Snack said in a muffled voice, "It was my fault. What do you want to do?"
"I'm not some devil," Setsuna clenched his fist. "Just take one punch from me, and we'll call it even."
"Alright, that's simp—" Snack was about to agree without thinking. He was one of the Sweet Commanders, after all. Taking one punch shouldn't be a problem.
But before he could finish, Katakuri sharply interrupted, "No! Absolutely not!"
"Katakuri-nii, why…" Snack turned in confusion, only to see Katakuri's grave expression as he whispered, "You'll die!"
Snack felt the blood in his veins almost freeze. He knew of Katakuri's future-sight ability, 'Had he foreseen my death?'
The other Charlotte Family's members were also startled, 'Would Snack be killed by a single punch?'
Katakuri took a deep breath, saying solemnly, "If you have any grievances, Setsuna-sama, direct them at me. I am willing to take the blame on Snack's behalf."
"Katakuri-nii!" Snack shouted, moved. "You are the pillar of our Charlotte Family! You cannot afford to get hurt! I can bear it myself!"
"Don't worry. At the very least…" Katakuri met Setsuna's gaze. "I did not foresee my own death."
Setsuna clapped lightly, smiling. "Since you are willing to take his place, then be my sparring partner during our journey to Totto Land. Perfect timing… I want to comprehend the secret of Future Sight."
Hearing this, Katakuri inwardly sighed in relief, 'It seemed the other wasn't truly angry, just using this as an excuse to have a sparring partner for a few days.'
"Thank you for your leniency."
"Don't thank me yet. To see more clearly how you perceive the future, I won't hold back. You might get beaten up quite badly."
"Nothing would please me more." Though Katakuri revered Setsuna's strength, he also had his own pride.
Moreover, having an Emperor-level powerhouse as a sparring partner was a rare opportunity for him.
After all, even he wouldn't dare hope for their unpredictable Mother to be his sparring partner.
"Then let's start now," Setsuna was quite eager. After all, Katakuri was another 'quick-progress mentor' like Kaido.
Seeing the two head outside, the Charlotte Family hurriedly followed.
A clash of this level was rare even for them.
"What do you think? Does Katakuri-nii stand a chance?" Snack whispered.
"How can you even think that? Setsuna is the man who defeated Kaido!" Smoothie glared at him.
"But Setsuna hasn't mastered Future Sight. Katakuri-nii should at least maintain a stalemate," Oven guessed.
Outside the castle square, Setsuna gestured. "The guest first. You make the move."
Katakuri grumbled inwardly, 'Now you care about etiquette? What kind of host drags a guest into a fight upon meeting?'
Of course, he wouldn't refuse.
Katakuri's right arm instantly swelled, transforming into a giant mochi meteor hammer crashing down.
Square Mochi!
Setsuna didn't dodge, raising his hand and throwing a punch. The terrifying fist force instantly shattered the mochi strike.
Katakuri's pupils contracted. He immediately activated Future Sight.
In his vision, he captured Setsuna's next move.
"Left side!" Katakuri swiftly sidestepped. But he was still a step too slow. Setsuna's fist struck his abdomen, sending him flying like a ball, leaving a long trail on the ground.
"How is this possible?" Katakuri held his abdomen in disbelief. He hadn't dodged it.
"This isn't my first time fighting someone with Future Sight. Your speed is too slow compared to them," Setsuna's tone was indifferent.
Katakuri gritted his teeth and stood up, activating Future Sight again.
This time, he 'saw' Setsuna would kick from the right.
He decisively made his right arm transform into sticky mochi, encasing his trident, thrusting forward with astonishing rotational speed.
Mochi Thrust!
Yet the result was the trident being snapped by a kick.
The kick, its force undiminished, slammed heavily into his waist. Katakuri flew backward like a broken kite, crashing directly through a small hill.
"Katakuri-nii!" Brulee screamed in terror.
The Charlotte Family's members all widened their eyes. Their strongest brother couldn't even withstand a single move?
Katakuri burst from the rubble, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He couldn't remember the last time he was this disheveled.
"It seems I must awaken my Devil Fruit," Katakuri gritted his teeth. He had wanted to hold out a bit longer before awakening.
The ground began to writhe, turning into a sticky sea of mochi.
Countless mochi tentacles rose from the earth, coiling towards Setsuna like giant serpents.
"Now this is more like it," Setsuna chuckled lightly. "Barely enough to make me a little serious."
Setsuna broke through the mochi tentacles' blockade in the most savage manner, then leaped high, crashing down on his opponent like a falling meteor.
Katakuri naturally foresaw this. With a thought, the ground transformed into a mochi wall blocking Setsuna's path.
Though this defense lasted less than 0.1 seconds under Setsuna's fist, combined with Future Sight, it finally bought him time to dodge.
Setsuna's fist wind almost grazed his cheek, leaving a bloody mark on his face.
"Not bad," Setsuna showed an approving look. "Better than before."
Katakuri gasped for breath, his heart pounding wildly in his chest.
He had dodged it. But this was like dancing on the edge of a blade. The slightest lapse, and he'd suffer a heavy blow.
At this moment, he finally understood the meaning of Setsuna's earlier words… the next few days of sparring would likely be quite grueling.
Setsuna relentlessly pursued Katakuri like a game of whack-a-mole.
If Katakuri lost focus for even a moment, a thunderous strike would follow.
The Charlotte Family fell silent. In their minds, their invincible, perfect older brother was being forced into such a pathetic, fleeing state.
Just then, Katakuri suddenly felt his vision clear.
He was surprised to discover the future he foresaw had extended to one second.
In a normal state, he could foresee over ten seconds into the future. But in intense combat, he could foresee at most 0.7 or 0.8 seconds.
Though it was only an extension of 0.2 to 0.3 seconds of foresight, this tiny improvement brought a qualitative leap.
Everyone was surprised to see Katakuri, who could only flee pathetically before, now beginning to counterattack.
Though the disadvantage was still obvious, he could indeed trade blows with Setsuna.
This change delighted the Charlotte Family.
"Katakuri-nii can hold his own now!" Oven shouted excitedly.
"Could it be…" Smoothie's eyes shone with excitement. "Has Katakuri-nii's strength reached Emperor level?"
Cracker couldn't help but fantasize. "That would mean our Charlotte Family has two Emperor-level combatants!"
Ace, standing nearby, shook his head. "You think this is Captain's full power? This is just his normal state. He has two forms stronger than this!"
"What?!" Smoothie and the others were shocked upon hearing this. Setsuna could transform twice more?
As if to confirm Ace's words, mysterious patterns appeared on Setsuna's face. "Sage Mode!"
Setsuna's speed abruptly increased by a notch. The future images Katakuri had just seen shattered instantly. He was sent flying heavily once again.
"Tsk tsk. A fight meant for me to comprehend Future Sight ended up helping you break through instead," Setsuna showed a devilish smile. "To repay this 'favor', we'll have to 'spar properly' in the coming days!"