"Got it!"
Bepo immediately flipped through the bounty posters again and soon pointed to the right front. "Over there! Charlotte Brownie, the 32nd son, bounty 75.5 million Berry!"
"Good."
Law's figure vanished instantly, reappearing right in front of Brownie the next moment.
The man was a burly, purple-haired brute with a thick chest of hair.
He looked up in shock, but before he could react, he was enveloped by the eerie blue ROOM space, his body splitting into several segments.
"Huh? What the hell is this?!"
The purple-haired brute's head rolled a few times on the glacier, screaming in terror, "Where's my head?! Is it still there?!"
"Next, Bepo."
Law ignored him, landing expressionlessly on the ground.
Just like that, he rampaged across the left flank of the glacier, reaping the lives of the Charlotte Family's lower-ranking officers like the Grim Reaper, with Bepo following closely behind, providing constant intel support.
The two had always worked in perfect sync, making their efficiency remarkably high.
Before long, several more Pirates with bounties under 100 million Berry were instantly annihilated by the Op-Op Fruit ability...
———
Meanwhile, the southeastern direction.
This was the heart of the battlefield, where the clash between both sides was the most concentrated—yet also the most vast and open.
Even the highest-ranking officers from both factions could easily find space here to fight freely and to their heart's content.
Thud!
Katakuri landed on the ground from his ship, scanning his surroundings. With the aid of his Observation Haki, he quickly spotted the tall, ponytailed figure in the distance through the gaps in the chaos.
"「Wind Erosion」 Kuina."
He snorted coldly, tightening his grip on the Trident Earth Dragon.
Even among the Curtain Closer's 「Four Calamities」, there were clear disparities in strength.
Since that Issho hadn't shown up, Kuina was the only one worthy of being his opponent. No doubt, she was probably searching for him as well...
BOOM!!
At that moment, a massive figure suddenly plummeted from the sky, crashing heavily onto the ice right in front of him.
A fierce gust of wind blasted past, making Katakuri's face twitch violently.
Instinctively, he raised his left arm to shield half his forehead before looking up at the towering, muscular figure before him.
"Oi oi, where do you think you're going?"
Jack rested two giant scythes on his shoulders, tilting his head down to meet Katakuri's gaze, baring his teeth in a savage grin. "Don't get it twisted—your opponent is me, got it?!"
"?"
Katakuri froze for a moment.
Then, a rare flicker of anger flashed in his eyes. "Jack, just who gave you the audacity to stand in my way?"
"—Move!"
Back during last year's Tea Party, this brat's bounty had barely been around 500 million Berry—hardly worth his attention.
Now, just because he'd piggybacked off the glory of killing a Celestial Dragon and his bounty had risen to 1 billion Berry, he thought he could challenge him?
How the hell did the Curtain Closer assign their matchups?!
This kind of pairing was nothing short of an insult to him—utterly unacceptable!
"What, you pissed off now?"
Jack tilted his head, eyeing him in confusion before clicking his tongue in annoyance.
"Whatever! You're mine, got it? Quit calling me 'brat' like you're some big shot—who the hell do you think you are?! Pretty sure you're younger than me, aren't you?!"
At least, judging by appearances, that seemed to be the case!
"I don't have time for pointless arguments with you here."
What a complete idiot. Katakuri's impatience grew as he slowly raised his Trident Earth Dragon, pointing it at Jack's throat:
"Since you're in such a hurry to die, I'll send you on your way first."
"Puhahahaha! Stop your boasting!"
Jack roared with laughter, slamming his two sickles together to create blinding sparks. His muscles had already bulged and twisted, with Armament Haki surging like tidal waves to cover both arms:
"I'll show you what real strength looks like!"
Before the words even faded.
Jack stomped down violently, shattering the ice beneath him as his body shot forward like a cannonball. His twin sickles whirled in an impenetrable flurry, crossing in a downward slash aimed at Katakuri below.
Swish!
A red glint flashed in Katakuri's eyes as he sidestepped half a pace, perfectly evading the attack. Simultaneously, he tightened his grip on Earth Dragon and thrust at a tricky angle toward Jack's ribs.
This speed—far too slow!
The trident's tip, sheathed in exceptionally dense Armament Haki, was unstoppably sharp, tearing a bloody gash across Jack's ribs.
"That's it?"
Jack glanced down at the wound on his ribs, baring his teeth in a savage grin, utterly unfazed: "This level of attack isn't even enough to scratch an itch!"
Roar!
He suddenly threw his head back with a deafening roar, his muscles swelling even further as veins bulged like coiling dragons. Two massive tusks sprouted from his jaws.
His entire body became encased in a thick, reddish-brown keratin layer, wrapping around him like armor.
His height instantly surged from 8.3 meters to roughly 12 meters, radiating suffocating pressure!
Mammoth Fruit, Elephant-Man Form!
Combining the strength and defense of his beast form with the agility and rationality of his human form.
Through constant adaptation and training...
This had become his most proficient combat stance!
"Finally showing some effort."
Katakuri snorted coldly.
As Jack's twin sickles came slashing down, Katakuri's body flowed like liquid, slipping between the blades as his trident shot straight for Jack's throat!
"But... it's still nowhere near enough!"
Squelch!
Blood sprayed as three parallel, gruesome wounds were drilled into Jack's neck.
But just as Katakuri thought he'd succeeded and prepared to intensify the force, Jack's face twisted into a maniacal grin. Ignoring his injuries, he suddenly jerked his head forward, smashing his forehead directly into Katakuri's face!
Crunch!
The headbutt landed squarely.
"Ugh!"
Katakuri's nose shattered instantly, blood gushing out.
He grunted, staggering back several steps before looking up in disbelief at the beast-like young man before him.
Because of Jack's forward lunge, the trident had naturally sunk deeper into his flesh, even exposing glimpses of white bone beneath.
Madman!
Ignoring the wound on his ribs was one thing, but now he didn't even care about the injuries to his neck?
This was something Katakuri hadn't foreseen...
Or rather, in that split second, he hadn't deemed it necessary to use Observation Haki to predict.
After all, in such situations, there were normally only two choices: either retreat desperately or resist by pulling the trident out.
But this kid...
Who the hell starts a fight by immediately resorting to such reckless, life-for-a-life tactics?!
"Puhahaha! That's the stuff—now this is a real fight! Here's one for you!"
Jack forcefully yanked the Earth Dragon from the ground, hurled it into the air, and kicked it back toward Katakuri. Then he pounded his chest with a fist, baring his teeth in a wild grin:
"Feeling dizzy from the impact? Why just stand there? Come on, Katakuri! Show me what else you've got!"
Snap!
Katakuri caught his trident firmly in hand.
"So you've realized your speed is lacking and that you can't avoid my foresight, which is why you've chosen this brute-force approach?"
He took a deep breath, his earlier anger and impatience gradually fading as his eyes regained their calm composure.
"In that case... your strength and this fighting spirit of yours do deserve respect. Since you've shown such resolve, I'll refrain from using my future sight for now."
"But don't misunderstand—this isn't mercy. Quite the opposite. I'll go all out! Head-on! I'll crush you in the very areas you pride yourself on most—your raw power and your Devil Fruit abilities. I'll defeat you utterly!"
His Mochi-Mochi Fruit had been Awakened for years, honed to near-perfection!
And as for strength? He was confident he surpassed no one!
As for Kuina... he'd leave her to his siblings for now.
This hot-blooded fool before him deserved his full attention!!!
"Finally stopped running, huh? Ready for a direct clash?"
Jack threw his head back and laughed boisterously at the sky. "Perfect! This is how a real man's fight should be!!!"
His towering height was such that, unbeknownst to Katakuri, a glint flashed in Jack's eyes, his lips curling into a triumphant smirk.
Heh... this old man...
Had finally taken the bait!
————
Northeast side, slightly earlier.
"Big Sister Smoothie! Please, no!"
"Leave some moisture in them! They'll all turn into mummies!"
Pleas and wails echoed from one of the Charlotte Family's Tart ships.
On the deck,
a dozen or so Pirates who had been knocked unconscious by Conqueror's Haki lay piled like deflated sacks. Smoothie stepped over them in her high heels, driving her sword into the chest of the last burly man.
"My apologies. I was careless—drank too much last night and woke up with a hangover. I forgot to stock up on bodily fluids before heading to the battlefield."
Smoothie cast a glance at the pleading Pirate. "So now, you'll have to endure a little inconvenience."
"Besides, your comrades here couldn't even withstand Conqueror's Haki. They're completely useless in battle. Might as well let me make the most of them, no?"
A war of this scale was no child's play—she had to be at her absolute best.
Though her words sounded apologetic, the speed at which her ability drained the moisture didn't slow in the slightest.
The burly man beneath her feet withered at a visible rate—his skin sagging, his eyes sinking—until, within seconds, he was nothing more than a shriveled husk, unrecognizable from his former self.
Meanwhile, the wine-red liquid flowing up her blade grew thicker, exuding a sickly-sweet fruity aroma.
"Mmm, that should do it."
Smoothie withdrew her sword, savoring the surge of replenished strength within her as the corners of her lips lifted.
"As for you... waking up this quickly means you've got some skill. Hurry up and join the battle. Prove your worth to the Family—and to Mama."
"Y-yes, Big Sister Smoothie!"
The pirate wiped away his tears and staggered off the ship, still sniffling.
Smoothie remained silent for two seconds before finally raising her head to glance at the mast above:
"Hey, whoever's hiding up there, don't you think you've watched enough? Did you really think I wouldn't notice you?"
"I never intended to hide in the first place."
Kuina's figure leaped down from the top of the mast, landing lightly on the deck, facing Smoothie from a distance.
"So it's Miss Kuina."
Smoothie looked momentarily surprised before narrowing her eyes, a meaningful smile curling at the corners of her lips:
"I didn't expect you to come after me instead of dealing with my brother... Perfect. Last time at the Tea Party, thanks to those old fools Kaido and Golden Lion interrupting, we never got to have a proper exchange. I've been regretting that."
"There's nothing to regret."
Kuina's gaze swept over the shriveled pirates as she slowly drew Wado Ichimonji, her voice laced with disgust:
"Casually draining the life from your so-called comrades... Someone as revolting as you doesn't deserve a spar—only life or death!"
Smoothie frowned slightly, giving Kuina a puzzled look:
"Comrades?"
Then she chuckled lightly, elegantly flipping her hair.
"Don't joke around. I'm Mother's most valued daughter. Comparing me to these lowly pirates is downright insulting. Though there is one thing that interests me more..."
She studied Kuina up and down with amusement.
"You little brat... You've had this hostility toward me since the very first time we met after you entered the New World, haven't you? It wasn't just because of what you saw today. Tell me, why is that, hmm?"
Kuina's eyes turned icy as her grip on the sword tightened.
"Stop flattering yourself!"
With a sudden step forward, a flash of cold steel sliced through the air as her razor-sharp blade thrust straight for Smoothie's chest!
"Among the so-called Sweet Four Generals, the only one worth my attention is Katakuri. A second-rate Swordsman like you? I've never even noticed you before!"
Such overwhelming sword intent!
The fierce wind pressure made Smoothie's pupils contract as she hastily retreated half a step, raising her sword to block.
Clang!
The metallic clang echoed as Smoothie was forced back several steps before finally dispersing the residual force. Glancing at her slightly numb palm, she smirked.
"Just one comment and you're this furious?"
She looked up at Kuina with a playful grin. "Seems I hit a nerve. Hey, getting this worked up... Could it be you're jealous of me?"
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