CRACK!
But in the next moment, a crisp sound rang out, and the pinkish-purple blade was shattered by the black eagle claw.
BOOM!
A terrifying shockwave erupted, and a gale-force wind blew outwards, carrying with it rubble and sand, forcing the surrounding soldiers to shield their eyes, struggling to stay on their feet.
"What a terrifying attack!"
"Can a single blow really create such a devastating effect?"
The voices of the spectating soldiers were filled with an unshakeable shock, and at the same time, they were stunned by Wilder's strength.
"Lady Smoothie… was actually forced back!" a voice cried out in disbelief. The others were shocked and looked over.
After the pinkish-purple sword wave was shattered by the claw, Wilder swept a leg toward Smoothie. The kick was powerful and heavy, creating a whistling sound as it cut through the air.
Smoothie crossed her arms in front of her to block. Wilder's foot slammed into her arms, and she was sent flying backward, her legs digging deep into the ground as she slid a considerable distance before coming to a stop, a sheen of sweat on her face.
"Such immense power," Smoothie said, a hint of shock in her eyes as she looked at Wilder. She felt an unprecedented pressure.
In their brief exchange, Wilder's speed, strength, and even the power of his Armament Haki had put her under immense pressure. The moment they clashed, she knew it was bad, and the reality had proven her right.
Her sword wave had been shattered by a single, light blow. For Smoothie, who had never known defeat, this was utterly unbelievable.
However, the facts were the facts. She had to believe it. Smoothie stood up, her gaze sharp and piercing as she stared at Wilder.
"Well, it can't be helped. It seems I'll have to go all out," Smoothie said, rolling her slightly stiff neck. She then raised her longsword, a cold glint in her eyes.
BOOM!
A powerful sonic boom and a dazzling blade, like a rainbow, tore through the ground, leaving a deep, rough, and terrifying trench that extended outwards under the massive, pinkish-purple blade.
At the same time, the blade, like a serpent emerging from the water, shot toward Wilder with a ferocious momentum.
Feeling the terror of this blow, and the sharp, cutting pain on his skin from the blade's edge before it even arrived, Wilder's expression grew slightly grim.
"As expected of a Sweet Commander…"
This blow, Wilder felt, was a threat.
The moment he finished speaking, his body vanished. At the same time, the sharp, ferocious sword wave arrived.
Wilder appeared above the sword wave, his expression dark. He clenched his fist, and a white, transparent light flowed between his knuckles. Then, he brought it down with a powerful smash.
BOOM!
A white fist-imprint descended from the sky, landing squarely in the middle of the pinkish-purple sword wave.
Instantly, a violent wind raged. This punch was even stronger than any before, its power even more terrifying.
The pinkish-purple sword wave was struck in the middle and instantly, like a rubber band stretched to its limit, it snapped.
The clash of the sword wave and the fist-imprint.
The roar was deafening, and the gale-force wind sent the surrounding people flying. The soldiers watched the terrifying scene in horror.
A moment later, the smoke cleared, and everything returned to calm.
The sword wave had been torn apart by the fist-imprint. The surrounding people swallowed hard, their mouths agape as they stared at the ruins before them, too shocked to speak.
BOOM!
Just then, from within the smoke and rubble, a purple light shot into the sky. A tall figure holding a greatsword, her expression cold, emerged.
The next moment, another figure emerged, his wild hair flying, his face a mask of dominance.
BOOM!
Without a word or warning, at a certain moment, two roars sounded simultaneously.
And then…
The long cry of a sword, the angry roar of a fist. A white and a purple rainbow of terror once again slammed into each other.
But this time, the victor was decided in an instant. The pinkish-purple sword wave crumbled inch by inch, while the white fist-imprint, like a hot knife through butter, unstoppable and destructive, shattered the last remnants of the sword wave and shot straight for Smoothie.
CRACK!
Smoothie held her longsword horizontally in front of her. A terrifying force was transmitted from the hilt to her hands, and then to her entire body.
She grit her teeth, but her body was still pushed back by the force of the fist-imprint.
"This guy…" Wilder's terrifying strength shocked Smoothie. "I've only ever felt this kind of power from Mama. Is he the second? Has he already reached that level?"
Despite her shock, Smoothie did not lose her composure. After sliding back for some distance, she let out a loud cry and pushed with all her might.
She swept her longsword to the side, and a rainbow of sword light shot out. At the same time, the fist-imprint, which had been pushing forward relentlessly, was deflected.
The sword wave and the fist-imprint both struck a building in the distance, their force dissipating.
"Hah… hah… hah…" Smoothie had just stopped to catch her breath when a voice suddenly came from behind her, sending a chill down her spine.
"It's over."
When?!
Smoothie was shocked. She whipped around, her sword instinctively held in front of her.
But the next moment, she saw a sharp spear, formed from swamp and coated in thick Armament Haki, appear in her vision, getting closer… and closer…
In that second, time seemed to slow down infinitely. Smoothie watched as the gleaming spearpoint drew nearer, about to pierce her heart. Her pupils gradually widened.
And at that moment, Wilder's expression changed.
In the next instant, a tall, dark figure appeared. With almost no time for anyone to react, Wilder felt a sharp pain in his chest, and then he was sent flying as if he had been hit by a high-speed train.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
He smashed through five walls before his body finally fell apart, scattering into a puddle of swamp here and there, motionless.
The surrounding soldiers fell silent as they looked at the figure who had appeared beside Smoothie, his eyes filled with killing intent as he stared at the ruins.
Then, a cheer erupted. "It's Lord Katakuri!"
"Lord Katakuri!"
"That's great! Lord Katakuri is here! Wilder is finished now!"
"That's right! Hahaha!"
Smoothie let out a sigh of relief. She looked at Katakuri beside her and said, "Thank you."
The feeling of being on the verge of death had left her with a lingering fear. Thinking back on it now, she was still terrified. If Katakuri had been even a second later, she would have…
"Don't let your guard down. That guy is dangerous," Katakuri said, a hint of cold sweat on his face. If he hadn't foreseen this scene with his Observation Haki, Wilder would have succeeded.
And the consequences of that…
At this thought, Katakuri instantly figured out Wilder's plan, and his face turned ugly. "That guy was planning to take you out first, to make Mama lose an important asset. That way, with his strength, he could largely control the battlefield."
"Mm," Smoothie's expression was also not good.
"So, next…" Katakuri's gaze fell on the ruins, his face darkening. "This is no time for chivalry. Since that guy had such an idea, then, what's that saying? Give him a taste of his own medicine?"
Hearing this, Smoothie turned to him. "You're planning to…"
"Ah, that's right," Katakuri nodded, his gaze dark. "If we clip this most important wing, then they won't be able to cause any more trouble, right? We need to take him out as quickly as possible."
We…
In other words, Katakuri had no intention of fighting alone. He had chosen to team up with Smoothie to kill Wilder as quickly as possible.
Once the decision was made, Katakuri quickly relayed it, ordering the others to hold off the rest of their enemies in the meantime.
The members of the Charlotte Family who received his orders all grinned cruelly.
"That's a great idea."
"Wilder is dead for sure now."
"Leave the others to us."
Every member of the Charlotte Family wanted to kill Wilder, but before, there were less than three people who had the ability to do so. And now, there were probably even fewer.
So, Katakuri's decision received everyone's support, including Smoothie's.
Although it would make her lose some face, face was the most worthless thing in certain situations. Through her battle with Wilder just now, and the near-death experience, Smoothie had come to a new understanding of his strength.
Although she was reluctant, she had to admit that Wilder was stronger than her.
At this moment, the surrounding soldiers saw Smoothie and Katakuri both move, walking together toward the ruins. Instantly, everyone understood.
"What? Lord Katakuri and Lady Smoothie are going to fight Wilder together?"
"Why would that guy be worthy of two of them teaming up?"
Some of the soldiers were confused and found it hard to accept.
However, others retorted, "What do you know? Lord Katakuri is incredibly strong. And yes, he could probably kill Wilder on his own."
"Then why do they need to team up?"
"Heh…" the soldier sneered. "It's so that guy, Wilder, will die a little faster. He almost killed Lady Smoothie, you know. So, if you want to kill him quickly, you need two people."
"I'm not saying Lord Katakuri can't do it. Of course, he can take him out on his own, but that would take some time, right? So, if you want to finish him off quickly, it's more efficient for the two of them to team up."
Hearing this explanation, everyone understood, and they all began to sneer. "With the two of them teaming up, there probably won't even be any ashes left of that guy."
"That guy is dead for sure! With Lord Katakuri joining in, even if he's Wilder, he's still going to die!"
"That's right! Lord Katakuri is the strongest Sweet Commander!"
"Heh heh, let's wait and see."
"I can't wait to see that guy Wilder's miserable end."
And at that moment, as Katakuri and Smoothie walked toward the ruins.
In the rubble, the scattered swamp began to stir, gradually converging, more and more, until it all formed a single puddle.
Wilder's figure rose from the swamp. He rolled his slightly sore neck and looked down. There was a footprint on his chest, right where he had been kicked.
Crash!
Wilder pushed aside the stone slab above him and stood up. At the same time, the sound of footsteps approached. He looked up.
Two figures were walking side by side. Katakuri glanced at him, his face as arrogant and cold as ever. He looked at Wilder as if he were looking at a corpse.
"Two of them…" Wilder looked at Smoothie, then at Katakuri, and muttered to himself with a slightly grim expression.
"This is not going to be easy. It seems I've put myself in a dangerous situation," Wilder said, looking up. His gaze swept over the two of them, finally settling on Katakuri.
Compared to Smoothie, Katakuri was the one who could truly threaten him. If it were a one-on-one fight, Wilder was confident that he could eventually kill him, though it might take some time.
But now, there were two of them.
Smoothie's abilities were not limited to what she had just shown. She still hadn't used her Devil Fruit power. And Wilder knew that in the previous fight, he had used some tricks, winning with strength and speed, giving Smoothie no chance to use her abilities.
But now, the situation would be different. Katakuri's close-combat skills and his Devil Fruit ability were both made for fighting. With him here, Smoothie's previous weakness would be covered, and she would have a chance to use her abilities.
That would be dangerous.
The more Wilder thought about it, the grimmer his expression became. Based on his judgment, in this fight, Smoothie would probably be the biggest threat to him.
Once he was tied down, or if he was even slightly careless, it would be easy for Smoothie to seize an opportunity. And once she did…
The outcome was easy to imagine.
Wilder had no desire to be squeezed dry.
Thud!
Finally, Katakuri and Smoothie stopped about five or six meters in front of Wilder.
Wilder stood up, lit a cigarette with a click, and took a deep drag, filling his lungs before exhaling a long plume of smoke.
He looked up, his gaze meeting theirs.
Whoosh…!
A gust of wind blew past. The surrounding people couldn't help but feel a sense of tension as they watched this scene.
Just then.
Katakuri looked at Wilder with a cold, indifferent expression and said one sentence.
"I'll take care of you first, Wilder."
The moment he finished speaking, the battle was about to erupt.
However, the first to move was not Katakuri, nor Smoothie, but Wilder.