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Cover Story: Chopper and the Quack Doctor, Part 2 ... "The Little Deer Gazing at the Sea"
The trail of hoofprints across the snowy field is slowly buried beneath the falling snow. On the shore, the blue-nosed reindeer has transformed into a small Brain Point form, a backpack slung over its shoulders as though ready to set off on a journey at any moment. It stands there alone for a long time, quietly staring out at the distant sea…
...
"Hey, Aokiji! Why are you working together with a pirate?!" Floating in the air atop two flying books, Mont-d'Or angrily shouted at the Marine Admiral standing across from Katakuri. "Don't tell me you've betrayed the Marines!"
Aokiji replied calmly, "Coming from a pirate, that's a pretty strange thing to ask, isn't it?"
Charlotte Angel stood up with her sword in hand and snorted. "What's really strange is an Admiral teaming up with a pirate."
Aokiji scratched his head. "I don't think I have any obligation... to explain myself to pirates..." He shrugged. "Anyway, let's keep fighting."
He glanced at the three siblings behind Katakuri. "I'd advise you to listen to him... and stay out of this fight. Otherwise... I can't even predict what Giorno Giovanna might do."
Boom!
Without another word, Katakuri thrust his trident, Mogura, straight at Aokiji.
The battle resumed.
For a while, Katakuri fought like a man made entirely of clay, constantly stretching, reshaping, and transforming his body. His fighting style was completely unpredictable. Guided by his Observation Haki, he could attack from any angle, through any opening, and from the most impossible postures, unleashing a barrage of punches whenever an opportunity appeared.
Aokiji countered with wave after wave of ice attacks, frost blades, ice spikes, and at one point, he even created a giant ice pheasant that flew toward Katakuri, freezing him solid.
But just as before, the ice couldn't truly hold someone of Katakuri's caliber. Like Doflamingo before him, he simply flexed his body and shattered every layer of ice covering him.
However... when Katakuri noticed his breathing becoming ever so slightly uneven, his expression changed.
"So you've finally noticed." Behind his small round sunglasses, Aokiji's gaze remained calm. Cold air escaped his mouth, as though even the atmosphere itself were freezing. "It doesn't matter if I can't completely freeze you... because the cold itself... is terrifying enough, Katakuri."
Castard, Angel, and Mont-d'Or were all confused by his words.
My stamina is draining faster... I see. It's the constant low temperature that's slowly wearing me down.
Katakuri immediately leaped backward to create some distance. He took a deep breath.
Then, a flash of red crossed his eyes. A powerful sense of danger surged through him as his Observation Haki showed him an unpleasant future.
With a flick of his wrist, Katakuri flicked a jelly bean with his finger.
Whoosh!
The tiny bean shot toward the frozen ship like a sniper's bullet.
Liam was sitting on an ice chair by the railing. One of his fists was tightly clenched, as though gathering strength. Seeing the jelly bean speeding toward him, he laughed. "Haha."
He casually caught the bullet between his fingers.
"You were actually planning to use such a dangerous move against my adorable younger brother and sisters..." Katakuri's face remained cold.
In the future he had just seen, the punch Giorno was about to throw carried a destructive power frighteningly similar to Big Mom's "Ikoku Sovereignty", a massive shockwave that would have completely engulfed Castard, Angel, and Mont-d'Or.
Over on the frozen ship, Liam waved cheerfully. "It's fine, it's fine! I was just testing something."
Katakuri resumed his clash with Aokiji. But before long, another flash of red. His Observation Haki once again showed him almost the exact same future. He immediately swung Mogura, sending a flying slash toward the frozen ship.
Giorno countered with a blue flying slash of his own, launched with a Rankyaku kick. The two attacks collided in midair and canceled each other out.
Mont-d'Or, Castard, and Angel were completely bewildered. What was their older brother doing?
Even Aokiji found it strange. He's fighting me, yet he keeps getting distracted... Just what is that kid Giorno doing?
"..." A heavy shadow fell over Katakuri's eyes as a realization flashed through his mind.
That Giorno Giovanna... has figured out the secret behind my ability to see the future with Observation Haki. But... how is that even possible? This should be the first time he's ever dealt with me...
Back on the frozen ship, Liam stopped using the King Punch to tease Katakuri. Smiling to himself, he quietly muttered, "So... seeing the future, huh?"
Across from Aokiji, Katakuri raised Mogura horizontally. The entire trident was coated in jet-black Armament Haki. His other hand shifted and reshaped into a massive, angular mochi fist, hard and sharp as forged steel. It, too, was wrapped in dense Armament Haki, so concentrated that it gleamed with a metallic sheen.
"We can't afford to waste any more time with you..." Katakuri leveled his trident at the Marine. "Fight me with everything you've got, Aokiji!"
Aokiji stood surrounded by freezing mist. Extending his right hand, he formed a blade of solid ice.
"I've heard you're the undefeated man of the Charlotte Family... the so-called masterpiece whose back has never once touched the ground." He spoke in his usual lazy, calm tone. "That's pretty funny."
Thrust!
Katakuri's black-coated trident pierced straight through Aokiji's chest.
Boom!
Most of Aokiji's body exploded into countless shards of ice.
Mont-d'Or, still standing atop his flying books, shouted excitedly, "We won?! That's great!"
Castard and Angel both smiled. "What a careless idiot of an Admiral..."
The three of them had only taken a single step forward when...
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Several blue flying slashes came sweeping toward them from the side.
"I already told you." Liam leaped high into the air, jumping over from the frozen ship. "Don't interfere with their duel."
Behind him, the frozen pirate ship split cleanly down the middle from the force of his takeoff. Rumble... The massive ship slowly sank beneath the sea.
"Damn it!" Mont-d'Or barely dodged the flying slashes by steering his books aside. As Liam landed, Mont-d'Or yelled, "What's wrong with you, Giorno?! That Marine's already dead!"
"...No, Mont-d'Or." Castard stared in shock toward Katakuri. "Look over there..."
"Huh? What are you talking about, Sis?" Mont-d'Or turned his head. "Big Brother Katakuri already killed him with Armament Ha... Huh?!"
His eyes nearly popped out of his head.
Only half of Aokiji's body remained, yet he swung his ice blade and sent Katakuri flying with a single slash.
Mont-d'Or cried out, "What's going on?! Big Brother Katakuri already hit him!"
Castard muttered blankly, "Armament Haki... should work against Logias..."
Katakuri spun through the air after being struck. Just before hitting the ground, he planted one hand on the earth, pushed off, flipped back onto his feet, and landed steadily.
"..." He touched the spot on his waist where he'd been cut. A thin layer of frost covered the wound, along with faint purple frostbite marks.
Looking back at Aokiji, he watched as countless ice fragments gathered together, rebuilding the Marine's missing upper body. When the reconstruction was complete, Aokiji looked completely unharmed.
The only part of Katakuri's face visible above his scarf grew unusually serious.
(End of Chapter)