One Piece: Investing In Whitebeard At The Start.

Katakuri was forced to retreat once again—Vane was simply too powerful. Though Katakuri was a renowned force in the New World and the vice-emperor of the Big Mom Pirates, he found himself overwhelmed. Against someone like Vane, who stood on par with Big Mom herself, even Katakuri was left helpless.

"No wonder he's considered the man most likely to become the Fifth Emperor," someone muttered.

Katakuri surged forward again, his right arm morphing into its mochi state. Coated in Armament Haki and brimming with heat, his rice cake arm burned bright red like molten flame.

"Baked Mochi!"

The flaming punch slammed into Vane's chest. The impact caused Vane to stagger back two steps. But that was all—just two steps. His body was absurdly resilient, forged through terrifying strength.

Vane grinned.

"That punch was solid, Katakuri."

He responded in kind.

In that instant, his arm muscles bulged visibly. One punch—just one—with immense destructive power, delivered at a speed like lightning.

Katakuri didn't have time to dodge.

He quickly reinforced his body with the strongest level of Armament Haki. Sweat broke across his brow at the sight of Vane's incoming strike.

Fortunately, Katakuri's unique Paramecia ability allowed him a narrow escape. With his special mochi physiology, he created a cavity in his chest just in time for the punch to pass through.

But the shockwave—

That, he couldn't avoid.

Boom!

Crash!

A deafening explosion followed. Katakuri was blasted into the air, coughing blood mid-flight before crashing and tumbling across the beach for over ten meters.

"Katakuri-nii!" Cracker shouted, alarmed.

But before he could intervene, Esdeath acted. Countless ice bullets materialized around her, floating in the air for barely a second before raining down.

Their speed wasn't overwhelming, but their power rivaled gunfire. Cracker, caught off guard, became the perfect target. The barrage tore into him relentlessly. Despite his high physical defense, even he couldn't withstand the onslaught. Within seconds, blood splattered, and he was hurled several meters by the icy barrage.

"Hmph. He didn't seem that strong. Certainly not stronger than me," Esdeath scoffed.

She had expected more from one of Big Mom's top officers. But reality disappointed her.

Though powerful, the Big Mom Pirates' generals couldn't compare to the Marine Admirals. There was still a gulf between them. Esdeath had already reached the level of an Admiral.

And she hadn't even used her trump card yet.

Time-Space Freeze.

Something even Aokiji with the Ice-Ice Fruit couldn't do. Her Teigu, the Demonic Manifestation: Demon's Essence, granted her a terrifying power that could momentarily freeze time itself.

She could only use it once per day—but that was more than enough.

Right now, though, she didn't even need it.

---

Meanwhile, Vane stood before the battered Katakuri.

"Relax. I won't kill you. You're a man worthy of respect. But if I take you hostage, I can pressure Big Mom and make my name even louder across the seas. Don't you agree, Katakuri?"

"You… want to start a war with my mother?" Katakuri growled, kneeling on one knee, blood still staining the corner of his mouth.

"The war has already begun," Vane replied with a smirk.

"I hope you can push me to my limits. I want to be tested."

Katakuri slammed his palms to the ground. The surface rippled like turbulent waves, shaking as if someone were thrashing a giant quilt.

The land itself rose.

Katakuri had activated his Mochi-Mochi Fruit's awakening. The terrain and nearby structures were transformed into mochi.

"Oh?" Vane's eyes gleamed.

He had seen similar awakenings before—Doflamingo turning buildings into threads, Gild Tesoro converting surfaces into gold.

This was the mark of true awakening.

Not that it mattered now.

The mochi beneath Vane's feet churned and lifted him. Simultaneously, it surged from every direction, pressing in. Above, thick mochi pillars formed like spears and rained down.

He was surrounded completely.

Mirror Mochi.

Signature moves of an awakened Katakuri.

A rare smile crept across Katakuri's face.

This was far better than flailing against an untouchable opponent.

He hardened the surrounding mochi with full-body Armament Haki, blackening it until it gleamed. His mastery over Haki, fused with his Devil Fruit, was near peerless in the New World.

"Armament Haki reinforcement, huh?" Vane murmured.

Thick ice encased Vane's body, the hardest grade he could summon—stronger than steel. He had no intention of escaping.

He would overwhelm.

Crush.

Let Katakuri understand the difference between them wasn't mere strength, but absolute domination.

---

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