The Fastest Man in the World

However, the king knew that it was far too early to relax. He immediately struggled back to his feet, intending to call someone over to investigate what had happened.

But the words died on his lips as he changed his mind. "I'd better go take a look myself. I might even be able to help."

The palace stood high above the city, and once James Glenn stepped outside the hall, he could take in the entire royal capital at a glance. He saw countless Navy officers and soldiers rapidly retreating toward the docks like ants returning to their nest, while the pirates' saviors had arrogantly sent only two people flying over to the docks to meet them.

James Glenn's heart immediately began to pound. "They don't look like any of the Whitebeard Pirates' commanders. They look young too—could they be Supernovas who just arrived in the New World? They really don't know their limits. The Navy sent six warships this time! How can two people possibly win?"

Yet at that moment, as though a gale had swept across a wheat field, the Navy forces that had just assembled fell in waves.

A few seconds later, only several dozen Navy soldiers remained standing on the docks.

"Could that be... Conqueror's Haki?" James Glenn recognized it for what it was, and immediately felt much more at ease.

At that moment, the flagship of the BIG Pirates, the Queen Mama Chanter, began entering the harbor, and the king finally recognized which pirate crew this was. "So they aren't newcomers! The BIG Pirates? Why have they come here? Could Big Mom be homesick? But after all these years, she never even sent an invitation to one of her tea parties. Could it be that Father never recorded it back then because he feared arousing the World Government's suspicions?"

As the king of Pharaohs, James Glenn knew a little about certain secrets, but Navy Vice Admirals Grumir and Dalmatian from Marine Headquarters had no idea about the connection. Their faces were filled with confusion. "What kind of madness is Charlotte Linlin up to? Is she preparing to wage all-out war against the Navy?"

"You were merely blocking the way," Katakuri coldly revealed the truth. Then, without waiting for a response, he immediately attacked. This opponent was much stronger than the last, so he went all out from the start. "Flowing Mochi Ball!"

In the blink of an eye, the ground beneath those several dozen Navy officers had all turned into soft mochi.

Apart from Navy Vice Admiral Grumir, whose extensive combat experience allowed him to sense the danger in time and leap away first, everyone else was swallowed in an instant by the soft, sticky mochi.

After repeatedly using Geppo to find a rooftop and barely steady himself, Grumir stared at Katakuri with an extremely grim expression. "If I remember correctly, you're only twenty-three this year, aren't you? Your Devil Fruit ability has already awakened?"

The Mochi Mochi Fruit is weak, but if it weren't this weak, perhaps I wouldn't have awakened it so early? The thought flashed through Katakuri's mind, but he said nothing. He simply used his ability to harden all the mochi trapping the several dozen Navy officers.

Now, even Vice Admiral Dalmatian, whose strength had greatly increased after transforming into his half-beast form and even his beast form, was completely trapped. No matter how he struggled, it was useless. He could only watch in despair as Charlotte Amande, who had just come ashore, slowly approached him with Seastone shackles.

The non-Devil Fruit users were left to Charlotte Oven. As his figure flashed past, the Navy officers trapped helplessly in the mochi had their heads blown apart one after another. The scene was exceptionally bloody and brutal.

Seeing so many comrades butchered, Navy Vice Admiral Grumir felt as though his heart were being cut apart. But as an elite vice admiral seasoned by countless battles, he ultimately restrained the urge to turn back and rescue them. Instead, he accelerated his escape from the battlefield while pulling out his Den Den Mushi to call for reinforcements.

"Uncle, isn't it a little too late to make a call now? By the time your reinforcements arrive, we'll have already killed every last one of you!" Charlotte Oven, who had slaughtered countless Navy officers today, was clearly getting carried away. Seeing Grumir make the call, he did not immediately chase after him to stop him, but mocked him first.

Thanks to that delay, Grumir finally finished his call for help. Then he breathed a sigh of relief and replied in the same mocking tone, "The others won't make it in time, but one person is an exception."

"Oven, that idiot. He didn't learn Big Brother's strengths, but he sure learned his chatterbox habit!" Katakuri was so frustrated by the sight that he almost coughed up blood.

The moment he heard it, he knew who Vice Admiral Grumir meant. His brows immediately furrowed. "I heard that Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral Borsalino has the Glint Glint Fruit and can move at the speed of light. No matter where he is, he can arrive in an instant. How are we supposed to deal with an enemy like that?"

Thinking that the "fastest man in the world" could arrive at any moment, Katakuri ignored Mousse's request and immediately ordered his third sister, Charlotte Amande, to kill Vice Admiral Dalmatian and the others trapped there, just in case.

"I've been waiting for you to say that, Brother Katakuri." Charlotte Amande giggled, drew her astonishingly long double-edged sword, and swung it in a motion that seemed slow but was actually swift. Vice Admiral Dalmatian's huge dog head fell to the ground.

No matter how tough a Zoan type user's hide was, their neck was still hard-pressed to withstand a sharp blade!

Besides, Charlotte Amande had already reached the realm of Iron Cutting. Even if she was no match for Vice Admiral Dalmatian, she still had a bounty of 130 million Berries, and the blade in her hand was an incomparably sharp famed sword!

Only a little later, Katakuri caught up with Navy Vice Admiral Grumir as well.

In terms of mastery over Geppo, this pillar of the Charlotte Family's second generation was actually inferior to the veteran who had trained in Rokushiki for decades. But Katakuri had the advantage of being tall and long-legged—one of his steps equaled two of Grumir's. Though the latter exerted every ounce of strength he had, he was still caught up to.

As he fled, Navy Vice Admiral Grumir fired Shigan at Katakuri, attempting to ambush him.

But Katakuri neither dodged nor evaded. He directly turned the targeted part of his body into mochi slurry, deforming it to create a hollow that caused every attack, powerful enough to rival large-caliber firearms, to miss.

Grumir was instantly horrified. "I clearly used Armament Haki! Why didn't it work?"

Katakuri's expression did not change in the slightest upon hearing that, but his pursuit only grew fiercer.

At that moment, his younger brother Oven finally came to his senses and stopped babbling. Working with Katakuri, he cut off Grumir's path.

This elite vice admiral of Marine Headquarters had been completely driven into a corner!

"Why hasn't Borsalino arrived yet? Could he be carrying out some important mission?" Grumir faced two powerful enemies attacking from both front and back, each stronger than himself. (He had actually overestimated Oven, having only seen his astonishing attack power and speed for the moment.) Despair had already filled his heart.

But the king's earlier determination to fight to the end inspired him. He had to hold on—he had to keep holding on. Perhaps if he endured long enough, a turning point would come?