Scorching heat filled the air, steam rising in waves.
Alvida rested one hand on her slender waist, the iron mace—several times thicker than her arm—propped casually on her shoulder as she pressed her red lips together.
"These two really are Katakuri's younger brothers, Daifuku and Oven. Their strength is no joke. Kuro, are you alright?"
Kuro lowered his head to glance at the burn on the back of his hand. The injury had originally scorched through flesh and skin, but now it was healing, the wound shrinking bit by bit.
"I'm fine. I can still fight."
Standing opposite Alvida and Kuro, of course, were the sibling duo: Daifuku and Oven.
Both were tall and powerfully built.
Daifuku, sporting a close-cropped haircut, only needed to rub his body for a moment to summon, from his abdomen, a dark-blue steam-like entity—the "Hoya Hoya Genie."
Oven, with orange-red hair splaying out like three fan blades, had arms glowing fiery red, radiating a terrifying heat.
Coincidentally, both brothers wielded naginata—one held by the Genie, the other gripped directly by Oven.
The two sides had been locked in battle for quite some time, with neither able to gain the upper hand.
Although Alvida and Kuro possessed the ability of the "Contract Seal: Slow Regeneration," they still had to fight with caution.
If they took a fatal blow on the spot, no regeneration would save them.
And in that case, their fate would likely mirror Drake's—becoming a "living corpse."
It had to be said, the intel Alvida gathered before the battle didn't give her a detailed explanation of Daifuku and Oven's abilities, but it did give Alvida and Kuro enough mental preparation when facing the two brothers.
After some time adjusting to their fighting style, Alvida and Kuro had basically figured out parts of their abilities.
"Daifuku's 'Genie' is similar to 'Smoker the White Hunter,'" Alvida remarked.
Kuro shook his head.
"In truth, the Genie is even harder to deal with than Smoker. I can still hit Smoker's tangible form with Armament Haki even when he's smoke. But once the Genie becomes vapor, it can't be struck at all."
"Doesn't that make it invincible?"
"No ability is invincible. To gain immunity to physical attacks, the Genie sacrifices something else. Alvida, did you notice? It's never able to leave Daifuku's side for long."
"I see," Alvida said. "They're connected. We can just ignore the Genie and attack Daifuku directly."
"That's true—but that's also where the problem lies." Kuro carefully adjusted his glasses so his clawed fingers wouldn't cut his face. "Oven's ability complements his."
"Hm…" Alvida thought for a moment and frowned. "Oven's heat-based attacks work at mid to close range. You intentionally rushed in earlier to test that range, right?"
The wound on Kuro's hand continued wriggling as it healed.
"When Daifuku's Genie attacks, Oven stays by his side to guard him. When Oven uses his mid-range 'Hot Wind Fist,' the Genie stays with him instead."
"What a troublesome combo…" Alvida clicked her tongue, then smiled. "But it's not unbreakable."
Kuro looked at her, puzzled.
She leaned in and whispered a few words to him.
Kuro's eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly regained composure.
Meanwhile, Daifuku and Oven, tired of waiting, were growing impatient.
"Are you attacking this time while I defend, or should I go?" Daifuku asked Oven, rubbing his cropped hair.
With a grin, Oven lifted his naginata. "Let me, brother. I want to personally slaughter our enemies."
"Alright. Go—I'll be right behind you."
Oven fully trusted Daifuku to guard his back. He leaped into the air, raising his naginata high.
The temperature surged instantly, heating the blade until it glowed red, then ignited in roaring flames that illuminated everyone's faces.
With a shout, Oven cleaved downward—sending a blazing serpent of fire hurtling toward Alvida and Kuro.
Just before it engulfed them, Kuro flashed forward and unleashed ten slashes, severing the fire serpent!
Oven hadn't expected to win in one attack. Landing lightly, he dashed straight toward Kuro.
Daifuku followed right behind him, the Genie at his side, naginata in hand, refusing to leave him for even a moment.
But then Daifuku noticed something—
Kuro had suddenly jumped into the air, using Geppo to step upward, exposing Alvida behind him.
What?
Abandoning his partner?
Daifuku saw Alvida place both hands on the ground and smile at him—an odd, unsettling smile.
Something's wrong.
He realized the danger too late. His feet slipped, and he fell forward—smacking into the ground with a heavy thud!
The Genie was forced to stay close, unable to move away.
Not only him—Oven, who had dashed several meters ahead, also staggered and crashed face-first onto the ground, his naginata flying out of his hands.
Daifuku's face froze in shock.
A sudden realization struck him, and his gaze snapped toward Alvida.
That woman…
Could she have awakened her Devil Fruit, just like Katakuri—
to the point where she can affect the surrounding environment?!
A chill crawled up Daifuku's spine.
A "Fruit Awakening" wasn't something one could achieve through training—whether doubled, tenfold, a hundredfold, or even two hundredfold.
Sometimes, it required just a spark—like a tiny flame igniting an entire gas-filled room.
Alvida's awakening had been exactly that.
She had awakened before the battle with the Big Mom Pirates, giving her the power to make the entire area around her turn slippery, even without direct contact.
This was why Kuro had used Geppo to jump into the air ahead of time.
And from above, Kuro now had an overwhelming advantage.
The ten blades on his fingers sliced through the air with a buzzing hum.
The airborne slashes flew out like his old "Silent Step: Shakushi"—scattered and chaotic.
They looked random, but in the end each slash curved unpredictably and converged, striking down toward Daifuku and Oven on the ground.
"Get up!"
Daifuku warned Oven sharply, but when he tried to push himself up, he slipped again.
The Genie hurriedly spun around and scooped Daifuku off the ground, barely helping him dodge the incoming slashes.
Oven wasn't so lucky.
No one could help him stand on this slippery terrain.
He lay sprawled on the ground, reaching desperately toward his naginata—but whoosh—the moment he touched it, the handle slipped right out of his hand.
Even the naginata had become so slick it couldn't be gripped!
Slice—slice—slice—slice—
Oven's eyes widened in terror and despair as Kuro's slashes tore through him mercilessly. Blood sprayed into the air as his body was chopped into several pieces like a butchered, overcooked chicken.
"Oven…"
Daifuku had no time to grieve. When he looked up, Alvida was already gliding toward him—literally sliding across the slippery ground as if she were skiing, faster than even the flying Genie.
This was her domain.
Daifuku finally understood.
Alvida caught up instantly, her iron club coated in Armament Haki as she swung it at the Genie.
The Genie was forced to keep holding Daifuku aloft while raising its naginata to block.
But Alvida's monstrous strength combined with her Armament Haki smashed the naginata in half in a single blow.
The Genie burst apart into a wave of steam.
Damn…
Daifuku fell to the ground again, sliding far across the slippery surface.
When he came to, Kuro was already dropping toward him from the sky, unleashing a sword slash.
Daifuku hurriedly reached for his abdomen to summon the Genie again—
—but Alvida didn't give him the chance.
Her iron mace came down on his head.
Crunch.
The mace sank directly into Daifuku's skull.
He let out a strange, gargled moan—then Kuro's slash ripped open his chest and abdomen, exposing his bloody entrails.
At last, his hand fell limply to the ground, no longer moving.