"Mamamama! Katakuri, now do you understand the difference between us? I used to have such high hopes for you… but you've been nothing but a disappointment." Charlotte Linlin sneered.
As she spoke, she suddenly tightened her grip—CRACK!—Katakuri's trident snapped in two. Napoleon, her giant sword, plunged deep into his shoulder. Blood gushed out instantly.
"Hngh!" Katakuri gritted his teeth, his body morphing into a mochi mass, slipping away from her blade and dodging to the side.
"Die!!" Just as he moved, Big Mom leapt into the air with explosive force, chasing after him, her fist slamming down like a meteor.
Her monstrous strength crushed the ground where the mochi had been—flattening it in a massive crater. But Katakuri, once again relying on the powers of his Mochi-Mochi Fruit, narrowly evaded the blow.
"Prometheus!" Big Mom roared.
"Right here, Mama!" Prometheus answered eagerly.
"Heavenly Fire!" Linlin grabbed Prometheus and smashed him down onto the mochi-like ground Katakuri had transformed into. An inferno exploded outwards, a massive column of flame roaring into the sky, incinerating everything nearby.
Katakuri was forced to retreat again and again. But then—his expression suddenly hardened. His foot slammed into the ground.
He charged back at Big Mom.
Seeing him approach, Linlin swung a fist once more with devastating might.
The punch tore through his chest, but the body it pierced was just mochi—Katakuri twisted his torso around and pressed forward, his counterattack continuing undeterred.
His fist, coated in hardened Armament Haki, slammed into Linlin's body.
But once again, it didn't leave a mark.
"Mamamama!" Though Katakuri's attack didn't hurt her, Linlin still seemed enraged. Raising Prometheus high in her hand, she smashed it down toward him again.
But Katakuri moved first—dodging once more with the fluidity of mochi, weaving past her assault and launching his own counterattack.
"Power Mochi!"
"Grilled Mochi!"
"Cutting Mochi!"
His attacks poured out one after another. Utilizing the Mochi-Mochi Fruit's unique properties, Katakuri continually reshaped his body, circling Big Mom with swift movements. As he evaded her relentless attacks, he launched blow after blow in return.
At first, when he faced her head-on, he hadn't known how to properly fight back. He was trying to match her brute strength—and in doing so, he'd felt nothing but despair.
But under overwhelming pressure, he finally let go of restraint. Rather than challenging her in raw power, he began using his greatest strengths: his extraordinary Armament Haki, and the pliability of the Mochi-Mochi Fruit. He danced around her attacks, delivering precise counterstrikes again and again.
Though his attacks still couldn't seriously injure her, they disrupted her rhythm, making it impossible for her to unleash her strongest techniques.
The Mochi-Mochi Fruit was a Special Paramecia, allowing its user to become a sticky mochi-like entity. With this, Katakuri could freely change his form, slipping through attacks like a Logia user. Combined with his future-sight Observation Haki, he became nearly untouchable—even to someone like Big Mom.
The battle became a fast-paced clash of movement and will. The two of them were locked in a back-and-forth struggle, their powers colliding again and again.
"No way… Mama can't even land a hit on Katakuri?!"
"Katakuri can't hurt Mama… but Mom also can't hit Katakuri!"
"It's his Observation Haki—his future sight! I never imagined that combining future sight with the Mochi-Mochi Fruit would be so powerful! Even Mama's helpless!" Perospero cried out in disbelief.
"Katakuri's transformation gives him abilities like a Logia user… but even Logia can be hit with strong enough Armament Haki. Yet Katakuri's morphing form seems immune, even to that! And on top of that, he can see the future?! This is… this is invincible…"
Around them, the members of the Charlotte Family stood frozen in shock.
None of them had ever imagined that Katakuri could fight their mother—Big Mom—to a standstill.
Their mother, a monstrous force of nature, was struggling.
"Ughhh! So annoying! AAAAAHHHHHH!!" Suddenly, Big Mom let out a thunderous scream of rage.
The ear-splitting shriek shattered the air itself. It rattled the entire Cake Castle, making the walls tremble. Her overwhelming Conqueror's Haki surged outward in waves, suffocating the battlefield. The less powerful bystanders collapsed like dominoes, falling unconscious under the pressure.
Katakuri instinctively clutched at his ears, stunned by the sound.
In that moment of distraction, Big Mom seized Prometheus and slammed him forward in a devastating swing.
BOOM! Katakuri was sent flying through the air like a meteorite.
"Zeus!" Big Mom commanded.
"On it, Mama!" Zeus responded quickly, charging toward the airborne Katakuri.
Lightning crackled. Bolts of pure electricity rained down like divine punishment, ravaging Katakuri's body.
When the barrage ended, Katakuri lay on the ground—his entire body scorched black.
"Did he die?"
"Katakuri-nii!"
"Don't call him 'nii' anymore. He dared to attack Mama. He's violated the kingdom's iron law: never raise your hand against the Queen!"
"He's a traitor now—an enemy of Totto Land!"
The surrounding family members watched in tense silence.
But just then—the scorched figure began to rise.
Katakuri slowly stood up, brushing the soot from his shoulders.
Everyone looked again—and saw that he was completely unharmed, save for his ruined clothes.
"No wounds…?" someone gasped.
"The 'Healing Seal'... such a miraculous power," Big Mom muttered, eyes narrowing. "Katakuri, this is all your fault. Do you even understand what you did two years ago? If you'd brought Rosinante to me back then, I could've claimed that power for myself!"
"With that kind of near-immortality… I could have become the Pirate King by now. But no—you ruined everything!"
"I don't regret what I did." Katakuri's voice was firm. "Even if I could go back, I'd make the same choice."
"Mama… Rosinante is not someone who can be controlled. Maybe he's not stronger than you yet… but give him a few more years, and he might just surpass you."
"Katakuri!!!" Charlotte Linlin erupted in rage.
Being looked down upon—by her own son, no less—filled her with uncontrollable fury.
"What made you think that was possible?! That some brat could surpass me?! Was it that little scuffle just now? Katakuri, do you really believe I can't deal with you?!"
"Napoleon!" she roared.
"Here, Mama!" The horned Napoleon transformed into a massive greatsword.
"IKOKU SOVEREIGNTY!"
Linlin gripped the blade and unleashed a powerful slash.
"Too fast—!" Katakuri's eyes widened. He couldn't dodge in time.
He raised his arms, coating them in Armament Haki, to block.
But the mighty slash of Ikoku Sovereignty struck him squarely.
It was a technique known as the Elbaf Spear—a fearsome slash that mimicked the legendary weapons of the Giant warriors, crashing out like an unstoppable lance of energy.
Even giants usually needed time to charge this move—but Linlin could casually unleash it with a single swing, like it was nothing.
Of course, without charging, the technique's power was weaker.
But even so, it forced Katakuri back with brutal force.
Despite reinforcing his body with Armament Haki, Katakuri was still vomiting blood, fresh wounds opening across his body…
And the battle was far from over.