Using the power of the Heat-Heat Fruit, Oven was unafraid of the high temperature of the flames, enduring even the impact of the flames with his own body.
Meanwhile, Katakuri used his advanced Observation Haki to evade the attacks from Page One and Marco, then relying on the mochi whip which was grabbing them, he drew close to them.
Although Katakuri couldn't fly, maintaining brief suspension in the air was no problem for him. On the finals stage, most participants had some way to hover for a short time, though it wasn't as convenient as flying.
However, in terms of numbers, the Big Mom Pirates were already at a disadvantage. Oven had managed to block Ace, but that was all he could do. Besides Ace, Sabo was already charging in, wielding the metal pipe.
"Brother Katakuri! Watch out!"
Oven wanted to help, but Ace gave him no chance. Relying on the slight restraint his devil fruit provided, he was already doing his best just to temporarily stall Ace.
"Don't worry, it's not that bad yet."
Though he seemed to be surrounded, Katakuri remained calm. He knew full well that aside from those belonging to the same pirate crew, there were no true alliances on this battlefield.
He was restricting Marco's and Page One's movements, but Sabo's attack only targeted one of his arms. If Sabo succeeded, it would mean freeing Marco, while Page One would still remain under Katakuri's control.
This situation was disadvantageous for the Beasts Pirates. Even if relations between the Big Mom Pirates and the Beasts Pirates were fairly amicable, Katakuri had no intention of trusting them at a time like this.
Right now, the Beasts Pirates were the biggest threat on the field. If he joined forces with them and everyone else got taken out, he wouldn't be able to deal with them afterward. With limited manpower, he could only look for small opportunities during the battle.
The next moment, just as he foresaw, Ulti's twin axes broke through Sabo's offensive, forcibly restoring the situation to a balanced state.
Either no one would get the prize, or they would take it for themselves. That was the mindset shared by those capable of fighting for the Devil Fruit.
"Sabo! I'll help you too!"
Luffy bit down on his finger and began blowing into it. As the air filled his arm, it rapidly swelled to a giant's size.
"Gum-Gum Giant…"
"Straw Hat boy! Your opponent is me! This time you won't get away! Hasshoken Secret Art: Drill Dragon Nail!"
Before Luffy's Gum-Gum Giant Pistol could even swing down, Chinjao's drill-shaped head thrusted straight toward him.
Because Luffy had just been aiming it at Ulti, he didn't have time to redirect his attack. To avoid Chinjao's attack, Luffy deflated himself like a punctured balloon, releasing all the air in his body, causing Chinjao's thrust to hit nothing but empty space.
"I told you it's got nothing to do with me! If you've got a grudge, go find grandpa! Why come after me?! I don't even know you!"
"Enough talk! Who told you to be his grandson! Prepare to die!"
Chinjao had clearly decided that Luffy was his current enemy, charging at him recklessly. At the same time, Ulti, who had just stopped Sabo from freeing Marco, spun 360 degrees in midair.
Her twin axes were back in place as she shifted from her Human-Beast form into her full Beast form. Her tail gleamed with a steel-like luster as it whipped toward Katakuri.
But it struck only empty air. Katakuri had moved before her attack could connect. With a swift kick to Ulti's waist, he sent her flying, knocking her back down onto the arena.
"Don't get in my way, you still have a long way to go!!"
No sooner had he spoken than Katakuri saw an even more troublesome attack incoming.
"Oven! Prepare the highest temperature! Something troublesome is coming our way!"
Ulti and Page One were indeed still no match for Katakuri, but the Beasts Pirates had numbers on their side, and among them was Mizerka, a Water-type Ability User.
Katakuri and Oven were both Devil Fruit users. No matter how powerful they were, if they were surrounded by a large amount of seawater, they would fall into a disadvantage.
He had just pushed Ulti back, but during that brief moment, Mizerka's attack had already finished charging. Without the assistance of "Seaquake" to amplify her power, it had taken her quite some effort to gather another wave.
Now, however, the sea waves, crackling with electricity, were already surging toward Katakuri.
"Tropical Fist!"
Thanks to Katakuri's warning, Oven noticed the incoming wave in time. A wave of scorching heat erupted from his body, and the moment the hot blast met the seawater, it created an enormous cloud of white steam. Even Ace unleashed flames toward the massive wave.
He was also a Devil Fruit user, and had no intention of taking a seawater bath at a time like this.
"A chaotic fight! The line between allies and enemies is shifting in an instant! To achieve the most favorable outcome for themselves, the contestants are forced to temporarily join hands with their enemies! At this rate, getting close to the Quake-Quake Fruit wouldn't be an easy task!"
To resist the waves, Oven had no choice but to divert some attention to deal with the tsunami, giving Ace an opening to attack Katakuri.
With Ulti having been repelled, Katakuri suddenly found himself under simultaneous assault from Sabo and Ace. He lost his grip over the two people in midair, allowing Marco to break free from his restraints first.
Seeing this, Katakuri released Page One as well, letting him stall Marco.
Though snowflakes were still drifting down from the sky, Page One was completely unfazed. He merely disliked the cold weather; it wasn't enough to affect him.
This wasn't a game, after all. A creature like Garchomp, capable of both aerial flight and underground survival, naturally had a certain resistance to cold. If it couldn't endure even a little chill, its entire species would've gone extinct after just one winter.
Even so, Page One found it difficult to stall Marco alone. The Phoenix's power allowed him to take multiple attacks without any worries as his Flames of Regeneration continuously healed his body.
At this moment, the advantage was tilting toward the Whitebeard Pirates. But then, the fighting fish with the treasure chest strapped to its back suddenly dove into the sea, forcibly interrupting the current skirmish.
The wooden chest remained securely chained to the fish's back with iron chains, yet all they could do was watch as it sank beneath the water along with the fighting fish. These carnivorous fish didn't eat plants, and they certainly wouldn't attack a wooden chest which didn't have any prey.
Given the chest's sturdiness, the Quake-Quake Fruit inside was still temporarily safe. But everyone's attention was soon drawn back toward the center of the arena. The reason the fighting fish had retreated underwater was simple: the clash between Yamato and Redfield had intensified.
The blood-colored mist surrounding Redfield suddenly deepened in hue, then transformed into a deep darkness.
Accompanied by Redfield's laughter, the darkness spread outward, gradually engulfing more than half the arena. Under the baptism of that darkness, all sunlight was completely shut out, and Redfield's figure seemed to merge with the darkness itself.
Redfield's eyes flashed with a scarlet blood-red light, and then instantly vanished.
Yamato, protected by Arceus' power, was immune to Observation Haki's detection. Redfield, however, used his own powerful Observation Haki to conceal his presence completely, hiding himself within the black mist.
This dark mist stemmed from Redfield's own ability; it wasn't merely a simple visual obstruction. Inside it, Yamato could see nothing but pitch-black void. With Redfield's aura entirely hidden, she could only rely on her battle instincts to react.
"Small tricks like this won't work on me!"
Even if she couldn't see or sense him, the faint sound Redfield made just before attacking was enough for Yamato to respond.
Within the black mist, Redfield had completely merged into the darkness, his body moving freely through the darkness. His ten fingers, like daggers, stabbed toward Yamato from every possible angle.
Meanwhile, Yamato swung Takeru up and down without pause, every movement creating sparks.
"Damn it! Come out already! Is this disgusting tactic what you call a fair fight?!"
"I'm old. If we were comparing raw strength, I wouldn't be a match for a youngster like you."
Redfield's relentless harassment tactics were wearing Yamato's patience thin, prompting her to change her own approach.
"Then I'll just force you out, Glaciate!"
Crack! Crack!
Several massive ice spikes erupted from the ground, instantly piercing through the dark domain. And that was only the beginning. The ice spikes kept accumulating, eventually forming a colossal ice mountain even taller than the walls of the Corrida Colosseum.
The dark domain was completely shattered by the accumulating ice chunks, forcing Redfield out into the open.
The power of the Vampire Fruit was far greater in darkness than in daylight. If Redfield had used this technique at night, the entire night itself would have become his battlefield. But in the daytime, his power was greatly restrained.
His stamina simply wasn't enough to maintain a shroud of darkness capable of enveloping Yamato's ice domain.
"What a crude and straightforward method. You're just like Shiki and Newgate, always fond of solving things this way."
Using indiscriminate, wide-area attacks to counter his technique-based, high-speed attacks. Back in the days before Devil Fruit users existed, Redfield had already faced this tactic. He never expected that even after gaining his own ability, the outcome would still be the same.
"Shiki... Oh, the Golden Lion, huh? That guy was a real pain too. But fighting him was far more comfortable than fighting you.
Of course, I'll admit, you're a lot better than that b*stard. At least you're not as disgusting as him."
"Judging by that tone... Shiki must've died at your hand, right? Makes sense, he's not the type to stay quiet forever. Let's put our fight on hold for one minute. I need to deal with something."
Redfield's gaze turned toward Rebecca's position, where he had noticed something that displeased him.
"Other contestants are locked in a massive brawl! The battle is incredibly fierce, I don't even know how to comment as no words can describe this fight!"
"The central area has been obscured by darkness, so we can't see what's happening inside, but one thing's for sure, the battle there must be just as fierce. Wait, there it is! What a magnificent ice mountain! It has shattered the darkness through sheer force!"
"However, some contestants seem different. Rebecca has been watching from the sidelines all this time, and it's understandable. This kind of battle is too difficult for her; her fighting style simply doesn't allow her to get involved."
"Shiryu and Buggy also appear to be observing, not making any moves, wait! Shiryu's making his move! But his target seems... off!"
TN: Hey guys, I've picked up a new One Piece novel. You can search it: One Piece: The Undying King.
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