"I choose life," Katakuri slowly raised his head and said.
As someone who possessed Conqueror's Haki, he couldn't allow himself to back down like this. Since he had already made up his mind to face her, then he would face his fear head-on.
"Is it over?"
"There's no turning back now."
"Once you're struck by Mama's Soul Pocus, your lifespan will be stolen!"
"How could this happen?"
"Katakuri-nii!" Upon hearing his choice, all the children of the Charlotte Family broke into cold sweat.
"Die, Katakuri!" Charlotte Linlin sneered as she stretched out her hand, ready to grab Katakuri's soul—but her hand halted midair.
No soul emerged from Katakuri's body. What surged forth instead… was an overwhelming, domineering aura.
In that moment when the Soul Pocus activated, a flood of memories surged through Katakuri's mind.
They were all from his childhood, flashing by like a carousel—memories of growing up under Charlotte Linlin's oppressive shadow. He had always believed he would never disobey his mother, that he could never even say the words "leave the Big Mom Pirates." But now, having said it, he found it wasn't as painful as he'd imagined.
On the contrary—he felt free.
Since he was a child, everything he did had been orchestrated by Big Mom. He was no more than a puppet on strings. But now, that taste of freedom was like sweet rain nourishing parched earth.
In the Gray Kingdom, Rosinante had never forced him to do anything. Even the research into Observation Haki was left entirely to Katakuri's own interest. That kind of respect, that kind of space, had planted the seed of desire for freedom deep in his heart—and now, it had blossomed into rebellion against Charlotte Linlin.
His Conqueror's Haki erupted, pushing back against the fear that welled up from the depths of his soul.
After all, to possess Conqueror's Haki was to never bow to fear. Had Katakuri not grown up caged by Linlin's overwhelming presence, he might never have feared her Soul Pocus in the first place.
And now that his Conqueror's Haki had awakened to resist, fear had no hold over him.
Charlotte Linlin's hand hung awkwardly in the air. Her expression twisted—from disbelief to fury, then to blind rage. All her emotions collided and surged up at once.
"Stay... or LIFE?" she growled again, unwilling to accept defeat.
"Life," Katakuri answered once more, his voice unwavering.
Still, not a single soul slipped from his body.
"N-No way… his soul didn't come out? Is this real?! Katakuri-nii isn't even afraid of Mama?"
"Amazing! He's… not afraid at all?"
"In this family, not fearing Mama is unthinkable!"
"This must be his Conqueror's Haki! Only with Conqueror's Haki can you resist Mama's Soul Pocus!"
"This is Katakuri-nii's true strength… incredible!"
"This is bad—Mama's getting even angrier!"
The Charlotte siblings erupted in shocked whispers.
"So that's how you dared to come back, how you dared to say those words to me!" Charlotte Linlin shouted. "Your wings have grown strong, and you're no longer afraid of my punishment!"
"But don't think for a second this is over. Prometheus!"
"Here, Mama!" responded a sun-shaped Homie. In a flash, its cute and docile face morphed into a furious, blazing sun.
"There's only one outcome for betrayal…" Linlin's voice turned cold. "Death!"
Grabbing Prometheus, Charlotte Linlin hurled a fiery fist at Katakuri.
The blow exploded into a pillar of scorching fire, engulfing everything.
Prometheus was one of her three most powerful Homies—an incarnation of fire itself, capable of absorbing and amplifying flames, and devastating on its own. Coupled with Linlin's monstrous strength—powerful enough to destroy an entire giant village at just five years old—this attack was unimaginably destructive.
But even before her fist landed, Katakuri had already leapt backward.
With his advanced Observation Haki that could see into the future, Katakuri predicted her move with pinpoint accuracy and evaded the attack the moment she struck.
Even so, the force of the blow cracked the ground and shook the Cake Castle.
Though the attack didn't land directly, the shockwave that followed still blasted Katakuri backward.
"So this is Mama's power… terrifying," Katakuri muttered, shielding his chest with crossed arms. "I dodged the full force, and the aftershock is still this strong."
"Don't think I'll let you off so easily, Katakuri!" Charlotte Linlin bellowed. "You want to leave the Big Mom Pirates? Fine—you can, once you're dead!"
"No choice, huh?" Katakuri said, steadying himself. "Looks like we have to fight."
"Fight?" Linlin let out a chilling laugh. "Mamamamama! You think you can fight me?"
"Oh, I've heard the rumors… You awakened the ability to see into the future with your Observation Haki. Not bad. As expected of my son—to possess such a rare skill."
"But if you think that's enough to go against me, you're far too full of yourself!"
"You can see the future for a few seconds? So what? You can't change the future!"
"Prometheus, FIRE JET!"
She roared, sending a scorching whip of fire lashing toward Katakuri.
But again, he dodged it—just before it hit. The blazing whip split the ground and set it ablaze.
"Zeus!" Linlin shouted next.
"Here, Mama!" The fluffy cloud transformed into a dark, stormy thunderhead, lightning crackling from within and striking toward Katakuri.
The bolts were insanely fast, but Katakuri's future sight allowed him to keep evading them.
"I see… an impressive ability," Linlin sneered. "But before absolute power, all your little tricks are worthless!"
She grabbed Napoleon—her bicorne hat Homie—which had transformed into a massive longsword.
"Elbaf Spear: Ikoku Sovereignty!"
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