Chapter 253

"What is this sound?"

When the war drums echoed through the air, Katakuri froze for a moment. His Observation Haki, honed to near-perfection, quickly pinpointed the origin of the sound—it was coming from Luffy. However, the sound wasn't just ordinary drumming. There was something primal about it, something infectious. Like everyone else, Katakuri felt his blood stirring, as if a fire had been lit deep within him.

The feeling was strange yet exhilarating—a pure, unbridled sense of freedom. For a fleeting moment, Katakuri could almost taste it. Freedom... The word resonated in his mind, a luxury he had long since abandoned. As the leader of the Sweet Commanders and a vital pillar of the Charlotte family, Katakuri had been shackled by the weight of duty and expectations for as long as he could remember. Though feared and respected, he was never free.

in the One Piece series, when Luffy defeated Katakuri, he had let himself fall, not because he lacked the strength to continue, but because he was exhausted—tired of the weight on his shoulders, the constant need to be perfect. Lying on his back, touching the ground for the first time, he had felt a strange kind of peace. For once, he had let go.

And now, hearing the drumbeat of freedom from Luffy, it stirred something deep inside him. Katakuri felt an overwhelming resonance. This boy, this reckless pirate captain, had what Katakuri longed for but could never grasp—true freedom. It was a tantalizing concept, always within reach but never his to claim.

Suddenly, laughter filled the air, breaking his thoughts.

"Ahahahaha~~~"

The mochi that had swallowed Luffy transformed, its pliable texture shifting into something rubbery, like a thick elastic band stretched to its limits. With a loud duang!, the mochi peeled away, and Luffy emerged, his laughter infectious and carefree.

"Wow, Ahahaha!!! It's the same heartbeat sound again! So funny~~~" Luffy exclaimed, his hands on his head, laughing like a child discovering a new game.

Katakuri's eyes narrowed, his usually stoic demeanor cracking with surprise. "What's happening with his hair?" he murmured, noting the strange, almost ethereal white ribbon-like substance floating around Luffy's body.

"And what's with that white ribbon? Is this a new form?" Katakuri's voice betrayed his confusion as he stared at Luffy, now fully transformed.

Luffy's grin widened, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Wow, Ahahaha!!! Come on, let's have a good fight now!"

Without warning, Luffy launched himself at Katakuri, his arms stretching into rocket-like punches that tore through the air with raw power.

"Is he trying to aim for my chin?" Katakuri thought, instinctively activating his advanced Observation Haki. He could see it clearly—the trajectory of Luffy's attacks, the exact moment his fists would connect. With his devil fruit ability, Katakuri morphed into mochi, effortlessly dodging Luffy's punches, each strike missing by mere inches as he predicted the boy's every move.

The rubber fists grazed Katakuri's body, leaving indentations in the mochi form, but nothing that couldn't be repaired. He smiled grimly as his body reformed from the battering. "Boy, no matter what your abilities are, my Observation Haki has been honed to predict the future. No matter how much you want to attack me, I will see it coming."

Katakuri's body shifted as he regenerated, replenishing his form with more mochi until he looked as fresh and imposing as ever. His stance was firm, his expression one of confidence. You cannot hit what you cannot catch.

"Awesome..." Logan, watching the battle unfold from the sidelines, couldn't help but admire Katakuri's skill. This was a man who had pushed his Observation Haki to the absolute limit, capable of seeing moments into the future. Katakuri wasn't just relying on talent—he had trained, refined, and perfected his abilities through sheer force of will and relentless perseverance.

In a world filled with pirates and warriors, many had talent, but few had the discipline to push themselves to their ultimate potential. Katakuri was one of those rare individuals who had earned his place at the top through both natural ability and unyielding effort. He truly deserved to be called strong.

As Luffy continued to laugh, his footsteps seemed to sink deeper into the mochi beneath him. His weight seemed to increase with each step, yet he moved as lightly as ever.

Duang!

The rubberized ground beneath Luffy's feet bounced, launching him high into the air. His body twirled like a spinning top, his arms winding back as he prepared his next move. "Dawn Gatling!!————"

Luffy's fists multiplied, raining down from the sky like a barrage of missiles, each one aimed directly at Katakuri. The sheer volume of attacks was overwhelming, and the speed at which they flew made it seem as though hundreds of fists were coming at once.

Katakuri remained calm, his body shifting into mochi once again as he used his Observation Haki to predict each strike. "I've already told you," he said, his voice steady. "No matter where you attack from, I can predict your moves."

Once again, he dodged effortlessly, his body twisting and morphing to avoid Luffy's Gatling assault. But as he prepared to launch his counterattack, a sudden sensation gripped him—a sharp, dangerous feeling.

Something's wrong.

Katakuri's eyes widened as his heartbeat quickened, his Observation Haki screaming at him that something had changed. Despite avoiding the direct strikes, he realized that Luffy's punches were bouncing off the rubberized mochi ground and redirecting back at him.

Luffy's fists, having sunk into the rubber ground, were bouncing back unpredictably with even more force. Hundreds of fists, each rebounding at different angles, ricocheted toward Katakuri from all directions, faster than he could predict.

"What!?" Katakuri gasped as the flurry of punches, now unpredictable and wild, rained down on him. His Observation Haki, usually flawless, faltered under the chaos of Luffy's rebounding attack.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Several of Luffy's Haki-infused punches landed solidly on Katakuri's body, sending waves of pain crashing through him. His mochi form, though resilient, couldn't stop the onslaught of Haki-coated blows.

Katakuri's body trembled, and his knees buckled as he fell to the ground, blood dripping from his mouth. He knelt, using his hands for support, his face covered in bruises and scars from the relentless assault.

"What... what just happened?" Katakuri muttered, his voice shaky. He coughed, spitting more blood onto the rubberized ground, his confusion evident. "Why... why couldn't I predict your attacks...?"

Before Luffy could respond, Logan stepped forward with a smile. "It's simple, Katakuri. Luffy wasn't aiming at you directly. His punches were meant to hit the ground, to use the rubber's rebound force to strike you in unpredictable ways. Your Observation Haki is strong, but it can't predict something that's not initially aimed at you."

Katakuri's eyes widened in realization. "He... wasn't attacking me directly? He used the environment..." His body trembled as he tried to rise to his feet, but his injuries were too severe. The damage was far greater than he had anticipated.

"Cough..." A violent cough wracked his body, and another mouthful of blood spilled from his lips. "How... how could this happen? When did I become so fragile?"

Luffy, standing before him with his signature grin, scratched his head sheepishly. "Ah~ Sorry! That last punch was a serious punch, Shishishi."

Katakuri stared at Luffy, processing his words. Serious punch? he thought. Is there even such a thing as a 'serious punch'? Aren't all punches supposed to be serious? He tried to smile but felt an unsettling sense of defeat. How could he have been so thoroughly beaten?

Little did Katakuri know, this was the first time Luffy had thrown a serious punch in his Nika form—the result of training in the world of One Punch Man. It was a punch of pure strength, backed by his enhanced abilities.

Katakuri took a deep breath, forcing himself to stand, his willpower stronger than his body's current state. He may have been beaten physically, but his spirit remained unbroken.

"Boy," he said, his voice regaining some of its former strength, "I want to know your name."

Katakuri's eyes blazed with newfound determination as he looked at Luffy. This boy, this force of nature, was now his target. No matter how strong Luffy was, Katakuri's ambition burned brighter than ever. I, Katakuri, will never admit defeat.

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