—A single bolt of lightning shot straight toward the Queen Mama Chanter.
With heat intense enough to vaporize an ordinary person, it tore through the air with thunderous roar—leaving both Linlin and Kanata's camps speechless.
The first to move was Streusen, the Gourmet Knight who'd known Linlin longer than anyone.
He'd been crossing swords with Junshi, saber in hand, but immediately rushed to Linlin's side where she was embedded in the ship's hull.
"Hey, Linlin! Are you okay?!"
"Ugh...! Damn that woman, what happened to 'I won't hold back'...!"
Linlin got up cursing.
The lightning burns were severe damage, but not enough to stop her from moving. It was partly her innate toughness, but also the difference between Octavia—who hadn't fought properly in years—and Linlin, who'd been fighting continuously.
To put it bluntly, she was rusty.
"Octavia...! That woman was alive...!"
Sword in hand again, she walked straight across the battlefield, approaching with the dignified bearing of a monarch.
Trying to support Linlin, third daughter Amande launched a surprise attack from behind Octavia—but even with a Haki-coated sword, she couldn't grasp the substance, passing through the lightning body and getting electrocuted each time.
She couldn't even slow Octavia's stride, finally collapsing.
Without breaking through Octavia's Observation Haki and grasping her true form, Amande couldn't even register on her awareness. There was an insurmountable difference in skill.
Stopping before the ship, Octavia took in both Linlin and Streusen.
"Streusen. It's been a while."
"Yeah... I would've preferred not to meet."
"Hehehe... How disliked I've become. Setting Linlin aside, I don't recall treating you poorly."
"I'm still a member of the Big Mom Pirates. I won't grovel to someone who disrespects my captain."
He'd looked after Linlin since childhood. He hadn't fallen so far as to laugh obsequiously when his companion—practically his partner—was disparaged.
Saber in hand and breaking into a cold sweat, he stood beside Linlin and pointed his blade at Octavia.
"Oh, two against one? I don't mind. I haven't fought in so long I'm rusty—perfect for shaking off the cobwebs."
"Big words...! Zeus! Prometheus!"
"Linlin! You're fine, you're strong! Fight calmly!"
While verbally encouraging Linlin, Streusen was coolly analyzing their forces.
Against Kanata's Witch crew alone, they had more than enough power... but Octavia's appearance here easily reversed that advantage.
It was mysterious why she had no killing intent, but facing her was still extremely difficult.
If possible, they should retreat.
But Linlin was hot-headed, and Octavia intended to fight even without intent to kill.
Given both their situations, escape was impossible.
(At least avoid dying, Linlin... if you die, the Big Mom Pirates are finished)
Octavia with an unhealed left arm and long absence from battle versus Linlin and Streusen who'd been fighting continuously in perfect condition.
In this situation, they were finally equal—yet even so, the outcome was clear.
***
"My prey was stolen, but what do you think I should do?"
"Don't ask me. I also lost my opponent."
Kanata, who'd been fighting Linlin, and Junshi, who'd been fighting Streusen, both found themselves without opponents.
Of course, the Big Mom Pirates vastly outnumbered them, so finding opponents wasn't the problem... but whether they could find equal or superior opponents was questionable.
The officer-class enemies were strong, but already fighting someone else.
Junshi shrugged and seemed to decide to casually search for an opponent, wandering off somewhere.
Kanata similarly thought she might as well take down whoever—when two figures approached, apparently deciding they couldn't leave Kanata unattended.
Charlotte family second son Katakuri, and fourth son Oven.
"We can't leave you alone...!"
"Die here!!"
Oven, a Heat-Heat Fruit user, fully utilized his ability with scorching fists.
Katakuri, a Mochi-Mochi Fruit user, wielded his trident Mogura.
Both attacked Kanata with full-power Haki.
"Heat Denassie!!"
"Mochi Thrust!!"
Oven's scorching fist struck Kanata's cheek solidly, while Katakuri twisted his mochi arm powerfully, driving a drill-like spinning thrust into her side.
—But Kanata, receiving the attacks, didn't budge.
Oven's fist definitely struck Kanata's cheek, and Katakuri's spear clearly pierced her side.
Yet there was no resistance whatsoever.
"Big Mom—Linlin's children? You don't measure up to your mother."
"—What?!"
"—Guh?!"
Oven's striking arm gradually froze, and ice began spreading along Katakuri's piercing spear to his arm.
Though they quickly pulled away, parts of their arms were already frozen.
Oven was a Heat-Heat Fruit high-temperature human. Normally freezing him would be impossible—but if Kanata's power purely exceeded his, it wasn't impossible.
Of course, once separated, he could melt the frozen parts.
Oven grabbed Katakuri's arm and melted the ice with intense heat, grinding his teeth while glaring at Kanata.
"Damn it... what the hell is that ability?!"
"Calm down, Oven. If you overuse your ability, you'll melt the ice underfoot too."
The sea was a Devil Fruit user's weakness.
Unless they had floating abilities like Shiki, or could directly interfere with water like Kanata.
With Kanata's ability currently forming the ice footing, carelessly using Oven's power would result in losing their footing.
"A high-temperature human and... a mochi human? Between you and that biscuit ability user over there, you people have a lot of snack-themed powers."
Ignoring Feiyun trampling the mass-produced biscuit soldiers, Kanata observed Katakuri and Oven.
Both had physiques many times larger than Kanata's, but in skill, Katakuri was about equal to Junshi—not quite reaching Zen's level. Oven fell two tiers below that.
Being Linlin's children meant they should be young, but developing this much skill at their age was genuinely praiseworthy.
Though coming from Kanata, it could only sound sarcastic.
"You shouldn't be much older than us... but you can face Mama head-on."
"We've been through our share of hardships. We won't go down easily—but you're not planning to retreat?"
"As long as Mama has decided to fight, we won't retreat."
"Mama, Mama... can't you think for yourselves? Advising the captain is also a crew member's duty."
Kanata shrugged with a troubled expression.
She'd have been fine if they retreated, but if they'd fight until one side was annihilated, so be it.
This time especially, Octavia's sudden intrusion had stirred things up into chaos. Reversing the numerical disadvantage wasn't impossible.
With Streusen—second strongest after Linlin—now occupied by Octavia, no one could stop Kanata.
"Following the captain's orders is also a crew member's duty. Especially when Mama wants to kill that opponent."
"...I see. It would be uncouth to interfere once you've decided."
When a man decides to do something, no one has the right to stop him.
Though whether they could win was another matter.
"Oven, I'll handle her. Go support the others."
"But—"
"Please."
"...Got it. Don't push yourself, Katakuri."
Oven's ability was useless on ice. Understanding this himself, he nodded at Katakuri's words and moved to support others.
During this, Kanata made no move to interfere.
If they wanted a one-on-one, so be it. Both readied their spears and coated them with Haki.
"Heh—show me your power. Besides Linlin, you seem most promising."
"Say what you want—I won't lose!!"
Crack-crack-crack!! Their Conqueror's Haki clashed, spider-webbing the surrounding ice.
Immediately repairing it while closing on Katakuri, they clashed spears.
(This woman—what monstrous strength!)
Just the weapon clash nearly broke his stance. Having the power to face Linlin head-on, her raw strength was tremendous.
Katakuri deflected the spear and hardened his fist with Armament, punching.
Kanata likewise hardened her bare hand with Armament and met Katakuri's fist.
"Ngh...!!"
The Armament Haki intensity was different.
Even Katakuri's full-power Haki-infused attack couldn't penetrate Kanata's Haki-coated defense.
He couldn't land an attack without breaking through Kanata's Observation Haki.
The more they fought, the more he realized the power gap.
"Now, we're just getting started."
Three times, Kanata swung her spear to release slashes.
Katakuri tried to dodge by efficiently morphing his body, but couldn't completely avoid them, taking shallow cuts.
Yet to Kanata, those were meant to be guaranteed hits. She praised him with "Nice dodge," then continued pressing Katakuri with consecutive slashes.
He tried to find openings to attack while dodging slashes, but... taking hits from slashes he couldn't fully avoid, his Observation Haki faltered for just a moment—and Kanata's powerful kick drove into his face.
"Ugh... Damn!"
"Oh, you're still standing?"
About to fall backward, he somehow recovered his balance, spinning once before landing.
Covered in wounds, gradually being cornered—he could tell.
But if Kanata truly wanted to kill him, she could do it much more easily. That was what Katakuri couldn't understand.
"Your expression says you wonder why I haven't killed you."
"...You read that well."
"Heh. Simply put, I don't dislike men like you. I'd want you on my ship."
Some things become clear through crossing blades.
Unlike Linlin, he wasn't swept away by rage, and had plenty of room to grow. With the high likelihood of being targeted from various quarters due to Octavia connections, recruiting crew was an urgent priority for Kanata.
If he weren't Linlin's child, she'd have invited him aboard.
"I won't betray Mama. I won't betray my siblings either."
"That's another thing I don't dislike about you."
Kanata smiled.
Katakuri was momentarily entranced, then shook his head to refocus on battle.
Though bleeding from multiple wounds, his Haki hadn't weakened, still refining itself to surpass Kanata's.
Without breaking through her Observation Haki, he couldn't grasp the flowing body of a Logia user.
Without breaking through her Armament Haki, he couldn't deal proper damage to Kanata's body.
Dodging Kanata's spear by a hair, he tried to devise a way to land a hit.
"You want to stop my movement with that mochi?"
"—?!"
The moment Katakuri started preparing net-like mochi to stop Kanata's movement, she saw through it and froze both mochi and Katakuri together.
Since she only froze his surface briefly, Katakuri managed to break free from inside—but cold sweat beaded his forehead.
One wrong move and she'd have frozen him inside and out. He'd survived by hastily coating his whole body with Haki.
She was completely reading his movements.
Before Kanata's Observation Haki that saw even seconds into the future, even the Big Mom Pirates' top-tier fighter was handled as easily as twisting a baby's arm.
"Hah, hah...! That Observation Haki is troublesome...!"
"Train your Observation Haki and you can see seconds into the future. Take a different direction, and you can read opponents' emotions to some degree."
Feiyun's Observation Haki differed from Kanata's, excelling at reading emotions.
It was easy to say, but how many Haki users could actually master this? While Kanata didn't think herself special, she recognized she was somewhat outside common sense.
"Same with Armament Haki. Train it, and beyond simple hardening—"
Kanata swung her fist toward Katakuri from a distance—and Katakuri was violently struck by an invisible "something" and sent flying.
Like Sengoku's Haki-based shockwaves or Octavia's armor-like "coating" Haki... there were plenty of precedents to reference.
The technique Zen called "Ryuo"—flowing Armament Haki.
"—Like this, you can control it to some degree."
Armor to protect yourself, or a spear to strike enemies.
Kanata explained as if teaching Katakuri.
The blown-back Katakuri rolled while coughing blood, somehow standing and readying his spear.
"Don't push yourself. You've taken considerable damage."
"If I don't stop you here, you'll go after everyone else...! I won't let that happen!"
"You care about your family... I'm a bit envious."
Something Kanata could never have.
Thinking that, she decided to go all-out to defeat Katakuri. Taking too much time would exhaust her own comrades.
The numerical disadvantage was more than tenfold. Outnumbered, Kanata as the stronger fighter had to hold firm.
"I said... I won't let you!"
"No, you have no say in this."
While dodging Katakuri's fierce assault, closing to point-blank range, Kanata reached out and touched Katakuri's chest.
—In the time it takes to blink, Katakuri became an ice statue.
Her breath turned white as Kanata turned her back on the frozen Katakuri.
"—You were strong. If you survive, we'll meet again."
Storm clouds were spreading. Confirming the battle between the all-out Linlin and Octavia hadn't concluded, Kanata left to support her allies.
***
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