her later foolish self in the original timeline, she still knew what truly mattered—her pirate empire.
"Mamamamamama! Those brats sure have guts. Fine, let's see what they've got. I'm curious—what gives that little cabin boy from Roger's crew the right to stand as an Emperor alongside me? Napoleon, Zeus, Prometheus!"
As Big Mom prepared her weapon, the rest of the BIG MOM Pirates crew members also took out their arms one after another, fully armed and ready for the imminent battle ahead.
Katakuri stood alone at the bow of the ship.
The moment the Red Force came into view, his entire body began secreting a massive amount of mochi paste.
Within just a few seconds, he had constructed a solid bridge between the Red Force and his own pirate crew's vessel.
In the next moment, Katakuri gripped his weapon and charged straight toward the Red Hair Pirates along the path he'd created.
He had no intention of wasting ammunition in meaningless exchanges with the Red Force.
Much of their armory's stock had been replaced with Big Mom's cakes, and as one of the Four Emperors, their cannons hadn't been used in ages.
There was no guarantee they wouldn't backfire now.
This wasn't mere paranoia on Katakuri's part—he'd personally witnessed their cannon barrels filled with cream and chocolate not long ago.
The last thing he wanted was a misfire that could wipe out his own family members.
As Katakuri charged forward, Beckman's lips curled into a smile.
Raising his firearm, he declared with firm resolve.
"As first mate, I'll handle that one, Captain!"
"Much obliged, Beckman!"
With a laugh, Shanks dashed right past Katakuri in the next moment.
"So fast!"
From Katakuri's perspective, even with his Observation Haki, Red Hair's movement was nearly impossible to track—just a flash of brilliant red before that terrifying figure appeared aboard their ship.
Before Katakuri could turn to intercept, a barrage of bullets precisely struck every position he intended to move toward.
The implications were crystal clear to him.
His opponent's mastery of Observation Haki might surpass his own!
The man opposite him looked genuinely surprised to see Katakuri completely unharmed.
Smiling, he called out.
"Seems like you're no pushover. But I'm your dance partner now. How about letting our captain through to have a proper fight with yours?"
Without further exchange, sparks erupted between them as their clash began.
With battle cries rising, the entire Big Mom Pirates surged across Katakuri's bridge toward the Red Force.
Their enthusiasm stemmed from grim experience—when their mother entered battle, she rarely spared thought for her "children."
More likely, she'd sacrifice their lifespans to heal her own wounds.
Katakuri's bridge served a dual purpose: its primary function was protecting his siblings from being killed by their own mother.
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