But that was not the most despair inducing moment.
The true despair came when a figure crashed heavily into the ground.
As the dust slowly settled and the identity of the fallen figure became clear, Big Barrel and Doc Q's expressions changed drastically.
"Charlotte Katakuri."
Their hearts sank instantly.
One Sweet Commander had already pushed them to the brink, and now the strongest of the Sweet Commanders had arrived.
The pressure was suffocating.
A red light flickered within Katakuri's eyes as he raised his arm and hurled his trident forward. The weapon tore through the air like a streak of light, its shrill whistle piercing the eardrums.
Big Barrel's sausage like nose twitched violently as his drunken expression twisted into terror.
Without hesitation, he bolted to the right. This was not just an evasive maneuver. He intended to flee Impel Down immediately.
Nothing mattered more than his own life.
"How is this possible?!"
Reality was merciless.
In the next instant, Katakuri appeared directly in front of him.
Big Barrel's scalp tingled as fear surged through his body.
A spiked whip kick coated in Armament Haki came crashing down.
Katakuri looked down at him from above, his gaze cold and oppressive as his leg swept forward.
Big Barrel barely had time to raise his massive wine gourd to block.
Crack!
The impact shattered the air. Big Barrel vomited blood as his body was sent flying, tearing a deep groove across the ground before slamming violently into the wall, dust exploding outward.
"Damn it!"
Spitting out blood, Big Barrel staggered to his feet with surprising speed.
The kick had not crippled him.
Katakuri narrowed his eyes slightly. The opponent's recovery speed and endurance were impressive.
It was proof that none of the prisoners locked within the sixth level, Infinite Hell, were ordinary.
But to Katakuri, it made no difference.
He extended his right hand and reclaimed his trident. His eyes glowed red once more as he walked forward.
Clang. Clang.
The sound of his metal boots striking the ground echoed rhythmically, each step carrying crushing pressure.
"Whoosh!"
This time, Big Barrel did not flee.
His arm, longer than his leg and coated in Armament Haki, smashed forward like a cannonball.
Katakuri stepped aside calmly and thrust his trident forward.
The sound of flesh being pierced rang out sharply.
Big Barrel twisted his body at the last moment, avoiding a fatal blow, but his left shoulder was pierced cleanly.
Before he could recover, Katakuri spun and delivered a brutal side kick.
Big Barrel's clown hat flew off as his body bent into a shrimp like shape midair, his face contorted in agony.
Boom!
Katakuri stepped into the swirling dust without hesitation, trident in hand.
Suddenly, the dust on the left scattered violently as Big Barrel burst out, battered and disheveled, fleeing at top speed.
"Damn it…"
A chilling sense of danger descended from above.
Big Barrel looked up just in time to see Katakuri appear, stomping down onto his back.
A chain of bone cracking sounds echoed as the ground within a hundred meters collapsed inward.
Big Barrel's eyes turned bloodshot. Blood poured from his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears.
Before he could even scream, the trident slammed into the ground beside his face, stopping just two millimeters away.
The battle was a complete massacre.
In Katakuri's hands, Big Barrel could not even stir the water.
"Even Observation Haki shouldn't be able to predict my movements this precisely…"
Big Barrel's voice trembled with unwillingness.
His every move had been anticipated.
Even among the monsters imprisoned in Infinite Hell, very few could predict him so thoroughly.
Yet in this fight, it felt as if he had been walking directly into Katakuri's attacks.
Katakuri did not respond.
He simply kicked Big Barrel in the abdomen.
Big Barrel lost all control of his body, vomiting blood as he tore through the ground and crashed into the ruins.
Katakuri appeared before him once more, looking down from above.
Big Barrel was already at death's door.
Just as Katakuri prepared to turn him into a Demon, Big Barrel launched a final desperate attack.
A dagger coated in Armament Haki appeared in his hand and stabbed straight into Katakuri's chest.
Katakuri's expression did not change.
His leg swept out, smashing into Big Barrel's head and caving in his face completely.
Big Barrel slid down the wall, leaving behind a long trail of blood.
"You stabbed my heart. You can die."
Big Barrel hung his head weakly. His sausage like nose was shattered, yet he grinned triumphantly as he stared at Katakuri's blood stained chest, the dagger still embedded.
Katakuri walked forward without replying.
The muscles and cells in his chest shifted unnaturally, pushing the dagger out inch by inch until it fell to the ground with a sharp clang.
The wound healed completely within two breaths.
Katakuri had foreseen the sneak attack long before it happened.
Even if the dagger had pierced his heart, it would not have mattered.
As the strongest Demon beneath Lucien, this level of damage was insignificant.
Katakuri had already reached the peak of mortal strength. Progress beyond that point required time.
But after becoming a Demon, he discovered a new path.
The current Katakuri far surpassed the version that fought Luffy two years later.
"How… how is this possible?!"
Big Barrel continued coughing blood, staring in disbelief at Katakuri's uninjured chest.
He was certain the dagger had pierced the heart.
Pfft.
Katakuri's left hand elongated and plunged directly into Big Barrel's chest.
Demon Blood surged into his body.
The ability to turn others into Demons was not exclusive to Lucien.
All Demons possessed it.
However, weaker Demons produced unstable transformations lacking reason.
Only Demons created by powerful Demons retained strength, intelligence, and self control.
Like zombies in the East or vampires in the West, Demons could create subordinates.
At the same time, Lucien retained absolute authority over all Demons.
He was the origin.
The Demon Ancestor.
If Lucien wished, he could turn the entire Pirate World into a Demon World within years.
Even the Giant World.
But such an outcome held little meaning.
Big Barrel convulsed violently as Demon Blood flooded his body.
Five to six minutes passed before he finally went still.
All injuries vanished.
Cracked markings spread from his neck downward.
"Master."
Big Barrel accepted the information instinctively.
His life and death now rested entirely in Katakuri's hands.
Above Katakuri existed the Demon Ancestor.
Lucien.
His appearance, gender, and form were unknown.
Only his authority was absolute.
Like a pyramid, Lucien stood at the apex.
Katakuri turned away indifferently and walked toward the remaining battlefields.
Nearby, the battle between Doc Q and Cracker had also concluded.
Previously, with Big Barrel's support, Doc Q had barely maintained a stalemate.
Once Big Barrel was taken away, he was left alone against countless Biscuit Soldiers.
Cracker had not even used his true body.
"Hah…"
Cracker yawned lazily, watching Doc Q struggle against more than ten Biscuit Soldiers.
It was boring.
Sensing that Katakuri's fight had ended, Cracker decided to finish things.
He entered the battlefield personally.
Minutes later, Doc Q also became a subordinate Demon under Cracker.
Facing over twenty enemies alone, defeat was inevitable.
To last this long was already an achievement.
There was no shame in it.