On the streets, Katakuri struggled to block the relentless assaults from Otto while summoning pitch-black ghost flames to engulf Otto's hulking frame, searing his soul.
Yet the ghost flames proved ineffective.
A grim realization settled in Katakuri's heart—he had encountered his weakness.
In fact, back on Oven Island, that meat-armored tank could have won!
This is the mutual restraint between different forms of power!
"Yamato!"
Suddenly, Katakuri saw Yamato being sent flying by Golden Axe's strike, and his heart instantly panicked.
His towering figure transformed into a high-speed rolling donut, rushing toward where Yamato had landed.
"Hmph! Your end has come, War God! Hehahaha!"
Golden Axe Dean laughed wildly as he swung his axe, unleashing a dazzling golden arc that tore through everything in its path, instantly striking Katakuri's donut form.
Swish!
A spray of blood erupted from the rapidly spinning donut, but its speed only increased, smashing through half-collapsed buildings.
Suddenly, a massive mochi hand stretched out, grabbing the immobilized Yamato from the ground!
Swish!
Another brilliant golden flash streaked across the sky, slicing through Katakuri's outstretched hand like lightning!
"No!" Yamato spat blood, her eyes wide with horror as she screamed.
"Argh!!"
A pained cry came from within the donut as the massive hand was severed, blood gushing before it shrank back into a half-arm still attached to the wrist, falling limply to the ground.
"Raaah!"
Mid-air, the donut spun even faster as Katakuri extended another massive hand, grabbing Yamato's body before rolling violently into the distance!
On the ground, Golden Axe, World, Otto, and Silver Axe—who had just crawled out of the sea—resumed their pursuit, charging after Katakuri and Yamato.
"You can't escape, my dear niece and nephew! Hehahaha! Today, we'll make sure Kaido and Caesar have no heirs left!"
High above, a mochi hand clutched Yamato as the giant donut rolled away at breakneck speed, heading straight for Caesar's estate.
Coughing blood, Yamato weakly cried out.
"Katakuri! Let me go! Drop me! You can still escape! You're the successor of the Beast God Pirates—you can't die here, and you definitely can't be captured by the World Government!"
"Shut up! Do you really think ditching you would increase my chances of survival? Naive!"
Katakuri was equally frantic.
He never expected these four sudden attackers to all be top-tier powerhouses!
Though he had mentioned it in his call with King, top-tier fighters were rare on the seas—how could they appear so easily?
And yet, here they were—four of them, none of whom had been active on the seas for decades!
Just like Caesar, they seemed to have been dormant for years, unknown to the world.
What Katakuri didn't know was that Byrnndi World had indeed been frozen in ice for thirty years—a strange parallel to Caesar's slumber.
World was now seventy-eight, three years older than Ganzui, yet he looked no older than forty.
Katakuri was beginning to regret calling Whole Cake Island for backup.
Even if reinforcements like King, Doflamingo, Queen, and Gin arrived in time, they likely wouldn't be enough to stop these four.
Worse yet, their arrival might just mean more casualties.
Currently in Totto Land, Caesar, Kaido, Linlin, and Ganzui were all absent.
If he and Yamato were defeated, then Totto Land would effectively be destroyed by these four!
'No! The Beast God Pirates cannot be destroyed like this! This is the hope for the rise of my Barbarossa family! This is my father Caesar's life's work! Damn it, why didn't I bring that vial of blood my father gave me? Have I grown arrogant from the Beast God Pirates' strength? Ugh...!'
The more Katakuri thought about it, the more anxious he became.
The injuries inflicted by Golden Axe flared up uncontrollably, and as he was mid-air, he plummeted headfirst toward the courtyard below!
"Katakuri!"
Yamato let out a startled cry, wanting to reach out and catch him.
However, her own injuries were far more severe than Katakuri's—she couldn't even move, forced to watch helplessly as Katakuri reverted to his human form and crashed down from the sky!
BOOM!
Katakuri's body slammed heavily into the courtyard, collapsing a large section of the wall.
Blood gushed from his mouth, and his right arm was severed at the elbow, thick blood still pouring out.
Across his chest was a massive gash that had torn through his torso, nearly slicing his throat and taking off half his head!
Yamato, cushioned by a mochi hand, landed without worsening her injuries.
Her eyes red, she gritted through the excruciating pain and looked toward Katakuri, who lay sprawled amidst the rubble of the collapsed wall.
Katakuri was drenched in crimson blood, his tall, imposing figure utterly motionless.
"No, no! Katakuri! Don't fall asleep! Don't—don't die!"
Yamato's eyes burned red as she growled through clenched teeth.
Ignoring the agony tearing through her body, she struggled to crawl toward Katakuri.
Meanwhile, outside the courtyard, Golden Axe and the other three leisurely approached.
"Miles, you fool! Didn't I warn you before? You can talk big all you want, but in your heart, you must stay cautious! Don't let the insults you spout become your actual beliefs—it'll cloud your judgment! Especially in battle, you must be careful! And this was just against two kids. If it had been Caesar and the others just now, you'd already be dead!"
Silver Axe clutched his chest, his face pale, as his brother berated him mercilessly.
He could only hang his head, not daring to retort.
Otto suddenly pointed at the courtyard entrance in confusion.
"Are these two servants idiots? Why are they standing there like logs and not even flinching? Don't they know fear?"
At the entrance stood two figures, one on each side, draped in black-and-red cloud-patterned robes.
They were as still as wooden statues, unmoved by Katakuri and Yamato's fall or the arrival of Otto and the others.
What was eerie was the black hoods covering their heads.
One wore a blue demon mask, the other a red demon mask.
Strangely, neither mask had eye holes—they were pressed tightly against their faces.