Instantly Killing a Marine Rear Admiral

After more than two days at sea, they finally reached their destination, the Farol Islands.

But unexpectedly, they ran into a Navy warship outside Faros Port, the final stop!

And judging by its distinctive triple gun turrets, it was a main battleship carrying nearly a thousand men, with at least a Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral aboard!

Even Katakuri, who had always been decisive and ruthless, could not help hesitating for a moment.

It was not that he feared the Marines aboard this warship. But once they attacked a Navy Main Battleship, it would mean the Charlotte Family was officially going to war with the Navy.

Among the Great Pirates of the New World, Charlotte Linlin had fought the Navy the least.

Especially after she built Cake Castle on the site of the then-deserted second Lamb's House ten years ago, laying the foundations of Totto Land and transforming from a wandering bandit into a settled ruler, she had never seriously fought the Navy again.

The Navy always had more dangerous enemies to deal with and had no time to bother with the Charlotte Family, who quietly lived at home and did not stir up trouble in World Government member nations.

Meanwhile, the Charlotte Family feared that after dealing with the young ones, the old ones would come next. Thus, unless necessary, they would rather keep their distance.

With both sides avoiding war, it was naturally difficult for a fight to break out.

In fact, not just the Charlotte Family—even the strongest Whitebeard Pirates would not attack the Navy without cause.

After all, while the Navy was far from strong enough to defeat all pirates, it was still much stronger than any single pirate crew.

On top of that, they had to guard against other pirates taking advantage of the situation. Unless they were like the Roger Pirates, who had no fixed territory and thus no such concerns, going to war with the Navy was bound to be a losing proposition.

But Katakuri could not retreat now, because the task Mother had assigned had to be completed.

They could not possibly slink back to Totto Land and report, "Sorry, Mother. A Navy fleet blocked the port, so we did not dare go ashore to look for anyone," could they?

It was possible to disembark somewhere unnoticed, then secretly sneak ashore and blend into Faros Kingdom. But Katakuri and Oven were simply too large, making them extremely conspicuous among ordinary humans.

Moreover, Katakuri suspected that the warship before them had merely been sent out as a lookout. There was likely a much larger fleet inside the port.

If Sengoku, Garp, or one of those Logia-type super-ranked vice admirals was stationed there, rashly going ashore would be extremely dangerous. Katakuri had no intention of gambling with his younger siblings' lives.

"Take this ship first, capture some prisoners, and find out what is going on before deciding what to do next. If we can win, we fight. If the enemy is truly too strong, Mother should understand. Right?" Katakuri quickly made his decision.

Then, stepping through the air with Geppo, he flew toward the Navy warship, which likewise neither dodged nor avoided them as it sailed straight at them!

Since it held the stronger position, the Navy only avoided conflicts with the BIG Pirates on a strategic level. If they encountered them normally, they would not shy away from battle.

Besides, the main force was currently in the port. How could Sigma, the Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral serving as captain, possibly flee without fighting?

And Katakuri charging over alone made this Marine Headquarters elite, who had always thought highly of himself, fly into a rage. "Charlotte Linlin's second son, Katakuri, with a bounty of 480 million Berries? I know you are strong, but isn't this too arrogant? You actually charged over here alone? Do you think one person can defeat more than eight hundred of us?"

Yet the moment Sigma finished speaking, he saw his subordinates collapsing across the deck as though they were drunk.

In the blink of an eye, only two fairly capable field-grade officers could barely remain standing. Even the rear admiral himself felt somewhat dizzy.

Rear Admiral Sigma's face immediately drained of color. He looked at Katakuri, who had landed on the bow, in panic. "Conqueror's Haki? The qualifications of a king, something that often appears only once among millions... The Charlotte Family has a second person who possesses it?"

"More than eight hundred people? Where are they?" Katakuri swung Mochi Thrust in his hand and casually stabbed the two field-grade officers to death. Though they could still stand, their minds had already grown hazy. Then he looked at the dumbstruck Rear Admiral Sigma with a mocking smile, showing him no respect whatsoever.

An unprecedented sense of humiliation instantly overwhelmed Sigma's reason. With a furious roar, he drew his sword and charged at Katakuri.

When they saw Katakuri's Mochi Ball Thrust pierce straight through Sigma's chest without missing by even an inch, his younger siblings and subordinates immediately erupted in cheers. "As expected of Brother Katakuri! One move—just one move, and he killed a Marine Rear Admiral! A Marine Headquarters rear admiral, at that!"

Charlotte Brulee, an utterly obsessed fan, was so excited that she began wildly boasting. If Katakuri had not quickly returned to the ship and used his Devil Fruit ability to stretch out his arm and smack this idiot on the head, shutting her up, she might even have proclaimed that "even a Marine Admiral would be no match for him."

But Mousse recalled the plot from the original work, and his expression became somewhat subtle. "A thrust that hits a vital point is enough to kill in one strike. Brother Katakuri's incredibly powerful Observation Haki not only lets him evade enemy attacks more effectively, but also makes his own attacks more accurate and harder to dodge. It further magnifies the advantages of thrusting attacks. Against enemies clearly weaker than him, it truly is one strike per opponent, incredibly efficient. It is just that in the book, he ran into a protagonist with an 'absolutely cannot hit vital points' buff. Even when his Observation Haki held an overwhelming advantage in the early stages, he could never hit a vital spot capable of causing a fatal wound. That advantage instead became a disadvantage. With the monstrous vitality of the strong in this world, if he cannot hit a vital point, even ten thrusts are not as vicious as a single slash from a blade!"

The benefits of powerful Observation Haki were not limited to combat. It was also extremely convenient when interrogating prisoners of war for intelligence.

Katakuri could not read minds directly, but when the other party was terrified out of their wits, he could reliably tell whether they were lying.

Because he directly sensed changes in emotions, it eliminated a step compared to a lie detector. Even CP agents who had undergone relevant training might not be able to hide from him, much less these Navy officers and soldiers who only knew how to fight and kill.

With her second brother helping to detect lies, Charlotte Amande—whom most of her younger siblings had avoided because of her cruelty and cold-bloodedness—demonstrated her value beyond combat.

It did not take long before several Navy officers, unable to endure the torture, honestly revealed the strength of the Navy fleet within the port.

"Two Navy Headquarters vice admirals, six warships including the one we captured, and no fewer than five thousand elite Navy soldiers. What is such a powerful fleet doing in Faros Kingdom? Did some Great Pirate come here?" After confirming that the prisoners were not lying, Katakuri could not help being deeply astonished.

Such a fleet was practically equivalent to the entire standing force of a Navy New World branch. Could it be that someone from the Whitebeard Pirates had come here? That would be reaching far too far, would it not?

But the officer, who had been frightened into submission by Amande's torture, said something that astonished Katakuri even more. "No pirate crew came here. We... we came to destroy Faros Kingdom."