"Vice Admiral Carl!"
Bright rushed forward, leading a squad of Marines across the devastated Fish-Man Island.
"You take charge of evacuating and treating the injured," Carl ordered firmly.
He turned to Emily, his voice softer but still commanding. "I know this will be exhausting, Emily, but I'm counting on you to heal them."
"Leave it to me!" Emily nodded, already preparing her medical supplies.
With everything settled, Carl's entire body tensed before he launched himself into the air.
"Stay put on Fish-Man Island. I'll be back soon!"
BOOM!
A deafening sonic boom shattered the water's surface as Carl rocketed skyward, breaking through the protective bubble of Fish-Man Island and vanishing into the currents of the New World.
Fish-Man Island – Marine Camp
Bright adjusted his glasses, his voice tinged with disbelief. "That's… 10,000 meters underwater… Did he just—"
"Where is Vice Admiral Carl going?" Coffey asked, puzzled.
Bright tapped his chin thoughtfully. "He's most likely chasing after the Big Mom Pirates."
After all, according to Vice Admiral Stolo Berry, the pirates had only left recently.
The Chase Begins—New World
Far above, Carl pierced through the ocean's surface and shot into the sky like a comet.
His Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) expanded to its absolute limit, locking onto the fading presence of the Big Mom Pirates.
"You can run, but you can't hide."
His speed and mastery over Haki made tracking enemies across vast distances effortless.
Once Carl locked onto a target, escape was impossible.
Meanwhile…
The Big Mom Pirates' Ship
The massive pirate vessel surged through the waves, coated with a thin layer of bubble resin to maintain its speed beneath the sea.
On the deck, Charlotte Katakuri stood with his arms crossed, his piercing gaze fixed on the horizon.
He remained silent, his mind elsewhere.
"Brother Katakuri, what are you thinking about?" Charlotte Opera asked curiously.
"It's nothing." Katakuri's voice was calm, but there was a hint of regret. "I just wish I had faced Solomon Carl directly."
Despite his ruthless efficiency in battle, Katakuri was a warrior who respected strength.
This operation had been a tactical raid, not a proper fight.
They had stormed Fish-Man Island, crushed the Marine resistance, threatened the merfolk, and seized the prized sweets for Big Mom.
But it felt… dishonorable.
"It couldn't be helped," Opera grinned. "That Marine was just lucky this time."
Katakuri shook his head. "Was he?"
Then his voice hardened. "Regardless, we can't waste time—Mother's hunger can't be stalled any longer. Full speed ahead."
"Yes, sir!"
The Black Line That Cut the Sky
Above them, the sky suddenly split apart.
A razor-thin, black streak sliced through the clouds, leaving a wake of turbulence.
The sonic boom that followed startled countless birds, sea kings, and even nearby pirates.
Carl's eyes glowed red, his lips curling into a sharp smirk.
"Found you."
He adjusted his trajectory, pushing his flight to its maximum velocity.
Aboard the Big Mom Pirates' ship…
Katakuri's expression darkened.
He had seen it.
A vision of the future.
"Opera! Full speed ahead!" His voice rang with urgency.
"Huh? But we already—"
"NOW!" Katakuri snapped.
BOOM!
Another distant sonic boom shattered the stillness of the sky.
It was like the roar of thunder itself.
"What… is that?" A pirate peering through a spyglass felt his hands tremble.
Katakuri turned his gaze toward the snack-filled storage hold, his expression grim.
If they engaged Carl in battle while on the ship, there would be no survivors.
The sheer force of their clash would sink the vessel instantly.
"Do not stop! Push the ship to its highest speed!"
"Aye, sir!" Opera, now pale with realization, barked orders to his crew.
The presence closing in on them…
It was terrifying.
Even Opera—one of Big Mom's children—could feel it in his bones.
Solomon Carl…
Katakuri narrowed his eyes, watching the black line tear through the sky like a scythe of death.
He clenched his jaw.
"I miscalculated."
He had underestimated Carl.
A warrior of this level…
A true threat.
One that required his full strength to overcome.
But this wasn't a battle he could fight now.
If he turned to engage Carl, the snacks for Big Mom would be lost.
And that…
Would spell doom for everyone.
So, for now…
This was a game of pursuit.
But Carl was faster.
Much faster.
The Chase Spreads Across the New World
The New World was a place of chaos—a sea of islands, stormy waters, and lawless territories.
Carl and the Big Mom Pirates' ship streaked across the horizon, moving so fast that dozens of islands witnessed their passage.
Dressrosa—The Donquixote Family's Territory
On a grand palace balcony, Doflamingo lounged under the sun, sipping a drink.
His pink coat fluttered lazily in the breeze.
But then..His sunglasses tilted downward.
"…Huh?"
A distant, thunderous sound rumbled through the sky.
A faint black streak was visible at the edge of his vision.
It sliced through the clouds, growing larger by the second.
"Dover! What was that?!"
Trevor, leaning on his golden cane, looked up in confusion.
Doflamingo remained silent for a moment.
Then, he stood up.
"I need a better look."
With a flick of his Ito Ito no Mi (String-String Fruit), he soared into the air, standing on a platform of sky-woven threads.
His gaze locked onto the sea.
"A pirate ship…"
His eyes widened.
The Big Mom Pirates' flag.
A lone figure stood on the ship's bow, a tall man wrapped in a scarf, purple hair swaying in the wind.
Doflamingo's pupils shrank.
"…Katakuri?"
Then he looked beyond the ship.
And saw it.
A black line of death, moving at blinding speed, slicing through the sky like Judgment itself.
And chasing them.
His fingers tightened.
His forehead dampened with sweat.
"…Solomon Carl?!"
For the first time in years…
Doflamingo felt a chill crawl down his spine.
Boil Boiling—What Kind of Strange Development Is This?
The head of the Four Sweet Commanders of the Big Mom Pirates…
And the new monstrous Marine.
Was this some hidden signal from Marine Headquarters?
In the skies above, Carl's gaze remained fixed on the pirate ship below.
His right hand slowly gripped the hilt of Sakura Ten at his waist.
"Slash Wave: Variant!"
Swoosh!
The air shredded apart as a massive, black-gold slash shot toward the pirate vessel below!
"Baked Mochi!"
Katakuri's right arm flexed, compressing violently as thick glutinous mochi expanded outward.
His entire forearm turned jet black, coated in Advanced Armament Haki.
Then—BOOM!
The compressed mochi arm exploded forward like a bazooka, smashing directly into the descending slash!
For a split second, the black-gold arc and Haki-infused mochi fist clashed in a violent deadlock.
Then—SHRRKK!!
Katakuri's right arm split cleanly in half!
But the counter-force from his attack sent the entire pirate ship surging forward, accelerating as if a thruster had ignited beneath it!
"Brother Katakuri!"
Opera's voice rang out in alarm.
Katakuri's expression remained grim.
From the severed stump of his right arm, thick layers of mochi rapidly poured out, reshaping into a fully regenerated limb.
"Unbelievable… Such destructive power."
His Advanced Armament Haki was among the strongest in the Big Mom Pirates.
Yet, Carl's slash had cut through it effortlessly.
The Sky Trembles
High above, Carl raised Sakura Ten once more.
The blade crackled as liquid-black lightning slithered along its edge, forming snaking tendrils of Haoshoku Haki (Conqueror's Haki) infusion.
Katakuri's pupils shrank sharply.
Through his Kenbunshoku Haki (Future Sight), he had already seen it—
The next attack would be far worse than the last!
"No choice left…!"
"Mochi Awakening!"
Thick layers of glutinous mochi burst from beneath Katakuri, hardening under Armament Haki as they expanded across the entire deck.
"Flowing Mochi Wall!"
A massive black barrier of reinforced mochi rose, attempting to absorb the impact.
"Lion Thousand Slice Valley: Variant!"
The sky darkened as an onslaught of black-gold slashes rained down like a storm of death!
From a distance, Doflamingo, standing high above Dressrosa, stiffened.
Even through his sunglasses, the intensity of Carl's Haki aura made his eyes sting.
"Oi, oi…"
His usual grin faltered.
"This Marine… He just keeps getting stronger and stronger."
Each slash carried a pressure so immense, it felt as if the very air was burning under its force!
Destruction on the Sea
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The sea erupted as the black-gold slashes shredded through the waves, sending towering tsunamis cascading in every direction.
Even Dressrosa, miles away, felt the shockwaves.
Carl's red eyes flickered.
"Still standing?"
Katakuri's Last Defense
Below, the pirate ship continued its frantic escape.
Its entire hull was now coated in thick, black-glossed mochi, layered with deep, jagged slash marks.
On closer inspection, tiny black lightning snakes still crackled across the damaged mochi—remnants of Carl's Haki-infused attacks.
Beneath his mochi armor, Katakuri's forehead glistened with sweat.
This level of defense—
Even he wasn't sure how much longer it would hold.
"What do we do?!"
Opera's panic was evident as he paced the deck like a cornered rat.
"What if the ship gets destroyed?! What if—"
"SHUT UP!" Katakuri's voice snapped like a whip.
His eyes burned with resolve.
"We keep moving—no matter what. We must return to Totto Land!"
On open water, he and Opera were Devil Fruit users.
If they abandoned the ship, they'd be helplessly stranded at sea.
And that…
Would mean certain death.
The Endless Barrage
Carl, still soaring above, continued his relentless onslaught.
Each swing of Sakura Ten sent another black-gold slash hurtling toward the ship.
Katakuri's glutinous defense absorbed most of the damage, but the strain was evident.
The problem wasn't just Carl's power.
It was the scale of his attack.
Katakuri could handle one-on-one combat.
But defending an entire ship while escaping?
The exhaustion was already setting in.
Even if his Mochi Awakening could buy him time—
Carl's Haki and slashes were simply too overwhelming.
Time Is Running Out
Katakuri's brow furrowed.
He needed a plan.
Because at this rate…
The ship wouldn't last.
And neither would he.
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