Watching Roger's Execution at the Start of My Pirate Life

Gion lowered her arm and rested her slender fingers lightly on Kompira at her waist. A playful look entered her eyes.

Atlas chuckled without explaining. By now, both his physique and his Haki had reached the level of a formidable fighter. His Observation Haki was nearly at its peak, with Future Sight not far beyond his reach, and his sensing range rivaled Enel's.

His Armament Haki, in both quality and quantity, was catching up to that of the sea's strongest veterans. He had yet to master internal destruction, though.

His Conqueror's Haki had only recently awakened and remained at its earliest stage. Coating was still a long way off.

As for the Talismans, the strength granted by the Ox Talisman kept growing. If Atlas's original strength had been one, the Talisman multiplied it from that starting point. In theory, its power was limitless, but Atlas's current muscles and bones could never withstand a planet-destroying blow.

The Rabbit Talisman worked on the same principle. In the original story, time travel had only become possible through scientific means, and achieving it was just as difficult for Atlas.

Even Kizaru's Glint-Glint Fruit would require an immensely strong body and lightning-fast reflexes to reach the speed of light.

The warship continued across the sea toward Marine Base G-5.

Suddenly, a Marine in the lookout tower shouted, "Pirate ship ahead! Judging by its course, it looks like..." He paused, uncertainty entering his voice. "I think it's heading straight for us!"

"All hands, prepare for battle! Scout, have you identified the enemy?"

Gion remained calm as she gave the order and asked for details. Intelligence came first in any battle. You never knew what strange Devil Fruit ability an enemy might possess, and one careless move could cost you your life.

"Reporting, Rear Admiral! The enemy ship appears to be flying the Big Mom Pirates' flag..."

"Looks like they're here for Charlotte Oven. I wonder which one it is."

Atlas's interest was piqued. He hoped it was Katakuri. Since arriving in the New World, he had fought battles large and small, and his strength had grown rapidly. He was increasingly certain he had made the right choice.

The warship soon came face-to-face with the pirate ship. Standing at its bow was exactly the man Atlas had hoped for: Charlotte Linlin's second son, Charlotte Katakuri, hailed as the Charlotte Family's finest creation.

Atlas looked him up and down. Katakuri was tall, with short magenta hair, a powerfully muscled body, and long legs. A stitched scar marked each cheek, making him look even fiercer.

A pink tattoo ran from his left arm across to his back. Around his neck was a white scarf shaped like a flower, hiding the lower half of his face.

He wore black gloves and a spiked band around his left arm. His clothes had a flashy, tough-guy style. His expression was ice-cold, and his eyes were fixed on Atlas.

"Hey, Marine. Where's Oven?"

Perhaps tired of Atlas staring at him, Katakuri spoke in a deep, resonant voice from behind his scarf. Beneath his cold exterior lay worry for his younger brother.

The Big Mom Pirates were an unusual pirate crew, built around family ties. Charlotte Linlin trusted only those bonds, so the crew rarely accepted outsiders unless they married one of her daughters, as Capone Bege and Sanji did in the original story.

Of all her children, Katakuri had the most compelling character. His younger siblings loved and admired him. Unlike Oven and the others, he did not place the family above his bonds with them.

To Katakuri, protecting those bonds mattered more than the family as a whole. He would not bring himself to kill even a child of Big Mom who betrayed her. In that sense, he was an admirable man.

"You mean that yellow-haired pirate with the flame-shaped hair?"

A smile curled Atlas's lips as he watched Katakuri's face darken.

"You're dead!!!"

Katakuri flew into a rage. His Observation Haki had already shown him what Atlas was about to say. Even with that warning, hearing it was hard to bear.

The older Charlotte siblings had supported one another and depended on each other in the Big Mom Pirates' early days. Their bonds ran especially deep.

"Hm?"

Atlas was surprised Katakuri had already trained his Observation Haki to the level of Future Sight. He wondered how far ahead Katakuri could see.

Then again, this was a man who had awakened Haki at three years old. His talent for Observation Haki nearly matched that of someone born with the ability.

"Come on, don't be angry." Seeing Katakuri's fury, Atlas offered some comfort. "How about I send you down to keep him company? Hahaha!"

His comfort worked: Katakuri immediately fell still. Shadows swallowed his eyes, and an even colder air gathered around him, like a venomous snake ready to strike from any angle.

Katakuri Versus Atlas

"Hey, Brother Kanos, want me to help?"

Gion looked grave. She had heard of Katakuri. His current bounty was six hundred million Beli, but his true strength far exceeded that figure. Apart from Charlotte Linlin herself, he was the strongest member of the Big Mom Pirates!

"No need. Rear Admiral Gion, just protect the warship. I've been wanting to fight this guy."

Atlas stepped through the air toward Katakuri using Geppo, his body coated in Armament Haki. Explosive cracks sounded beneath his feet as each blast propelled him forward.

"What an arrogant Marine. But hurting my family is unforgivable. Are you ready to die?"

Katakuri's expression remained cold, as though Oven's death meant nothing to him. Yet he could not hide the grief and fury in his eyes.

"Adjutant! Tell the helmsman to clear this stretch of sea and wait farther out to pick up Commodore Atlas!"

Gion did not try to dissuade him again. She simply moved the warship away so it would not hold him back.

"Yes, ma'am!"

The adjutant answered at once.

Katakuri made no move to stop them. His Observation Haki told him only the man before him warranted his full attention. The other Marines were small fry, apart from that female Swordsman.

"Katakuri, I think you've overestimated yourself."

Atlas mocked him without restraint. Whatever happened, he would not back down in a war of words.

As the words left his mouth, Atlas's expression sharpened. A terrifying force burst from him, pressing straight down on Katakuri!

Conqueror's Haki!

Katakuri answered with his own powerful Conqueror's Haki.

Black-and-red lightning churned between them. The violent pressure left fish and passing Sea Kings floating belly-up, their eyes rolled white. A fierce wind snapped Atlas's justice coat.

After dozens of seconds, Atlas's Conqueror's Haki slowly gained the upper hand, then forced Katakuri's power back into him!

The first exchange went to Atlas!

Katakuri said nothing more. He simply leveled his trident at Atlas.

The trident suddenly began spinning at tremendous speed, extending toward Atlas with a string of sonic booms.

Mochi Thrust!

Atlas did not flinch. He fired a fierce blast of flame from his hand, and the massive explosive column met the trident head-on!

Razor Shave: Explosion!

Whoosh!

Atlas moved almost like a teleporting shadow, flashing through the flames of the explosion to Katakuri's back. But just as he prepared to strike—

Katakuri slid sideways, moving exactly far enough to avoid the attack!

Observation Haki! Future Sight!

Atlas felt a headache coming on. The future held endless possibilities, yet fighting someone who could see it left him struggling to land a hit. He would need Observation Haki far beyond Katakuri's, or a body powerful enough to overwhelm him.

But excitement lit Atlas's eyes. A battle against someone this strong was worth having!

Finger Pistol: Spotted!

Atlas unleashed dozens of finger strikes in an instant, driving them toward Katakuri from every direction!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The strikes tore through the air and left dozens of finger-sized holes in Katakuri's body, but not a drop of blood appeared!

Katakuri wielded the Mochi-Mochi Fruit, a Special Paramecia that let him transform his body much like a Logia user. With Observation Haki superior to Atlas's, he could also predict almost exactly where every blow would land!

What a pain. Atlas wondered how Luffy had managed to beat him in the original story. It was enough to leave him speechless.

"Bird Mochi!"

A mochi whip sprang from Katakuri's hand, thick with Armament Haki, and coiled around Atlas. Atlas did not resist. He let the man tie him up.

Boom!

A violent explosion burst from Atlas's body. The Bird Mochi crumbled into powder and fell away.

"Is this a toy for children, Katakuri?"

Atlas laughed at him, then set off an explosion beneath his feet. Katakuri's pirate ship blew apart, its wreckage scattering across the sea!

Damn it! Isn't this guy a Devil Fruit user? Katakuri hovered in midair, furious that Atlas had destroyed his ship and forced them to fight in the air.

Most powerful fighters had some technique for staying airborne. Geppo was hardly a secret in the New World, though it consumed a great deal of stamina.

"Your attacks can't touch me, Marine!"

Katakuri faced Atlas, who had risen into the air as well, and tried to shake his confidence.

"Well, let's let our strength settle that, Katakuri!"

Explosion: Cannon!

A thick column of explosive fire engulfed Katakuri!

Chestnut Mochi!

Katakuri's hand transformed into strips of mochi coated in Armament Haki. They hammered at the Explosive Flame from every direction as he retreated.

Boom!

The shockwave hurled Katakuri more than ten meters away!

Razor Shave: Godspeed Explosion!

Before Katakuri could steady himself, Atlas hurtled after him at terrifying speed.

I can't see him?! Katakuri's heart sank. He could not track Atlas's movements. No wonder Oven lost to this guy!

Iron Fist·Armament·Explosion!

Peerless Mochi Blade Bullets!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Their thunderous collisions raised a fearsome storm. Below them, the sea heaved with towering waves.

"You've got to be kidding. Is this what a fight between monsters looks like?"

"He can actually fight Commodore Atlas to this point?!"

"Of course! That's the Charlotte Family's finest creation!"

"No wonder Commodore Atlas dared to challenge Whitebeard. He's as reliable as ever!"

The Marines watching from afar voiced their amazement. Even at that distance, the aftershocks of the fight left them shaken.

Kyros, now dressed in a Marine uniform, watched with mixed feelings. "What kind of monster asked me to join him?"

The Battle Intensifies

Damn it. Fighting in the air limits my Devil Fruit ability too much!

Katakuri steadied himself. His gaze remained calm despite losing ground, and he kept his Observation Haki locked on Atlas.

Without warning, Katakuri's long legs split into several more legs. He hardened each with Armament Haki and sent them lashing toward Atlas at blinding speed!

Willow Mochi!

Atlas already had his Observation Haki active. His body went thin as paper, swaying with the currents stirred by Katakuri's legs, and he easily evaded every strike.

My Observation Haki isn't as strong as Katakuri's, but at least I've trained it to an advanced level. As for Armament Haki, there isn't much difference between us in quality.

Atlas compared their strengths as he dodged Katakuri's kicks.

Katakuri had trained his Observation Haki to the highest level in the pirate world, but his Armament Haki was formidable too.

Seeing Atlas evade Willow Mochi so easily, Katakuri's expression darkened further. His legs turned to mochi and hardened with Armament Haki, then compressed sharply. The recoil launched him toward Atlas.

Grilled Mochi!

As Katakuri charged, the upper part of his hand compressed into mochi. Flames wrapped around it, and black Armament Haki covered its surface. Like a fired rocket, it tore through the air!

The piercing blow punched straight through Atlas's body. His entire figure dissolved like a reflection on water!

An afterimage!

Katakuri's Observation Haki screamed a warning. Mochi poured from his body and wrapped around him, and he coated it with dense Armament Haki!

Damn it! How can he be so fast?

Katakuri was frustrated. Just as he could use Future Sight to keep Atlas at bay, Atlas's speed, explosive power, and strength were proving difficult for him to handle.

Burst Fist: Armament!