The overwhelming strength displayed by the Marine Admiral forced Charlotte Katakuri into uncharacteristic caution. If he miscalculated even slightly, Cake Island faced genuine danger of catastrophic defeat. As a dutiful son, he absolutely couldn't allow outsiders to discover the true extent of his mother's... complications.
"Katakuri, you should be the strongest Sweet Commander," Kisame observed, his shark-like eyes tracking the man with professional assessment. "I already defeated one of your colleagues on the journey here. You'd better hold on for a reasonable duration—don't disappoint me too quickly."
Hoshigaki Kisame then shifted his predatory gaze toward the ugliest woman present. Charlotte Brûlée hadn't appeared in any Marine intelligence files, yet she could apparently ignore spatial limitations and drag enemies into this mirror dimension. This type of Paramecia ability—manipulating alternate dimensional spaces—had only been witnessed by the Admiral once before, during encounters with World Government agents possessing similar techniques.
Feeling Admiral Kisame's undisguised murderous intent radiating toward her like physical pressure, Charlotte Brûlée demonstrated very reasonable fear for someone lacking combat capabilities. She moved step by step behind her brother's imposing form, attempting to use Charlotte Katakuri's broad shoulders as shelter from that piercing predatory stare.
"Brother, let me assist you in this battle," Brûlée offered quietly, her voice trembling slightly. "The Marine Admiral isn't someone who can be defeated through simple confrontation."
Charlotte Katakuri turned his head slightly to regard his beloved sister, appreciation warming his normally stoic expression. But pride as a warrior—as a man—demanded he engage in true one-on-one combat. If family members interfered in this battle, it would only generate humiliation he couldn't tolerate. Charlotte Katakuri was precisely that kind of man—someone who valued honorable single combat above tactical pragmatism.
"You will not attack," he commanded, his tone brooking absolutely no argument. "This fish-man is my target alone."
With that unquestionable declaration, Charlotte Katakuri withdrew his trident Mogura from the armored bracer concealing it at his wrist. This time he intended to deploy his full strength without reservation—he absolutely couldn't afford to leave opportunities for this fish-man who could generate water techniques from nothing.
Charlotte Smoothie appeared somewhat dazed by her near-death experience, still coughing occasionally from residual seawater in her lungs. She could only nod mutely and retreat with Charlotte Brûlée toward the corner where the seriously injured Sea Knight Jinbe rested, attempting not to disturb the impending clash between warriors.
"Let me witness firsthand how powerful the New Marine's Admiral truly is," Charlotte Katakuri declared, his voice resonating through the mirror dimension.
The Sweet Commander no longer suppressed the tremendous aura contained within his body. Violent Conqueror's Haki erupted outward in concentric waves, sweeping through the mirror world with apocalyptic force. Terrifying black lightning crackled across reflective surfaces, the electrical discharge manifesting as visible reality warping around his overwhelming willpower. As a master wielding all three types of Haki, he possessed genuine qualifications to stand before Hoshigaki Kisame as an equal combatant.
Feeling the opponent's royal aura washing over him, Kisame displayed no surprise whatsoever. He'd encountered several individuals within the New Marine who possessed this caliber of Conqueror's Haki. However, precious few people across the seas could actually transform this spiritual pressure into concrete offensive applications—most wielders used it merely for intimidation rather than weaponization.
"Muso Donuts!"
The Sweet Commander launched his offensive first, seizing initiative before the Admiral could establish battlefield control. The surrounding mirror world structures became affected by his Devil Fruit's awakening, transforming into massive white mochi rings with extreme stickiness and adhesive properties. The constructs represented perfect tools for entangling and restraining opponents, denying them mobility.
Within mere moments, the awakened Mochi Mochi no Mi had converted most of the alternate dimension's surfaces into his preferred medium. Only the location where Charlotte Katakuri's family members gathered remained unchanged—a safe zone deliberately preserved. Hoshigaki Kisame stood motionless as his feet sank into the white mochi accumulating around his ankles, the sticky substance adhering to his legs with vice-like grip.
"A Devil Fruit that resembles food can actually be developed to such impressive extent," Kisame remarked with genuine appreciation coloring his voice. "Charlotte Katakuri, you truly deserve recognition as the strongest Sweet Commander."
Even as Hoshigaki Kisame offered this acknowledgment, Charlotte Katakuri deployed his next technique without pause. "Ame no Yanagimochi!"
After the surrounding environment underwent assimilation into mochi, Charlotte Katakuri could manipulate the transformed substance at will. In an instant, thousands of slender spikes materialized from the awakened mochi, each projectile sharpening to needle-like points. After coating every tip with black Armament Haki that gleamed like obsidian, he launched them toward Hoshigaki Kisame from every conceivable angle simultaneously—a rainstorm of hardened spears designed to overwhelm defenses through sheer volume.
The Marine Admiral's feet remained entangled in the white sticky mochi trapping him in place. He needed some form of external force to break free completely from the adhesive prison. The spikes approaching from all directions left Kisame zero opportunity to breathe or maneuver conventionally.
"Water Style: Water Prison Technique!"
Kisame's hands blurred through seals with practiced speed, drawing moisture molecules from the surrounding air despite the mirror dimension's artificial nature. A spherical cage of compressed water formed around his body—a defensive technique that could simultaneously trap enemies and protect its caster from external assault.
The mochi spikes reinforced with Armament Haki, despite their tremendous numbers and hardened coating, proved incapable of piercing through the water barrier. After a complete volley failed to penetrate the seemingly fragile sphere, the projectiles reverted to harmless white mochi and fell away.
But this had been Charlotte Katakuri's intention from the beginning.
A cold gleam emerged from within the white mochi accumulation as the trident Mogura, wrapped entirely in pitch-black Armament Haki, instantly broke through the Water Prison Technique's defensive shell. Charlotte Katakuri appeared from concealment with explosive speed, driving his weapon directly into the Marine Admiral's torso. The previous two techniques had served solely to create this singular opening.
The trident named Mogura did pierce solid flesh, sinking deep into the target's body. But from the feedback transmitted through the weapon's shaft, Charlotte Katakuri immediately recognized something fundamentally wrong. Why didn't his opponent bleed after sustaining such catastrophic injury? Instead, some colorless liquid resembling water leaked from the wound rather than crimson blood.
The impaled Admiral Kisame displayed a disturbing smile, completely ignoring the weapon penetrating his chest. He grabbed Charlotte Katakuri's trident with both hands, iron grip denying the Sweet Commander any opportunity to withdraw or dodge.
Hoshigaki Kisame exploded instantly before Charlotte Katakuri's widening eyes, the water clone detonating with the terrifying force of superheated molecules flash-boiling. The technique brought everything within ten meters into the blast radius, waves of scalding steam and concussive force radiating outward.
Charlotte Katakuri immediately hardened his entire body with full-coverage Armament Haki, the black coating spreading across every inch of exposed skin. Although the water clone's explosion didn't inflict substantial physical damage through his Haki reinforcement, the blast wave launched him over ten meters backward through the air.
It turned out the Marine Admiral had seen through his deceptive tactics from the very beginning. Hoshigaki Kisame and Charlotte Katakuri had played an excellent game of mutual counter-deception—and the Admiral had won the opening exchange.
By the time Charlotte Katakuri recovered from the explosion's disorientation, Hoshigaki Kisame had already materialized directly before him. Samehada descended toward the Sweet Commander's skull without the slightest mercy, the living blade radiating bloodlust through its barbed surface. This seemingly unwieldy heavy sword generated particularly terrifying oppressive force despite—or perhaps because of—its grotesque organic nature.
Through advanced Observation Haki allowing him to perceive the immediate future, Charlotte Katakuri detected the weapon's descending trajectory in the first critical instant. He employed his signature defensive technique, spreading apart the portion of his mochi-transformed body about to receive impact. This ability mimicked the intangibility of Logia-type Devil Fruits, though unlike true Logia users, he retained vulnerability to Haki-enhanced attacks and had to consciously activate the defense.
This time, however, Charlotte Katakuri's tried-and-tested evasion failed completely against Admiral Kisame. Although Samehada wasn't coated in visible Armament Haki, as the blade approached his sticky white mochi body, the barbs covering its surface suddenly extended dramatically. The spikes penetrated deep into his transformed flesh and began frantically draining his Haki and physical stamina with parasitic hunger.
Feeling substantial portions of his strength being siphoned away through the contact points, Charlotte Katakuri recognized the horrifying nature of the heavy sword in Admiral Kisame's possession. He could only launch a counterattack while advancing, hoping aggressive offense would force the Admiral to disengage.
"Zan Giri Mochi!"
A devastating straight punch wrapped in both Conqueror's Haki and Armament Haki struck Hoshigaki Kisame directly in the face with Charlotte Katakuri's full power behind it. The Sweet Commander's absolute strongest attack—a blow capable of shattering steel and pulverizing bone—smashed the Admiral's head into fragmentary pieces.
But this enemy proved to be yet another water clone. Charlotte Katakuri realized with sinking dread that one-tenth of his total Haki reserves had been directly stolen by the Marine Admiral through that brief contact with Samehada.
This kind of devouring ability imbued into a weapon represented something the Sweet Commander had never encountered before. If he experienced repeated draining at this rate, the consequences would prove catastrophic. His Haki would deplete completely within ten exchanges, leaving him defenseless against an opponent who clearly possessed near-limitless water clones.
Charlotte Katakuri's mind raced through tactical calculations, searching desperately for a strategy that could overcome this parasitic sword. But every scenario ended the same way—prolonged combat favored the Admiral absolutely.
He needed to end this quickly, before Samehada drained him dry.
The question remained: how could he land a decisive blow on an opponent who'd already demonstrated he could replace himself with water clones faster than Observation Haki could track?
In the mirror world's distorted reflections, countless images of Hoshigaki Kisame stared back at Charlotte Katakuri with predatory shark grins.