Marco closed his eyes to harness his Observation Haki.
With calm focus, he attuned himself to the battle, sensing the flow of Katakuri's attacks so his body could react almost instinctively.
But Katakuri's Observation Haki had already evolved to the level of predicting the immediate future.
Even as Marco dodged the first flurry of strikes, the incoming whiplike mochi tendrils became denser, cutting into Marco's form.
Pain lanced through him each time he was struck, but it was brief.
His wounds healed rapidly with the help of the blue Phoenix flames that continually regenerated his body.
Marco steadied his breath, allowing his mind to settle, and probed more deeply with his Observation Haki to trace the attack patterns ahead of him.
The Big Mom Pirates stood behind Katakuri, roaring in triumph as if they already knew Marco would fall.
Their cheers grew louder, convinced their strongest fighter would soon claim victory.
On the opposite side, the Phoenix Pirates watched anxiously.
"Why isn't Captain Marco counterattacking?" someone asked.
"He's only defending."
"That's not like how Marco usually fights," another added, puzzled.
Sak frowned, studying Marco's defense.
"Indeed! This feels off!"
Ace watched steadily and said with conviction,
"Trust Marco. He chose to challenge Katakuri because he believes he can win. Katakuri is powerful, yes, but he is not yet Admiral level."
Those nearby nodded at Ace's reassurance.
Katakuri wrestled with irritation.
Is he trying to out-learn me?
he wondered, but he forced himself to remain composed.
In a cold voice he said,
"Then let's see how much you've actually learned."
With that, Katakuri awakened his Devil Fruit ability to summon numerous mochi spheres that hovered in the air like giant donuts.
Hardened mochi fists, reinforced with Armament Haki, emerged from within the spheres.
Marco found himself surrounded by dozens of these Unrivaled Donuts.
He braced himself, maximizing his Observation Haki.
"Take this, Marco, Thirty-Six Heads: Mighty Mochi," Katakuri declared as dozens of fists launched themselves toward Marco without hesitation.
Marco leapt into the air, dodging and blocking with precise timing.
His Observation Haki traced every trajectory, guiding his movements to escape and parry each deadly blow.
Whether it was Marco's strong mental foundation, the influence of his transmigrated soul, or the fact that he had simply grown stronger than before, he adapted swiftly.
With every passing moment, he grew more at ease facing the barrage.
Katakuri watched from afar, controlling the mochi with taut focus.
But something was wrong; his predictions were beginning to falter.
He had always assumed his Observation Haki would remain superior, but over these few minutes it kept missing — just slightly at first, then more often.
How can he learn so fast?
Is he pretending to lag?
Or is his Observation Haki reaching the level of seeing the future?
A flicker of alarm crossed Katakuri's face.
He knew his greatest advantage in this fight was his Observation Haki.
Without it, he could very well be matched — or even outpaced.
Determined to regain control, he slammed his palm into the ground and growled,
"Drizzling Mochi."
Instantly, countless lumps of mochi burst from the earth and shot toward Marco as he hovered overhead.
Two thick strands shot up and snared Marco's feet, yanking him downward.
Observation Haki revealed a deadly trap beneath him: once on the ground, mochi would encircle and overwhelm him.
Reacting in a flash, Marco surged a massive amount of Armament Haki into his legs.
The mochi binding him shattered into rocky fragments beneath the overwhelming force.
"What?" Katakuri's pupils narrowed sharply in disbelief.
Only someone of Big Mom's strength had ever nullified his Devil Fruit like that.
Armament Haki emission?
Realization struck him.
Marco's defense was not ordinary — he had unleashed raw Armament Haki at that moment.
Seizing the opportunity, Marco launched himself skyward toward Katakuri.
A confident smirk curled on his lips as he began his assault.
"Now it's my turn. Phoenix Seal," Marco called, rushing in with fierce resolve.
Katakuri reacted with his own attack.
"Mighty Mochi!"
Fists and feet collided in midair.
Marco's Armament Haki proved stronger, forcing Katakuri back a half-step.
From Katakuri's back sprouted three powerful mochi arms as he declared,
"Three-Headed Mighty Mochi."
The giant fists struck relentlessly.
Marco fought back, his arms moving instinctively to defend every blow, yet he was pushed backward by the raw power.
Still, as the duel wore on, Marco's Observation Haki matured exponentially.
What had begun as reactive defense gradually became a predictive clarity — he began to see slight threads of the future, just enough to gain openings.
At last, Marco shifted from defense to offense, launching a vigorous assault that pushed Katakuri back.
The crowd's earlier cheers for Katakuri turned to murmurs of concern.
Ace watched with a slow smile forming on his lips.
"It seems Marco has mastered the Observation Haki that foresees the future," he said thoughtfully.
Izo, standing beside him, looked astonished.
"Ace, you mean his earlier defense was just him learning Katakuri's future sight?"
Ace nodded, pointing to the battlefield.
"Katakuri's Observation Haki is powerful, but now Marco can clash with him head-on. There are times when Katakuri himself has to defend. If Marco's Observation Haki were still far behind, Katakuri would simply warp his body like he did against me and avoid every strike."
____
Power stones please?