Totto Land Waters — Inside the Seducing Woods.
This was an uninhabited island covered by a vast, vibrant forest.
Countless varieties of Homies lived in the Seducing Woods, led by a giant tree Homie over twenty meters tall named "King Baum".
At this moment, all the Homies in the entire forest had been mobilized, surrounding a group of intruders and engaging in a fierce battle.
"Burst Cannon!!"
*Boom!!!*
An exaggeratedly powerful explosion echoed through the forest. Flames shot into the sky, mixed with billowing smoke, as three Chess Soldiers and a large tree Homie were blown away by the blast.
In the smoke, Ideo the Destruction Cannon tapped his toes, hopping in small steps. With his arms raised in a fighting stance, he playfully scanned the endless swarm of Homies rushing at him from all directions.
Within the massive encirclement, hundreds, perhaps thousands, of his crewmates were using their respective skills to fight these Homies.
Even though they were surrounded and at a numerical disadvantage, the tide of the battle showed them holding an overwhelming upper hand.
"That's it, brothers! Just keep up this momentum!" Ideo shouted with a wide grin.
Although the enemy had the numbers, in terms of individual combat power, these Homies were no match for them. Only a few Biscuit Soldiers were somewhat troublesome.
But as long as they held their ground, taking out these Homies would just cost a bit more time.
The corners of Ideo's mouth curled up triumphantly. He dashed forward and swiftly delivered a straight punch to a Biscuit Soldier!
"Destruction Cannon!!"
*Boom!!*
A massive explosion erupted from his fist! The Biscuit Soldier was instantly blown away, its body cracking and sending a shower of biscuit crumbs flying.
Just then, an urgent shout came from behind.
"Captain! Big Mom's fleet has caught up!"
"Tch, they moved that fast?" Ideo frowned upon hearing this and shouted back, "Tell Blue Gilly and the others to hold them off for a bit! We'll head over as soon as we finish off the Homies here."
"We can't, Captain! There are nearly 50 ships out there. Captain Blue Gilly and the others probably won't be able to hold them back!!"
"What did you say?! We're being targeted by the main fleet? Talk about bad luck!" Ideo cursed under his breath, then quickly ordered, "Fire the flare! Contact the flagship and request backup!"
"Yes, sir!"
In the sky above Totto Land, a giant pink dragon soared and circled through the clouds.
Below and behind him, Katakuri was using his powers to create a bizarre single-person speedboat, using a mochi propeller to speed across the sea in pursuit of the dragon.
Sanji was drawing away a massive amount of enemy forces, roaming the airspace of Totto Land. From time to time, he would unleash a Blast Breath or fire wind blades at the warships below, employing hit-and-run tactics to constantly whittle down the enemy's numbers.
*Puru~ Puru~*
*Kacha!*
"Hello?"
"Sanji! One of our islands is pinned down here, and Big Mom's main fleet is surrounding it! Find a way to send some troops over for backup!"
"All fleets are currently engaged in combat. There are no troops to spare right now. Where are you? I'll head over myself," Sanji said, holding a small Transponder Snail in his front claw.
"We've already fired a flare! We're on an island in the eastern part of Totto Land!"
"..."
Hearing this, Sanji immediately turned his head and looked down toward the east. In the distant lower sky, a glowing red flare was slowly rising.
"I see it. Hold on, I'll be there soon."
Putting away the Transponder Snail, Sanji turned his massive dragon head, shook off the pursuing fleet behind him, and dove through the clouds toward the direction of the flare.
In no time, a massive shadow descended from the sky over the Seducing Woods, where the fierce battle was raging.
As the winding body of the giant dragon descended above the forest, all the Homies felt a chill run down their spines. The oppressive aura made them shudder in fear.
"..."
"...!!"
Looking up at the long dragon circling above the forest, the giant tree King Baum stared in horror, his voice trembling as he tried to speak.
Sanji slowly opened his dragon maw. A mass of blazing fire rapidly condensed, compressed, and then violently erupted!
*Boom!!!*
A beam of red-gold Blast Breath swept across the ground with terrifying heat, turning everything in its path to scorched earth!
"Gyaaaah!!"
"Hot, hot, hot, hot!!!"
"Waaah! I'm burning!!"
A large swath of the forest was instantly transformed into a crimson purgatory, filled with the screams and wails of the Homies.
"He's really strong..."
"No matter how many times I see it, it's terrifying."
"As expected of a Division Commander-level powerhouse."
Ideo and his subordinates watched the scene unfold, their faces illuminated by the firelight, as they voiced their awe.
Although these Homies weren't particularly strong, they could still pose a bit of a threat, especially when their numbers swelled.
However, in the face of Sanji's Blast Breath, these Homies had absolutely no power to resist. They were practically incinerated on contact.
With Sanji's arrival, the pressure on Ideo and the others completely vanished. They didn't even have a chance to intervene.
Furious roaring thunder, wind scythes dancing through the sky, and the terrifyingly hot Blast Breath ravaged the entire forest.
Suddenly, explosions echoed from outside the forest.
"The coast is under bombardment!"
"This is bad! Big Mom's fleet is here!"
"What are you afraid of?! We have Commander Sanji here!"
"Let's go! To the coast to meet them in battle!"
A group of pirates, armed with swords and guns, aggressively charged toward the direction of the explosions.
After clearing out most of the Homies, Sanji reverted to his human form and landed back on the ground.
Having continuously unleashed large-scale attacks since the battle began, he had to stop and catch his breath. Then, he too ran toward the coast.
Upon rushing out of the forest, his line of sight opened up, revealing a dense armada of warships covering the sea.
"This is exhausting enough to kill a man. The military might of Totto Land is just too exaggerated," Sanji sighed, rubbing his head in frustration.
Although most of them were just soul-infused Chess Soldiers and Biscuit Soldiers with average strength, the sheer scale of hundreds of thousands, or even millions, endlessly swarming forward was overwhelming.
*Puru~ Puru~*
The Transponder Snail rang again, and Sanji reached into his suit to pull it out.
*Kacha.*
"Hello?"
"Mr. Sanji, I've already taken care of one of the Sweet Commanders. I'm currently with Pizarro's fleet. How are things on your end? Do you need help?" The Transponder Snail quickly spoke, mimicking Gin's expression.
Sanji looked up at the enemies continuously landing on the shore ahead. Just from a glance, he could recognize about a dozen members of the Charlotte Family, plus tens of thousands of troops...
Sanji then looked further out. On the sea, Katakuri was riding his bizarre single-person speedboat, rapidly approaching at breakneck speed.
"Tch, this guy just won't let go," Sanji scoffed, then quickly spoke into the Transponder Snail. "Tell Pizarro to bring the men on his ship over here. You take the other two ships to back up Nami-san and the others."
"Understood."
*Kacha.*
On the other end, Gin hung up decisively. Sanji put the Transponder Snail back into his inner pocket.
Pink scales once again surfaced on his skin. His fingers formed into eagle-like claws, and antlers sprouted from his head as he transformed into his Human-Beast form.
Wreathed in flames, Sanji's pupils turned golden. He kicked off the ground and shot forward at explosive speed!
Opposite him, four identical, towering, and burly quadruplet brothers with arms as thick as barrels charged head-on.
"Smash him into a meat patty, Cabaletta!!"
"Of course, brother!!"
"Face the wrath of the Charlotte Family!!"
The four brothers roared with ferocious expressions.
Charlotte Counter took the lead. Raising his arms coated in Armament Haki, he clasped his hands together like a hammer and viciously smashed down at the approaching Sanji!
"Die, you bastard!!"
Facing this heavy, powerful blow, Sanji pivoted on his toes, twisting his body in a full spin. With his long leg trailing flames, he unleashed a fierce upward high kick!
*Bang!!*
Sanji kicked Counter's hands away. The terrifying explosive power far exceeded his opponent's expectations.
"Nani?!"
Under Counter's astonished gaze, Sanji shouted, leaped into the air, spun around, and ruthlessly whipped his foot across Counter's face!
"Diable Jambe: Veau Burst!!"
*Bang!!*
Bolstered by his Mythical Zoan fruit, Sanji's strength in his Human-Beast form was terrifying. With just one kick, the physically imposing Counter was sent flying, his eyes rolling back into his head.
The flames attached to the kick seemed to pierce right to the bone, erupting fiercely and blasting Counter's massive body away!
"Brother Counter!!"
"You damn bastard!"
The remaining three Cadenza brothers glared furiously and continued their charge from three different directions.
As Sanji's feet touched back down, he quickly took a step back. His calm gaze swept over them. He tilted his head back, took a deep breath, and then violently unleashed a hurricane roar forward!
"Demolition Gust!!"
*Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!*
A massive barrage of wind scythes shot out from the hurricane. Each one was several meters long, leaving smooth slash marks as they tore across the ground, engulfing the brothers like a torrential storm!
"Uwaaah!!"
"Gyaaaah!!"
As the wind scythes swept over them, the three brothers let out agonizing screams. The blades carved deep wounds into their burly bodies, sending sprays of blood into the air!
Among the children of the Charlotte Family, the four Counter brothers ranked fairly high in combat prowess, yet they were easily dispatched by Sanji's single wide-range attack.
"..."
"He's practically no different from that dragon Kaido..."
The surrounding army of the Big Mom Pirates swallowed hard, instinctively taking a step back.
But right at that moment.
"All of you, get out of the way!!"
A loud shout came from behind. Wielding his trident, Katakuri streaked across the sea like a purple comet, shooting forward at extreme speed!
"Big Brother Katakuri!"
"Thank goodness!"
"That man is here!"
Seeing him arrive, the Big Mom Pirates instantly grew excited, hope reigniting in their eyes.
It seemed that as long as Katakuri was there, victory was already assured.
Sanji's brow furrowed, and his expression grew solemn.
While still airborne, Katakuri raised his arm. It softened into mochi, rapidly morphed into the shape of a Gatling gun, and was hardened with Armament Haki.
"Peerless Mochi Bullets!!"
*Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!*
The pitch-black muzzles unleashed a massive barrage of mochi bullets!
Sanji crossed his arms in front of him to block. The mochi bullets swept over like a violent storm, instantly covering the entire area with powerful, concentrated strikes!
The invulnerable dragon scales were battered, ringing out with continuous, crisp metallic clangs. Sanji's feet plowed through the dirt as he was pushed back, a testament to the immense power of the bullets.
The ground was torn up, kicking up a thick cloud of dust, but this level of attack ultimately failed to break through the formidable defense of the dragon scales.
When the rain of mochi bullets finally ceased, Katakuri reached the shore. He dashed forward, let out an explosive shout, and thrust his rapidly spinning trident straight ahead!
"Mogura: Surge!!"
*Clang!!*
Sanji raised his knee to block the tip of the trident but was still knocked back over ten meters. The scales covering his wrist were pierced, sending a few drops of blood flying.
A trail of blood slowly trickled down his leg. Sanji glanced down at it, his expression grave.
Since eating the Artificial Azure Dragon Fruit, this was the first time his defenses had been breached in combat.
'No wonder he's called the masterpiece of the Charlotte Family. This man's strength is on a completely different level from the other Sweet Commanders.'
Sanji's eyes darkened. Pitch-black Armament Haki hardened his legs, and crimson flames immediately wreathed around them.
Katakuri didn't pause for a single moment after his attack. He created a mochi donut in the air above him, raised his left arm, and threw a punch through the air!
"Peerless Donuts!!"
A giant arm extended from the mochi ring above, mirroring his punch!
Sanji tapped his toes against the ground in rapid succession, using the "Shave" technique to move at high speed. He dodged the giant mochi fist and charged at Katakuri like a bolt of lightning!
"Diable Jambe...!!"
"Flambage: Veau Shoot!!"
Sanji unleashed a flurry of explosive kicks. His legs, like pitch-black steel pillars, struck out frantically, carrying high-temperature flames capable of piercing defenses and scorching bone!
Facing this rapid and powerful assault, Katakuri's face remained entirely expressionless. A red glint flashed in his eyes as he mapped out every trajectory of the attacks in his mind!
His body morphed into mochi, flowing and creating openings at the exact predicted points of impact, causing every single one of Sanji's kicks to hit nothing but air!
'Paper Art?!'
'No...! It's elemental flow, like a Logia!'
Sanji was momentarily stunned but quickly realized what was happening.
Seizing the opportunity, Katakuri reached out, took a large step forward, and swiftly grabbed Sanji by the collar, slamming him heavily into the ground!
Sanji braced his hands against the earth while bringing his feet together and kicking out forcefully. He knocked Katakuri's arm away and quickly backflipped to create distance.
Katakuri pressed the attack without the slightest hesitation, dashing forward with explosive speed!
'What's the deal with this guy? Isn't he a Paramecia user? And that exaggerated Observation Haki...'
Sanji stared at Katakuri, a hint of wariness creeping into his eyes.
Future Sight. You only truly understand how absurd this ability is when you face it yourself.
However, he quickly thought of a way to counter it.
'If my kicks are going to be predicted, then I'll just use an attack that can't be dodged even if he sees it coming!'
Dense arcs of electricity surged across Sanji's body, rapidly gathering toward his mouth.
'Roaring Thunder!!'
Sanji opened his mouth and unleashed a thunderous roar. Countless violent bolts of lightning erupted simultaneously, completely blanketing the entire space in front of him!
Katakuri's expression changed. Even though he had foreseen it, there was absolutely no room to dodge a massive, indiscriminate area-of-effect bombardment like this.
The next second.
*Boom!!!*
Accompanied by a deafening thunderclap that shook the heavens, countless violent lightning bolts raged outward, instantly blasting Katakuri away!