Free Web NovelChapter 1310: Chapter 21: Katakuri
A towering figure stands before Charlotte Cracker, whose height far exceeds that of Cracker or Doflamingo. Although both are around three meters tall, they seem like dwarfs in front of this man.
The man has a head full of short crimson hair and a fur scarf wrapped around his neck, concealing the lower half of his face and part of his upper body. Red tattoos climb up his hefty arms.
Just standing there, he gives off a cold and fierce vibe.
"Cracker."
The man’s voice is deep as he looks at Charlotte Cracker lying on the ground. Upon seeing the exposed brain tissue, his brow furrows, and with his drooping eyelids, he gives off a chilling sensation.
"Cracker!"
The man roars, and Charlotte Cracker’s body twitches, attempting to stand. Unfortunately, his brain has suffered severe trauma, and the exposed brain tissue is covered in sand. Even immediate medical attention may not save his life.
The man seems to realize this. His gloved hands clench tightly, making cracking sounds.
This nearly five-meter tall yet well-proportioned man is Charlotte Katakuri, the strongest in the Big Mom Pirate Group, second only to Big Mom herself.
Or rather, Charlotte Katakuri is a formidable figure second only to the Four Emperors; his Observation Haki is incredibly overpowering.
Though the Sweet Commanders of Big Mom’s Pirate Group don’t have explicit rankings, they do differ in strength, and Katakuri is undeniably the strongest among them.
Don’t think Cracker and Katakuri have similar strength. Though both are Sweet Commanders, their abilities are simply not on the same level.
If Su Xiao were to battle Cracker directly, he would have about a 40-50% chance of winning, and if he activates Demonic Hunt Time, Cracker would likely die.
But if he were to face Katakuri directly, no, Su Xiao wouldn’t put himself in such a situation. If Demonic Hunt Time happens to be cooling down, he would likely die at Katakuri’s hands, foreseeing the future is unbelievably tricky, especially with Katakuri’s overwhelming inherent strength.
And now, Katakuri stands before his brother Cracker, protecting him from a potentially lethal bullet.
Standing on the beach, Katakuri surveys the surroundings. His eyes flash red, and after a moment, he shifts his gaze toward the central area of Dressrosa.
Su Xiao is also observing Katakuri through the scope, and when Katakuri shifts his gaze, Su Xiao immediately senses that he’s being watched.
Su Xiao pauses the finger on the trigger; he’s found the angle for a shot to blast Cracker’s head, but Katakuri standing before him will likely block the bullet again.
Just as Katakuri arrives, Doflamingo, who earlier engaged him, also arrives. Doflamingo stands mid-air, balanced on several invisible threads.
Doflamingo is a genius at developing Devil Fruit Abilities. He uses the threads formed from his fruit ability, combined with specially designed metal-tipped shoes, to walk on those threads and achieve the effect of hovering.
A few seconds ago, Doflamingo was battling Katakuri at Landing Point No.6. For some unknown reason, Katakuri suddenly withdrew and rushed to Landing Point No.7 nearby.
Standing in mid-air, Doflamingo gazes at the beach, immediately noticing Cracker, whose skull is shattered and is convulsing on the ground.
After a moment of surprise, Doflamingo smiles, initially thinking it was Pika who injured Cracker. But soon he discovers it’s not the case as Pika is currently entangled by dozens of biscuit soldiers, and Landing Point No.7 is on the verge of collapse.
After narrowly dodging a headshot, the biscuit soldiers at Landing Point No.7 clearly lack the prior coordination; some even stand convulsing as if performing an awkward dance.
While Doflamingo is puzzled, Su Xiao, on the fourth floor of the villa, activates the lock-on function, targeting... Doflamingo.
Indeed, Su Xiao used the Duke of Extinction to lock onto Doflamingo, not to change tactics but to ensure Doflamingo takes notice.
At the moment he’s locked on by the Duke of Extinction, Doflamingo immediately shifts his gaze, looking toward the central area of Dressrosa.
"King’s Highland?"
Doflamingo becomes even more puzzled, and in the next moment, the chilling sensation of danger disappears.
Whoosh~
A bullet flies by, and on the beach, Katakuri’s right arm swiftly transforms, dissolving into a mass of white sticky substance, mochi—Katakuri’s Devil Fruit Ability.
This mochi forms a five-meter-high wall, shielding Katakuri and Cracker behind it. Simple mochi can’t possibly stop the Duke of Extinction’s bullet.
The mochi wall turns pitch black—it’s now enveloped with Armament Haki—making the mochi wall harder than most metals.
Bang!
The sand explodes as the Duke of Extinction’s bullet penetrates the black wall, skimming past Katakuri’s face, finally plunging into the seawater beyond.
Though it seems Katakuri can’t stop the Duke of Extinction’s bullet, it’s actually wiser to alter its trajectory rather than absorb its entire impact.
A missed shot means 1000 Paradise coins are reimbursed. Su Xiao, inside the villa’s fourth floor, isn’t pained over it; he’s transmitting information to Doflamingo.
Doflamingo glances toward King’s Highland and then shifts his focus to the brothers Katakuri and Cracker, deducing what’s happening.
"Woof."
Upon hearing this familiar bark, Doflamingo turns to see Bubu Wang squatting on a giant rock. On the rock beneath Bubu Wang is a line of words.
’Stall Katakuri.’
This time, Doflamingo fully understands the situation and even suspects the distant sniper is Su Xiao.
"Bah."
Doflamingo spits out bloodied saliva, placing a hand on his chest, suffering from injuries during his earlier fight with Katakuri, now using the String-String Fruit to suture the damage inside.
Doflamingo leans forward, exerting force underfoot, breaking through the air wave, charging straight at Katakuri.
With a booming roar, Doflamingo and Katakuri engage in a fierce struggle.
Inside the fourth floor of the villa, Su Xiao loads five bullets into the Duke of Extinction’s chamber, pulls back the bolt, and aligns the crosshair with Cracker.
Cracker’s constitution is remarkable; his arms prop him up, he’s about to stand.
Bubu Wang runs lightly toward Cracker, leaping elegantly, landing on Cracker’s back like a gymnast; the already weak Cracker collapses again.
Amidst combat with Doflamingo, Katakuri suddenly shifts his gaze, targeting Bubu Wang. Sensing Katakuri’s stare, Bubu Wang’s fur bristles; it cautiously retreats, no longer daring to be reckless.
