The first half of the Grand Line, on Long Ring Long Land.
A ship slowly sailed into the port. A moment later, an extremely tall man stepped off the boat, followed by a group of menacing pirate subordinates. This man was none other than Katakuri himself. He stood over five meters tall, looking like a small giant.
Speaking of height, Diarmuid had grown again recently. Back in North Blue, he was just a bit over 1.8 meters, and he thought he was done growing. While 1.8 meters was decent in his previous life, in this world, it was nothing special. Kuzan, Sakazuki, and Borsalino were all over three meters, and even Vice Admiral Garp was 2.8 meters. Every time Diarmuid stood among them, he felt like a child.
After constantly pushing his strength and eating the Gravity-Gravity Fruit, Diarmuid's height had surpassed two meters and was still likely to grow. He was surprised at first. Who grows so much after turning twenty? But then he remembered that powerful Devil Fruits could cause such changes.
Blackbeard, for instance, went from a normal person's build to a brawny brute in two years after eating the Dark-Dark Fruit and the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. With that in mind, he wasn't so surprised anymore.
Katakuri, perhaps due to inheriting Charlotte Linlin's lineage, was a very tall man with a firm face. A scarf covered half of it, hiding his true, monstrous face which he hadn't revealed in years. His bold style of dress, a vest that did little to conceal his figure, exposed his sculpted chest and abdomen, giving off an immediate sense of immense power. And in fact, Katakuri was indeed powerful.
Standing at the port, Katakuri felt something was off. The port of Long Ring Long Land was completely deserted. That was definitely strange.
"Katakuri-sama, this looks like an ambush, doesn't it?" one of his pirate subordinates said from behind him.
Katakuri didn't reply. Despite his suspicions, he walked into Long Ring Long Land. He was Charlotte Linlin's second son and had never lost a fight. Even if there was a problem on the island, he had to complete the mission his mother gave him. Besides, how could he be the "perfect man" and a role model for his younger siblings if he ran away every time he felt something was wrong?
Seeing that he didn't respond, the pirate subordinates dared not pester him any further and followed him.
Soon, Katakuri passed through the empty port town. He was now certain something was wrong; he just didn't know what it was.
Who is it? Is someone waiting for me here? Katakuri thought to himself.
Once out of the town, the island opened up into a vast, endless grassland. It was here that Katakuri stopped and looked at a pile of rocks in the distance.
A lone figure was sitting on one of the rocks. He had black hair, high-top military boots, and loose, brown cargo pants. His upper body was clad in a white t-shirt that was tight enough to show off his well-defined, elegant muscles. A finely crafted sword was hanging at his waist, and most importantly, he was wearing a Marine coat of justice on his shoulders. A closer look at his epaulets showed he was a Marine Rear Admiral.
That figure was Diarmuid, who had been waiting there for a long time. As a Marine Rear Admiral, he didn't want to get innocent civilians involved in his fight with Katakuri, so he had evacuated everyone from the town beforehand. He knew this would make Katakuri suspicious, but he was also sure that given Katakuri's personality, he wouldn't turn back. Events had proven him right.
"A Marine Rear Admiral? Who are you?" Katakuri asked as he slowly walked towards Diarmuid. At the same time, his Observation Haki spread out to check his surroundings. He found no ambush, only the lone Marine in front of him.
He wasn't scared. He had fought plenty of Marines in the New World, and he could easily defeat most Vice Admirals. Why would he be afraid of a Rear Admiral?
"I knew an empty port wouldn't scare you away, Katakuri," Diarmuid said, his hand resting lightly on the Nagasone Kotetsu at his waist, a brilliant smile on his face. After a short pause, he continued, "A pleasure to meet you. My name is Rodriguez Diarmuid. I'm a Marine Rear Admiral."
"Charlotte Katakuri," Katakuri replied, giving Diarmuid some respect. He stopped a few meters in front of Diarmuid.
"So, what are you doing here?" Katakuri asked softly.
Diarmuid grinned. "I've been ordered by Marineford to personally invite you back with me as a guest."
A look of disdain flashed in Katakuri's eyes. "Just you? A mere Marine Rear Admiral?"
"Just me," Diarmuid said, nodding seriously.
After that, neither of them spoke. They just stood there, silently staring at each other. The atmosphere became heavy and tense.
While Katakuri found this little Rear Admiral arrogant, he was not an arrogant man himself. He knew something was strange, and he began to wonder what it could be. He tried to remember the name Diarmuid, but it didn't ring a bell.
Diarmuid had, after all, made very few moves that were known to the public. His information had been almost completely sealed.
Unable to figure it out, he decided not to think about it anymore. No matter the scheme, in the end, strength would be the deciding factor.
A light breeze swept across the grassland, ruffling the hair of Katakuri and Diarmuid.
Then, Katakuri moved. He threw a straight punch, filled with Armament Haki, aimed directly at Diarmuid's head.
At the same time, Diarmuid moved as well. His Nagasone Kotetsu remained in its sheath, but the sheath was also covered in black Armament Haki. He thrust it forward, his hand still on the hilt.
The sheath precisely met Katakuri's fist, and a powerful force instantly sent the rock Diarmuid had been sitting on flying into pieces. His feet landed on the grass, holding firm. Katakuri was strong, but Diarmuid was in no way inferior. The first test of strength between the two had begun.
A look of understanding appeared in Katakuri's eyes. With that single exchange, the facade was gone. He now knew why this Marine Rear Admiral dared to confront him. He was truly strong!
Having broken through his physical limits countless times, Diarmuid knew his own strength was immense. He didn't feel a hint of strain as he blocked Katakuri's punch.
"Just having brute strength isn't enough!" Katakuri suddenly said.
As he spoke, his fist, still on Diarmuid's sheath, changed. The Armament Haki vanished, and the hard fist turned into a thick, sticky mochi, wrapping around the sword sheath. It continued to engulf it, threatening to consume it completely.
At the same time, Diarmuid countered. He yanked his hand back, and the blade separated from the sheath. The sheath remained stuck to Katakuri's ability, but the sharp blade of the Nagasone Kotetsu was now free.
"Of course not…" Diarmuid replied. He twisted his body and spun around, slicing his Nagasone Kotetsu forward.
"Gravity Blade: Tiger's Bite!"
The moment Diarmuid drew his blade, Katakuri felt a huge change in the Marine's presence. The attack was as solid as a physical object, like a fierce tiger charging at him.
"What is this…?" Katakuri's eyes widened in surprise.
The next second, the violent gravity combined with the slicing power of the attack hit his abdomen. Caught off guard, he couldn't resist. Katakuri's imposing body was sent flying backwards.
The discreet yet elegant sword sheath of the Nagasone Kotetsu flipped a few times in the air before landing upright on the ground.
Katakuri took a knee to absorb the brutal force. A serious expression replaced his shock as he looked at Diarmuid, who was standing in the distance holding his sword.
Diarmuid grinned. "Katakuri, get serious. Don't disappoint me. I've been looking forward to this day for a long time."
The seriousness in Katakuri's eyes slowly faded. He stood up calmly. Even though he had taken Diarmuid's attack head-on, he had managed to use Armament Haki to defend at the most crucial moment and wasn't truly injured. He was just a little embarrassed.
"Interesting. With the intelligence of my Charlotte Family, we didn't discover a master like you in the Marines. That ability you just used, was it gravity?" Katakuri asked, looking at Diarmuid.
"Maybe it's because I rarely show my hand? And you're right, it's gravity," Diarmuid replied with a smile.
At that moment, Diarmuid was also making a deduction. From the current situation, Katakuri's Observation Haki hadn't yet advanced to the point of seeing the future. This made sense. He was only 24 and still developing. If he had already awakened the ability to see the future, he would be too overpowered.
"It seems you are a worthy opponent. I hope I don't disappoint you. I'll return your words to you: I hope you don't disappoint me either…" Katakuri said softly. As he spoke, his arm slowly changed. A trident emerged from it and was caught in his hand.
He twirled the trident twice, and black Armament Haki instantly wrapped around it. The next second, Katakuri pushed off the ground, charging directly at Diarmuid.
Diarmuid seemed to have anticipated this as well. He coated his Nagasone Kotetsu in black Armament Haki and swung it at the descending trident. The two powerful forces of Armament Haki collided, creating a turbulent shockwave that spread from around them.
This was the first time Diarmuid had created such a phenomenon, and it made him realize just how strong his own Armament Haki was.
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