"Dammit, to think it would be a Marine Admiral." Katakuri's voice was low, his expression instantly turning dark as water.
"What's wrong, Brother Katakuri?" Charlotte Daifuku, Oven, and the others cast puzzled glances his way, unable to understand why Katakuri would suddenly be so alarmed.
"Why such panic?" Charlotte Perospero also frowned, knowing full well that Katakuri's Observation Haki was extraordinary; the current disturbance must be of great consequence.
Facing the group's anxious inquiries, Katakuri had no time to explain further.
His gaze was locked tightly on the distant horizon, where beams of light were tearing across the sky at astonishing speed, approaching like a meteor shower, each one carrying the power to destroy everything.
Time was pressing; there was no time to give everyone a detailed explanation.
"Defend!" Katakuri roared, his voice echoing like thunder over the fleet, instantly jolting all the pirates to alertness.
Immediately after, he pushed his Mochi-Mochi Fruit ability to its limit. Endless mochi seemed to surge from the void, swiftly coalescing into layers of impenetrable shields that stacked before the fleet, forming a seemingly insurmountable barrier.
Though the pirates were filled with doubt and alarm, seeing Katakuri act so decisively, they rallied themselves, preparing to meet the coming battle.
However, their preparations were clearly still insufficient.
The next instant, a dazzling radiance, as if teleporting, slammed down from the sky directly onto the pirate fleet.
The light was blindingly brilliant, as if illuminating space itself. Pirates cried out in shock; some were even blinded by the intense light, wailing in agony.
"Aaaah, my eyes. I can't see!"
"What is this thing? How can it be so strong?"
"This ability, it's Marine Admiral Kizaru! He's here!"
"Defend, defend!"
The entire pirate fleet instantly plunged into chaos. Pirates panicked, scattering in all directions.
The officers were also sweating coldly; they knew well Kizaru's strength and understood that the situation was now hanging by a thread.
Charlotte Perospero instantly activated his Devil Fruit ability as well, creating a massive candy syrup shield to protect the fleet alongside Katakuri's mochi shields.
Yet, even so, they had only managed to erect these defenses because Kizaru's speed was simply too fast, breathtakingly fast.
The next moment, a thunderous boom echoed as the entire space was enveloped in dazzling light. The light contained an unparalleled impact, as if it intended to consume everything.
"Boom! Boom!"
With successive explosions, the entire pirate fleet shook violently, as if about to be torn apart by the force.
Pirates screamed in terror, their hearts filled with despair and fear.
Katakuri, Perospero, and the other officers gritted their teeth and held on, knowing that this moment was about the survival of the Big Mom Pirates.
Amid the deafening explosions, every ship in the pirate fleet rocked violently. Pirates on deck stumbled, some clung tightly to rails to avoid being thrown overboard, while others fell, unable to keep their footing. Chaos and panic spread rapidly through the fleet.
Though the shields jointly raised by Katakuri and Charlotte Perospero temporarily blocked Kizaru's first attack, the impact still left their arms numb and their faces pale.
They knew this was just the beginning; Kizaru's attacks would not stop here.
"Everyone steady, don't panic!" Katakuri shouted, his voice cutting through the noise, trying to stabilize morale.
Yet, facing the terrifying strength of a Marine Admiral, the pirates' confidence had already shaken, panic spreading through the fleet like a plague.
Just then, Roy's figure appeared like a phantom before the fleet. His form flickered within the light trails, each appearance accompanied by a burst of brilliant radiance—a supreme display of his Devil Fruit ability. Each strike was enough to shatter a pirate ship.
"Going on like this won't work. We need to find an opportunity to counterattack." Perospero said urgently. Though his candy syrup shield was hard, under Kizaru's nearly insurmountable speed and attacks, it was beginning to crack.
Katakuri's expression was grim. Against an opponent like Kizaru, a head-on clash was far from the best strategy.
He quickly made a decision, using his Observation Haki to predict Kizaru's next move while directing the fleet to evade and counterattack flexibly.
"Daifuku, Oven, lead some people to flank him, draw his attention. Perospero, you and I will look for a chance to restrain him." Katakuri's voice was calm.
"We must hold out until Mama arrives. Only she can defeat a Marine Admiral."
Hearing Katakuri's orders, Daifuku and Oven, though apprehensive, moved quickly, leading their subordinates to attack Kizaru.
Though their attacks were insufficient to cause Kizaru substantial harm, they successfully drew his attention, buying precious time for Katakuri and Perospero.
Meanwhile, Katakuri and Perospero used this time to quietly approach Kizaru, preparing to launch a surprise attack.
They knew this was their only chance; if they failed, the entire pirate fleet would be doomed.
Just as Kizaru was momentarily occupied by Daifuku and Oven's attacks, Katakuri and Perospero struck almost simultaneously.
Katakuri's mochi fist slammed down like a massive hammer towards Kizaru, while Perospero's candy syrup spread out like a giant net, attempting to bind him.
However, Kizaru's speed and reaction time were beyond imagination. He evaded the moment the attacks reached him, simultaneously launching a counterattack at lightspeed. Beams of light swept towards Katakuri and Perospero like lasers.
"Look out!" Katakuri yelled. He and Perospero rolled to dodge almost simultaneously, but even so, the edges of their clothes were grazed by the light beams, instantly turning to ash.
Under this attack, Roy's form finally paused momentarily, hovering in the azure sky, bathed in brilliant sunlight. His figure was gilded with a layer of golden radiance, like a deity descending from the heavens—both majestic and sacred, inspiring awe.
The atmosphere in the chat group instantly froze, a dead silence where even the drop of a pin could be clearly heard.
Everyone's breath seemed to stop. Their eyes widened, locked onto Roy's divine-like figure, their hearts filled with shock and disbelief.
Tanjiro was especially exaggerated, his eyes wide as saucers, nearly bulging out, his mouth slightly agape, looking as if he'd seen a ghost.
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