The New Generation Cadres

"Thousand Needles!"

Nid raised both hands, and countless fine needles shot out from his fingertips, forming a silver ribbon in the air.

Clink, clink, clink…

King skillfully parried with his sword. Although the needles were numerous, they lacked power, and King easily blocked them.

"Flame Slash!"

Attaching flames to his sword from behind, King twisted his wrist and unleashed a fiery vortex that shredded the remaining flying needles. His momentum unbroken, he then swung his sword horizontally at Nid.

"Needle Thorns!"

Seeing the fierce onslaught, Nid no longer tested him and crossed his arms.

Several massive thorns pierced out from his body, each as thick as an arm, their tips coated with dark Armament Haki.

A few thick, long needles intersected, directly blocking King's slash, holding the sharp blade and scorching flames at bay several feet away.

"It's not over yet!"

While blocking the blade, the originally smooth needles suddenly grew more long needles, like branches sprouting from a tree.

These sharp needles forked and forked again… In the blink of an eye, King was submerged in this thorny forest formed by steel needles.

"Heh heh! Stupid brat, you shouldn't have gotten so close to me so easily."

"You'll be skewered and roasted like a bird in this needle forest."

Seeing his technique succeed, Nid couldn't help but mock King.

Meanwhile.

"Rice Cake Fist!"

"Ton Press Fist!"

No fancy skills, just two fists covered in Armament Haki colliding fiercely. The gusting wind from the impact blew away the nearby pirates.

"Heh heh~ You've got some skill, but you're still too young, brat!"

"Hya!"

Hanmo's fist on the opposite side suddenly erupted with terrifying power. Katakuri was pushed back, and the mochi covering his arm was also scattered.

"Your soft punches can't hurt me!"

Gaining the advantage with one blow, Hanmo didn't press his attack. Instead, he stood his ground, allowing Katakuri to regain his stance.

"Show me some real skill, let me see how strong the son of that monster woman is!"

"[Heavy Punch Hammer]. As the name suggests, it's a powerful punch."

Facing the contempt, Katakuri didn't get angry. Instead, he affirmed the opponent's strength.

"Hahaha, that's right! I made a name for myself on this sea with these fists long before you were born."

With that, Hanmo raised his fists again, each one a full circle larger than Katakuri's head.

It should be noted that although Katakuri was only sixteen years old, as BIG MOM's son, his height had already reached nearly three meters, half a head taller than Oshi and Obe stacked together.

"Mountain Splitting Fist!"

The giant fist, carrying immense force, once again struck towards Katakuri's chest. Its power was visibly much greater than before.

However, this time Katakuri seemed stunned and made no move, neither dodging nor defending, simply allowing Hanmo's giant fist to punch straight through him.

Pfft!!!!

The fist, with its dark gauntlet, emerged from behind Katakuri...

"Wh-what!"

"Lord Katakuri!"

"Brother Katakuri!"

"Katakuri!"

The members of the BIG MOM Pirates, including BIG MOM's other children, watched this scene in shock. Some even rushed forward without regard for their own safety.

"No need to come over, I'm enough to deal with this guy myself."

Katakuri stopped the approaching crowd. He, whose chest should have been pierced, seemed fine, his voice from beneath his scarf still full of energy.

"Damn it! You brat, what is this thing!"

From the moment he hit, Hanmo sensed something was wrong. His fist felt no muscle resistance as expected, but rather a sticky sensation.

Sensing trouble, he tried to pull his fist out of Katakuri's body but found he couldn't. His fist seemed to be sucked into a vortex, making it impossible to break free!

"Don't forget, I'm a Mochi Mochi Fruit user. Mochi is very sticky."

"Bastard!"

Hanmo raised his other fist to smash down, but the moment he raised his hand, Katakuri's hands instantly turned to mochi, engulfing Hanmo's entire body.

"Damn it! This sticky ability..."

The mochi binding Hanmo's arms was connected to his body, making it difficult for him to exert force.

"I'm sorry, but I can't keep my brothers waiting too long."

Katakuri stepped back, pulling Hanmo's fist out of his body.

At this moment, the opponent's upper arm and body were stuck together. Even though he still possessed the strength to move mountains, he was unable to throw a punch.

"Slash: Cut Mochi!"

Giving the opponent no chance, Katakuri, having escaped Hanmo's fist, leaped into the air. Using his ability, he spun at high speed in mid-air, transforming into a donut.

Immediately after, his body plummeted down. As he reverted from his donut form, he powerfully swung his mochi-coated right arm. His rapidly descending right arm was covered in spikes and imbued with his strongest Armament Haki.

BOOM!!!

Hanmo, still struggling against the mochi, was struck directly on the head by this attack. The immense impact shattered his consciousness on the spot, and the surrounding ground instantly cracked.

"So... so hard a fist."

These were Hanmo's last words before he fell.

"Oh!" *n

"Brother Katakuri won!"

"Well done! As expected of Lord Katakuri!"

"I knew Brother Katakuri was the strongest!"

Seeing Katakuri so decisively defeat one of the enemy's executives, the surrounding BIG MOM Pirates cheered.

At this moment, Perospero, the eldest son, approached Katakuri and asked with concern, "Are you alright, Katakuri? Perorin~"

"Huu~ I'm fine," Katakuri replied, slightly out of breath.

"It seems the people from Kaido's side are in trouble. Should we go help? Perorin~"

"No need. Although we are allies, our relationship isn't so close that we can help each other. Besides, they don't need our help."

Katakuri glanced in Jin's direction, tightened his scarf, and then looked away.

"Where is Mother?"

"I don't know. Mother went with Kaido to lead Silver Axe and Wang Zhi somewhere from the beginning."

"Is that so... Brother Perospero, please tell everyone in the crew not to prolong the fight and to focus on searching for treasure."

With BIG MOM absent, Katakuri, as her son and an executive, took temporary command of the pirate crew.

Perospero, as the so-called elder brother, felt a bit concerned about this, but seeing as the other party had just defeated one of the enemy executives, he didn't feel it was appropriate to say anything at this moment.

"Alright, I'll go inform them. Perorin~"