— — — — — —
Crack!
The earth split open in an instant. The ground cracked inch by inch.
Just like that—Katakuri's steps were halted.
Even though…
It was just a brief step.
But in a battle like this— That one instant was enough.
"Airquake!"
Edward roared as he slammed his fist down with full force.
Katakuri's expression didn't change.
Whoosh—
His body instantly turned into a mass of sticky mochi, spreading out to block the entire attack.
Right after—In that fleeting but deadly exchange—
The two separated again.
Katakuri narrowed his eyes and said seriously, "Just now, for a moment… I couldn't see your future."
That was…
Almost impossible.
Unless the opponent had Observation Haki on par with his own.
Otherwise—
He should be able to see the future.
And yet?…
He really hadn't seen it.
"Gurararara~"
Edward laughed heartily, "Kid! You're still too green. Observation Haki that can see the future is rare—hella rare! But since it does exist, of course there are ways to counter it."
Katakuri's eyes sharpened. "So that's it… You've found a special method to block future sight."
He didn't know what that method was.
But still—
Katakuri was never the kind of man who relied solely on seeing the future.
On the contrary, Observation Haki was just a tool.
And if that tool stops working?
Swap it out for something better.
No big deal.
Shing!
With his trident in hand, Katakuri stepped forward. "Then let's begin… the second half of this battle."
Edward grinned, his expression fierce. "Second half? You make it sound so damn casual, kid. Let me see if this so-called 'second half' of yours is worth my time!"
Whoosh!
The two blurred like streaks of light as they clashed again.
The speed alone carried devastating power.
Now—This was the real fight.
At the same time—
The Whitebeard Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates—Had fully engaged in an all-out war.
With two Yonko crews like this?
Settling things quickly was damn near impossible.
The battle had already dragged on for three days and three nights.
And during that time—Both sides had been fighting fiercely nonstop.
---
"Hah—Hah—" Panting heavily, Jozu growled through gritted teeth, "What the hell? Three days without resting even once?!"
In a war like this?
Most would alternate between fighting and resting to maintain peak condition.
Otherwise—There's no way to keep going.
But Katakuri and Edward? No issues there.
Try asking a normalguyto fight for ten days straight?
Yeah, not happening.
It's just not realistic.
Human bodies aren't built like that.
"Tch!"
Oven spat on the ground and snapped, "Jozu! What, you tired already? I'm just getting warmed up! This all you got? You think thislevel of intensity is enough to put me down? Keep dreaming! My master's training was way harsher than this!"
"Heh!" Jozu scoffed, clearly pissed. "Who you calling weak, huh? You, the so-called 'Destroyer of the Sea'? Pfft!"
Oven sneered back, "And you think you're something special, 'Crusher'? I'll roast you alive today!"
"Come on, then! Who's scared of who?!"
"Anyone who backs down is a coward!"
"Bastard!"
The two of them—Couldn't go three sentences without wanting to beat the hell out of each other.
In a flash, they were clashing again.
Charlotte Oven.
One of the core members of the Underworld Dark Trade Network.
A son of the Charlotte family.
Across the seas, he was known as—The Flame Demon of Destruction.
Simple reason.
The guy was like a walking inferno of chaos.
Those nosy folks on the sea eventually came up with that nickname.
And hey—"Flame Demon of Destruction" sounded kinda cool.
To be fair—Most of the nicknames were straight-up cringe or over-the-top edgy.
Oh yeah—Daifuku's nickname?
The Death Lamp Demon.
Real chuunibyou stuff.
...
"Tch!" Daifuku spat blood casually and wiped his mouth.
He was getting double-teamed after all.
Thatch! Vista!
The two of them together were putting some serious pressure on him.
"Heal!"
"Treatment!"
A soft white and green glow wrapped around Daifuku's body.
It wasn't just his wounds—Even his energy and spirit were restored to nearly 80%.
"Hahahaha!"
Daifuku laughed wildly, "You see that?! That's the strength of our family! You trash! You see now? Bunch of losers—pah!" He spat even more arrogantly.
Thatch and Vista were so mad their teeth were grinding.
"I'm gonna kill this guy!"
Both were fuming.
Elsewhere—
Hachée and Effilée exchanged a glance, sighed, and dove back into the chaos.
These two girls—Were angels to their allies, and nightmares to their enemies.
Their healing abilities were insane.
Like—Just when you thought someone was finally taken down?
Boom, they were back on their feet like nothing happened.
It was beyond frustrating.
"Huff—"
— — —
Meanwhile, Compote and Cracker had deadly sharp eyes.
Cracker raised a brow and narrowed his gaze at his opponent. "What's your name? Chameleon? Never heard of you before. Since when did someone with this kind of strength show up?"
Clearly—
He hadn't seen this coming.
Cracker — A Silver Rank, Level 2.
Which meant—This guy had already reached the level of admiral power.
A true top-tier fighter in the seas.
And yet, he was being held back by this nobody who blended in like a damn chameleon.
As for the rest of the family?
Custard and Angel aren't exactly known for their combat ability. Overall, their strength is just... decent, at best.
But under Compote's leadership…And with some strong fighters from the Longarm Tribe tagging along...
They were barely managing to hold off the other elites from the Whitebeard Pirates.
Looking at the big picture? Both sides were neck-and-neck in terms of overall strength.
Under normal circumstances…The Big Mom Pirates would've had the edge.
After all, Cracker was originally meant to break through and deal with the army alone.
But what happened? Cracker got tied down by this chameleon guy.
Not only that—They were evenly matched!
The chameleon-like guy calmly said, "My name? You better remember it. I'm someone who can kill you. The name's Chameleone."
He casually licked his lips.
Chameleone's smile was twisted—completely savage.
This man...Was staring Cracker down with a terrifying gleam in his eyes.
Chameleone.
He'd only been with the Whitebeard Pirates for about two months.
This guy—Was absolutely obsessed with power.
If Roger's crew had someone like Douglas Bullet chasing after strength...
Then for the Whitebeard Pirates, it was Chameleone.
Both had god-tier potential. And even at his young age, Chameleone could already go toe-to-toe with Cracker.
---
"Hehehe…"
Cracker chuckled with interest. "Chameleone, huh? That's a name worth remembering. But you think you can kill me? That's one hell of a dream! Today…"
"—It ends here!"
Just then, Mondée's voice cut through the chaos like a blade.
"Huh?"
The intense battle across the battlefield paused all at once.
Everyone looked up in surprise.
And just like that—
They all locked eyes with each other again, full of tension.
Mondée casually tossed the Devil Fruit he was playing with in his hand—a swirling blend of three colors—and smiled.
"The Devil Fruit is ours. The war's over."
In that instant—Everyone just kind of froze.
Honestly?
This war had gone on for three full days and nights.
And now that someone said it out loud before… why the hell were they even fighting?
They were like, "Wait, huh? Wasn't it just because of a treasure or something?"
That had been the reason in the first place.
And now? Only now did it finally click for everyone.
Right! That's why we were fighting! It was all over a Devil Fruit!
And in that moment—Everyone looked dumbfounded.
Whoosh!
Katakuri and Edward dropped down onto the battlefield.
But compared to Edward...
Katakuri was clearly more banged up, with wounds all over his body.
"Heal!" "Treatment!"
Hachée and Effilée rushed over, casting healing magic in a panic.
Fwooo— Katakuri let out a heavy breath and muttered, "Whitebeard… you really are terrifying. Right now, I'm just no match for you."
"Gurararara~!"
Edward let out a loud laugh. "You? Want to be my rival? Come back in 20 years!"
Mondée walked up to Katakuri and said, "Third Brother, here's the Copy-Copy Fruit!"
Katakuri took the fruit, conjured up mochi, and swallowed the Devil Fruit whole without hesitation. Then calmly asked, "Whitebeard, you still want to continue this fight?"
"Huh???" Edward scanned the battlefield.
Compared to the Big Mom Pirates...
His crew was just way too drained. Completely exhausted.
What could they do?
It was like starting a big team fight in an MMORPG...
Both sides had warriors and mages.
But one side was cheating with two healers!
What kind of nonsense is that? How the hell do you fight that?
Unless you're steamrolling with overwhelming power, there's just no winning that kind of fight.
"Hehehe…"
Cracker stared at Chameleone. "Chameleon! I've got your name burned into my brain now! Next time we meet—I'll cut you down!"
Chameleone grinned viciously. "No need to wait till next time. We can settle it right now!"
Cracker sneered, "Please. If we keep going now? It won't be about some Devil Fruit anymore. It'll be all-out war between the Charlotte Family and the Whitebeard Pirates!"
Hearing Cracker's defiant words...Everyone went quiet.
Because Cracker said the 'Charlotte Family', not 'Big Mom Pirates.'
The Whitebeard Pirates hadn't hit their peak yet.
They were still just pirate crews.
If the full force of the Charlotte Family showed up?
Forget it. This fight would be suicide.
The Pastry Five Generals hadn't even arrived yet!
Not to mention—Where were the ministers? Where was Big Mom herself?
Where was Charlotte Joey?
Forget it.
Pack it up, folks.
The Devil Fruit's been claimed.
Let's just call it a draw and go home.
Nothing to be ashamed of.
.
.
.