"Captain Moria, this... this Marine named Taro... what kind of Devil Fruit does he have?"
Absalom was stuttering; the people who had appeared on this island were terrifyingly strong, every single one of them!
Moria, whose body was usually hunched low, straightened up slightly, his expression growing serious.
"No, I don't know either. But it seems he has also Cultivated to the level of Awakening! He wasn't using his full strength during the fight with Doffy just now!"
Wan Luo said while filming the exciting moments:
"The one opposite is Big Mom's second son, the head of the 'Four Sweet Commanders,' Charlotte Katakuri, right? I didn't expect him to come to this island too."
Absalom felt uneasy in his heart, his body almost translucent, his tone filled with hesitation and fear.
"Captain Moria, Little Captain Wan Luo, how about... how about we retreat?"
His voice was tearful, "These two monsters are fighting their way toward us!"
"Kishishishi, Absa, don't panic so much, didn't you notice?"
Moria looked at the location of the battlefield in the footage, compared it to the surrounding terrain, and chuckled.
"Taro is moving closer to the coast, not coming toward us!"
Wan Luo didn't understand fighting, so he turned his head and asked, "Does that mean Taro is going to lose? Is he trying to escape?"
Moria's eyes flickered, and after a moment, he said:
"Losing isn't certain, but he definitely wants to run. Didn't he try that once before?"
"Kishishishi, interesting, truly interesting. He clearly still has reserve strength, yet he doesn't seem to want to settle the score with Katakuri. There must be a hidden reason for this!"
The period of self-cultivation and reflection on his past allowed this violent and eccentric former Warlord of the Sea to learn how to use his brain.
Decades of experience with life's ups and downs made him realize that this incident was not simple.
"This is truly big news!"
Hearing "big news," Absalom, who possessed excellent professional ethics, emerged from his translucent state.
"Let's watch a bit longer, er... we'll be careful, let's watch a bit longer!"
"Kishishishi..."
Northeast Coast.
Kaku fell one step behind Lucci and whispered, "Captain, judging by the commotion, it seems they are heading our way."
Lucci's face was grim, and the pigeon on his shoulder turned its head.
"Kaku, what are you trying to say?"
Kaku gathered his breath and hesitated for a long time before speaking.
"If they happen to fight here later, and Taro sees us, he might figure out the whole story. If that happens, will he turn against the World Government...?"
Kaku's meaning was clear: he was worried that Taro would hold a grudge against the World Government after learning the truth.
Lucci's grim expression was precisely because he understood this point as well.
"Didn't Stussy say that Jack and Katakuri are rushing here? Do you think Taro can survive them?"
"No, I think Taro is certain to die!" Kaku quickly stated his position.
Lucci's tone was very cold, "Then what are you worried about? How can a dead man hold a grudge against the World Government?"
"This..." Kaku hesitated for a moment, and finally said nothing more.
The battle between Taro and Katakuri in their Awakening state had lasted for quite a while, and both were heavily depleted.
However, compared to Katakuri, who was a native pirate, Taro's condition was worse.
The Minor Formless Skill in its Major Achievement state continuously tempered his body and expanded his Meridians while running automatically. Unfortunately, only a month had passed.
He could contend with these monsters of the pirate world for a short duration, but if the fight dragged on, he would be the first to tire.
Taro's original plan was to come to the New World to find Katakuri a year after the Marineford War ended.
By then, the intensity of his body tempering, the resilience of his Meridians, and his Internal Energy storage would have been greatly optimized, giving him the confidence to fight a war of attrition against a Yonko Commander.
Now, he just wanted to quickly get to the coast and drag the battlefield into the water.
He remembered that Katakuri's mochi would lose its stickiness when it encountered water, which would greatly weaken Katakuri's combat power.
Furthermore, not having a Devil Fruit was his biggest advantage; once he reached the coast, he could choose whether to fight or run.
"Clapping Mochi!"
Katakuri was slightly breathless. He condensed mochi again, forming two giant hands coated in Armament Haki, which clapped toward Taro.
Taro was panting heavily, sweat beading on his forehead. He lightly tapped his feet and leaped a large distance backward.
Katakuri's gaze became colder, the veins on his forehead bulging into knots.
Since just now, he had realized that Taro was only relying on Observation Haki to dodge attacks, no longer counterattacking, and was constantly pulling the fight, consciously or unconsciously.
Initially, because Taro wasn't flashing directly toward the East Coast but heading north instead, he hadn't paid much attention.
Now, he finally understood Taro's intention.
This guy still wants to run!
Katakuri was finally furious. The moment the two giant hands appeared, he pushed off the ground, flying parallel to the surface in direct pursuit.
Was I finally discovered?
Taro, leaping into the air, sighed inwardly and kicked out accordingly:
"Rankyaku: Katori"
"Wave Slash"
"Lions Share"
Dozens of fierce kicking techniques unleashed Sword Qi, slashing toward Katakuri, who was chasing him.
Katakuri dodged by flickering and maneuvering his body.
At the same time, the mochi Domain following beneath him surged occasionally, maintaining the "Bird Mochi" transformation state at all times to prevent Taro from escaping via the air.
Katakuri only stopped after he surpassed Taro and blocked his path.
"Taro, I really overestimated you before!"
Taro landed on the ground, frowning as he looked at the enraged Katakuri.
Katakuri clearly knew he was being used as a pawn, yet he still wanted to fight to the death. What more could be said?
He clenched his fist and said coldly, "More words are useless!"
"God Slaying!"
16 pillars of Internal Energy surged from the ground affected by the Internal Energy, winding up into the sky, converging into a single beam at the apex.
Then, it pierced straight down at extreme speed.
"Power Mochi!"
Katakuri's right arm instantly turned into mochi and swelled up, resembling a giant spiked club.
Black Armament Haki coiled around it. Immediately after, the giant spiked club began to spin rapidly, punching out.
"Sizzle, sizzle~"
The diving Internal Energy pillar collided with the giant spiked club rising to meet it, causing a fierce clash of Armament Haki.
Dark clouds reformed in the sky, and amidst the surging turbulence, the air trembled, shaking the earth and mountains.
"Boom~"
With a loud crash, the Internal Energy pillar was shattered and quickly retracted into the Internal Energy Domain.
At the same time, the giant spiked club made several strange cracking sounds and developed fissures.
Finally, it shattered completely.
[Power Mochi successfully learned]
Taro's panting grew heavier; sweat poured down him like rain.
A bead of sweat slowly slid down Katakuri's forehead. He stared at Taro.
"Next, the final blow! The victor will be decided!"
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