Katakuri looked at the man who had casually repelled his heavy attack with a single move and was momentarily speechless.
However, Katakuri had no intention of saying anything. His gaze darkened, and viscous mochi began oozing from his body, which he then hurled straight at Bartholomew Kuma.
Bartholomew Kuma really did seem like he was not very good at fighting. He had no intention of attacking first at all. His eyes locked onto the incoming mochi, and both palms struck out in rapid succession. In an instant, several small bear-paw-shaped air bubbles shot out, accurately striking the incoming mochi and exploding one after another, perfectly blocking the attack.
After that, Bartholomew Kuma even showed a happy smile and said, "I've blocked it. Please continue!"
The fierce corner of Katakuri's mouth twitched beneath his scarf. What does that mean? Are you playing a turn-based game with me here?
On the other side, Charlotte Oven, whose entire body radiated scorching heat, also joined the battlefield. The moment he landed on the ice, the frozen glacier began to melt rapidly. He laughed arrogantly. "You call this cold? I'll melt every last bit of it!"
Clearly, as the user of the Heat-Heat Fruit, Oven seemed very eager to challenge Valthior's frost power.
And in terms of Devil Fruit matchups, perhaps he really did have that qualification.
But before he could get too arrogant, a powerful battle cry suddenly came from the distance.
"You think you are worthy of challenging Big Bro Valthior? Just watch my Divine Departure cleave you to pieces, and that'll be the end of it!!!"
Oven didn't possess Conqueror's Haki, but his older brother, Katakuri, did.
So even without seeing his opponent, hearing that voice and the faint fluctuations of Conqueror's Haki coming with it made Oven's heart seize up in fear!
What exactly was Divine Departure? That move was far too famous on the sea.
It was the signature technique of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger!
Back during the battle on Cake Island, Oven had not been qualified to participate. He had only been a small fry watching from a distance. But he had personally witnessed the power of Divine Departure.
And among the enemies he was facing now, there happened to be quite a few former members of the Roger Pirates.
This strike also carried the aura of Conqueror's Haki.
So even without seeing his opponent, Oven was terrified. Instinctively, he lunged forward like a desperate beast, trying to dodge Divine Departure that way.
He threw himself across the ice and rolled several times before coming to a stop in a miserable heap. At the same time, a slash crashed into the spot where he had been standing just moments earlier.
Oven immediately froze.
Was the slash powerful? It was decent.
It even carried a faint trace of Conqueror's Haki.
But...
This damn thing can be called Divine Departure?
It was just an ordinary slash that was somewhat sharp!
It was nothing but a bluff!
"Hahahahaha, Buggy, look! I scared him!" Shanks held Ame no Habakiri and laughed while pointing at the miserable Oven.
"My turn. Watch my Explosive Sword Style!" Buggy also acted as if he did not take Oven seriously at all. Waving the half-drawn Enma in his hand, he charged toward Oven.
Oven was now utterly furious. He'd been tricked and made a fool of by a brat?!
It was a massive blow to his pride.
Especially since he had just declared that he would take down Valthior, only to be frightened by a brat under Valthior's command. That made it even more humiliating.
Rage surged through Oven as he watched Buggy charge straight at him. The brat hadn't even fully drawn his blade, and his movements were riddled with openings. He called this a sword style? It looked more like he was offering him the sword.
It was so stupid it was insulting.
"Don't underestimate people, you little brat!!!" Oven roared. As he stood up, he raised his hand and grabbed at Buggy.
Buggy acted as if he completely hadn't anticipated such speed, a panicked look flashing on his face. His sword failed to draw, and Oven snatched it away in an instant.
Oven had a decent eye. The moment it touched his hand, he sensed this blade was extraordinary. Even if he couldn't identify it, it had to be a rare and excellent sword!
Without a second thought, he sneered viciously, "As an apology, this sword is mine now!"
With that, he suddenly drew Enma, preparing to cut down the damned red-nosed brat in front of him.
But at the very instant he drew the blade, the panic on Buggy's face vanished, replaced by a smug grin. "Enjoy Enma's charm, idiot!"
In that split second, Oven failed to grasp Buggy's meaning, but in the next instant, he understood completely!
Damn it! What kind of sword was this?! It devoured its own wielder!?
Oven's strength could not be called weak, but he was not especially powerful either. He was the same age as Katakuri, exactly eighteen this year, and his Haki was only average.
Enma, however, was an exceptionally fierce famous blade.
Even Zoro at his peak almost had the Haki in his arm drained dry the first time he drew Enma, nearly turning into a mummy.
Oven's current state naturally could not compare to peak Zoro.
The instant he drew Enma, he felt his Haki being sucked away all at once, and his entire body fell into extreme weakness.
His appearance showed it clearly.
His originally strong, muscular body shriveled in an instant. Enma, on the other hand, was surrounded by pitch-black Armament Haki. Yet it still seemed unsatisfied, continuing to forcefully drain the essence from Oven's body and making him cry out in pain.
"What is this...?" Oven's legs gave out, and he dropped to his knees.
The next second, Shanks drove a kick into his face, sending him flying.
"Remember this! We are the twin heroes of the Valthior Pirates, Shanks and Buggy!"
Oven's hand went limp, and Enma fell onto the ice.
Buggy stepped forward, took a deep breath, and grabbed Enma. Before that fierce Haki drain could erupt, he quickly sheathed the blade and said happily, "The first win belongs to us! Hahaha!"
That was right.
Oven, whose Haki had been forcibly drained dry, now looked like a shriveled little old man. Even though Enma had left his hand, the Haki stolen from him did not return to his body—he had completely lost the ability to fight, lying on the ice groaning as the first defeated combatant.
"Oven!"
The fifteen-year-old Cracker, wrapped in the armor of a biscuit soldier, roared. He flicked the long sword in his hand and thrust it toward Buggy.
"You despicable bastards…"
But at that moment, violent flames came roaring in.
"Hell's Kitchen!" Tofu shouted.
A stream of fire surged from his hand and struck Cracker in an instant, beginning to roast the biscuit armor.
But Cracker was far from defeated. His biscuit armor was not so easily set ablaze. A moment later, he slashed through the flames and charged out, small sparks still dancing across his body.
"I—"
"Get out of the way!"
The enormous Sunbell charged through like a war chariot, swinging the harpoon in his hand with tremendous force. It slammed into Cracker, shattering his biscuit armor in a single blow.
Tofu immediately burst into laughter at the sight of Cracker's exposed face.
"I thought you were some old man. Turns out you are just a brat! Take my Fire Fist!"
A heavy fist burning with flames smashed hard into Cracker's face and sent him flying.
At this time, Sunbell also caught up to Queen, who was attacking Sphinx like a madman. Holding his harpoon, he struck out.
"Whale Hunt!"
Queen had already transformed into his Brachiosaurus hybrid form. His body was enormous. With a fierce swing of his tail, he struck the heavy harpoon and cursed, "Damn Fish-Man, you…"
"Nice job, Fish-Man bro! I will give you fire support!"
Sphinx, who finally had a moment to breathe, laughed loudly. She slung the sniper rifle onto her back and swiftly pulled down the heavy machine gun that had been hanging behind her. After pulling the bolt, she immediately pressed the trigger.
A storm of metal roared out, covering Queen with thunderous fire.
The bullets were far too sharp. When they struck Queen's modified metal body, they ricocheted wildly, shattering the surrounding ice and blasting up clouds of frost. Within moments, Queen's massive body was completely obscured.
She said she was helping Sunbell suppress the enemy. But in reality, the terrifying spray of firepower and the flying ricochets made it impossible for Sunbell to get close to Queen at all.
And Sphinx clearly did not really need Sunbell to act at that moment. Seeing the frost dust block Queen's vision, she reached up, pulled a grenade from her chest, bit off the pin with her teeth, and casually threw it into the icy mist.
With a boom, a violent explosion and poisonous fog swallowed Queen's blurry figure.
"Damn brat, I am going to kill you!"
Queen roared and charged out of the smoke like a madman.
Looking again, this guy was truly a match for that bastard Caesar. They were two peas in a pod—he'd already slapped a gas mask on his face!
But clearly, his body modifications weren't at their peak state yet; many of his black-tech gadgets hadn't been installed. Otherwise, Sphinx couldn't have suppressed him so easily.
"I ain't a damn brat, you bastard!" Sphinx cursed.
Her figure kept retreating, widening the distance while she continued using the violent metal storm to suppress Queen. The barrage battered Queen until he staggered again and again. From time to time, special rounds mixed among the ordinary bullets would suddenly explode, making Queen's movements even stiffer.
A moment later, the machine gun's rotating barrels began clicking empty.
Sphinx immediately said, "Reloading. Fish-Man bro, hold him off for me…"
Sunbell seemed to have a very good relationship with Sphinx. Without another word, he grabbed his harpoon and charged up again.
As Sphinx loaded another belt of ammunition wrapped around her body into the machine gun, she cursed, "I heard there is a Paramecia Devil Fruit that lets someone turn into an arsenal. If I could get that fruit, I would never have to worry about running out of ammo again, and I would not need Fish-Man bro to support me either. Then I could show all of you what a real metal storm looks like!"
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