The moment those words left his mouth—
The cliff summit fell silent again.
This guy… did he mean to take on all four of them?
Wasn't that a little too arrogant?
Many pirates sneered inwardly. Sure, the name Natsuya Nao had shaken the seas in recent years, but their leaders here weren't ones to be underestimated either!
—The Whitebeard Pirates' 1st Division Commander, Marco the Phoenix!
—The Charlotte Family's top Sweet Commander, Katakuri!
Both had bounties already nearing the one-billion mark. Add Vista and Cracker on top of that, and even a Marine Headquarters Admiral would find it a thorny fight.
And you, all by yourself—what gives you the right to be this cocky?
"Oi oi oi, that's going a bit far."
Marco narrowed his eyes at the figure in the sky. Behind him, cool blue phoenix flames began to burn.
Just facing you requires teaming up with the Charlotte family? Don't look down on people too much, Natsuya Nao…"
Though usually steady and level-headed, Marco didn't actually want to clash with the Marines at this time.
But as a member of Whitebeard's crew, if he just let himself be trampled on like this without a fight, wouldn't that bring shame to Pops?
The cold blue flames blazed brighter behind him, condensing on his right hand into the shape of phoenix tail feathers. Just as he was about to strike—
Boom!
A explosive roar suddenly whistled through the air. Marco frowned, his Observation Haki instantly detecting it, but he remained rooted in place, showing no intention to dodge.
The attack didn't hit him, but instead tore open a several-meter-wide crater right in front of him. The message was clear.
"Step aside!"
Turning his head, Marco saw Katakuri withdrawing his trident Mogura, his face grim as he strode past and moved to the front lines.
"Don't get it twisted, Whitebeard pirates. This guy's opponent is me. It's not your place to interfere!"
"You bastard…"
Vista, the Flower Sword, looked furious and was about to shout angrily, but Marco, beside him, reached out a hand to stop him, giving him a meaningful look.
Vista frowned, then realization dawned. He cast Marco a probing glance.
—So, he intended to let Katakuri take the lead, using him as a whetstone to gauge Natsuya Nao's true strength, while they sat back to profit from it?
Marco said nothing, but lowered his phoenix flames and crossed his arms, watching quietly as battle-lust blazed in Katakuri's eyes like a raging inferno.
…
This guy… Was as persistent as ever about his pride as a man, insisting on a one-on-one fight.
Nao, still hovering mid-air, also saw all of this. His eyes met Katakuri's, who was looking up from below. He raised an eyebrow slightly and spoke meaningfully:
"That battle two years ago was left unfinished. Do you want to make up for the regret from back then?"
"Exactly."
Katakuri's expression remained stoic as he spoke in a low voice:
"I know your strength has improved greatly these past few years, but… I am not the same as I was back then either! Today, let me see for myself just how far you've come!"
He raised his right hand, and a hundred mochi clumps instantly formed in mid-air.
In the next instant, they suddenly extended hundreds of thick arms covered in a dense layer of Armament Haki, like an iron tree blossoming. With a muffled bang, they all clenched into fists.
"Rainfall Mochi!"
With a cold shout, all those blackened arms struck at once. Countless fists, like a torrential downpour, furiously blasted toward Nao above.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Innumerable explosions instantly rang out in rapid succession, causing the surrounding air to violently tremble.
Yet, under this suffocating onslaught, Nao's expression remained calm.
Without any apparent effort, as if strolling through a garden, he effortlessly weaved through the gaps between the fist shadows, easily dodging every single attack.
Even without relying on his Logia intangibility, Katakuri's fierce assault still failed to touch even a hair on his head.d
"Too slow, Katakuri. Far too slow."
His gaze remained on Katakuri's face. He watched as the fighting spirit in his pupils first contracted and then showed an undisguised look of disbelief. He couldn't help but chuckle:
"I'll admit—you've grown a lot stronger than you were two years ago. But unfortunately for you…"
"I've grown even more."
A sharp glint flashed in Nao's gaze.
"It's about time you realized just how vast the gap between us has become, Katakuri!"
Zzzzt!
Before the words even finished, dazzling, powerful lightning rapidly gathered on his raised right arm.
In the span of a single breath, it had formed into a massive thunderbird with wings outstretched—its entire body glowing an azure blue, its feathers wreathed in crackling white arcs of high-voltage electricity.
With a single punch, the thunderbird shrieked, surging forward in a storm of blinding lightning, sweeping down upon Katakuri with a sky-darkening force!
"Three Hundred Million Volts: Chidori!"
The destructive force of electricity lay in its intensity. In the original timeline, even Enel—sixteen years later—could only unleash techniques of up to two hundred million volts at most.
But Nao, having possessed the Rumble-Rumble Fruit for barely five months, was already throwing out attacks that casually surpassed that limit!
Crackle!
Thunder rolled wild as the thunderbird flapped its wings, its presence so overwhelming that every pirate watching from the sidelines recoiled in shock, even those at the farthest edges instinctively stumbling back.
Katakuri's expression shifted slightly. Acting decisively, he commanded the mochi around him to surge forward, forming a thick and towering wall of defense.
Boom!!
The thunderbird crashed down with a deafening roar, its pressure waves battering the cliff as blinding currents spilled outward like a flood, lighting up the entire mountaintop.
The mochi wall, which had seemed unbreakable, hissed and sputtered under the torrent of lightning. In moments, it began to dissolve, collapsing rapidly into nothing.
"…It can't even hold?" Witnessing this, a red light flashed in Katakuri's eyes. His expression became more serious than ever.
This was his ultimate defense. Against enemies with bounties in the hundreds of millions, it had always stood firm—untouchable.
But here, under Nao's onslaught, it was crumbling in seconds. Not even a few breaths of resistance.
Had the gap between them really grown to this extent?
Just as the thunderbird's wings were about to engulf him, Katakuri stamped hard on the ground, retreating at blinding speed—putting hundreds of meters between them.
Even so, he couldn't escape the aftershocks of the thunderous blast. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, his body etched with dozens of fine crimson cuts, his pants tearing at the seams.
If not for his quick reflexes—grabbing the scarf around his neck—it probably would have been blown away in the strong winds.
"…Again…"
Adjusting his scarf, Katakuri wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
Gritting his teeth, he glared at the thunderbird soaring toward him, then suddenly clasped his fists together. All around him, countless donut-shaped mochi rings materialized once more.
With a single thought, an endless barrage of piercing mochi spikes shot out from the rings, bursting forth like a storm of arrows to intercept the thunderbird!
"Chestnut Mochi!"
...
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
"You're saying… it's because of that Poneglyph?"
In the Fleet Admiral's office, Kong was signing documents while listening to the voice on the other end of the line, his brows furrowing in surprise.
"All the major forces are converging on Hall Island—and the Whitebeard Pirates and Charlotte Family have even clashed?"
"Yeah. That's what Nao just informed me of over the line."
Kuzan's voice paused, and he continued with a bitter laugh, "And by the way, he said he got all this intel by capturing it from the Beasts Pirates' new 'Plague'… As for that poor bastard—"
He didn't finish, but Kong immediately understood, the corner of his eye twitching.
—According to Marine regulations, Devil Fruit users among pirates should be arrested and sent to Impel Down, following the proper trial procedures.
But Nao… this guy had almost never followed that rule. If he could kill, he would kill. The number of enemies who actually survived him long enough to land in prison could be counted on one hand.
So the fate of that so-called "Plague" Sonic wasn't hard to guess.
Come to think of it, wasn't this the fourth Calamity Nao had defeated?
After earning the title "Shichibukai Slayer," now he'd likely gain another nickname—"Calamity Slayer."
Kong pictured Kaido's reaction once he heard the news, and his expression grew strangely complicated.
"Since the Karina Pirates have already been wiped out, there's no need to keep forces stationed at Dressrosa anymore."
After a moment's thought, Kong ordered:
"Gather the troops in the island and head to Hall Island at full speed. Nao might not be in any danger with his current strength, but he still needs support."
This was also a rare opportunity. Both Marco and Katakuri were on that island. Even capturing just one of them would deal a devastating blow to two of the Sea Emperors.
It was just a pity.
The incident was sudden, and the G-1 branch was too far away. Sakazuki couldn't be dispatched there.
Otherwise, with a three-pronged assault, exterminating every pirate on the island would've been all but guaranteed.
"Yes, Fleet Admiral!"
On the other end, Aokiji's expression turned serious as he gave a firm reply.
...
Boom!
Boom!
Amid the roaring storm of lightning, Katakuri's mochi barrage was shattered into fragments, scattering like snow across the cliffside.
And within that blizzard of fragments, a towering figure drenched in blood was driven back hundreds of meters. Staggering, battered, he finally dropped to one knee, his true form exposed.
"Lord Katakuri!"
"Brother Katakuri!"
A wave of anxious and fearful cries rang out from all around.
"…Don't worry, I'm fine."
Katakuri gripped the trident, Mogura, tightly in his right hand. After several heavy breaths to steady himself, he raised his head to look at Nao, who was slowly closing the distance, step by step.
"From the start, this fight never had any suspense. Isn't it pointless to keep dragging it on?"
Nao was completely unharmed. His eyes were as calm as water.
"Instead of forcing yourself, wouldn't it be more realistic to try teaming up? After all, your little brother over there has been holding back for quite a while now."
Not far away, Cracker had already hidden back inside a biscuit soldier and used his ability to produce even more copies. His combat strength had fully recovered, and he was anxiously watching the scene.
Clearly, ever since Katakuri had started to fall behind, Cracker had nearly lost patience and wanted to intervene. But knowing his elder brother's character, without Katakuri's permission, he hadn't dared recklessly intrude on this duel. Now, however, his restraint was close to its breaking point.
"Hmph. Enough with the nonsense."
"The fight from two years ago never had a conclusion. I won't let the same thing happen again today."
Katakuri forced himself to stand straight, his eyes bloodshot, chest heaving violently—clear signs of exhaustion from the brutal clash just moments ago.
"Maybe your strength really has grown beyond mine. But if you think I'll surrender before you've truly knocked me down…"
He clenched the trident with a sudden surge of fury, let out a beastlike roar, and launched himself forward.
"That's impossible!"
Boom!
With thunder splitting the air, the two figures once again clashed head-on with overwhelming force!
"Barely half an hour has passed, and he already can't hold out anymore."
In the dense forest below, Yasopp clicked his tongue as he watched Katakuri forced back step after step.
"Katakuri's been a renowned powerhouse for years… but even he's completely outmatched by that guy."
"I don't get what he's still holding on for."
The bald newcomer couldn't help chiming in:
"They could've gone four-on-one from the start. Instead he had to take him on alone, and now he's getting crushed—throwing away all the reputation and honor he built up!"
If it were him, he thought, he'd have already joined forces with the Whitebeard Pirates and swarmed that Marine Vice Admiral, beating him into the ground.
"Exactly. There's no chance of victory here."
Lucky Roux, , chewing on a meat bone, also sighed.
"Pushing through like this will only leave him with an unbearable shame…"
"I don't really see it that way, though."
Suddenly, a voice came from behind. The bald newcomer was taken aback, turning his head in surprise to look at their captain.
"Humans fear two things: death and humiliation. To challenge death is sheer stupidity. To challenge humiliation makes you a fool as well."
Shanks adjusted the straw hat on his head, his eyes on Katakuri's battered figure. Then he laughed heartily:
"But me? I happen to admire that kind of fool."