"Mom, we're here!"
Just then, men and women of varying ages walked through the entrance again.
Leading them is none other than Katakuri.
"The bosses from the underworld just made contact. They are about to enter Totto Land and requested we open a direct passage for them."
Linlin turned slightly and instructed Katakuri:
"Tell them to hurry up! The first Tea Party starts in 3 days! I'm very much looking forward to the gifts they'll bring!"
"Yes, Mom."
Katakuri ordered a younger brother following him to handle the matter, then his eyes turned to the group from the Beasts Pirates.
Not many people had followed Kaido into the Whole Cake Chateau this time.
Aside from Bazel, only Hanafuda was present.
King and Babanuki were left guarding the ships with the crew, responsible for watching over Acier's laboratory and the two vessels.
Originally, Bazel had intended to stay behind to watch the ships himself.
But Kaido, aware of Linlin's... desires, changed the plan at the last minute.
He had him and Hanafuda accompany him to Whole Cake Chateau to show strength.
"You're the vice-captain of the Beasts Pirates, right?!"
Looking at Katakuri standing before him, radiating fighting spirit, Bazel didn't answer immediately. Instead, he glanced at Kaido.
"Doesn't matter. I'm here."
With Kaido's assurance, Bazel knew where he stood.
"Want to fight?"
Pirate interactions didn't have many twists and turns.
Moreover, Katakuri might as well have written 'I want to test how strong you are' on his face.
"If you want to fight, then go outside and do it."
Linlin suddenly inserted herself between Bazel and Katakuri.
"He is my most outstanding son, Katakuri! Also the son with the best talent!"
"Mamamama~"
"Katakuri, even if you can't win, it's fine. Bazel's spirit is much stronger than yours."
"I won't lose, Mom!"
The current Katakuri was far from as mature as his future self. Although he had seen through many things due to Brulee's experience, the hot-bloodness in his heart still exists.
Nineteen was the most passionate age. If one didn't act impulsively now, when would they challenge the world? When they were old and toothless?
Boom…!!
Not yet fully matured Conqueror's Haki suddenly erupted.
Bazel didn't retreat an inch, his white shoulder-length hair flowing backward.
"Not bad spirit. But…"
Buzz…
The world suddenly turned black and white!
Everyone's smiling faces froze in that instant!!
As color returned, the owner of the domineering spirit widened his eyes, an overwhelming aura shooting out from within him!
"It's not enough, Charlotte Katakuri!!"
Boom boom boom…!
Several extremely shallow cracks appeared on the floor!
Linlin, seeing this, narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Kaido, your vice-captain's Conqueror's Haki can already affect physical matter?"
"Worororo~!"
Kaido covered his face with a hand, laughing wildly, "That's right, Linlin! This is my brother, Kaido's brother!!"
"Isn't it normal for him to have this level of spirit? He's the man who made a promise with me to change this world!!!"
"He, like me, will become the world's strongest!"
The surrounding Homies instantly fainted. Even Hanafuda, standing behind Bazel, looked surprised.
He only knew Bazel's Conqueror's Haki had grown stronger, but he hadn't expected it to reach this level.
"No need to be surprised, Hanafuda!"
Kaido, standing next to Hanafuda, saw the man's confusion and grinned:
"Conqueror's Haki is a talent one is born with. That Bazel possesses Haki of this level is inseparable from his resolve."
"His belief, his resolve… he long ago bet everything on his fists!"
"Changing the world isn't something you can do just by talking."
"If you lack the resolve to risk everything, you'd better not set sail."
"At least that way, you can stay alive…"
"Young man, hiding under your mother's wing won't help you grow."
Bazel turned into an afterimage and vanished. When he reappeared, he was already in Gear 2, standing before his opponent.
A fist wrapped in black and red lightning approached the opponent's face as if in slow motion.
"As for me, I left my mother's protection a long, long time ago."
Bang…
Whoosh…
Boom!!!
The castle was pierced through, creating a fissure. Dust billowed, obscuring the sky.
A cracked path led outside!
Boots crunched on broken building materials.
Bazel waved his hand.
The wind from his palm instantly dispersed the smoke and dust.
Gazing at the man lying at the end of the path, Bazel retracted all his aura into his body, holding it in, not releasing it.
He was like a venomous snake poised to strike.
The intimidating gleam in his eyes made it hard for others to look directly at him.
"Katakuri-nii!!"
"Katakuri!"
"Damn it, you bastard…"
Just as Katakuri's younger siblings were about to launch a group attack, Katakuri's voice suddenly rang out.
"Shut up! That guy is my opponent!!!"
"That's a pretty strong fist, bastard!"
"Ptui!"
Katakuri, now standing, ripped off the scarf covering his fissured mouth and spat out a bloody phlegm mixed with fragments of teeth.
Amidst the gasps of surprise, the fighting spirit in his eyes grew even more intense.
"But I am Katakuri of the Big Mom Pirates! Don't look down on me!"
"Muso Mochi Hadan!"
Activating his Mochi Mochi no Mi, he transformed his right arm into a machine gun. Bullets wrapped in Armament Haki shot out one after another.
Bazel stepped forward, slowly closing in on his opponent.
The red light in his eyes flashed at a specific frequency. Just before each mochi bullet covered with Armament Haki was about to hit his body, a specific area would be covered in Armament Haki.
"You're too weak. So weak you can't even witness my stronger forms."
Bang, bang, bang…
The crisp sounds echoed far away.
Every bullet fired from the mochi machine gun was blocked by Bazel using Armament Haki.
Each time a bullet was deflected, the Armament Haki covering that patch of skin would vanish, only to reappear where the next bullet was aimed.
Although the onlookers didn't understand the significance of this, just from the level of control over his Haki, it was clear Bazel was far stronger than their big brother Katakuri.
"This era is the most wonderful era."
Bazel maintained a constant pace, neither fast nor slow.
But the pressure accumulating around him grew heavier and heavier.
"Gol D. Roger, Shiki the Golden Lion, Dark King Silvers Rayleigh..."
"So many strong ones are waiting for me to defeat them. But you, Katakuri…"
The instant his right foot landed again, Bazel's figure defied common sense, accelerating from slow to extreme in just one second!
Whoosh…!
"Tch!"
Observing this with his Observation Haki, Katakuri clicked his tongue in displeasure.
His right arm returned to normal, and together with his left arm, they formed an 'X' to block in front of his chest.
"This move is one I learned from Silvers Rayleigh. Although my current Armament Haki isn't enough to let me use this move continuously, it's sufficient to deal with you."
Bazel, having charged in front of his opponent, crouched down. His fist turned into a palm strike, but it inexplicably stopped just below the opponent's crossed arms.
Kaido, watching from not far away, was stunned, "Is that the Emission of Armament Haki? When did this kid learn this move?"
"Emission!"
Armament Haki gathered visibly in his palm at a rapid pace. With a low shout from Bazel, an invisible force, much like during his fight with Rayleigh, blasted apart the arms his opponent used to block.
'This is bad!' Katakuri thought, staring at Bazel in disbelief.
"Your Haki!?"
"The Emission of Armament Haki. Remember this feeling. Then, use me as your goal and strive to grow, young man."
It was a rare opportunity to play the role of a famous teacher of the seas, so Basel inwardly cheered with exhilaration.
'So this is what it feels like to say these things.'
'No wonder Kaido was so talkative when teaching Luffy in the original work.'
Bazel could only describe this feeling as incredibly satisfying!
Using the Armament Haki's Emission to blast open the opponent's blocking arms, his right fist, gripping the blazing sun, suddenly shot forward.
Second Form: Blazing Sun Fist!
The fist connected successfully. The opponent's body instantly contracted and dispersed into mochi, forming a hollow in the chest similar to a Hollow from Bleach.
Bazel's mouth turned down at the corners, subconsciously making an expression similar to Kizaru's.
"Such a terrifying reaction speed~"
"But it's useless."
Second Form Kai: Blazing Sun Explosion.
The fist embedded in the opponent's body suddenly blazed with intense light!
Just as the flames were about to explode, two figures shot out from behind.
Kaido grabbed Bazel's arm and pulled him back, while Linlin kicked Katakuri away.
Boom…!!!!
"Bazel, are you trying to kill my son?!"