Rossinante's expression was as heavy as ever. He hadn't expected Katakuri to show up this time.
In fact, from the moment Perospero's ship arrived at the Kingdom of Jeromeo, Rossinante had felt a vague sense of impending danger. During his battle with Perospero, he had to divide his focus to watch out for this threat, which was why he had been easily swept up by Perospero's Candy Wave. If not for that distraction, Perospero would have had a hard time capturing him, as Rossinante's Observation Haki was on a high level.
At first, Rossinante hadn't known where the threat was coming from. But when he saw Katakuri, everything became clear. He hadn't expected that Big Mom's pirates would send a "Commander," Katakuri, on this mission.
Katakuri and Perospero were on completely different levels. Though Katakuri was younger, his bounty had already soared to 800 million. He was a true formidable pirate, and even someone like Sakazuki might not necessarily be stronger than him.
"This is a troublesome opponent..." Rossinante muttered as he quickly retreated from Katakuri's flying kick.
What made Katakuri particularly troublesome was that his abilities completely countered Rossinante. Whether it was Observation Haki or Armament Haki, Katakuri was far superior. Especially his Observation Haki—although Rossinante wasn't sure if Katakuri could foresee the future, his ability to sense threats from the start showed that Katakuri's Observation Haki was far beyond his own.
Rossinante's strength was built upon his Observation Haki. His Devil Fruit ability heavily relied on its coordination, and with Katakuri's superior Observation Haki, Rossinante's perception was easily disrupted. This severely limited the effectiveness of his fruit powers.
Moreover, Katakuri's Mochi Mochi no Mi was a perfect counter to his own abilities. Because of the nature of the Mochi Mochi fruit, Katakuri could change his body into a sticky, mochi-like form, making it almost impossible for Rossinante to land a blow. This made it extremely difficult for his fruit powers to affect Katakuri.
Katakuri was exactly the type of person Rossinante feared running into. Had he known that Katakuri was coming with Big Mom's crew, he might have been more cautious about avoiding a confrontation.
Perhaps it was his recent successes that inflated his confidence, but Rossinante had rashly decided to engage Perospero, thinking he could handle the major pirates of the New World.
"Mochi Mochi, Super Heavy Strike!" Katakuri punched out.
Katakuri's attack wasn't flashy, but his straightforward power, combined with his unique abilities and superior Observation Haki, made it the most effective and overwhelming attack.
Faced with Katakuri's strike, Rossinante focused his Silent Power into his sword, his face firm with determination.
Rossinante knew that merely dodging Katakuri's attack would be pointless with his superior Observation Haki.
The sword, imbued with Silent Power, radiated an unspoken will to silence everything, and Rossinante slashed, colliding with Katakuri's Super Heavy Strike.
Boom! Rossinante was sent flying, crashing into the mountainside.
Pfft! He spat out blood from the powerful impact.
Katakuri's raw power, his Armament Haki, and his overwhelming control were simply too much for Rossinante. While he could silence the stickiness of Katakuri's Mochi Mochi fruit, Katakuri's superior Observation Haki prevented Rossinante from reading his attacks. As a result, Rossinante couldn't nullify the force behind Katakuri's strikes, and this powerful blow sent him into a grievous state.
The physicality inherited from the Charlotte family was terrifying. The force behind this punch far exceeded Rossinante's expectations.
After landing his hit, Katakuri retracted his fist, his brow furrowed.
His Mochi Mochi no Mi allowed his body to transform into mochi, with incredible stickiness. Typically, when he struck someone, they would be stuck in the mochi. But this time, Katakuri didn't feel Rossinante get stuck.
Rossinante's name had spread within the Big Mom Pirates as soon as he made a name for himself. No one was sure if there were spies in the Navy who reported to Big Mom, but soon after, Big Mom learned that Rossinante possessed the Silent Fruit ability.
"Such a shame... to dare defy Mama. You're truly overestimating yourself. You'll bring your delusions to hell!" Katakuri coldly said, his fists flying out rapidly, each one wrapped in Armament Haki, delivering heavy blows toward Rossinante.
"Ha!" Rossinante shot into the air, narrowly evading Katakuri's repeated attacks.
"Flight ability, huh?" Katakuri frowned when Rossinante reached a position he couldn't attack.
There weren't many in the pirate world with flight abilities, which was why the Flying Lion Pirates were so formidable. Katakuri had long-range attack capabilities due to his Mochi Mochi no Mi, but if Rossinante flew high enough, Katakuri wouldn't be able to reach him.
"Impressive!"
"Thanks for showing me the distance of the great pirates' power. To thank you, I'll give everything I have and strike you with my strongest attack!" Rossinante spoke while catching his breath in the air, his body recovering.
Katakuri frowned when he heard Rossinante's words. While others might dismiss them as empty threats, Katakuri, with his formidable Observation Haki, could sense a growing aura of danger emanating from Rossinante.
Had Katakuri been able to fly, he would have immediately dealt with the threat before it grew.
"Body Self-Restriction Silent!" Rossinante placed a hand over his chest, and an overwhelming, intense aura suddenly erupted from his body.
"Breaking free of the self-imposed body limitations, and unleashing this immense strength...?" Katakuri's brows furrowed.
Human bodies naturally limit their strength to avoid harm. Devil Fruit users, especially, face similar restrictions that prevent them from unleashing their full potential. Even awakening their Devil Fruit abilities doesn't negate these limits.
However, once these limits are removed, all the power within can be used freely—at the cost of one's life.
With his limits gone, Rossinante unleashed unimaginable power.
He clenched his fist, causing the very air to tremble, and slowly raised his hand. Katakuri immediately felt the pressure of Rossinante's fist bearing down on him and quickly covered himself with Armament Haki.
Boom! Rossinante's fist collided with Katakuri, sending him flying backward.
Rossinante's speed was so fast that Katakuri didn't even have time to react before being struck.
"Such speed... is this the power unleashed by breaking your own limitations?"
"Unbelievable! I couldn't even react in time. My Observation Haki barely registered the shadow of his punch," Katakuri muttered in shock.
Someone who was clearly weaker before had suddenly become this powerful after breaking their own limitations.