The moment Big Mom was sent flying, Katakuri's expression darkened.
"That guy Elior… He's more than twenty years younger than me, yet his strength might even surpass Mama's!"
Katakuri was shaken by Elior's overwhelming power.
After all, the might Elior had displayed was terrifyingly beyond reason.
And Katakuri himself — someone even Bullet struggled against — was being pushed to his limits!
BOOM!
At that moment, Bullet's fist drove straight into Katakuri's abdomen with brutal precision.
Even though Katakuri could see a few seconds into the future, predicting Bullet's attacks and defending with his Mochi-Mochi Fruit as if it were Logia-like intangibility, it didn't matter.
Because Bullet could also see the future.
Future sight was simply an advanced application of observation haki, and for someone like Bullet, mastery over such a power was no obstacle.
So when Katakuri predicted Bullet's next move and braced for it, Bullet had already anticipated Katakuri's counter.
His punch landed square in Katakuri's gut, merciless and unrestrained.
Katakuri's face twisted in agony, a surge of heat rising in his throat.
The next second, he was sent hurtling backward.
But before his back could strike the ice, Katakuri thrust out his right hand, forcing his body to twist and crash down on one knee instead.
"Hm? You won't let your back touch the ground?"
It wasn't the first time Bullet had seen this—this was the third.
Of course, Bullet understood.
"For a man to fall on his back… it's a disgrace."
Panting heavily, Katakuri grit his teeth. His back would never touch the ground! Just like Whitebeard's — unmarred by the scars of retreat.
Not far away, Bullet — roughly Katakuri's age — stood like a giant. His talent was monstrous, far beyond Katakuri's.
In raw talent, Bullet was unmatched.
Unlike Katakuri, who had spent half his life fighting on the seas, Bullet had wasted twenty years imprisoned in Impel Down. And even though he trained relentlessly during that time, nothing could match the crucible of real battle.
Compared to Katakuri, Bullet was a true monster.
"It's disgraceful for a man to fall on his back…" Bullet muttered, his grin widening. "But I'll give you this—your resolve makes you worthy as my opponent."
He raised his right hand, gathering countless weapons—blades, spears, guns—into a massive iron fist, coated in Armament Haki.
It resembled Kid's magnetism, but this was the awakened power of Bullet's Clank-Clank Fruit.
His Devil Fruit had awakened some time ago—around the period when Elior was in Wano—but he rarely unleashed its full force.
At least not here. There was no need.
The massive weapon-fist towered larger than Bullet's entire torso, its blackened surface gleaming with Haki.
"Come on, Charlotte Katakuri!"
With a thunderous stomp, Bullet charged forward.
"I will not be defeated!"
Katakuri's eyes blazed with determination. He coated his own massive mochi-formed fists with Armament Haki, his right arm swelling to match Bullet's construct.
In the next instant, the two titans clashed.
BOOOOM!
The shockwave tore through the frozen battlefield, shattering ice for thirty meters in every direction. Chunks of frozen sea erupted skyward, raining back down like shattered glass.
"Brother Katakuri!"
The Charlotte siblings nearby were thrown back by the explosive force, struggling to maintain their footing against the raging winds.
Katakuri's legs sank into the ice, his body straining under the monstrous impact. He gritted his teeth, sweat running down his face—Bullet's raw strength was overwhelming.
"My power may not fall short against Big Mom herself" Bullet sneered, "but as her son, of course you can't compare to me."
Katakuri said nothing. He was Charlotte Katakuri — the undefeated wall, the protector of his siblings.
He could not fall.
BOOM!
But the reality was cruel. No matter how desperately he fought, Katakuri was hurled backward like a stone.
"What conviction… Such strength of will. A man like you has pride befitting the strong."
Even as blood filled his mouth and his vision blurred, Katakuri forced himself upright, skidding to a halt dozens of meters away.
And still, his back never touched the ground.
BOOM!
But before he could recover, Bullet's weapon-fist smashed down on his head.
Katakuri buckled under the crushing weight, the ice fracturing beneath him as he fell to one knee. Blood spilled from his lips, soaking the towel over his mouth.
"Your strength isn't enough to stand against me" Bullet declared. "But… you've earned my respect."
The battle hadn't even lasted two hours, but for Bullet it was already growing dull. And according to Elior's plan, there was no need to slaughter all of Big Mom's subordinates—only the elite mattered.
If the Big Mom Pirates were to be allies, their core fighters had to be preserved.
So even though Bullet's power dwarfed Katakuri's, he still held back.
"Playing with you…"
Katakuri's pale face tightened with grim resolve. The gap between them was enormous. He could barely slow Bullet down, let alone defeat him.
But still, he refused to fight dishonorably.
CRASH!
Bullet's strike sent Katakuri sprawling once more, his massive frame skidding across the frozen ground.
The sight left the Big Mom Pirates and the distant citizens of Totto Land trembling.
Charlotte Katakuri—the invincible brother they worshipped—was being crushed.
It was almost impossible to believe.