The sound of rhythmic footsteps echoed across the splintered deck. Katakuri looked up to see Yamato approaching slowly, her spiked club crackling with lingering arcs of lightning.
"I didn't expect you to take that head-on. I thought you'd try your best to dodge. Was I simply too fast for you to avoid?" Yamato asked, a beaming smile on her face.
Katakuri's expression darkened. This woman was incredibly arrogant. It was his first time encountering someone so bold, but he had to admit her strength was terrifying. Looking at her, he almost felt like he was seeing a shadow of his own mother, Big Mom.
"Also, Katakuri, where did your Conqueror's Haki go? Are you saving it for a special occasion?" Yamato teased, tilting her head curiously.
"Shut up!" Katakuri barked. Reddish-black lightning suddenly burst from his body as his Conqueror's Haki erupted in a violent wave.
The powerful shockwave surged toward Yamato, but she didn't flinch. Instead, she seemed to relish the challenge. "That's more like it! Why have such a gift if you aren't going to use it? You can't take it with you, after all."
As she spoke, Yamato released her own Conqueror's Haki.
The two invisible forces collided, but the struggle was completely one-sided. Katakuri's spirit was utterly suppressed by Yamato's overwhelming will.
This woman's Haki... how can it be this potent? Katakuri found it hard to believe. Her resolve was massive, easily comparable to the Yonko themselves. It was simply incredible.
"Katakuri, it seems your Haki is far inferior to mine. In that case, let's just get back to the fighting. That's much more interesting!" Yamato stomped her foot, and the deck beneath her exploded into splinters.
She shot forward like a cannonball, closing the distance for another Thunder Bagua. "What will you do now? Can you still rely on Observation Haki to dodge this?"
"Stop being so full of yourself, Yamato!" Katakuri's temper finally flared as he braced himself to meet her head-on once again.
Boom!
With just a single exchange, Katakuri was sent flying across the ship.
"Damn it..." He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, frustrated. He hadn't expected to feel so helpless against someone much younger than himself.
Footsteps echoed again as Yamato walked toward him. Her golden pupils were as dazzling as the sun, and her entire body radiated a ferocious, predatory aura. Katakuri felt a chill run down his spine, a primal instinct warning him that he was facing a top-tier apex predator.
"Katakuri, as you are now, you cannot harm me," Yamato said, stopping a few paces away.
"What are you trying to say? Are you just here to show off?" Katakuri stood up straight, forced his breathing to steady, and took a fighting stance.
Yamato shook her head. "No. My strength doesn't need to be shown off, because I am strength itself."
Hearing this, Katakuri felt a sudden urge to retort. She was incredibly narcissistic. Could a woman's skin really be this thick?
"Katakuri, did you know? Conqueror's Haki can also be infused into your attacks," Yamato said, gripping her club and raising it high.
Instantly, reddish-black lightning burst forth, wrapping around the weapon like threads of dark silk. A terrifying aura rushed at him, causing Katakuri's pupils to shrink in realization.
"What do you mean? Infusing Conqueror's...?" Yamato's words echoed in Katakuri's mind like a warning bell.
Before he could process the thought, his vision went dark, and he could only vaguely see the flicker of lightning.
Boom!
Katakuri was sent spiraling backward before he could even blink. He smashed through a thick, already broken mast and crashed straight into the second one.
Crack!
The second mast collapsed under the impact.
"Gah..." Katakuri was covered in blood, his head spinning as his consciousness began to slip into the abyss. Damn it... have I actually been defeated? He struggled with every fiber of his being to keep from passing out.
The footsteps returned. Yamato walked over and saw that Katakuri's eyelids were still twitching. "Impressive, truly impressive. You still refuse to lose consciousness?"
Hearing her voice, Katakuri forced his eyes open and struggled to his feet.
"Move, damn it! Move!" he growled, his face contorted with effort.
Finally, the man stood up staggeringly. Even though he was battered and bleeding, he still maintained a certain level of grace. He looked at Yamato, panting heavily and revealing his sharp, unusual teeth.
Thud!
Yamato planted her spiked club on the deck. She looked at him with growing admiration. This man was truly exceptional.
"Katakuri, sit down. Let's talk," Yamato said, sitting cross-legged on the deck.
Katakuri watched her, puzzled. Though confused by her sudden change in tone, he sat down with great difficulty. "What exactly do you want?"
"Nothing much. I just wanted to meet you," Yamato replied with a chuckle.
"This is our first time meeting. Why go to such lengths?"
"I told you before—we're very similar. You're Big Mom's son, and I'm Kaido's daughter. We both inherited their incredible talent, and our Haki is the best proof of that."
Yamato leaned forward slightly. "It's just that I hate my own idiot old man and I can't stand the way he does things. What about you, Katakuri? Do you actually like your mother?"
Katakuri fell silent. To be honest, he didn't like Big Mom. She treated all of her children as mere tools for her empire. Even their fathers were discarded once they were no longer useful. Charlotte Linlin was a monster who only valued power and bloodlines.
"It seems you don't like the one at your home either," Yamato noted. "Katakuri, I've heard the legends. They say you climbed onto a chair to sit by yourself when you were only a year old, and that your back has never once touched the ground—that you even sleep face down. Is any of that actually true?"
Katakuri's face instantly flushed with embarrassment. How did she know about those ridiculous stories?
"Haha, I guess those were just rumors then," Yamato laughed, seeing his reaction.
"I never told the world those things. They were spread without my permission," Katakuri muttered defensively.
Yamato nodded understandingly. "I get it. But you didn't correct them because you wanted to use that image to intimidate your enemies. You did it to protect your younger siblings, didn't you?"
She sighed softly, her gaze drifting toward the sea. "Unfortunately, I'm all alone. I don't have any blood-related siblings, so it's hard for me to truly understand that feeling."