In an instant, Diarmuid was hit by the two giant hands and clapped in the middle. The mochi hands, hardened with Armament Haki, were incredibly tough. Diarmuid crossed his arms, which were also pitch-black and coated in Armament Haki, to resist the crushing force.
Fortunately, his physical strength was immense, and he was able to hold off the attack. But he knew his situation was dire—he was trapped.
A powerful gravitational repulsion surged from his arms, yet it still couldn't break through Katakuri's Awakened Devil Fruit power.
At this moment, he understood the painstaking efforts of his sensei, Zephyr, who had always warned him not to rely solely on his Devil Fruit. He had emphasized that his own physical strength was of paramount importance.
He had just recently related to Borsalino's philosophy, and now he was paying the price. Luckily, he had listened to Zephyr's advice and hammered his body relentlessly, which was the only reason he had enough strength to block this attack.
Katakuri naturally didn't miss this opportunity. While Diarmuid was trapped, he charged at him. His giant fist was coated in black Armament Haki, and the mochi-turned-spikes on his knuckles acted like brass knuckles. There was no escaping.
A flash of madness appeared in Diarmuid's eyes. He unleashed his Devil Fruit's power, creating a strong repulsive force in front of him. But it was not enough to stop Katakuri's punch; it only made his movements falter for a split second.
The next moment, Diarmuid coughed up a mouthful of blood, with what looked like chunks of flesh mixed in. He was then sent flying like a cannonball.
Fortunately, the punch was powerful enough to knock Diarmuid out of the mochi's range of influence. He crashed hard into the ground, completely shattering it where he landed.
Diarmuid's chest was slightly caved in, and a few ribs were clearly broken. Even with the repulsive force and the resistance of his Armament Haki, the punch was still devastating, leaving him severely injured.
"Kairiki (Monstrous Strength) Mochi!" Katakuri roared. As he sent Diarmuid flying, he chased after him. The moment Diarmuid hit the ground, Katakuri smashed his fist down again, determined to end the fight in one fell swoop.
Though heavily injured, Diarmuid's Iron Will made him immune to the pain. He felt as if he wasn't hurt at all and dodged Katakuri's punch with lightning speed.
Katakuri's fist hit the ground, turning the shattered dirt into fine dust. At the same time, the ground around him slowly began to turn into mochi.
Katakuri's offense was too fast, one wave after another. Since he had activated his Awakened power, Diarmuid had been at a complete disadvantage.
After dodging the punch, Diarmuid wiped the blood from his mouth and looked at Katakuri, his expression serious. "You truly live up to your reputation as the 'perfect man'… but it seems your stamina is running out quickly."
Diarmuid had prepared to defend and counter, but Katakuri, who had just been so aggressive, didn't give chase. Diarmuid noticed that Katakuri's chest was rising and falling rapidly, his breathing ragged. Sweat was pouring from him, a clear sign that his stamina was plummeting.
"You're right. There's no point in hiding it. I'm not used to this new power, so I'm wasting a lot of energy in many places," Katakuri said, looking at Diarmuid.
Diarmuid looked at the large area behind Katakuri that had been converted into mochi. He now understood that Katakuri wasn't doing it on purpose; it was an uncontrolled side effect of his Awakening, causing him to waste precious stamina.
"But I can still defeat you before I get exhausted," Katakuri said, grinning with his ferocious, fanged mouth. "Your injuries aren't light, either."
"Who knows? I'm used to life-threatening injuries, and your punch didn't even come close to that level," Diarmuid said, swinging his Nagasone Kotetsu.
Katakuri's eyes narrowed slightly. "I've been wondering since the beginning: Do you not feel pain?"
"I do, but I can completely resist it during a fight," Diarmuid answered honestly, with no attempt to hide anything.
"Amazing. I once tried to do that, but I never succeeded. You are indeed a formidable opponent!" Katakuri praised without hesitation.
"It's just a gift," Diarmuid said.
At that moment, they both moved. Diarmuid swung his sword with a burst of gravity, and Katakuri pulled all the mochi from the ground to use its resilience to block Diarmuid's gravity-infused blade. He then shot out of the mochi and got in Diarmuid's face, throwing a punch.
Diarmuid was surprised that Katakuri wasn't using his Awakened ability in this close-quarters opportunity. He was clearly conserving stamina.
Diarmuid crossed his arms, with the Nagasone Kotetsu still in hand, to block Katakuri's punch, all while analyzing the power of his Awakening. After feeling the impact, Diarmuid concluded that using his Awakened power seemed to boost his physical abilities as well. Katakuri's punch was much heavier than it was before the Awakening!
"Those with powerful Devil Fruits often subconsciously focus on developing their abilities, leading to weaknesses in other areas. Diarmuid, your swordsmanship proves that point. I can tell that while your Gravity Blade is strong, your sword skills are mediocre. So… how are your hand-to-hand combat skills?" Katakuri said as he threw the punch.
Diarmuid knew Katakuri wasn't talking nonsense. This was a psychological attack meant to break his will, a common trick in combat. But with his Iron Will, Diarmuid was unshakable.
As Katakuri's punch came down, he twisted his waist in an unusual posture to dodge the blow. He then spun on his foot like a wind-up toy, and countered with a fierce elbow strike to Katakuri's chest.
"Gravity Cannon Elbow!" Diarmuid bellowed.
Katakuri couldn't dodge. A large hole opened in his chest, allowing the attack to pass through him as if he had swallowed Diarmuid's elbow.
But Diarmuid wasn't rattled. As his elbow sank into Katakuri's chest, he moved closer, putting his left foot back. He lowered his waist and then suddenly lifted it, driving his shoulder into Katakuri's body.
The immense force almost knocked the wind out of Katakuri, sending his huge body flying backwards.
"I'm afraid my Sensei taught me that lesson years ago," Diarmuid said as he flexed his shoulder. He took a couple of light steps and adopted a combat stance. "By the way, I was the head of the sixth Marine Officer Training Camp, and I was taught by the Marine Admiral, Black Arm Zephyr. My swordsmanship might be a little half-baked, but what do you think of my close-quarters combat skills?"
Katakuri's feet landed on the ground, making the mochi splash. He took a few steps back and clutched his chest, finally relieving some of the pain from the attack. His eyes were fixed on Diarmuid. "I see. So you are Black Arm Zephyr's disciple. That explains everything."
Black Arm Zephyr was a Marine Admiral who was not a Devil Fruit user. He had used his incredibly powerful Haki and hand-to-hand combat skills to become one of the world's top fighters, a true symbol of the World Government's top brass. His skill in this area was legendary; he was arguably even better at fighting than Garp himself.
He might not have the same level of raw power or innate physical strength as Garp, but his technique was undoubtedly superior.
Diarmuid brought his arms out and back in as if he were practicing a form, and fully entered close-quarters combat. He used Soru and instantly appeared in front of Katakuri.
Katakuri reacted quickly, throwing a punch. Diarmuid flicked his wrist and grabbed Katakuri's elbow. He squeezed, using the force of the punch to lift his body. He closed the gap in their height, flipped in the air, and whipped his leg out like a lash, aiming for Katakuri's neck.
A look of surprise flashed in Katakuri's eyes, but his body reacted instantly. He instinctively folded his other arm and put it to his ear to block the kick. The next second, Diarmuid's kick connected with his arm, sending him stumbling backward.
At that moment, Diarmuid hooked his kicking leg down, wrapping it around Katakuri's arm. He lifted his waist, his body unnaturally agile, and wrapped himself around Katakuri's upper body, putting his arm around his neck.
The series of moves was incredibly fast. In an instant, Diarmuid had moved from being in front of Katakuri to behind him. With a powerful squeeze, he pulled Katakuri's body backward. As Diarmuid landed on his feet, he used his legs to generate force and roared, throwing Katakuri's massive body over his shoulder and sending him flying into the distance.
The entire sequence, from Diarmuid grabbing Katakuri's elbow to throwing him, took only a couple of breaths. Katakuri was so shocked he didn't even react. He was sent smashing into the ground.
Luckily, he landed in the mochi, so he wasn't seriously injured. But after the attack, he understood one thing: a pirate who learned to fight in the streets was no match for a Marine who received formal, professional training from Zephyr.
"If you hold back and don't use your Awakened power to save stamina, Katakuri, you are going to lose!" Diarmuid said, putting his fists up in a fighting stance.
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