Free Web NovelChapter 1311: Chapter 22: Tier 3??
A bullet, accompanied by the sound of breaking void, came charging forward. Katakuri punched back Doflamingo, intending to rush toward Cracker.
"Foot Kick Line."
Doflamingo wrapped Armament Haki around his leg and kicked toward Katakuri’s head. Katakuri was forced to stop and block with one arm.
Bang, mixed with fragmented flesh, yellow sand spattered. Cracker was knocked several meters away by the bullet’s impact. His legs were blasted into a bloodied mess, exposing pale white bones. Before the bullet hit, he had wrapped his legs in Armament Haki.
Did Su Xiao miss the shot? Not at all, he and Doflamingo were surrounding and wounding, aiming to rescue.
Katakuri’s character appears aloof and stern, but in reality, it differs. Unlike his mother Charlotte Lingling, though he seems ruthless, he actually cares deeply for his subordinates and relatives.
Cracker is his younger brother, whom he watched grow since childhood. He would never leave Cracker to die without rescue. The half-unconscious Cracker took a shot from Su Xiao, and solely relying on Cracker’s Armament Haki couldn’t stop the bullet. It was Katakuri who endured Doflamingo’s kick while tossing a lump of Mochi wrapped in Armament Haki to envelop Cracker’s legs.
This is the terrifying aspect of foreseeing the future. Before the bullet landed, Katakuri anticipated the bullet’s path.
As a Mochi Fruit User, Katakuri can nearly ignore physical attacks. However, Doflamingo’s kick with Armament Haki can strike Katakuri’s actual body.
Katakuri’s expression was grim. He knew that while protecting Cracker, he couldn’t confront Doflamingo.
In a 1V1, Katakuri is fully confident he could eliminate Doflamingo, but the current situation clearly isn’t a 1V1.
"Katakuri...hy bro, first...deal with...the Sea Rascals, I...can...hold on."
Cracker, pained to the point of partial clarity, understood the situation. He’s now a burden, having underestimated the Donquixote Family, leading to this consequence.
"..."
Katakuri remained silent, assessing Cracker’s injuries, which hadn’t worsened to the point of complete combat loss.
Katakuri lightly tapped on the sand beneath him, the texture of the yellow sand began changing, turning milky white and adhesive around the center point of Katakuri.
This is the ability acquired from Paramecia Fruit Awakening, capable of assimilating everything around. As a Mochi Fruit Ability User, Katakuri can mochi-fy the surrounding objects.
Doflamingo continually leapt backward, escaping the mochi region. The sand beneath him also began whitening and transforming into a kind of white thread, indicating Doflamingo’s Paramecia-type Devil Fruit Awakening.
The hundreds of meters of beach partially turned to mochi, while the other half became threads. This showcases the formidable power of Paramecia-type Awakening, which makes the environment more favorable for combat.
Cracker lay on the mochi, gradually becoming enveloped by mochi.
A swath of threads rolled toward Katakuri, his hand waved a mochi to confront them.
Cracker quickly vanished within the mochi, massive mochi and fine threads clumped together.
With a loud bang, a figure flew out from the threads. It’s Doflamingo, shielding his head with both hands, crashing straight into a giant rock.
Tick, tick, tick...
An electronic sound emitted from within the mochi. Katakuri’s finger twitched as a plastic bomb squeezed out from the mochi.
As the bomb exploded, Katakuri was unaffected by the explosion’s blaze. A hefty lump of mochi appeared in his hand, quickly transforming into a trident wrapped in pitch-black Armament Haki.
With a slightly crouched body, parts of Katakuri’s physique mochi-fied, adopting a throwing posture.
Bang!
A resonant sound of breaking void echoed, the trident in Katakuri’s hand flew off.
Shattered stones scattered, the seaside boulder pierced a three-meter diameter hole, with traces of blood visible inside. This was a Fourth-tier Contractor possessing Transfiguration Ability, slain by a strike from Katakuri. It’s clear that this guy was there to pick up benefits.
Not just this Contractor, at least dozens of Fourth-tier Contractors were observing in the vicinity. These Contractors originally roamed the battlefield to gain Pirate Reputation but hid nearby upon discovering Doflamingo and Katakuri’s confrontation, planning to swoop in when either side was defeated.
Most of these Contractors belong to Big Mom’s forces, with a minority joining the Donquixote Family or Kaido’s forces.
Don’t assume that once Contractors join a certain force, they’ll relentlessly fight for them without benefits. The answer is no one would.
Now, dozens of eyes fixed on the heavily injured Cracker. Cracker was wounded by Su Xiao, and if they seize the chance to kill Cracker, they’ll obtain all rewards from killing Cracker.
With such temptation, even Contractors from Big Mom’s forces are intrigued, considering defecting and joining the Donquixote Family or Beast Pirates, albeit with reduced Main Task benefits.
Not only are they fixated on Cracker but also on Su Xiao. Given the current situation, if someone can eliminate Su Xiao, in Katakuri’s eyes, it would be a remarkable feat, enough to grant them decent status and benefits within Big Mom’s Pirate Group.
With the situation turned urgent, Katakuri leveraged his abilities to resolve the crisis, hinting at severely injuring or even defeating Doflamingo. Consequently, these Contractors shifted their focus onto Doflamingo.
On the fourth floor of the villa, Su Xiao was no longer concerned with the situation on the beach; Doflamingo can only fend for himself. Su Xiao now faced other troubles.
Adjusting the scope, Su Xiao spotted several Contractors moving toward King’s Highland. These are Big Mom’s forces’ Contractors.
Killing Contractors from opposing factions also yields Pirate Reputation, amounting to half of the current reputation of the enemy. In other words, if someone kills Su Xiao, they’d gain over 1000 points of Pirate Reputation.
In Dressrosa’s residential area, five Contractors passed swiftly between homes—they are a team.
After swiftly advancing a distance, they halted behind a tall building.
"Don’t expose yourself to that guy’s muzzle. Cracker took a single bullet and was half-dead."
A gaunt man wielding an iron chain spoke, leaning against the wall while peering toward King’s Highland.
"Have you confirmed that guy’s identity?"
"Confirmed, it’s a Third-tier Contractor codenamed Bai Ye, with specific attributes currently unclear due to distance."
A red-haired long-legged sister looked toward King’s Highland while replying to the gaunt man.
"Third-tier?"
The gaunt iron-chain wielding man was slightly surprised.
"Yes, Third-tier."
The long-legged sister shrugged, indicating this is the information she detected.
