Above a stretch of sea near Whole Cake Island—
Boom!
Lightning roared and spilled in all directions, sword aura spraying like rain. A blood-red figure was blown backward, streaking across the turbulent sky.
Smack!
He hurtled three to four hundred meters before he barely managed to steady himself.
The Blood Shadow mask on his face had already shattered, revealing strikingly handsome features.
It was the sort of face that would make any woman's heart skip a beat at first glance—but the small creature facing him felt no such appreciation.
It only wanted to kill this beautiful man as quickly as possible, then escape and rush to its master's aid.
"The Heavenly King! That's the Heavenly King! Impossible! The Heavenly King is in Lord Imu's hands—how could it appear here, and in such a tiny body!?"
After clashing with it several times in a row, the beautiful man finally pinned down that familiar aura. As the Fourth Blade, he could not help crying out in shock.
As the Fourth Blade, he had once been fortunate enough to witness Lord Imu and the guardian god of the Void Throne.
Of course, compared to that, the Heavenly King he had seen back then had been hundreds, thousands of times larger than this little beast in front of him.
But their auras were exactly the same.
There was no doubt they were of the same species.
He had no idea what secrets lay hidden in this, but he did know one thing: he had stumbled on an incredible piece of information. If he reported it properly, a rich reward would surely be his.
"Yii-yaa, yii-yaa!!"
The tiny beast, its entire body wrapped in crackling thunder, didn't understand why he had suddenly stopped attacking. It waved its claws in the air, crying out in protest, its displeasure and disdain written all over its little face.
"I refuse to believe that, with the strength of the Fifth Blade, I can't deal with a little thing like you!"
Seeing such blatant contempt from the creature, the Fifth Blade lost his temper as well.
…
On one side of Whole Cake Island, in Shirahoshi Paradise.
The flames of war had not yet spread here, but with the top combatants unleashing their full might, the shockwaves were colossal. Even from Whole Cake Island, one could see the distant sky and sea twisting unnaturally, while nearby, towering waves surged like tsunamis.
The raging waters had turned this once-elegant water park into a complete mess.
"Princess Shirahoshi, by Lord Creed's orders, please come with me and evacuate to somewhere safe."
A very tall woman with white hair, a hat tipped low over her brow and a scarf around her neck, spoke to the panicked Shirahoshi.
One of the Sweet Commanders: Charlotte Smoothie.
At her side stood Katakuri, fully on guard.
Even with the situation tense on the front lines, two Sweet Commanders had still been left to protect this place.
Katakuri looked over at Shirahoshi, a complicated light flickering in his eyes.
As Big Mom's most powerful Sweet Commander, of course he wanted to be on the battlefield helping his own Mama. But orders could not be disobeyed. Standing idle here when he could not contribute, watching the sky in silence, set his temper on edge.
"Alright, Smoothie-nee."
Shirahoshi did not hesitate in the slightest. She immediately did as Smoothie said, slipping on a protective bubble ring and preparing to leave with her.
But in her heart, this kind-hearted little mermaid girl still felt guilty.
If only she were stronger, if only she could fully control the summoning of the Sea Kings—then she could help Lord Creed instead of dragging him down…
Just as Shirahoshi was being led away from the park by Smoothie, Katakuri, who was keeping watch from a higher vantage point, suddenly roared:
"Careful!"
He launched an attack at someone standing right beside Smoothie.
Musou Mochi: Katadan (Peerless Mochi Blade Bullets)!
Through his Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki), Katakuri had already foreseen the future ten seconds ahead. That was why he did not hesitate in the slightest to go straight for the kill.
Bang, bang, bang!
Blade-like mochi bullets infused with Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) rained down like a storm.
Standing at Smoothie's side was a seemingly ordinary kingdom guard. Yet he did nothing at all. Those Peerless Mochi Blade Bullets, which could easily level a small mountain, suddenly froze solid in front of him and dropped harmlessly to one side.
It was as if the powerful force contained within them had simply vanished into thin air.
"Haha… As expected of Big Mom's strongest Sweet Commander. Katakuri, your Kenbunshoku Haki has probably already reached its pinnacle, hasn't it?"
The kingdom guard's uniform crumbled into tatters, revealing a blood-red robe beneath. On the chest, the white five-circle cross of the World Government was strikingly bright.
He was a swordsman over two meters tall, a long blade strapped to his back. A cross-and-five-circles mask hid his true face, lending him a strange and sinister air—along with a terrifying, razor-edged killing intent that overflowed from him like a blade drawn halfway from its sheath.
Even just brushing against that trace of killing intent made Katakuri's very bones turn cold.
Yet he did not back down because of it.
The moment his mochi bullets were unleashed, he himself sank into the surrounding buildings. The power of the Mochi Mochi no Mi (Mochi-Mochi Fruit) awakening spread; the entire block transformed into sticky mochi, surging and heaving, contracting and dragging everything in like a giant trap.
Kairiki Mochi (Monster Strength Mochi)!
In the next instant, a giant donut manifested beside the "kingdom guard." Katakuri's strongest move went into motion.
Boom!
From within the donut, a colossal horned mochi arm shot out like lightning, hurling punch after punch at the "kingdom guard," a storm of fists crashing down on him.
"Mm. Compared to your Kenbunshoku Haki, your Busoshoku Haki and raw power are a bit disappointing, Katakuri, Big Mom's right-hand man."
With just one hand, the "kingdom guard" casually blocked the rampaging Monster Strength Mochi, as if it took no effort at all.
Katakuri's storm-like flurry of blows didn't even lift the hem of his robe.
Katakuri pulled back Kairiki Mochi, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
In the years since his defeat at Creed's hands, he had trained relentlessly, convinced that his strength had reached a higher level, that he had finally glimpsed the heights of this world's power. He knew he could not yet match Creed, but he had believed he was no longer that far behind.
Yet today, here and now, his pride was once again plunged into ice-cold reality.
It seemed that he had never truly set foot on that ultimate summit.
He might not even have touched its edge.
"Who are you?!"
Katakuri's voice was low and strained as he forced the question out.
The "kingdom guard" smiled.
"Humble as I am, I am the First Blade of the World Government's Blood Shadow organization—and also its commander. You may call me… Blood Shadow."
As his clear voice rang out—
Shraaap!
All of Shirahoshi Paradise suddenly dimmed, as though every color and every glimmer of light had been drained away.
"My purpose here is Princess Shirahoshi and her alone. I must ask, Katakuri-san, that you not stand in my way."
In that instant, he became like a blood-red sun hanging within the darkness, erupting with an intensely dazzling radiance.
Even Katakuri found it impossible to open his eyes for a moment against that blinding light.
(End of Chapter)
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