"Below an Emperor, I am invincible. Above an Emperor, I trade one for one."
What arrogant words.
In the brutal world of pirates, the apex predators are the Admirals and the Four Emperors. Yet here stands Katen—born of Rosen's Arms-Arms Fruit power, much like Charlotte Linlin's Homies born of the Soul-Soul Fruit—uttering such a claim.
If Benn Beckman hadn't fought her, he would have scoffed. But recalling the despair he felt witnessing Katen Kyōkotsu's Bankai—each moment more devastating than the last—he could only remain silent.
Not an admission of defeat, but an admission of fact.
Even the proud, calculating Benn Beckman had to admit: Rosen's assessment of Katen Kyōkotsu was terrifyingly accurate. A pair of manifested Zanpakutō possessed the strength to trade blows with an Emperor.
And this was after she had materialized, using her Bankai herself. If Katen were wielded by Rosen—the strongest Marine in history—Beckman knew he wouldn't even see her Shikai. His life would end before the first cherry blossom fell.
"Is he going to lose?"
Beckman watched Katen, thin white threads wrapped around her fingers, stepping gracefully through the dark, cold water. Frustration and helplessness surfaced deep in his eyes.
Taking advantage of the war between Rosen and the Whitebeard Pirates, he had invaded the Judge Forbidden Zone to release Kaido. By all logic, this should have been a one-sided affair.
Yet the result?
No matter how much he calculated, he never anticipated Rosen could manifest Zanpakutō with their own intelligence and autonomy—let alone deploy so many to guard the Forbidden Zone.
That wasn't all.
Katen Kyōkotsu's Bankai possessed the terrifying ability to swap places with an Emperor.
"Yes."
"You… are going to lose."
"First Mate."
Katen, like a master psychologist, saw through Beckman's subtle gaze despite lacking Observation Haki. She calmly announced his defeat.
Then, she flicked her hand.
Sizzle.
The ordinary-looking threads coiled around Beckman's neck like a python. Katen gently pulled the threads at her fingertips.
Snap.
Beckman's eyes widened. His body tensed. A thin red line appeared on his neck, bound by silk, and rapidly widened.
His throat was slit.
Before blood could spurt, a violent explosion erupted from the dark water—centered on the silk threads—engulfing Beckman's neck and head.
Hana lowered her hand.
At the same time, the dark water that had sealed them together vanished like receding tide. The chilling aura permeating the surroundings rapidly receded. Even the black shadow resembling a pine tree beneath Hana's feet dissipated.
The moment darkness and cold vanished, both Hana and Kyōkotsu seemed to hit their limit.
Thud.
Their delicate bodies went limp, slumping to the ground. They propped themselves up with slender arms to avoid crawling—a disheveled but still imposing sight.
In the Judge Forbidden Zone, no Marine, pirate, or other manifested Zanpakutō dared underestimate Hana. Her abilities and personality were too sinister, too enigmatic.
She proved Rosen's assessment with world-shaking results.
"Under the Emperor, invincible. Above the Emperor, one for one."
Even Benn Beckman, the formidable vice-captain of the Red-Haired Pirates, suffered humiliating defeat against Katen Kyōkotsu. Though Katen paid a heavy price—injuries severe enough to make standing difficult—she emerged victorious.
Beckman lay sprawled on the ground, blood flowing freely from his gruesome throat. Not dead yet, but barely breathing, a pitiful sight on the verge of death.
"Beckman!"
In the distance, Shanks sensed another crew member fall—his right hand. Madness and rage consumed him. A terrifying killing intent, mixed with a surging wave of Conqueror's Haki, roared in all directions.
Even Garp, a hero of legend, facing the young, berserk Shanks, wasn't entirely defeated—but was at one point completely overwhelmed. Though still in his prime, Garp was over seventy. Unlike Kaido or Charlotte Linlin, he didn't possess extraordinary longevity.
Short term, he could hold. Long term, against a fully armed, enraged Shanks? Inevitable defeat.
Especially with Shanks' killing intent soaring to the heavens.
"As expected of Rosen's Zanpakutō," Garp muttered, holding off Shanks while clicking his tongue in amazement. "They fight ruthlessly. If they kill a few more, the Red-Haired brat's crew might disband on the spot."
Garp noticed Beckman's defeat. The Red-Haired Pirates weren't yet the future Four Emperors; they had few subordinates. The entire crew, at most, numbered ten. The official officers—those who would become the core—were only nine.
And now?
Katen Kyōkotsu first severely injured Hongo with lightning speed. Then Suzumebachi used her Bankai to kill Rem Jones in one blow. One officer gone. Then, at the cost of serious injury, Hana Ten Kyokotsu traded blows with the Red-Haired Pirates' vice-captain—whose strength rivaled Shanks'.
It could be said: the Red-Haired Pirates' invasion of the Judge Forbidden Zone, regardless of whether they rescued Kaido, was tantamount to defeat. They lost a vice-captain and an officer to rescue another pirate captain. Whether successful or not, the Red-Haired Pirates were destined to be the biggest losers in this battle.
"Hana-nee."
"Are you alright?"
Seeing the battle between Hana Ten Kyokotsu and Benn Beckman end—and the Bankai she feared to the core dissipate—Suzumebachi timidly flew over. She attempted to help Hana up with her body, which was smaller than one of Hana's breasts.
"How could she be alright?" Hana Ten Kyokotsu's voice was sharp. "Her opponent was the vice-captain of the Red-Haired Pirates. He's no less powerful than those Four Emperors!"
She glanced at Suzumebachi, sending a shiver down the smaller Zanpakutō's spine.
"But at least we've taken care of him. King against king, soldier against soldier. The pirates are missing a vice-captain and a crew member, giving us an initial advantage. Now, we just need to snowball that advantage until the Red-Haired Pirates are defeated."
Hana propped herself up, surveying the battlefield. With Hongo severely injured and eliminated, Rem Jones blasted to death, and Beckman's throat slit and head blown off, the previously even stalemate had been broken. The Red-Haired Pirates now had a weakness in their fighting force.
Though she and Kyōkotsu were exhausted after exchanging blows for Beckman, Suzumebachi was still able to fight.
"At least, I can still use Bankai twice. Seize the opportunity. As long as you can kill another pirate, they'll be doomed. If you kill two, the Red-Haired Pirates' defeat will become irreversible."
Hana analyzed the situation to Suzumebachi.
"So, in that case, I'm the biggest contributor in this war?" Suzumebachi's head swelled with pride.
"What do you think?" Hana glanced at Beckman lying in a pool of blood, then looked at Suzumebachi with a half-smile.
"I'm the second biggest contributor. The biggest contributor has to be Hanaten. Oh, and Kotori too." Suzumebachi felt a chill run down her spine from Hana's gaze and quickly spoke up.
Her statement wasn't entirely submission to Katen's tyranny. She understood deep down: despite being the first Zanpakutō to finish the battle, none of the pirates—including Rem Jones (instantly killed) and Hongo (eliminated first)—could compare to Benn Beckman. Even combining Yasopp, Lucky Roux, and the others, they wouldn't amount to a single Beckman.
This was the true value of the Red-Haired Pirates' vice-captain. A true Emperor.
If the opponent hadn't been Katen Kyōkotsu, but any other manifested Zanpakutō present, they would have been utterly annihilated by Beckman—one shot from each of them.
Then, they would have destroyed the Judge Forbidden Zone.
It was precisely because Hana Ten Kyokotsu stepped forward to block Beckman—whose strength rivaled Shanks'—and managed to trade blows with him, that they gained this significant advantage.
Otherwise, if they hadn't gotten past Beckman, even if Suzumebachi had taken down Rem Jones first, she would have had absolutely no chance to use Bankai a second time.
"You know that's good."
Seeing Suzumebachi speak so kindly, Hana Ten finally shifted her gaze—which could have been deadly at any moment—over the remaining pirates, finally settling on Benn Punch and the monkey-man, Mushita.
"It's them. With either of them, if you hit either one, Zabimaru and Sode no Shirayuki can easily break free. Then, the Red-Haired Pirates are doomed."
After giving her instructions to Suzumebachi, Hanaten seemed to have a tremendous burden lifted from her shoulders, and also seemed to have exhausted all her energy. Supported by Suzumebachi, she leaned against the gate of the Judge Forbidden Zone entrance alongside Kyōkotsu.
"Rosen. The Judge Forbidden Zone you entrusted to me, I've protected it well for you. When you come back, you have to keep me company."
Hanaten let out a long sigh, murmuring to herself. Seemingly imagining the surprised and joyful expression on Rosen's face when he returned and learned that she had turned the tide, defeated Ben Beckman, and driven back the Red-Haired Pirates, a slight smile involuntarily appeared on her lips.
—-
Enjoying the story? You can read 3-5 chapters ahead right now on Patreon!
New chapters drop there much earlier than Web Novel.
Join P@treon & Read Ahead → https://[email protected]/c/Ren_Saga
Thank you for your support! ❤️