Chapter 661: A Full-On Brawl
For many people, making a move on Whole Cake Island, the heart of the BIG MOM Pirates' territory, would require immense courage. But Ian was definitely not one of them.
Even back when his strength wasn't as great, Ian had dared to set fires in the Holy Land Mary Geoise, the seat of the World Government and the Celestial Dragons. Now, on this Whole Cake Island, he felt no pressure at all.
This was a mindset of a strong person that grew with time. Without some boldness, how could one become an Emperor?
Katakuri had managed to save the others, but just as the flames disappeared and before he could check on everyone's condition, he heard another massive roar!
Boom! That was the sound of a sonic boom. After unleashing his attack, Ian manifested black Flame Wings behind him, instantly accelerating and charging straight at Katakuri at supersonic speed.
At such a short distance, charging at supersonic speed, Ian's arrival was incredibly fast. Almost the moment Katakuri heard the sonic boom, a flash of black light was already slashing toward his face.
The blade of Thousand Cherry Blossoms, coated in Armament Haki, locked onto Katakuri completely under Ian's swing, leaving him no room to dodge. He could only raise his arms, crossing them in front of his face, and use his own Armament Haki to block Ian's slash.
As the strongest son under BIG MOM, Katakuri's Armament Haki was equally formidable. When Ian's blade struck his arms, it produced a metallic clang, sparks flying everywhere.
Both of their Armament Haki were at a high level, so for a moment, it seemed like a stalemate.
Crack, crack, crack. Katakuri was pushed backward by the immense force of Ian's strike, the ground beneath his feet shattering as his shoes carved two grooves into it. He slid nearly a meter before finally neutralizing the force.
Ian withdrew his blade, then increased his Psychic Power output, strengthening the Armament Haki on the blade, and slashed down at Katakuri again.
Katakuri, not backing down, gritted his teeth and punched toward Ian. The Armament Haki on his fist gleamed like black oil, clashing head-on with Ian's blade.
Clang! Another ear-piercingly loud sound erupted. A powerful shockwave burst from the center of their clash, blasting the nearby onlookers so hard they could barely keep their eyes open.
"Swift Sword: Crescent Moon!"
Ian changed his slash from a downward chop to an upward sweep, carving a sharp arc in front of him. The black, gleaming blade traced a crescent moon-like glow in the air, leaving a deep gash across Katakuri's abdomen.
But Katakuri's abdomen wasn't injured at all. Using his powerful Observation Haki, he had foreseen Ian's strike and quickly altered his body's structure, turning it into mochi and splitting it apart in advance. So, Ian's slash essentially missed him.
At the same time, Katakuri's arm suddenly stretched out, curved around, and struck at Ian's head from behind.
However, before his fist could hit Ian, Katakuri was startled and quickly retracted his arm. The next second, Ian's Flame Wings behind him expanded violently, blazing up and blocking the path of Katakuri's incoming fist.
Katakuri had Observation Haki, but so did Ian. With his Psychic Field's perception, it wasn't easy for Katakuri to land a hit on Ian either.
Black flames surged up the blade. Ian swung the Evil King Flame Slayer Sword and unleashed nine slashes at Katakuri in an instant!
This was a technique he had developed himself, the Seven Flash Sword Technique, but now, with his increased speed, he could deliver even more slashes in an instant. He hadn't used this move in a long time. As his swordsmanship improved, one slash was often enough to take down an enemy, so there was no need for flashier techniques.
These nine instantaneous slashes targeted the most vulnerable spots on Katakuri's body. This time, Ian also infused the blade with flames, wanting to see how Katakuri would use his Observation Haki to dodge in advance.
The flame edge of the Evil King Flame Slayer Sword wasn't so easy to judge in terms of attack range...
When Ian launched his attack, Katakuri's eyes narrowed. In the future he saw, he couldn't dodge these nine slashes... more precisely, he could dodge the blades, but the flames on them would burn him!
However, Katakuri was a highly experienced fighter. Realizing he couldn't avoid the flame edge, he decisively created nine mochi lumps at the points where Ian's blade would strike, blocking the nine slashes.
These nine mochi lumps bulged out from his body like bumps. As the Evil King Flame Slayer Sword passed through them, they instantly turned to charcoal. But Katakuri promptly severed them from his body, discarding the nine charred lumps.
His Mochi-Mochi Fruit was a rather unique Paramecia. Its uniqueness lay in having both the fluidity of a Logia and the creation ability of a Paramecia. These nine mochi lumps were created by him, not part of his actual body.
Seeing Katakuri's countermeasure, Ian was a bit surprised. He hadn't expected Katakuri to deal with his attack like that.
The power of fire inherently countered many abilities—that was undeniable. Ace's Flame-Flame Fruit was a prime example. As long as it didn't encounter a few specific fruits that countered it, the Flame-Flame Fruit had overwhelming power.
If that was true for Ace, Ian's flames were even more so. Especially since the abilities of the BIG MOM Pirates mostly revolved around food—Mochi-Mochi Fruit, Cream-Cream Fruit, Lick-Lick Fruit—and fire was used for cooking. In a way, Ian's flames had a natural advantage over them.
Katakuri seemed to understand this. It was clear that he was being very careful in their fight, constantly avoiding contact with Ian's flames.
With a leap, Katakuri distanced himself from Ian. After landing, he crouched down, placed his hands on the ground, and activated his Awakened ability.
The entire ground suddenly turned soft, undulating like waves. Katakuri had turned the ground into mochi. Ian, unable to keep his footing, immediately flew up. But under Katakuri's control, the mochi on the ground also shot up, wrapping around Ian's legs.
Ian's legs were instantly entangled. A tremendous force tried to pull him back to the ground. Ian's feet erupted with black flames, burning the mochi binding his ankles to ash.
But destroying the mochi had no effect on Katakuri. As soon as it was burned away, another mochi rope shot up from the ground, aiming for Ian's waist.
It felt like a relentless, clingy assault...
Katakuri seemed to be trying to limit Ian's offense this way, but the next second, he realized his mistake!
Ian's flame ability suddenly transformed into lightning. A massive current exploded, traveling down the mochi rope binding him to the ground, then shooting toward Katakuri's hands on the floor.
Slow to describe, but it happened in an instant. The speed of electricity was far faster than sound. Katakuri couldn't even withdraw his hands in time and was hit directly!
Crack! A loud sound echoed in the air. Katakuri's entire body was sent flying by the powerful current!
Someone might ask: Does mochi conduct electricity?
Exactly. Because mochi contains moisture, it stays sticky and soft. And as long as there's moisture, it conducts electricity!
After landing, Katakuri couldn't get up. Ian's sudden switch to lightning power—he had actually foreseen it, but his reaction couldn't keep up. The current traveled too fast.
Katakuri's high-level Observation Haki allowed him to foresee a short future, which was almost a broken ability. But he still couldn't escape the core principle of Observation Haki battles: speed. Foreseeing it was useless if he couldn't react in time.
The powerful current surged through his body, causing an electrothermal effect. Since Katakuri's body was mochi, the heat from the electricity softened him, leaving him limp. Mochi becomes softer when heated.
This was completely different from being burned by high-temperature flames. Flames were so hot they would turn mochi to charcoal, but the electrothermal effect only softened him...
Katakuri lay on the ground, his entire body expanded like a pile of mud. Though he wasn't dead, recovering would require him to cool down first.
In this state, his control over his body naturally diminished. He tried to struggle and push himself up, but he was shaky and unsteady.
Nearby, Perospero and Cracker hadn't even reacted yet. Ian and Katakuri's exchange had only lasted about ten seconds. They never expected that the two, who seemed evenly matched moments ago, would see a sudden reversal after a single move.
In midair, freed from the mochi rope, the bandage on Ian's right arm had disappeared, revealing the black dragon pattern. Still in battle mode, Ian didn't hesitate and unleashed the Black Dragon Wave at Katakuri below!
Roar! The raging black dragon, freed from Ian's arm, lunged at Katakuri with claws bared, filling the air with a scorching, burnt smell.
"Ah!!! Brother Katakuri!!" The children of the Charlotte family screamed at the sight.
Perospero reacted quickly. He used his ability to erect a solid candy barrier in front of Katakuri. But against the intense heat of the Black Dragon Wave, he didn't know how much good a wall of candy syrup would do!
Just then, just as the Black Dragon Wave was about to hit the candy barrier, a voice suddenly rang out.
"Elbaf Spear: Hakoku!!"
Whoosh! A massive beam of sword light shot in with the voice, colliding head-on with Ian's Black Dragon Wave!
Under the immense power of this sword light, the Black Dragon Wave was completely shattered. The enormous sword light continued undiminished, charging toward Ian in midair!
BIG MOM had arrived...