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Chapter 72 - Chapter 71: Jerry vs. Cracker

The air around the stolen pirate ship crackled with tension as Charlotte Cracker positioned himself like a general commanding his army. Multiple biscuit soldiers surrounded Jerry in a perfect formation, their hardened forms gleaming under Totto Land's perpetually sweet-scented sky. From his safe position at the rear, Cracker orchestrated the assault with theatrical flair, his voice booming across the battlefield.

"Kakakaka! Don't think you can easily crush my proud dream cookies with that casual attitude of yours!" Cracker's laughter echoed off the candy-coated buildings nearby. His confidence was evident in every gesture as he directed his biscuit army with practiced ease. "I'll let you feel happy for about two minutes, then I'll beat you until you're crying for your parents!"

Jerry couldn't help but grin at the familiar pattern. Another arrogant enemy who loved the sound of his own voice—he'd encountered this type plenty of times before. The new Captain of Black Star Pirates had learned to read opponents quickly, and Cracker's behaviour told him everything he needed to know.

"Two minutes, huh?" Jerry muttered, rolling his shoulders as he surveyed the biscuit soldiers closing in. "That's generous of you."

Without warning, Jerry's right fist began to shimmer with the deep black coating of advanced Armament Haki. The air around his knuckles seemed to distort slightly as he channeled his power. Then, with a explosive forward thrust, he drove his fist straight through the chest of the nearest biscuit soldier.

CRACK!

The supposedly impenetrable biscuit armor shattered like glass, fragments flying in all directions. Jerry's grin widened as he felt the resistance give way—now he had a clear understanding of exactly how much force these constructs could withstand.

"Interesting," Jerry said, more to himself than anyone else. "So they're tough, but not that tough."

He began moving through the ranks of biscuit soldiers with fluid grace, each punch and kick calculated for maximum efficiency. His Observation Haki allowed him to sense every attack before it landed, while his Armament Haki ensured that each of his strikes found their mark with devastating effect. Biscuit fragments rained down around him like confetti as soldier after soldier fell to his precise attacks.

What really got under Cracker's skin wasn't just Jerry's combat effectiveness—it was his attitude. The way Jerry moved through the battlefield as if he was doing nothing more strenuous than morning exercises, the casual way he demolished each carefully crafted soldier, and worst of all, the running commentary he provided.

"You know, for someone who calls these 'perfect cookies,' they sure crumble easily," Jerry called out, ducking under a sword strike and responding with an uppercut that sent another soldier's head flying. "Maybe you should stick to regular baking?"

Cracker's face flushed red with indignation. Mocking enemies during battle was his specialty, his signature move that had demoralized countless opponents across the New World. The psychological warfare, the casual dismissal of his foes' efforts, the way he could make even strong fighters doubt themselves—these were the tools that had earned him his fearsome reputation among Big Mom's forces.

But now this upstart stranger had completely turned the tables on him. Before Cracker could even begin his usual routine of breaking down his opponent's confidence, Jerry had seized control of the battle's tempo and momentum. It was infuriating.

"That's enough!" Cracker snarled, abandoning his position at the rear. "You want to see what I can really do?"

The Sweet Commander drew his sword and shield, charging forward with explosive speed. His blade, enhanced with his own Armament Haki, cut through the air toward Jerry's back in a surprise attack that had felled many overconfident pirates.

But Jerry seemed completely unbothered by the sneak attack. His advanced Observation Haki had picked up Cracker's movement the moment he'd made his decision to charge. Without even looking back, Jerry sidestepped at the last possible second, his movement so smooth it looked almost choreographed.

As Cracker's momentum carried him forward, Jerry pivoted on his right foot and launched a vicious kick toward the Sweet Commander's midsection. Cracker managed to bring his sword up to block, the clash of Haki-enhanced attacks sending shockwaves through the surrounding area.

Not content with defense, Cracker immediately followed up by swinging his biscuit shield toward Jerry's head with bone-crushing force. The shield whistled through the air, aiming to catch Jerry while he was presumably off-balance from his kick.

Jerry's response was to lean backward in a matrix-like dodge, his spine bending at an impossible angle as the shield passed mere inches from his nose. Then, like a coiled spring releasing, he snapped back upright and drove his left elbow—coated in gleaming Armament Haki—directly into the center of Cracker's shield.

BOOM!

The impact created a thunderous crack that echoed across Totto Land. Cracker felt the tremendous force travel up through his shield and into his arm, the shock nearly numbing his entire left side. His supposedly unbreakable biscuit shield exploded into countless fragments, the pieces scattering like shrapnel.

The force of the collision sent Cracker staggering backward, his feet struggling to find purchase on the deck as he fought to maintain his balance.

"If I let that thing hit my face, wouldn't I end up with a round face like yours?" Jerry asked with mock concern, brushing a few biscuit crumbs off his elbow. "Thanks, but I'll pass on the makeover."

Jerry had always been particularly sensitive about attacks aimed at his face. His elbow strike had carried significantly more force than strictly necessary, driven by both tactical consideration and personal annoyance.

Instead of pressing his advantage against the momentarily stunned Cracker, Jerry turned his attention back to the remaining biscuit soldiers. But now his approach had changed completely. With each movement, streams of water began flowing from his hands and feet, controlled by his Spirit of the Sea ability.

The effect was immediate and dramatic. The moment Jerry's water-enhanced attacks made contact with the biscuit soldiers, their supposedly impenetrable armor began to soften and crumble. What had previously required significant force to destroy now fell apart at the lightest touch.

"Well, well," Jerry said as he casually demolished three soldiers with a single sweeping kick, water cascading from his foot in a graceful arc. "Looks like someone forgot to mention their cookies aren't waterproof."

Jerry had quickly identified the fundamental weakness in Cracker's ability. The biscuits might be incredibly hard when dry, but like any baked good, they became soft and fragile when exposed to moisture. With his advanced water manipulation capabilities, Jerry could exploit this weakness with devastating efficiency.

Cracker watched in growing horror as his army of supposedly invincible soldiers was systematically dismantled. Every taunt Jerry made during the process felt like a knife twisting in the wound.

"Hmph! Don't get so full of yourself!" Cracker snapped, his pride wounded but his fighting spirit still intact. "When it comes to cookies, I can make as many as I want!"

The sound of clapping filled the air as Cracker activated his Devil Fruit powers once again. Dozens of new biscuit soldiers materialized around the battlefield, fresh reinforcements ready to continue the assault. But Cracker wasn't finished with his escalation.

He reached up and patted both of his shoulders several times in a specific rhythm. Suddenly, additional arms sprouted from his sides—two on the left, two on the right, and two more in the back, giving him a total of eight limbs. Each new hand immediately grasped a freshly-created biscuit sword, the blades gleaming with the same hardness as his soldiers' armor.

"Behold the power of Thousand-Handed Cracker!" the Sweet Commander declared, his multiple arms moving in perfect coordination as he brandished his arsenal of weapons. "I'll slice you into pieces so small even the fish won't want to eat you!"

The transformed Cracker charged forward like a whirlwind of steel, his eight swords creating a web of death as they cut through the air from multiple angles simultaneously. It was an impressive display of coordination and skill that had overwhelmed many powerful opponents in the past.

But Jerry had transformed as well. Moving like a force of nature, he flowed between his attacks with water streaming from every strike. His fists and feet carried torrents that turned the battlefield into his domain, each impact sending waves of moisture that weakened every biscuit construct it touched.

When Cracker's multi-sword assault reached him, Jerry met it head-on without hesitation. His advanced Armament Haki allowed him to trade blows with the bladed weapons using just his bare hands, while his superior speed and Observation Haki gave him the edge he needed to stay ahead of the complex attack patterns.

The clash between them was spectacular. Cracker's swords flashed like lightning as they cut through the air, each swing carrying enough force to slice through steel. His multiple arms moved in perfect synchronization, creating attack sequences that seemed impossible to defend against.

Jerry responded with a boxing style that was both brutal and beautiful. His punches cut through the air with whistling sounds, each one precisely timed to intercept Cracker's strikes. His kicks swept in wide arcs that cleared multiple enemies at once, water flowing from his limbs like extensions of his will.

The sound of their battle was like a symphony of destruction—steel ringing against hardened flesh, the crash of breaking biscuits, the splash of water against candy-coated surfaces, and underneath it all, the thunderous booms of Haki-enhanced attacks colliding.

Despite his multiple weapons and fresh army, Cracker found himself being pushed back step by step. Jerry's combination of superior technique, strategic thinking, and exploiting the fundamental weakness of his opponent's powers was proving too much to overcome.

After several minutes of intense combat, Jerry saw his opening. As Cracker drew back for another multi-sword combination attack, Jerry suddenly stepped forward and drove his fist toward the Sweet Commander's center mass.

But this wasn't just any punch. Cracker, recognizing the danger, coated his central sword with advanced Armament Haki and began spinning it at tremendous speed, creating a drill-like attack that generated spiral-shaped sword energy. It was one of his most devastating techniques, designed to punch through any defense.

"Biscuit Drill Slash"

Jerry's response was immediate and overwhelming. His own fist became shrouded in advanced Armament Haki, but that wasn't all. Water began swirling around his arm, growing larger and more violent by the second until it formed a massive tornado that engulfed his entire attack.

"Maelstrom Abyss Breaker!" Jerry roared as he drove his attack forward.

The collision was apocalyptic. Jerry's water-enhanced, Haki-coated punch smashed through Cracker's spinning sword like it was made of paper. The biscuit blade shattered instantly, fragments flying in every direction as the full force of Jerry's attack caught Cracker in the chest.

The Sweet Commander was launched backward like a cannonball, his body crashing through the wall of a nearby candy house with tremendous force. The building collapsed around him in a shower of chocolate bricks and frosting debris, while the water from Jerry's attack swept over everything in a cleansing wave.

Jerry himself was pushed back several steps by the force of his own attack, but he used the momentum to leap high into the air. From his elevated position, he surveyed the battlefield and systematically destroyed every remaining biscuit soldier with precise strikes, water flowing from his attacks to ensure each one was properly softened before being shattered.

The silence that followed was almost deafening after the chaos of battle. Then, from the rubble of the collapsed building, came the sound of debris being pushed aside. Cracker emerged, looking like a drowned rat with his biscuit armor now soggy and barely holding together.

His additional arms had vanished, along with all his extra swords. There was a massive hole in the chest piece of his armor where Jerry's punch had connected, and water dripped constantly from every surface of his body. The once-proud Sweet Commander looked thoroughly defeated, though he was still standing.

Jerry watched this emergence with mild interest but no particular concern. His advanced Observation Haki had already told him what his eyes were now confirming—this wasn't actually Cracker's real body, just another, more sophisticated biscuit construct that the Sweet Commander used as armor.

"Pretty brave of you to try that spinning routine against me," Jerry said conversationally, as if he was discussing the weather rather than commenting on a life-or-death battle. "Next time maybe close your eyes when you spin—might help with the dizziness."

As he spoke, Jerry casually bent down and picked up one of the biscuit fragments that had scattered around his feet during the fight. He examined it briefly, then took a bite.

The crunch was audible even across the battlefield. Jerry's expression immediately shifted to one of mild disappointment as he struggled with the texture.

"Wow, this cookie is really hard," he muttered, his words slightly muffled by the overly crunchy biscuit. He chewed determinedly for a few seconds, then gave up and used his water manipulation to soften the piece before swallowing it.

After finishing his impromptu snack, Jerry dusted off his hands and looked back toward where Cracker was still struggling to regain his composure.

"The taste is pretty average too," Jerry announced with the authority of someone who had just conducted a thorough culinary review. "You might want to work on your recipe."

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