Since he wanted to experience Ray's offensive power, Katakuri poured nearly all his strength into this strike.
His mastery of Armament Haki was excellent, but he had not yet grasped the application method of Ryuo.
Even in the New World, those capable of using Armament Haki in the Ryuo state were extremely rare.
If not for Ray's involvement, the Straw Hat Pirates would not have learned about the various Haki classifications so early.
Looking at Katakuri's giant black mochi fist, Ray reached a conclusion.
Big Mom was being far too blatant in holding back—she would not even teach ryuo to her own children.
To maintain control over her subordinates, she withheld critical techniques.
No wonder her crew was considered the weakest among the Yonko.
"Musou Mochi Gummy!"
As the massive fist descended, Ray appeared incredibly small beneath it.
From a distance, it looked like someone swinging a giant hammer to swat a mosquito.
Just as Katakuri's block-shaped mochi fist was about to strike Ray, Brulee—watching from afar—grew excited once more.
"That white-haired guy can't dodge it this time. He'll definitely be smashed into paste by Brother Katakuri!"
Hearing Brulee's remarks, Smoothie felt utterly speechless, her expression filled with disdain.
All of those dense attacks earlier had been dodged by Ray. This punch, which was obviously slower, could easily have been avoided as well.
Since Ray had no intention of dodging, it could only mean one thing—he was absolutely confident in blocking it.
Smoothie had personally experienced Ray's physical defense. It was nearly on par with Big Mom's, the so-called Iron Balloon.
Sure enough, the massive mochi fist suddenly stopped midair, unable to advance no matter how hard Katakuri pushed.
"What?" Katakuri muttered instinctively, disbelief filling his voice as cold sweat slid down his calm face.
'What terrifying power…'
Beneath the giant fist, Ray had merely extended a single finger wrapped in ryuo, completely halting the attack.
This sight made Katakuri feel an unprecedented heaviness in his heart.
In the distance, Brulee felt as if the sky had collapsed.
"Th-this… is he even human?"
Hearing this, Smoothie couldn't help but chuckle.
But when she noticed Brulee's shocked gaze, she immediately regained her usual cold demeanor.
To comfort her sister, whose spirit had been utterly shattered, Smoothie cleared her throat and began recounting her own battle with Ray.
Earlier, when she spoke with Katakuri in her bedroom, she had deliberately skipped over the details of that fight, mentioning only her defeat.
After all, being instantly subdued was deeply humiliating. Moreover, she had been too tense at the time—forgetting some details was only natural.
Thus, Brulee, who had been hiding in the mirrors, had no idea of Ray's true combat strength.
"Ahem… Brulee, it's a bit embarrassing to say, but when I challenged Ray, I was immobilized in just one second."
"What?!" Brulee's eyes widened in shock.
Though Smoothie was slightly weaker than Katakuri, she was undoubtedly the strongest among Big Mom's daughters.
"What about mama—could she defeat you in one second?"
Smoothie shook her head.
She had never fought their mother, so she didn't know.
But at the very least, there was one point both sisters agreed on.
Their brother Katakuri absolutely could not defeat Smoothie instantly.
In fact, Smoothie was confident she could hold her own against Katakuri for at least five minutes.
After witnessing Katakuri's battle with Ray, Brulee no longer held even a trace of her earlier contempt.
The man before her was unquestionably the strongest she had ever seen.
As for whether he was the world's strongest man—she couldn't say, having never seen Whitebeard or Kaido in person.
But her intuition told her that Ray stood on the same level as those three male Yonko.
Katakuri had reached the same conclusion.
Since the age of ten, he had fought on behalf of the Big Mom Pirates.
Over the past thirty-plus years, he had crossed paths with Whitebeard, Kaido, and Shanks.
The pressure Ray now exerted on him was no different from facing those men. In some aspects, it felt even more suffocating.
Because Ray was too calm—throughout the exchange, Katakuri could not read his intentions at all.
But—
"Ray, it's not enough. The strength you've shown so far isn't enough to kill Mama."
"If you want my cooperation, then come at me at full force!"
"Musou Donuts, Roast Mochi!"
Two enormous donut-shaped mochi rings appeared behind Katakuri.
Spinning rapidly, they heated up, extending two massive fists wreathed in flames that charged toward Ray once more.
Ray was still holding back the previous giant fist with a single finger. In the blink of an eye, two even larger and denser mochi fists appeared on either side of him.
But Ray didn't like eating mochi.
Moreover, he was growing impatient.
Although Katakuri was far stronger than Smoothie, to Ray, he was still too weak.
Aside from testing his own speed, Katakuri served no further purpose.
Ray withdrew his finger wrapped in Ryuo and, at the same time, swung his claws, instantly closing the distance.
At that moment, a brilliant red light flashed in Katakuri's eyes.
He saw his three Armament Haki–coated fists torn apart in an instant.
And before he could even blink, Ray's sharp claws were already descending toward the right side of his head, threatening to rip him apart.
'Too fast.'
Relying on his powerful future-sight Observation Haki, Katakuri pushed off the ground and leapt backward the instant his fists were shredded, coating his upper body in Armament Haki.
Almost simultaneously, a green-gold light flashed.
With a tearing sound, three jets of blood sprayed from Katakuri's chest.
Fortunately, his early retreat had saved his life.
Smoothie and Brulee both sucked in sharp breaths.
In the blink of an eye, their brother had been wounded!
At that moment, Brulee completely believed Smoothie's earlier words.
Ray truly could defeat a Sweet Commander within one second.
Ray halted his assault as he observed Katakuri, who had barely escaped death.
That had been his fastest speed, unleashed through a burst of demonic power.
Even then, Katakuri had managed to barely evade—worthy of being called the strongest right-hand man by countless people.
Ray was certain his speed just now far surpassed Big Mom's and Aokiji's, though he wasn't sure how it compared to Kizaru's.
Of course, Big Mom and Aokiji would never be pushed into such a disadvantage by speed alone.
As Yonko- and Admiral-level powerhouses, their reaction and counterattack speed within close range would undoubtedly keep up.
"Still want to fight?" Ray spoke coldly.
Katakuri, half-crouched from his injuries, clearly understood that Ray held an overwhelming advantage.
"Not enough… still not enough." He coughed up a mouthful of blood and slowly stood.
"You, as you are now, can't kill Mother."
After speaking, Katakuri grabbed the trident on his back and assumed a battle stance.
Combining his Mochi Mochi Fruit ability with his weapon was his strongest combat mode.
At the same time, he focused completely, pushing his future-sight Observation Haki to its absolute limit.
Ray understood his determination, but he truly didn't want to waste more time.
Still, Katakuri couldn't be killed yet—Ray needed him to help shipped Chouchou out.
As one of Big Mom's most trusted sons, Katakuri was capable of that.
With this in mind, Ray decided to show him one more thing.
"Your greatest reliance is your Observation Haki," Ray said calmly. "But—"
Katakuri's expression turned grave.
Before he could finish processing the implication, the Ray standing five meters away underwent a drastic change.
A golden-red aura interwoven with hundreds of lightning bolts erupted violently from his body, spreading outward.
Terrifying Conqueror's Haki pressure—enough to frighten even Katakuri—combined with immense, mind-corroding demonic energy flooded the Mirror World.
The entire space trembled.
The ground cracked continuously under the overwhelming pressure.
At that moment, Katakuri realized something terrifying—
His Observation Haki had failed.
He could not glimpse even a fragment of the future!
In the distance, Smoothie's limbs went weak as she struggled to remain standing, her body trembling under the pressure.
Beside her, Charlotte Brulee had already lost consciousness, foaming at the mouth as she collapsed.
Even Katakuri's forehead was drenched in cold sweat.
"…A Conqueror's Haki capable of sealing Observation Haki," Katakuri said hoarsely.
"Ray… you are truly frightening."