Chapter 252

At this moment, Luffy exuded an aura so intense that it was palpable, sending shivers down the spines of everyone around him. His serious expression, which was rarely seen, signaled the gravity of the situation.

Yes, just his presence alone emitted a dreadful pressure that made even the most seasoned pirates hesitate.

"What a terrifying guy!!!" one of the pirates whispered, his voice trembling.

"Hey, hey, hey! He looks like a kid, but why does his aura feel so oppressive?" another added, clutching his weapon tightly as beads of sweat formed on his brow.

"Don't worry!" a pirate next to him shouted, though even his voice wavered with uncertainty. "Master Katakuri is the strongest! He'll handle this!"

Despite the attempts at reassurance, the pirates couldn't hide their unease as they eyed Luffy, who stood confidently in the face of the formidable Sweet Commander. The air was thick with tension, as if the very atmosphere was responding to the clash of titanic wills.

Katakuri, calm and collected, turned his steely gaze toward Luffy, recognizing the undeniable strength that radiated from him. There was no room for error.

"A guy with impressive strength..." Katakuri muttered under his breath, his sharp eyes narrowing as he studied Luffy more closely. The aura of a warrior, a true rival, was unmistakable.

But his focus shifted momentarily to Logan. "Let my sister go first!" Katakuri demanded, his voice cold and commanding "Come to me if you have any grievances!"

"Ok." Logan didn't hesitate. Without a word of protest or any grand display, he released Charlotte Brûlée, who dropped to the ground unceremoniously.

Brûlée, disheveled and wide-eyed, scrambled to her feet before darting behind her brother, her usual arrogance now replaced by a mixture of fear and indignation. "Brother Katakuri, these people… they're here to cause trouble!" she stammered, her eyes darting back to Logan nervously.

"I know," Katakuri replied, his tone calm yet laced with a deadly edge. "You stay behind me. I'll deal with this."

With a single push of his hand, Katakuri gently moved Brûlée further away, his attention now fully on Luffy. His posture shifted subtly as he dropped the trident he had been holding.

"Hey~? Why are you dropping your weapons again?" Luffy questioned with genuine confusion, tilting his head to the side like a curious child, his wide eyes reflecting his bewilderment.

"Since you don't have a weapon, I won't take advantage of you," Katakuri declared, his lips forming a confident smile. "Prepare to die!!————"

Katakuri's figure blurred, his movement so swift it seemed like he had teleported in front of Luffy. His leg shot out in a kick that, at first, appeared normal, but just as it approached Luffy, the leg split into seven pieces, transforming into mochi tendrils that lashed toward the pirate captain like serpents.

The mochi was coated in the dark sheen of Armament Haki, the advanced kind that few warriors could master—Katakuri was not taking any chances.

"Yanagi Mochi!!——————" he bellowed, his voice reverberating.

The air itself seemed to warp as the seven mochi extensions, empowered by his Haki, rushed toward Luffy with the weight of a mountain behind them, crashing down in an arc of destruction.

Um!?

Luffy's playful demeanor vanished as his eyes sharpened with a warrior's instinct. In an instant, he gauged the danger and reacted.

His right leg shot forward.

But Luffy wasn't done.

As the leg extended, it too became coated in the deep black hue of high-level Armament Haki. His muscles tensed, his foot angled just right, and then—

"Gomu Gomu no Whip!!————————"

Boom!!--

Luffy's kick collided with Katakuri's Yanagi-mochi tendrils, and the resulting shockwave blasted through the entire port like a thunderclap from the heavens.

The sound alone was enough to rattle bones, and the force of their clash sent ripples of energy cascading outward, knocking nearby pirates off their feet. Some dropped their weapons, too stunned to react, while others clutched their heads, trying to protect their eardrums from the deafening impact.

For a brief moment, the world seemed to stand still.

"Um!?" Katakuri's eyes widened, his normally impassive face showing a flicker of disbelief. How was this even possible? His Yanagi Mochi, a technique he had perfected, was being pushed back. He had expected resistance, but not like this.

He could feel it—the overwhelming power in Luffy's kick. It wasn't just the physical force; there was something more. It was as if Luffy was tapping into a deeper well of strength, something that went beyond mere muscle.

Suddenly, the full force of Luffy's attack hit Katakuri like a tidal wave.

Boom!!—

The collision intensified, and the ground beneath them cracked under the pressure. The mochi tendrils that had split from Katakuri's kick recoiled, slamming back into him with a force that nearly knocked him off his feet.

The mochi tendrils hit Katakuri square in the face, and he stumbled backward, momentarily disoriented. Behind him, several of the pirates who had been watching the fight unfold were caught in the aftermath. They screamed as they were launched into the air like ragdolls, their bodies hurtling back toward the ships.

Katakuri, despite his strength, was thrown back. His mind raced, trying to comprehend how this young pirate captain had managed to repel him so effectively.

When he finally regained his footing, Katakuri stared at Luffy, his expression unreadable but his heart pounding in his chest. This boy—this Straw Hat—was no ordinary pirate.

After a moment of silence, Katakuri wiped the blood from his nose with the back of his hand and locked eyes with Luffy. His voice was low, dangerous. "I admit it... I underestimated you. But now... let me see what you're truly capable of!!!"

His hands slammed into the ground with a force that sent ripples through the mochi-covered surface.

"Flowing Mochi!!————"

Boom!!!

As Katakuri's powers awakened to their full potential, everything around them began to morph. The earth itself, the buildings, the very air seemed to dissolve into the sticky, elastic substance. Mochi swirled and coalesced, forming waves and columns, towering structures of pure mochi, all controlled by Katakuri's will.

The ground lost its hardness and became a rolling sea of mochi, every step squelching underfoot.

"What a smell! It smells so good!!!" Luffy, unfazed by the transformation, sniffed the air like a dog on the hunt for food. His eyes sparkled with delight as he scooped up a handful of the mochi from the ground and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Luffy! Why did you eat it!!!" Usopp cried out, his eyes wide with horror.

"Idiot! How dare you eat something the enemy conjured up!!!" Nami was furious, slapping her forehead in frustration at her captain's antics.

Katakuri, still focused on the battle, couldn't help but feel a twinge of confusion at Luffy's behavior.

"This boy... What in the world is he thinking?"

But he had no time to dwell on Luffy's quirks. The battlefield was set, and his powers were fully awakened.

Huluhu~~~

The mochi began to surge like waves on a stormy sea, creating enormous ridges that twisted and grew, rising higher and higher into the sky until they resembled giant mochi serpents. The sheer scale of the mochi pillars was staggering, each one capable of crushing a mountain.

Katakuri manipulated them with precision, his arms directing the flow like a conductor leading an orchestra.

"Raindrop Mochi!!"

The pillars lunged downward with terrifying speed, aiming to crush Luffy beneath their massive weight. The ground shook as the mochi rained down with the force of a hurricane, and a thick cloud of dust and debris billowed into the air, obscuring everything.

Cracks splintered through the earth, the sheer destructive force enough to break apart the mochi-covered ground.

For a moment, everything was chaos.

"Hiss! What a terrifying attack... Is this the strength of Katakuri, the leader of the Sweet Commander!?" one of the pirates gasped, his face pale as he watched the carnage unfold.

"It's so scary!! The whole ground is cracked!!"

"Fortunately, the ground was turned into mochi by Katakuri-sama, or Whole Cake Island might have been destroyed!"

"That guy's done for, right?"

"Of course...!! Who could possibly survive that!?"

The pirates were in awe, their eyes wide with admiration for Katakuri's devastating power.

But while the enemy pirates celebrated prematurely, the Straw Hat crew remained calm. Their expressions were as steady as the ocean after a storm.

Charlotte Brûlée noticed this, her smug smile widening. "You're all putting on a brave face now, but I'm sure you're quaking in your boots inside!" she sneered, satisfied with what she thought was her inevitable victory.

"Yohohoho~~~" Brook chuckled softly, pulling out his violin. As he began to play, a melody filled the air—one that was both haunting and invigorating. He looked at Charlotte Brûlée and smiled mischievously, "Your brother may have awakened his devil fruit, but he's not the only one who knows the power of awakening~~~"

Suddenly, a new sound joined Brook's violin—a rhythmic beat, like the pounding of war drums, deep and resonant.

Boom... Boom...

It echoed through the battlefield like the steady heartbeat of a giant.

As the sound reverberated, a strange energy surged through the air, stirring something primal within everyone present.

"What is that sound?" one of the pirates muttered, feeling a strange tingling sensation in his chest.

"Hey, hey, hey!!! I feel like my blood is boiling!!!" another cried, his face flush with sudden excitement.

"Yes! I've never felt so alive!!!" someone else shouted, raising their arms to the sky in euphoria.

"Everything, everything... I feel like nothing can hold me back!!!" one of the pirates began to dance in place, his feet moving to the beat of the drums.

"Damn it! Why do I suddenly want to dance!?"

"Wait, you too?!"

"I thought I was the only one! This sound... it's making me want to move!!!"

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