From deep within the crater came Katakuri's low, steady voice.
It was not loud, yet it carried an unyielding determination.
Under the omnipresent pressure of Fujitora's gravity, his enormous dragon form had actually become a liability, severely restricting his movements.
Then, at that critical moment, a brilliant white light suddenly flashed.
Katakuri's massive dragon body rapidly contracted and transformed at an astonishing speed, as though some mysterious force were reshaping him from within.
When the dust finally began to clear, everyone was able to see his new form clearly—
His hybrid dragon form!
He now possessed the agility and mobility of a human while retaining the overwhelming power and majesty of a dragon.
This was the strongest combat form available to him as a Mythical Zoan user.
Katakuri stood far taller than an ordinary man, resembling a small mountain.
Pure white dragon scales covered his entire body, gleaming with a cold, mysterious luster beneath the light. Their hardness surpassed steel many times over, forming what seemed like an armor crafted by nature itself.
His hands had completely transformed into razor-sharp dragon claws, every talon gleaming like a finely forged weapon.
A thick, powerful dragon tail swung behind him, producing heavy gusts with every movement, while a pair of imposing horns rose proudly from his forehead.
Blue-white Haki and blazing flames intertwined around his body.
The flames danced like living spirits, threatening to consume everything nearby.
Yet despite possessing such immense power, Katakuri retained the flexibility and mobility of his human form.
The dragon's strength and defenses had been perfectly combined with a humanoid body built for combat.
"This much gravity… isn't enough to crush me!"
Katakuri threw back his head, fierce determination blazing in his eyes as a deep roar shook the battlefield.
His sharp claws dug deeply into the ground.
The muscles in his powerful dragon legs bulged, each one packed with explosive strength.
His body trembled beneath several times the normal gravitational pressure.
Then, after only a brief struggle, Katakuri began to rise.
Slowly.
Steadily.
With sheer strength and willpower, he forced himself back onto his feet.
Every step he took produced a heavy thud and left a deep footprint in the solid ground, each mark seeming to record his defiance against the force trying to hold him down.
Fujitora's brows tightened.
He could clearly sense that after entering his hybrid form, Katakuri's presence had become far denser and stronger.
The pressure radiating from him surged forward like an incoming tide.
'As expected… there's no such thing as a simple Mythical Zoan user.'
"Take this! Power Mochi: Azure Dragon Claw!"
Katakuri roared again.
Top-tier Armament Haki instantly wrapped around his dragon claw, so concentrated that visible waves of energy seemed to ripple around it.
He forced his way through layer after layer of gravitational restraint and shot toward Fujitora like a cannonball.
His speed and power were so tremendous that the space around him seemed ready to tear apart.
Fujitora did not dare underestimate the attack, nor did he attempt to block it directly.
He flicked his wrist and swiftly moved his cane sword.
"Gravity Shift!"
A strange force quietly spread outward.
Just before Katakuri's claw reached Fujitora, its trajectory suddenly changed.
The strike swept narrowly past his body.
Even so, the remaining force was tremendous.
A massive boulder behind Fujitora was instantly shredded by the passing claw, exploding into fragments as dust filled the air.
The battle immediately entered a far more intense stage.
Katakuri's hybrid dragon form radiated a terrifying presence.
His monstrous physical strength seemed capable of ripping space apart, every muscle containing tremendous destructive power.
Top-tier Haki surged from his body like tangible blades, distorting the air around him.
More dangerous still was his future sight.
His Observation Haki functioned almost like a divine eye, allowing him to anticipate his opponent's movements with extraordinary precision.
Using all of those abilities together, Katakuri forcibly challenged Fujitora's unpredictable manipulation of gravity.
His tactics shifted constantly.
At times, he launched relentless assaults like a violent storm, his fists crashing toward Fujitora with roaring winds and overwhelming force, every blow powerful enough to shatter the earth.
At other moments, he used the unique properties of his Mochi-Mochi Fruit.
His body softened and reshaped itself like flexible dough, bending and twisting around Fujitora's attacks with remarkable ease.
He moved like a fish weaving through a raging current, making his true position extremely difficult to predict.
Fujitora was equally relentless.
With subtle movements of his hands, the gravity field around them changed completely from one moment to the next.
Sometimes, he increased the downward pressure, binding Katakuri's body beneath an invisible weight and drastically reducing his speed.
Every movement became slower and more difficult.
At other times, Fujitora altered the direction of Katakuri's attacks, causing powerful punches and kicks that should have landed cleanly to veer away at the last instant.
It was as though Katakuri's attacks were constantly being dragged into an invisible swamp.
...
At times, Fujitora would suddenly release the gravitational force at a critical moment, causing Katakuri to lose his balance from his own momentum and pitch forward, exposing an opening.
At other times, he would create small pockets of zero gravity. Within those strange spaces, Fujitora moved like a ghost, slipping effortlessly through the battlefield while searching for opportunities to launch precise counterattacks.
The two continued exchanging blows without the slightest pause between offense and defense.
Their figures crossed the battlefield again and again, whipping up fierce winds and clouds of dust.
Every collision erupted with dazzling light.
Every attack carried enough force to shake heaven and earth.
Their battle resembled two brilliant meteors streaking across the night sky—or two savage beasts locked in a fight to the death, neither able to overwhelm the other.
Fujitora's Devil Fruit ability was undeniably terrifying.
He could freely alter the direction, intensity, and range of gravity itself. It was practically a supreme ability capable of manipulating one of the fundamental laws of nature.
Under his control, gravity was no longer an immutable force.
It had become a weapon he could shape however he pleased.
Katakuri's hybrid dragon form, however, was equally formidable.
His strength was as immovable as a mountain, while his defenses resembled an impregnable fortress.
His regenerative ability was equally astonishing. Even after suffering heavy damage, he could quickly recover enough to continue fighting, while the Haki radiating from his body had reached an exceptional level.
More importantly, his resistance and adaptability to gravity far surpassed those of an ordinary person.
Even amid Fujitora's constantly shifting gravitational fields, Katakuri remained calm and continued responding with precision.
The entire island seemed swallowed by unbearable tension.
That particular region had transformed into a terrifying battlefield where gravitational force clashed violently against the power of a dragon.
Heavy explosions rolled across the area like an endless raging tide, one after another without pause, pounding against everyone's ears and inspiring equal measures of awe and fear.
Most astonishingly, the two fighters appeared evenly matched.
Every attack and defense carried catastrophic power, making it obvious from the beginning that this confrontation would become a brutal battle of attrition that drained every ounce of their stamina and concentration.
High above, Katakuri continued fighting in his imposing hybrid dragon form.
His enormous yet agile body radiated a chilling pressure, resembling some ancient beast awakened from a forgotten era.
Opposing him was Fujitora's mysterious and unpredictable manipulation of gravity.
Whenever those two extraordinary powers collided, the resulting energy was almost beyond imagination.
Each clash resembled two stars smashing together in the depths of space.
The tremendous impact caused the ground beneath them to shake violently, as though even the island itself trembled before their battle.
At the same time, powerful waves of compressed air erupted from each point of collision and rolled wildly outward, scattering stones and filling the battlefield with dust.
...
Nearby, two commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates stood side by side.
Marco the Phoenix, commander of the First Division.
And Vista, the Flower Sword, commander of the Fifth Division.
Both watched the supreme battle in the sky with intense concentration.
Brilliant blue regenerative flames burned around Marco's body.
They flickered like living creatures, surrounding him in a radiant halo.
He watched Katakuri continue launching fierce attacks despite the constantly increasing gravitational pressure, and genuine admiration rose within him.
"Hahaha! Katakuri really has gotten ridiculously strong, yoi!"
Marco grinned broadly.
"Looking at him now, it's obvious he's pushed his potential about as far as it can go.
"Ever since he fused with the power of that Mythical Zoan, he's firmly reached the very top among Emperor commanders. You really can't underestimate him anymore."
Beside him, Vista elegantly stroked his upward-curving mustache.
A trace of eager fighting spirit flashed through his deep eyes.
He nodded slightly.
"Indeed. An opponent that powerful is difficult to come across."
His smile widened.
"If the opportunity ever presented itself, exchanging a few moves with him would be quite enjoyable."
As he spoke, Vista unconsciously stepped forward.
His right hand settled upon one of the famous swords hanging at his waist, and the razor-sharp blade slowly slid halfway from its sheath.
Cold light gleamed along its edge, almost as though the sword itself were eager to join the battle.
A fierce wind swept across the battlefield, carrying dust, blood, and severed limbs in its wake—a brutal reminder of the carnage unfolding around them.
Yet at that very moment, while exchanging another devastating blow with Fujitora, Katakuri displayed an astonishing degree of awareness.
It was as though he had an invisible pair of eyes behind him.
Even while completely focused on the powerful opponent before him, he could still perceive everything happening nearby with perfect clarity.
Without panic, and without even turning his head, Katakuri merely raised his chin slightly.
"Marco! Vista! Stay out of this!"
His deep voice cut through the deafening noise of battle like the ringing of an enormous bell, reaching them clearly despite the chaos.
Every word carried unquestionable determination.
"This is my fight!
"I'll deal with Admiral Fujitora myself!"
There was no hesitation in his voice.
No fear.
Only absolute confidence in his own strength and an unwavering determination to see the battle through personally.
Marco and Vista immediately stopped.
They slowly glanced toward one another.
Nothing needed to be said.
The brief look they exchanged carried both resignation at Katakuri's stubbornness and trust in his ability to back it up.
Vista gave a light shrug, a faint smile appearing on his face.
With a smooth motion, he slid his gleaming blade back into its sheath.
"All right, all right. If the man wants his one-on-one fight, we won't spoil his fun."
...