Soon—
Smoothie led Wilhelm and Katakuri to a room in the corner of the hall.
She stood outside, keeping watch to ensure no one interrupted them.
"Are you ready? Once we start, there's no turning back."
Looking at Katakuri lying down, Wilhelm shrugged. "Even if I return the Mochi-Mochi Fruit's ability to you later, you might not be able to use its Awakening right away. You'd have to retrain and develop it all over again."
"There's nothing else to say. Just treat it as a gamble… Let's do this!"
Katakuri's response was firm and decisive.
Without another word, Wilhelm acted.
Katakuri, having prepared himself mentally, was swiftly "killed."
Wilhelm transferred the Mochi-Mochi Fruit's ability from Katakuri's "corpse," using the powers of the Revive-Revive Fruit to freeze both his body and soul.
Then, using soul energy stolen from Homies as the necessary price, he activated the Paramecia-type Heal-Heal Fruit's ability—bringing Katakuri back to life.
The entire process was smooth and precise, leaving the room as clean as if nothing had happened.
"Hah…" Wilhelm exhaled and smiled faintly as he looked at Katakuri, now revived. "So, how was the experience of dying?"
"Terrible. A complete gamble…"
Katakuri touched his chest, feeling the lingering ache.
Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, he let out a deep breath. "That feeling of suffocation and helplessness right before death… the endless darkness… I only want to experience that once."
If not for his absolute trust in Wilhelm…
Even the smallest mistake wouldn't have just cost him his Devil Fruit—it would've cost him his life.
Thankfully, everything went as planned.
"This is your Mochi-Mochi Fruit. You saw the process yourself, so you can safely eat the Air-Air Fruit now." Wilhelm pointed at a nearby fruit, which had taken on the properties of the Mochi-Mochi Fruit.
"Incredible… It really is the Mochi-Mochi Fruit."
Katakuri looked at the newly transformed fruit, still a little amazed.
Then, Wilhelm glanced at him—specifically at the lower half of his face, which was still hidden behind a scarf.
"How about I use the Heal-Heal Fruit's ability to remove the scars on your face?" Wilhelm suggested.
Swoosh—
Katakuri's head snapped up.
With sharp, piercing eyes, he stared at his younger brother—the one who, despite everything, he sometimes found himself a little jealous of.
But Wilhelm didn't flinch. His golden eyes remained calm as he looked at the strongest general of the Charlotte Family.
A long silence followed.
Katakuri's tightly clenched fist slowly loosened.
As if letting go of some invisible burden, he let out a small, helpless smile. "You knew all along, didn't you?"
"I've known from the start," Wilhelm admitted. "I always say that other people's opinions don't matter, but still… if you had the chance to look better, I don't think you'd turn it down."
Wilhelm shrugged, his tone neutral—there was no mockery in his words.
Katakuri was quiet for a moment, then nodded.
"If you can really get rid of these scars… that would be great."
Even if he could force himself to ignore people's opinions, he couldn't change the way the world saw him.
If he could look more normal, then why not? Who would willingly be seen as a monster—feared by people and avoided like a plague?
"Alright then… Open your mouth."
Without hesitation, Wilhelm moved.
Katakuri, watching him closely, felt a thin layer of sweat forming on his palms.
Then—
In a flash of motion, Wilhelm swung his sword, Mogura, with precision sharper than lightning.
With a single, clean cut, he removed the jagged fangs that had once marked Katakuri's terrifying appearance.
Immediately after, he activated the powers of the Heal-Heal Fruit, perfectly healing the deep scars that had once disfigured Katakuri's face.
At that moment, the strongest general of the Charlotte Family was reborn—not just as a warrior, but as a man whose cold, powerful presence was now matched by a striking, almost regal handsomeness.
Katakuri took the mirror Wilhelm handed him.
He stared at his reflection.
The face looking back at him—one without the monstrous scars, without the grotesque fangs—was both familiar and unfamiliar.
He had almost forgotten what he truly looked like.
As a child, his love for donuts had caused him to laugh too widely, tearing the corners of his mouth. Those old wounds had never healed properly, leaving behind the scars and the fangs that made him look monstrous.
But now… they were gone.
Katakuri couldn't help but smile.
Turning to Wilhelm, he spoke with genuine gratitude, "Thank you, Wilhelm."
"We're family. Why say thank you?" Wilhelm chuckled. "Haven't you always looked out for me, Katakuri big brother?"
Then, picking up the Logia-type Air-Air Fruit, he held it out to him.
"Eat it."
"Then I won't hold back!"
Katakuri, towering at nearly five meters tall, grabbed the Air-Air Fruit in his massive palm. Compared to his hand, the fruit looked almost small.
Without hesitation, he opened his mouth and swallowed it whole in one gulp.
Even though Wilhelm had healed him completely, erasing his scars and fangs, Katakuri still instinctively pulled up his scarf, covering the lower half of his face.
"To be honest, I've had it for so long, it just feels unnatural not to wear it," he muttered.
Then, as if remembering something, he looked at Wilhelm seriously.
"By the way, if you have time… I'd like you to help Bree remove the scars on her face."
The eighth daughter of the Charlotte Family—Bree—was a wound in his heart that had never healed.
In the past, Katakuri never cared about people mocking his appearance. Anyone who dared to laugh at him would pay the price, beaten down by his overwhelming strength.
But one day, someone he had humiliated came back for revenge.
And the one who suffered wasn't him—but Bree.
She was attacked and left with a scar that could never fade.
Katakuri had carried the guilt ever since.
"Of course," Wilhelm replied without hesitation. "I was planning to do it anyway. We're family, after all."
Katakuri smiled, his relief obvious.
For all of Wilhelm's cold, independent, and arrogant nature, he had done more for the Charlotte Family than anyone realized—fighting battles, securing power, and ensuring their continued dominance.
Charlotte Linlin, their mother, had always called Wilhelm her "greatest masterpiece"—her perfect creation, her future right-hand man.
But Katakuri knew better.
Wilhelm was never someone who would willingly serve under another. He wasn't the type to follow orders blindly, even from their mother.
And that worried Katakuri.
Would there come a day when Wilhelm and Charlotte Linlin would stand against each other?
But then he looked at his younger brother, seeing how he treated his siblings—not as tools or pawns, but as family.
Katakuri exhaled slowly, his concerns easing just a little.
Perhaps he was overthinking it.
After all, no matter what happened…
They would always be family.