Mere Humans

"Let's go to the transaction location first."

At the same time.

The local fishermen who fled the port immediately reported the situation to the navy.

The information was relayed to the nearest Marine Base and then from the Marine Branch to Marine Headquarters.

That was fifteen minutes later.

Fleet Admiral Sengoku's face immediately darkened upon hearing this news.

"Big Mom's pirate ship has appeared in Dressrosa? What are these sea scum up to now?"

The communications officer from the intelligence department shook his head. "According to the branch, the local fishermen only saw the pirate flag from afar; they know nothing about the specifics."

Sengoku frowned deeply, considering whether or not to contact Doflamingo.

Dressrosa is that guy's territory. As the king of World Government Member States and one of the Shichibukai, he has an obligation to provide intelligence.

However, the intelligence inquiry can wait. The most urgent task is to send someone to resolve the issue immediately, as even a second's delay could lead to an irreparable situation.

To deal with the Four Emperors' pirate crews, sending ordinary Vice Admiral is not enough; Admiral- level combat power is required.

In the depths of the New World, Akainu is also on a mission, while Aokiji is on the same mission.

The only person closest to Dressrosa is Kizaru!

Thinking of this, Sengoku picked up the Den Den Mushi while cursing inwardly, wondering what the New World's surveillance ships were doing without any prior warning.

Punk Hazard, also known today as "Flame Island".

At this moment, a large number of naval soldiers on the island, dressed in heat-resistant suits and carrying fire extinguishers, attempted to put out the fire.

"No! Absolutely not!"

Even if you extinguish the fire, it will reignite in a while!

"This place is a dead end; there's no way to save it!"

The marines stopped what they were doing in despair and turned to look at their superiors in the distance.

He was a thin, middle-aged man with short, curly black hair, a thick beard around his chin, and amber-tinted sunglasses. He had a nonchalant expression on his face.

Admiral Kizaru, the Marine Headquarters' top combat force!

"Admiral Kizaru, there's no way to put out this fire!" a soldier shouted.

Kizaru, dressed in a gold pinstripe suit and wearing a white justice cape, ignored the shouts of his subordinates.

He raised his arm, and the tiny Den Den Mushi on his wrist was transmitting Fleet Admiral Sengoku's orders.

"Oh dear, the Big Mom Pirates... they're really scary."

"Stop talking nonsense, Kizaru! Head to Dressrosa immediately! At your speed, you should be there soon!"

"What a hassle..."

Kizaru scratched his head, glanced at the raging fire covering the mountains and fields, and sighed silently in his heart.

Admiral are destined for a life of constant toil; their salaries are meager, and they're always running around putting out fires.

No wonder Mr. Garp was always reluctant to be promoted to Admiral. He shouldn't have been greedy for a raise in the first place; he was completely fooled!

"I understand, I'll go right away."

In response, Kizaru cut off the Den Den Mushi and then instructed his subordinates, "Continue putting out the fire. I'll be leaving for a while."

"Admiral Kizaru, where are you going?" A colonel asked, speechless. "How are we supposed to put out these wildfires everywhere? Why don't you take over?"

"Go to Dressrosa, be back soon, and you all get back to work."

"How long will that take?"

Half an hour... should be enough.

Having said that, Kizaru placed his hands up and down, palms facing each other, and as he spoke, golden light shone between his palms.

With a whoosh, he transformed into a beam of golden light and shot straight towards Dressrosa.

In the blink of an eye, the person had disappeared into the horizon.

On the other side.

Green Bit, an island north of Dressrosa.

This is a small island covered in virgin forest; it is less than one-tenth the size of the main island of Dressrosa.

At this moment, on the beach at the coast.

Samael lay on the rocks, yawning listlessly.

"Still not here? How much longer am I supposed to wait?!"

"Furious! There's a type of sea creature called a 'Fighting Fish' living in the waters around here. They're extremely ferocious, and you might get entangled with one."

Doflamingo stood not far away, offering a half-smile.

A high-ranking official of Four Emperors was entangled by a sea monster? Who would believe that!

Samael rolled his eyes at him and was about to find a more comfortable position when suddenly, a white object appeared in the sky.

It was a white sphere that shot from the far horizon, drawing a perfect arc in the air before finally landing with a thud on the beach.

"Oh, you're here?"

Samael floated up from the reef, staring at the other person with curiosity.

The white sphere wriggled and gradually transformed into a tall human figure.

Katakuri first glanced at Samael, then glanced at Doflamingo out of the corner of his eye, and finally used his Observation Haki to survey his surroundings.

"You're the executive of the Seven Deadly Sins, the Wrath Samael? And you're all alone?"

"Hehehe, I know you! You are the Charlotte Family's greatest masterpiece, the child most admired by that fat hag Big Mom! Charlotte Katakuri!"

Samael's eyes lit up. He had heard his master mention this kid before; his fighting ability was far superior to that of the other officers.

Not only that, this person's bounty is higher than his current one, reaching a staggering 1,057 million Beli!

Katakuri remained expressionless, unmoved even when Samael called his mother a fat, dead woman to his face.

"Doflamingo, what are you doing here?"

"... What are you saying? This is my territory, and I'm here as a witness."

Doflamingo shrugged and took a few steps back, indicating that he would not interfere with the transaction between the two parties.

Samael, seeing this, looked rather impatient:

Where is the stuff?

Where are my younger siblings?

Katakuri retorted coldly.

"Trying to stall for time?" Samael conjured a hand of fire, pointed it at the sky, and sneered, "Foolish human, who do you think is guarding the heavens?"

Knowing he couldn't fool his opponent, Katakuri simply stopped pretending.

He plunged his right hand into his body, tearing open his chest and revealing the two Devil Fruit hidden within.

"The item is on me. If you can get it... come and take it!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Samael decisively took action.

His eyes widened, and in an instant, Katakuri burst into flames, transforming into a human torch.

Seeing this, Doflamingo broke out in a cold sweat. "A completely unprepared attack, who could possibly dodge it?"

He can't avoid it, but someone else can.

Katakuri's eyes saw into the future. The instant Samael made his move, his shoulders rapidly expanded, transforming into a giant white dough that enveloped his entire body.

A cold voice came from the dough:

"At this temperature, even the dough won't bake through!"

Chapter 65 Mere Humans

The spherical dough was engulfed in flames and remained unharmed despite the intense heat.

Samael showed a rare look of surprise; this was the first time someone had managed to dodge his "Glare Attack."

It can ignite a target simply by focusing your gaze; it's a sudden attack with almost no warning. Although its power is ordinary, most people simply cannot dodge it.

It was less that the opponent dodged, and more that they anticipated his attack.

"You've mastered advanced Observation Haki Future Sight?"

His response was a swift and fierce counterattack from Katakuri.

"Peerless Mochi Blade Bullets!"

Suddenly, a piece of the spherical dough bulged out and twisted into a machine gun. In the next instant, rice cake bullets poured out like a torrential rain.

Each bullet was imbued with Armament Haki, instantly turning from white to pitch black.

Da da da da!

The bullets bombarded Samael, but strangely passed through them and landed in the primeval forest behind him.

In an instant, swathes of trees collapsed, and some tree trunks, barely grazed by bullets, seemed to explode as if triggered by a deafening roar.

"Hehehe, I'm a Logia user, how could such an attack possibly work?"

Samael chuckled and suddenly lowered his head.

Suddenly, a giant hand emerged from the sand beneath his feet, its five fingers spread wide, and it grabbed him.

"Mochi Giant Hand!"

Bang!

His outstretched fingers suddenly clenched, gripping tightly without leaving the slightest gap.

Doflamingo, who was watching from a distance, was slightly startled. He hadn't even noticed when the ambush had been set up.

Turning our gaze to Katakuri, we noticed a hidden opening had appeared where the spherical dough met the sand.

"So that's how it is. Before he was attacked by Samael, he had already seen the future several seconds in advance and prepared his counterattack and methods."

Doflamingo understood immediately; the ability to Future Sight Observation Haki was indeed remarkable.

However, he didn't think the outcome would be decided so easily, after all, Samael was an Awakening Logia Fruit user.

As if confirming his idea, Samael's intrigued voice came from the clenched giant rice cake hand.

"Hehehe, interesting. You're much better than that useless biscuit kid!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a wisp of eerie green will-o'-the-wisp suddenly ignited in mid-air.

The will-o'-the-wisp quickly transformed into Samael's appearance, who cackled eerily, "Your grandfather is right here."

This scene left Doflamingo completely dumbfounded.

The spherical dough, engulfed by the raging fire, suddenly expanded and exploded with a bang.

Katakuri emerged, his expression cold. "Strange... I should have already captured your true form. Even a Logia, how could you break free in that situation?"

"Foolish humans."

Samael scoffed, as if looking at a new toy, "What makes you think that I, this great one, possess the concept of a 'true self'?"

Upon hearing this, Katakuri was momentarily stunned.

There was no time to think carefully; the attack came in the next instant.

"Fire God's Roar."

Samael opened his mouth and breathed fire; flames as thick as buckets suddenly erupted, shooting out like a straight ray that stretched for thousands of meters.