Chapter 73 : Battle Under Artillery Fire
Katakuri's expression shifted suddenly, and Big Mom, who was in the process of recovering, coughed up a large mouthful of blood.
Within Big Mom's body, the strange fire on Gangplank's scimitar had burned away a large portion of her soul and vitality before quietly extinguishing. However, an unusual and persistent force remained inside her, blocking her recovery.
That force was sepsis!
With Gangplank wielding the Mortal Reminder, his attacks could significantly weaken his enemies' healing and recovery capabilities. Even though Big Mom sacrificed five years of her life to recover, only half of her vitality was actually helping her heal.
The wound on Big Mom's chest, which had started to close, reopened. Her heart was gravely injured and could barely beat, while her internal organs were heavily damaged. All at once, Big Mom's vision dimmed, and she felt lightheaded from severe blood loss.
Realizing how serious the situation was, she tried to use more of her lifespan to completely heal herself, no matter the cost. But before she could, Gangplank's scimitar, still wrapped in strange fire, came at her again alongside a bullet.
It was too late to recover!
Enduring the pain, Big Mom pulled out the Emperor's Sword Napoleon and slashed at Gangplank in front of her. As for the bullet, Big Mom, now conscious and having regained her "steel balloon" defense, wasn't worried about bullets or even powerful cannonballs.
Still, blood splattered again from her chest. Big Mom's massive body kept retreating as Napoleon clashed fiercely with Gangplank's scimitar.
Along with the Mortal Reminder, Gangplank was also using the Dominik Lord's Salute, an armor-piercing weapon perfect for dealing with enemies who thought they were untouchable!
Big Mom, now weakened, had lost her peak combat strength.
Seeing her retreating with blood dripping from her wounds under Gangplank's attacks shocked countless onlookers.
A sneak attack causing severe injury was one thing, but directly overpowering one of the Four Emperors in a head-on fight—even an injured Emperor—was astonishing.
"Is a new King of the Sea about to emerge?"
"This is major news!" Morgans exclaimed excitedly, while the other Dark Emperors merely watched the battle, not daring to interfere.
They were guests of Big Mom, not her henchmen. Intervening rashly before knowing the winner would only invite disaster.
In battles between top-tier fighters on the sea, deciding a victor was difficult, and ensuring someone's complete downfall was even harder. Unless there was no escape or a reason for a fight to the death, even top pirates who had the skills to endure could escape when needed.
While the Dark Emperors watched, Big Mom's children couldn't stand by as she struggled.
This was Whole Cake Island, the Big Mom Pirates' stronghold.
"Help Mama!" Katakuri shouted. He raised his hand, and a wave of hardened mochi surged toward Gangplank.
Behind him, Perospero, Smoothie, and other powerful Big Mom Pirates charged in as well. With so many allies, they hoped to overwhelm Gangplank and give Big Mom the chance to fully recover.
The battle was about to become far more intense.
But Big Mom had her children and crew to support her.
Gangplank wasn't alone either. He had Gragas and Blood Harbor Ghost Pike by his side, as well as his powerful ship!
At the port of Whole Cake Island, the battle raged on, and no one was sure of the fate of Cake Castle. Five thousand members of the Gangplank Pirates clashed with Cracker, one of the Sweet Commanders, and a large group of Homies led by Oven and Charlotte Daifuku.
Surprisingly, Gangplank's battleship, Abyss, quietly extended all its cannons and unleashed a relentless barrage of firepower in the direction of the castle!
"Flatten the barrel!"
With a booming laugh, Gragas hurled the massive barrel he always carried with him. The explosion created a shockwave, sending many of Big Mom's children flying.
Gragas's special "wine" triggered a raging fire when the barrel blew up, blocking the path for Big Mom's children. Meanwhile, Blood Harbor Ghost Pike vanished into the shadows at the moment of the explosion.
Any of Big Mom's children who tried to fly over the flames were yanked back down by sharp spikes that shot out of nowhere.
"Go around and help Mama!" Katakuri commanded. "I'll handle them!"
Katakuri leaped forward, dodging the spikes that appeared from the shadows, and landed in front of Gragas.
"Want a drink?" Gragas, with his ever-present barrel, burped and raised a glass to Katakuri.
"When you're dead, I'll drink all I want!" Katakuri coldly replied. Without wasting another moment, he drew his trident, Mogura, and struck at Gragas.
Gragas's left hand immediately darkened with Armament Haki as he punched the incoming trident, leaving a deep wound in his hand. Yet he continued to drink with his right hand, unfazed.
"Can't waste this last glass," Gragas joked with a burp, while his wound began to heal.
In terms of Armament Haki, Gragas was no match for Katakuri. But when it came to recovery, Gragas's special abilities allowed him to rival even the Four Emperors.
Katakuri's gaze turned icy as he watched Gragas's arm heal rapidly. Without hesitation, he lunged with Mogura, aiming straight for Gragas's heart. He refused to believe that Gragas could recover if his heart was pierced like his mother could.
The trident gleamed with a dangerous dark light as it sped toward Gragas's heart. But just before it landed, Katakuri suddenly shifted his attack, swinging Mogura to the right.
With a clash of metal, Katakuri's trident collided with a spike wielded by Blood Harbor Ghost Pike, sparks flying everywhere.
Gragas never fought alone.
Emerging from the shadows behind Gragas, Pike's presence became visible amidst the flickering firelight.
Elsewhere, Perospero, Smoothie, and other Big Mom Pirates managed to find a way around the sea of flames. But just as they prepared to assist Big Mom in her fight against Gangplank, a rain of cannon fire covered the sky!
"Bathe in cannon fire!" Gangplank roared with laughter, his pistol and scimitar never ceasing their deadly assault.