The air grew thick with tension, freezing the moment in time. Katakuri's crimson eyes narrowed, and a cold killing intent began to radiate from his towering frame.
"Sir," he began, his voice dropping to a low and dangerous tone, "aren't you being a bit rude? On these seas, no one has ever refused an 'invitation' from Mama… and lived to tell the tale."
"That's right, kid!" King added, dropping all pretense of respect. The black flames on his back erupted with a roar, warping the air around him with their intense heat. "Don't think you're invincible just because you beat up an old man like Zephyr and destroyed a Marine fleet!" His voice was a clear warning. "People who are too arrogant don't last long on the Grand Line. Our Governor, Kaido, is nothing like an outdated relic such as Zephyr!"
Faced with their combined threats, Takero showed no fear. Instead, a provocative smile spread across his face.
"Yeah, I'm just that arrogant," he said. "So what are you going to do about it?"
"You…!"
His open contempt was like a match thrown on a barrel of gunpowder, instantly igniting the pride and fury within King and Katakuri. They shared another look, but this time, there was no hostility between them. There was only a silent, mutual understanding. They both knew this kid, Takero, possessed monstrous strength. In a one-on-one fight, neither was confident they could win.
If that was the case, then they would have to team up first. They would subdue this arrogant fool who didn't understand his place in the world, and only then would they decide his fate.
A powerful pressure erupted from both men. Katakuri's Conqueror's Haki and King's raw killing intent exploded outwards like two awakened beasts, pressing down on the sea below and causing visible ripples to spread across its surface.
"It seems we'll have to teach you a lesson first!"
"We'll make you understand that you can't just do whatever you want on these seas!"
The two commanders stood on either side of Takero, their auras flaring to their peak. They were ready to launch a coordinated attack and make this insolent kid pay a painful price for his disrespect.
However, in the split second before they could move, Katakuri's advanced Observation Haki screamed a frantic warning. In the brief vision of the future he saw, there was only a black shadow appearing right in front of him.
'Not good!' The thought had barely formed in his mind.
In reality, the young man who had been floating a hundred meters away was already gone. He was fast. Faster than sound, faster than the eye could see. He was so fast that he had even surpassed Katakuri's famed ability to see into the future.
The next second, a massive fist surrounded by violent, dark-red energy appeared silently before Katakuri's face, filling his entire vision.
BANG!
A terrifying, muffled boom exploded, as if space itself were cracking apart. Katakuri didn't even have time to activate his Mochi-Mochi Fruit ability to defend himself. The heavy punch landed squarely on his face. An incredible power, like an erupting volcano, detonated in his head. His towering, five-meter-tall body went limp, his eyes rolled back into his head, and his consciousness was instantly blasted into darkness. Like a puppet struck by a sea train at full speed, he was sent flying sideways, crashing onto the deck of his ship with a deafening boom that left a human-shaped dent in the wood. He was out cold.
"!!!!"
King watched in horror as his temporary ally was taken out with a single, brutal punch. The face hidden beneath his mask twisted in shock. A cold fear seized him. Without a second thought, he flapped the black wings on his back, intending to burst into flames and put as much distance as possible between himself and this monster.
But his body had barely begun to move when the young man vanished once again.
"Behind you, birdman."
A playful, demonic whisper sounded right next to his ear. King's hair stood on end. He didn't even have time to turn around.
BOOM!
Another simple, unadorned, but devastatingly powerful punch landed cleanly on the back of his head. King felt as if a meteor had just crashed into his skull. His vision went black, and all his consciousness, pride, and fear were shattered in that single instant. His body fell limply from the sky, landing with a heavy thud on Katakuri's ship, right next to his unconscious rival.
In the air, only Takero remained. He slowly pulled back his fist, which was still giving off wisps of dark-red energy. He looked down at the two unconscious men on the deck and pouted, looking slightly bored.
"Tch," he scoffed. "I thought you two were supposed to be tough. After all that talk, is this all you've got? You couldn't even take one punch. What a disappointment."
In truth, this result was to be expected. Since his victory over Zephyr and the Buster Call, he had received generous rewards. Combined with a month of intense training in his gravity chamber, his power had quietly surged past the 400 mark on his personal scale. The slender body he possessed now held the terrifying power to shatter mountains. Of course, a couple of 'small fry' would be no match for him. If King and Katakuri were awake to hear themselves categorized as 'small fry,' they would likely have been more horrified by that than the knockout itself.
At this moment, the remaining crew of the Big Mom Pirates were frozen in terror. They hid in the ship's cabins, trembling, too scared to even breathe. They prayed that the god-like monster in the sky wouldn't turn his attention to them.
Takero, however, couldn't be bothered with such small-time pirates. His gaze fell upon his two 'trophies' on the deck below. He stroked his chin as a shrewd, business-like glint appeared in his eyes.
'Hmm… these two guys seem to have pretty important bosses. One works for 'Beasts,' and the other for 'Mama'?' he thought to himself. 'It'd be a waste to just leave them here. Maybe I could… extort a ransom?'
Having made his decision, he didn't hesitate. His figure flashed, and he landed silently on the deck. He picked up the unconscious King and Katakuri, one in each hand, as if they were nothing more than two chickens. Then, under the terrified stares of the Big Mom Pirates, he shot back into the sky, transforming into a streak of light as he flew back toward Ambri Island.
On the ship, one crew member swallowed hard, his voice shaking as he asked his friend, "W-what do we do now?"
His companion looked ready to cry. "We're done for. When Mama finds out about this, she's going to kill us…"
----------------
You can read advanced chapters here: patreon.com/GregariousLion