The mochi trident thrust forward. The sharp, three-pronged tip aimed directly for the center of Sanji's chest.
Slipping entirely out of the weapon's path, the cook shifted his weight. He used the fluid, sliding Bo-Bup footwork Ben had taught him. The trident pierced empty air, striking nothing but the shattered floorboards.
Closing his eyes, Katakuri looked three seconds into the future. The Sweet Commander saw Sanji spinning. He saw a flaming heel aiming directly for his right temple.
Morphing his shoulder into sticky, dense mochi, Katakuri prepared to trap the incoming leg.
Sanji also looked into the future. Advanced Observation Haki flared behind his visible eye. The cook saw Katakuri setting the trap perfectly.
Mid-spin, Sanji changed his attack. Canceling the high kick, he dropped his center of gravity. He whipped his left leg around in a blindingly fast, low sweep.
Renewal Taekwondo: Low Sweep.
Striking Katakuri's ankle, the kick broke the Sweet Commander's stance. The massive man stumbled forward, his trap rendered useless.
Recovering instantly, Katakuri slammed his hand onto the floor. Thick tendrils of mochi erupted from the marble. They lashed out like heavy whips, attempting to bind the cook's arms and legs.
Dancing through the barrage, Sanji moved with flawless grace. He parried the heavy tendrils with sharp, precise kicks. Faint black lightning sparked around his dress shoes. He infused his strikes with Advanced Conqueror's Haki, but he kept the pressure tightly controlled.
He refused to let the crushing spiritual weight leak into the room. He used only enough power to shatter the mochi whips into harmless white paste.
Throwing a heavy, block-like punch, Katakuri coated his fist in dense Armament Haki.
Meeting the strike with his own foot, Sanji clashed directly against the Sweet Commander.
Sparks rained down over the ruined banquet tables. The impact cracked the stone foundation beneath their feet. Wind rushed outward, blowing away the lingering smoke of the battle.
Grunting softly, Katakuri felt his arm throb. He looked closely at the cook. Sanji held a lit cigarette casually between his lips. The blonde pirate breathed evenly. He did not sweat. His suit remained immaculate.
Frustration gnawed at the edges of the Sweet Commander's focus. It wasn't just the power behind the fiery kicks irritating him. It was the calm. The cook parried lethal strikes without breaking a sweat, maintaining a relaxed demeanor.
The lack of desperation felt unnerving. Fighting a Yonko commander usually broke an opponent's spirit, but the chef treated the duel like a minor inconvenience.
Across the hall, the larger battle raged. Luffy traded heavy blows with Big Mom. Nami, Vivi, and Carrot held the defensive perimeter against the charging chess soldiers.
A towering biscuit soldier charged forward toward the women, swinging a massive cracker broadsword.
Leaping over a shattered table, Bonney slapped her bare hand against the soldier's armored chest. Magic flared instantly. The soldier withered beneath the icing, transforming into a frail, trembling old man in a fraction of a second.
The weight of the heavy cracker armor crushed him immediately, burying the elderly guard completely under a pile of his own crumbling defenses.
Standing in the shadows near the entrance, Ben raised his hand. The infiltration mission had reached its conclusion. They possessed the Poneglyph copy. The wedding lay in ruins. Staying longer served no purpose.
Snapping his fingers, the magician triggered the exfiltration.
Bright blue light swallowed the banquet hall.
Luffy vanished mid-punch. Swallowing a massive mouthful of chocolate cake, Bonney disappeared. Chopper and Sunny faded into thin air. Nami, Vivi, and Carrot vanished from their defensive circle, their weapons swinging at empty space. The clone of Ben puffed into a cloud of white smoke.
Sanji disappeared mid-clash.
Striking empty air, Katakuri's fist hit nothing. The Sweet Commander stood alone in the ruined corridor, staring at the spot where the cook had been a fraction of a second prior.
Near the destroyed altar, the trapped Vinsmoke family vanished entirely from their candy prisons.
The white void felt cool and quiet. A solid, invisible floor supported the crew.
Materializing a few feet away from the pirates, the Vinsmokes dropped onto the invisible ground. Hardened candy shattered off their bodies like brittle glass, leaving them completely free.
Falling to his knees, Judge gasped for air. His golden helmet sat slightly askew on his head.
Landing on the floor nearby, Luffy crossed his arms and pouted furiously. "My stomach is only half full!" the captain complained loudly, his voice echoing in the void. "I didn't even get to finish the chocolate roof!"
Bouncing off the invisible walls, Carrot ignored the captain's complaints. Adrenaline pumped relentlessly through her veins. Blue Electro sparked across her white fur as she did rapid backflips in the white space, unable to calm down from the excitement of the massive brawl.
Brushing dust from her pink dress, Reiju smiled softly. She watched Chopper scold Luffy about his eating habits, while Nami sighed and handed the reindeer a medical kit. Genuine warmth radiated from the pirate crew.
They bickered loudly, but they moved and acted like a real family. The stark contrast to Germa's cold, sterile, mechanical existence felt staggering to the princess.
Looking up, Judge saw Sanji standing with the Straw Hat Pirates.
The King of Germa closed his mouth tightly. He did not yell. He did not demand answers or order his son to return. Keeping his silence carefully, the monarch chose his actions with extreme caution.
Judge remembered the events of the previous evening. The memory remained fresh and painful.
The family had sat in the guest dining hall of the chateau. A young female servant had approached to pour wine. Her hand trembled nervously. Spilling a single, tiny drop of red wine on Niji's pristine white plate, she gasped in horror.
Grabbing the heavy ceramic dinner plate, Niji threw it directly at the servant's face with lethal speed.
A black shoe had intercepted the plate. Porcelain shattered harmlessly against Sanji's heel.
Standing between his brother and the terrified servant, Sanji's visible eye burned with intense, quiet anger.
Drawing his sword, Niji attacked. Yonji charged forward with mechanically enhanced fists. Moving silently, Ichiji attempted to flank the cook.
Sanji defeated them in five seconds.
He used the whip-like, fluid kicks of Renewal Taekwondo. A precise sweeping kick broke Yonji's balance instantly. A spinning heel strike knocked Niji completely unconscious, sending him crashing against the stone wall. A rapid barrage of descending strikes shattered Ichiji's guard, leaving the eldest brother groaning on the floor.
Picking himself off the stones, Yonji stared at his own mechanical hands. The engineered minds of the brothers spun wildly, trying to calculate the combat data. The runaway lacked the genetic exoskeleton. He lacked the physical augmentations. Their processors failed to compute the existence of emotional power and the unyielding willpower driving the cook's movements.
Drawing his electromagnetic spear, Judge entered the fray. The King of Germa lunged forward, igniting the thrusters in his boots to accelerate to blinding speeds. He aimed to impale the cook for his defiance.
Coating his leg in heavy Armament Haki, Sanji met the spear edge-on. The clash sent a shockwave through the dining hall.
Judge pressed the advantage. Twisting his wrist, the King spun his spear rapidly, generating an electrical storm. The crackling electricity pushed Sanji backward. A shallow cut opened on the cook's shoulder as the spear grazed his suit jacket.
"You are still weak!" Judge roared, thrusting the spear forward for a finishing blow.
Grinding his teeth, Sanji dropped his stance. He elevated his core temperature rapidly. Blazing, intense white-blue fire ignited around his entire right leg.
Ifrit Jambe.
Mixing the blistering heat with Advanced Armament Haki, the cook launched himself forward. He bypassed the electrical storm completely.
Boeuf Burst!
The devastating strike met the electro-magnetic spear. The impact shattered the metal shaft into tiny fragments. The force and intense heat melted the golden armor on Judge's chest, sending the King flying across the room. Crashing into a heavy oak table, the monarch splintered the wood into kindling.
As the dust settled, Sanji turned away from his fallen bloodline. Kneeling by the wall, the terrified servant looked up at him. Tears of gratitude streamed down her face. She mouthed a silent 'thank you'.
Lighting a cigarette, Sanji stood over the wreckage. He had barely broken a sweat.
Bringing his attention back to the present void, Judge watched his son standing among the pirates. A strange, twisted flicker of pride sparked in the King's dark heart. His 'failure' of a son had not just survived; he had become a warrior worthy of fear.
Sanji walked toward the royal family.
Stopping in front of Reiju, Sanji offered a small smile.
"Take care of yourself," Sanji said softly.
Smiling back, Reiju placed a gentle hand on his cheek. "You found a good family, Sanji. Live a good life."
Adjusting his red sunglasses, Ichiji met Sanji's gaze. The eldest brother offered a tiny, almost imperceptible nod of acknowledgment. It was the closest gesture to an apology his mind could formulate.
Turning his gaze toward his father, Sanji's expression hardened.
"Do not approach the East Blue," Sanji warned. His voice carried a faint, crushing trace of Conqueror's Haki. The threat hung heavy in the dark space. "If I see Germa ships anywhere near my real family, I will sink your entire kingdom."
Nodding stiffly, Judge offered no argument. He accepted the terms.
Turning around, Sanji walked back to his crew.
Stepping forward, Ben raised his hand and waved it casually.
The Vinsmoke family fell through a sudden tear in space.
Dropping directly onto the deck of their massive snail ship, the royals landed safely outside Totto Land's inner borders. The spatial tear sealed itself shut instantly.
Armed Germa soldiers rushed onto the deck, their rifles raised in confusion. They stared at their commanders appearing out of thin air.
"Stand down!" Judge barked, struggling to his feet. He looked back toward the foggy horizon of Big Mom's territory. "Start the engines! We leave this sector immediately!"
Back in the spatial dimension, Ben lowered his hand.
"The extraction is complete," Ben announced to the waiting Straw Hats. "We have the Poneglyph. We leave for Wano."
Back in the Whole Cake Chateau, the silence felt deafening.
Standing in the center of the ruined banquet hall, Big Mom breathed heavily. The Straw Hats were gone. The Vinsmokes were gone. Her mountain of cake lay in scattered, smashed ruins across the marble floor.
A low, terrifying rumble built deep in her chest.
"Peeerooo..."
Stepping forward nervously, Perospero clutched his candy cane staff. Sweat dripped down his long nose. "Yes, Mama?"
"Where did they go?" Big Mom asked. Her voice shook the remaining window panes.
Licking his lips, Perospero analyzed the geopolitical landscape of the New World rapidly. He needed an answer to redirect her wrath.
"They defeated Joker a few weeks ago," Perospero reasoned quickly. "Joker supplied Kaido with artificial Devil Fruits. If Straw Hat is moving against the underworld..."
Swallowing hard, the eldest son delivered his conclusion. "Their next target must be Wano. They are going after Kaido."
Turning her massive head, Big Mom glared at her son. Her eyes burned with unhinged fury.
"Prepare the fleet," the Emperor commanded. "Call the Sweet Commanders to the ships. We are going to Wano. I will teach that rubber brat a lesson he will never forget!"