Cold Fingers  

A blinding flash of light erupted from the sky an pierced the Queen Mama Chanter. The air crackled with heat, intense enough to vaporize a normal human, the thunderous boom echoing through the sky. Everyone, both Linlin's and Kanata's crew, were speechless.

The first to react was Streusen, the 'Gourmet Knight', who had a long history with Linlin. He sheathed his saber, having been locked in a duel with Junshi, and rushed towards Linlin, who lay beside the ship, struck by the lightning.

"Linlin! Are you alright?!"

"Uugh… Damn that woman. What does she mean by 'no holding back'…!" Linlin, muttering curses, rose to her feet.

The burn from the lightning strike was severe, but it didn't render her immobile. Her natural resilience was a factor, but she had been fighting with Octavia, a woman who hadn't properly fought in years.

In simple terms, Linlin was rusty.

"Octavia… That woman is alive?!"

With a newfound determination, she regained her footing, her sword raised, walking towards Octavia with the dignity of a queen.

Amand, the third daughter, attempted a surprise attack from behind Octavia, trying to defend Linlin. But even with a Haki-infused sword, her attacks were futile. She tried to land a blow, but Octavia's body was like lightning, her attacks passing through, each strike sending a jolt of electricity through Amand.

She couldn't even stop Octavia's advance and eventually collapsed to the ground.

Without piercing her Observation Haki, Amand couldn't even focus on Octavia's presence. The difference in their power was absolute.

Octavia paused before Linlin and Streusen and glared at them.

"Streusen, it's been a while."

"Indeed… I'd rather not see your face again."

"Fufu… I seem to be quite disliked. It's understandable with Linlin, but you haven't treated me too poorly."

"I'm still a member of the Big Mom Pirates. I wouldn't betray my captain and fawn over someone who disrespects her."

Streusen had cared for Linlin since she was a child. He wouldn't be fawning over someone who belittled his close friend.

His hand gripping the saber was slick with sweat. He stood beside Linlin, facing Octavia with his blade poised.

"So, it's two against one. I don't mind. It's been a long time since I've fought. This is a good opportunity to shake off the rust."

"You're saying it's a good thing! Zeus! Prometheus!"

"Linlin! You're strong! Just fight calmly!"

Linlin, though her words were encouraging, Streusen was coldly analyzing the situation.

They had more than enough firepower to handle Kanata's crew, the 'Witch's' crew. But Octavia's presence completely tipped the scales.

It was strange that she didn't seem to have murderous intent, but she was still a formidable opponent.

It would be best to retreat. But Linlin, blinded by rage, and Octavia, who was ready for a fight, made escape impossible.

(At least, don't die, Linlin… If you die, the Big Mom Pirates are finished.)

Octavia's left arm was still injured. She hadn't fought in a long time, while Linlin and Streusen had been constantly engaged in battles. They were almost evenly matched, but the outcome was clear.

"We lost our prey, what do we do?"

"Don't ask me. I've lost my opponent too."

Kanata, having fought Linlin, and Junshi, who had been facing Streusen, found themselves without opponents.

Big Mom's crew outnumbered them, so finding someone to fight wasn't a problem. But were they truly equal opponents? They both shook their heads.

The officers were strong, but they were already engaged in other battles.

Junshi, shrugging, decided to find an opponent and wandered off.

Kanata was about to do the same, when two figures approached, determined to stop her.

Charlotte Katakuri, the second son, and Charlotte Oven, the fourth son.

"We can't let you get away!"

"Die here!"

Oven, the user of the 'Netsu Netsu no Mi,' the Heat-Heat Fruit, prepared to use his ability, his fists glowing with intense heat.

Katakuri, the user of the 'Mochi Mochi no Mi', the Mochi-Mochi Fruit, held his trident, 'Mogura'.

They unleashed a Haki-infused attack towards Kanata.

"Heat Denashi!"

"Mochi Stab!"

Oven's fiery fist smashed into Kanata's cheek. Katakuri, with a twisting motion, turned his mochi-covered arm into a drill, aiming a powerful stab at her side. But Kanata stood still and unfazed.

Oven's fist had clearly connected, and Katakuri's trident was firmly lodged in her side.

But she felt nothing.

"You're a child of Big Mom, aren't you? You're not as powerful as your mother."

"──What!?"

"──Guh?!"

Oven's arm slowly began to freeze, and the ice spread along Katakuri's trident, freezing his arm.

They both quickly retreated, but a part of their arms was already frozen.

Oven was a 'Heat-Heat' human. Normally, freezing him would be impossible, but Kanata's raw power was superior.

Of course, if they separated the frozen limbs, the heat would melt the ice.

Oven grabbed Katakuri's arm, melting the ice with his intense heat as he glared at Kanata.

"Damn it… what's going on with that ability?!"

"Calm down, Oven. If you use your ability too much, the ice beneath us will melt."

The sea was a weakness for Devil Fruit users.

Unless they had an ability like Shiki's, allowing them to levitate, or Kanata's, allowing her to directly control water.

As long as Kanata's ability formed the ice platform, Oven's power would only harm them.

"A 'Heat-Heat' human and… a 'Mochi-Mochi' human… You've got a lot of strange powers, you know. I've heard about the biscuit guy too."

Kanata watched Katakuri and Oven, ignoring Feiyun, who was stomping on a horde of biscuit soldiers, created by Big Mom's other son.

Both of them were considerably larger than Kanata, but Katakuri's strength was on par with Junshi, and maybe just a bit below Zen's. Oven was two steps below Katakuri.

They were young, considering they were Linlin's children, but they had reached this level of strength. They deserved praise.

Though, Kanata knew her comment would be taken as a taunt.

"You're probably around the same age as us, but you're strong enough to fight Mama head-on."

"We've been through our fair share of battles. You can't just defeat us. But… you're not going to back down, are you?"

"We won't retreat as long as Mama is fighting."

"Mama, Mama… you're not even able to make your own decisions? It's a crew member's duty to offer advice to the captain."

Kanata, with a sigh, shook her head in exasperation. She was fine with them retreating, but if they were going to fight to the death, then so be it.

This entire situation was a mess, caused by Octavia's sudden appearance. It was impossible to overcome the disparity in numbers.

Linlin, who was the second strongest after her mother, was engaged in a battle against Octavia, leaving no one capable of stopping Kanata.

"It's a crew member's duty to obey the captain's orders. Especially when it comes to someone Mama wants dead."

"You're right. It's rude to back out after making a decision."

There was no right to stop a man from pursuing his goal. Of course, whether they could win was another story.

"Oven, I'll take care of this lady. You go help the others."

"But—"

"Please."

"…Alright. Don't push yourself, Katakuri."

Oven's ability wouldn't work on the ice. He seemed to understand that, as he nodded at Katakuri's words and headed to help the others.

Kanata, for now, refrained from attacking.

If they were going to go one-on-one, then so be it. Both of them raised their spears, infusing them with Haki.

"Fufu, show me what you can do. You seem to be the most promising one, other than Linlin."

"Whatever you say. I won't lose!!"

The clash of their Conqueror's Haki reverberated, shattering the ice around them.

Kanata quickly repaired the ice, then charged, meeting Katakuri's spear with her own.

(This woman… She's incredibly strong!)

Even the force of their spears colliding was enough to shake him. He was strong enough to fight Linlin head-on, his raw power was immense.

Katakuri dodged then infused his fist with Armament Haki, and launched a punch. Kanata followed suit, infusing her fist with Armament Haki and met his blow.

"Guh…!"

The strength of their Armament Haki was different. Even with his full power, Katakuri couldn't penetrate Kanata's Haki shield. He couldn't land a hit because he couldn't bypass Kanata's Observation Haki.

Every clash only reinforced the gap in their strength.

"Alright, here's more."

Kanata swung her spear, sending a slashing attack towards Katakuri.

Katakuri contorted his body, trying to avoid the blow. But he was only partially successful. The attack landed, leaving a shallow wound.

But for Kanata, it should have been a direct hit. "You dodged well," she said, praising him.Then, she launched a barrage of attacks, relentless, pushing Katakuri back.

He tried to counter, dodging her blows, looking for an opening. But he was unable to completely dodge an attack. His Observation Haki faltered for a moment, and Kanata, with a swift kick, struck his face.

"Guh… Damn!"

"Well, you still haven't gone down."

Katakuri, staggering backward, managed to regain his balance, spinning and landing on his feet. He was wounded, slowly being pushed back, but he knew Kanata could easily have finished him off. That was what he couldn't understand.

"You're looking at me as if it's strange that I'm not killing you."

"…You're right."

"Fufu, it's just that I don't dislike a guy like you. I almost want you on my crew."

There was much to learn from clashing blades.

Unlike Linlin, he was driven by logic, not passion. He still had a lot of potential. With Octavia's connection to the 'Witch', they would undoubtedly be targeted by others. Kanata needed to strengthen her forces.

She would have recruited him if he hadn't been Linlin's son.

"I won't betray Mama. I won't betray my siblings."

"That's another thing I like about you." Kanata smiled.

Katakuri, momentarily captivated, shook his head and focused on the battle. Despite his wounds, his Haki remained strong, constantly refining his skills, hoping to overcome Kanata.

He needed to break through her Observation Haki to target her fluid, Logia form. He needed to shatter her Armament Haki to inflict real damage.

He narrowly dodged Kanata's spear while trying to find an opening to land a blow.

"Trying to restrain me with mochi?"

"──!?"

The moment Katakuri prepared a net of mochi to bind Kanata, she sensed his plan and froze him, mochi and all.

It was a simple freeze, only affecting the surface of his body. Katakuri, managing to break free from within, wiped beads of sweat from his forehead.

He had almost been frozen from the inside out. It was only because he had instinctively infused his body with Haki that he survived. He was completely outsmarted.

Even a top-tier member of the Big Mom Pirates was no match for Kanata's Observation Haki. It was like playing with a child.

"Haa… Haa… That Observation Haki… it's too much!"

"With enough training, Observation Haki can let you see a few seconds into the future. If you refine it, you can even sense a person's emotions."

Feiyun's Observation Haki was different from Kanata's. It specialized in reading emotions.

It was easy to say, but how many Haki users could actually achieve that level? Kanata didn't consider herself special, but she knew her abilities were unconventional.

"The same goes for Armament Haki. With enough practice, it can do more than just harden your body—".

Kanata, from a distance, raised her fist and aimed a punch at Katakuri. Katakuri was struck by an invisible force and was sent flying.

It was a technique similar to Sengoku's shockwaves or Octavia's Haki shield.

Zen called it 'Ryuo', a technique that allowed them to control Armament Haki.

"──It can be used to control your body, too."

It could be used as a shield to protect oneself, or as a spear to pierce an opponent. Kanata explained, as if teaching Katakuri.

Katakuri, after being sent flying, spat blood, rolled to a stop, and rose with his trident raised.

"Don't push yourself. You're badly hurt."

"I have to stop you here, or you'll reach the others… I won't let you."

"You care about your family… I envy you."

It was something Kanata had never known. That thought crossed her mind, but she was focused on defeating Katakuri, using her full strength. She couldn't afford to linger.

They were outnumbered tenfold. Kanata, the strongest of them all, had to hold strong.

"I won't let you…!"

"But you have no right to refuse."

Kanata dodged Katakuri's relentless attacks and closed the distance. She reached out and touched his chest. In a blink, Katakuri turned into an ice statue.

Her breath turned white in a frosty mist. She turned away from the frozen figure.

"You were strong. If you live, I hope we'll meet again."

Dark clouds swirled overhead. Kanata confirmed that the battle between Linlin and Octavia wasn't over, then turned back, heading to help her crew.