Facing such a powerful assault, Vivi's pretty face grew stern. "Hah!" she shouted in a low voice, fully activating the power of the Sand-Sand Fruit. "Buzz!"
The land around her began to collapse, rapidly transforming into rolling sand. Even the trees decayed quickly, disintegrating into the swirling sandstorm. Everything around Vivi was turning to sand, showcasing the awakening of her Sand-Sand Fruit abilities.
"Sandstorm!!!" Vivi raised her face and shouted. The combined power of the Sand-Sand Fruit and the Armament Haki she had honed on Amazon Lily erupted fully. A terrifying force turned most of the battlefield into a raging sandstorm.
"Be careful! Use Haki to protect yourselves, and don't let your skin touch the sand!" Katakuri's eyes narrowed as he hurriedly warned his siblings. This was the terror of an Admiral-level Logia user. While Logia users might not dominate in high-end combat power, they were unrivaled in large-scale warfare. Their abilities, once awakened, could easily alter the climate of entire regions, sometimes permanently.
The climate around the battlefield had now become a permanent sandstorm, perfectly controlled by Vivi. As long as the enemy remained in this climate, they would be subjected to constant, indiscriminate attacks. Although Vivi's Armament Haki wasn't strong enough to cover the entire battlefield, the sheer power of her Sand-Sand Fruit was more than enough to challenge all but the strongest opponents like Katakuri and Queen. Even Jack, one of the Three Calamities, could not withstand the onslaught of her abilities at this moment.
The true horror of an Admiral-level Logia user lay in their ability to become a natural disaster.
"Hah!" Katakuri's eyes turned red with concern for his siblings trapped in the sandstorm. His Observation Haki allowed him to sense their current states. Although they weren't in immediate danger, their Haki and physical strength were being rapidly drained. If this continued, they would eventually succumb to the relentless sandstorm.
Katakuri hadn't anticipated the amplified power of Vivi's Sand-Sand Fruit, enhanced by Conis's Vocal Fruit. Normally, the Vocal Fruit enhanced physical attributes like strength, spirit, and speed, but not the power of Devil Fruit abilities. However, this situation defied expectations. Conis's Vocal Fruit seemed to directly amplify Vivi's Devil Fruit powers.
Could this be another instance of Ace's influence? In the Entei incident, Ace had demonstrated abilities surpassing the limits of his Devil Fruit. "All the strong people in the world know this," Katakuri thought. Could the Vocal Fruit have been amplified by Ace in a similar manner?
Katakuri's eyes grew gloomy, but there was no time to ponder the truth. The battlefield demanded his full attention, and he needed to act swiftly to protect his family and turn the tide of this escalating war.
"Hah!" Katakuri's eyes suddenly narrowed with intense focus.
The next moment, "Boom!!!"
He unleashed his Conqueror's Haki with full force, holding nothing back. Though Katakuri's Conqueror's Haki couldn't perform entanglement attacks, the large-scale release was enough to suppress some of the Sand-Sand Fruit's effects.
As Katakuri's Conqueror's Haki spread across the battlefield, the sandstorm climate created by Vivi's Sand-Sand Fruit paused slightly. The storm remained fierce, but this brief respite allowed the Charlotte family members trapped within it a chance to breathe.
The stronger Charlotte family cadres erupted with their own Devil Fruit abilities and Armament Haki, rushing through the sandstorm to rescue their weaker siblings.
"Damn it," Vivi muttered, her face darkening. In the presence of Conqueror's Haki, even if two opponents were of equal strength, the Haki user held a significant advantage. While Conqueror's Haki couldn't be used to directly attack, its full release could restrict Devil Fruit abilities and hinder enemy movements.
Vivi, who had yet to awaken her own Conqueror's Haki, found herself at a disadvantage. Katakuri's relentless Haki gave the Charlotte family members a window to escape her sandstorm. Although her power was formidable, it was just at the threshold of Admiral level. If she possessed Nami's strength, none of these enemies would have escaped.
"Indeed, he is the most powerful masterpiece of the Charlotte family, the vice-captain of the Big Mom Pirates, Charlotte Katakuri," Vivi thought.
But a sly smile crept across her red lips. "Bang!"
Just as the Charlotte family cadres were celebrating their escape, a gunshot rang out. Blood blossomed from Katakuri's abdomen.
"Brother!!!" The Charlotte family cadres screamed in shock as Katakuri was shot.
"What a pity, I was aiming for your heart. As expected of someone who has honed his Observation Haki to the ultimate level. Even with your physical strength and Haki nearly depleted, you still managed to avoid a fatal blow," Nojiko said, her voice filled with regret. She aimed her sniper rifle at Queen, who was now shielding Katakuri.
"Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!" Katakuri knelt on one knee, gasping for breath, his eyes full of determination and anger.
"Black Rose, Nojiko!" he thought, acknowledging her terrifying sniping skills and strong Haki. Nojiko's strength was undoubtedly on par with a mid-level Vice Admiral. Combined with the Door-Door Fruit ability, she posed a threat equivalent to an Admiral candidate.
"Damn, another unexpectedly powerful combatant. The cost of flawed intelligence is too high," Katakuri mused, clutching his bleeding abdomen, his eyes filled with a storm of emotions.
"Hey, kid, stand up quickly. Don't tell me you can't bear this injury." Queen's booming voice echoed as he completed his transformation into a gigantic brachiosaurus.
Dragon Dragon Fruit - Ancient Species - Brachiosaurus Form! Although not as powerful as the Mythical Beast Species, this form was much rarer than the general Zoan types and granted Queen extraordinary vitality. Coupled with his cyborg enhancements, his injuries were insufficient to immobilize him.
"Huh!" Katakuri's eyes twitched slightly as he slowly stood up, clutching his abdomen. Though he didn't possess the Zoan's remarkable recovery abilities, his physical resilience was monstrous. As the strongest creation of the Charlotte family, even a non-fatal abdominal injury wouldn't prevent him from fighting.
The battlefield was a tempest of power and fury, with each side pushing their limits. The Entei Pirates, despite being outnumbered, displayed remarkable coordination and resilience. Their combined abilities and tactical acumen were proving to be a formidable match against the might of the Beasts Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates.
"We need to join forces; otherwise, it will be difficult to approach them," Katakuri said, his eyes filled with determination. He alone couldn't navigate through the sandstorm climate created by the Desert Princess.
"Roar! Annoying sandstorm!" Jack, now a colossal mammoth, waved his massive trunk, attempting to resist the power of the Sand-Sand Fruit. Mammoth Fruit - Ancient Species - Mammoth Form. The three disasters of the Beasts Pirates were all rare ancient species Devil Fruit users.
"Okay! Kill these little girls!" Queen, filled with rage, transformed completely. As one of the Beasts Pirates' top three disasters, he had earned a formidable reputation over the years. Now, being embarrassed by a few young women was an affront to his pride. Reputation was everything to a strong man on the sea, and Queen, despite being a Frankenstein-like figure, valued his greatly.
"Jack, use your ability to create a gap!" Queen roared. Despite Jack's strength not matching his own, the sheer size and durability of his mammoth form made him ideal for breaking through the sandstorm.
"Understood, Brother Queen!" Jack bellowed, his giant trunk stirring the storm violently. His eyes were bloodshot with fury. He had been overlooked and underestimated in this battle, unlike Queen and Katakuri, who had received significant attention. This slight enraged him.
"Dare to look down on me! Who do you think I am!!!" Jack roared, using his massive trunk to break through the sandstorm as he charged toward Vivi and her allies.
Although Jack's performance in the original story had been underwhelming due to facing incredibly strong opponents, his strength was undeniable. As the mammoth, covered in Haki, rushed at full speed, his power was awe-inspiring.
"Roar!!!" Jack roared again, breaking through the sandstorm and rushing at Vivi, Nojiko, and Conis with unstoppable momentum. Behind Jack's enormous form, Katakuri and Queen quickly followed.
"Be trampled into meat paste by me!" Jack bellowed, his eyes blazing with fury and determination. The trio of powerful adversaries surged forward, their combined might threatening to overwhelm Vivi and her comrades. The battle was reaching a fever pitch, with both sides unleashing their full power in a desperate struggle for dominance.
Looking at Vivi, Nojiko, and Conis who were now within striking distance, Jack roared with fierce determination. However, Katakuri sensed that something was amiss.
The Desert Princess, as a user of the Sand-Sand Fruit, could easily turn into sand and evade any attack. Conis and Nojiko, with Nojiko's Door-Door Fruit ability, could also escape at any moment. Despite Vivi's formidable power, her Haki wasn't strong enough to withstand a close combat assault against two ancient Zoan species.
"Buzz!" The red light of Katakuri's Ultimate Observation Haki flared suddenly in his eyes.
"Shit! Get out of the way Jack!" Katakuri roared at Jack, his voice urgent.
"What?!" Jack hesitated slightly at Katakuri's command. At the same time, his beastly instincts, heightened by the ancient Zoan fruit, alerted him to imminent danger. He began to halt his charge.
"Swoosh!" But it was too late. In an instant, a beautiful figure materialized.
"Black Flash!!!!"
"BZT!! BAM!"
"Swoosh!"
Just as Jack's massive mammoth form was about to crash into Vivi, Nojiko, and Conis, a striking figure appeared before him. Kaya's right hand struck Jack with incredible force.
The impact caused her body to tremble violently, her muscles deforming and making gruesome tearing sounds. Her bones audibly cracked, the noise echoing ominously.
With that strike, Kaya's entire body seemed to collapse: muscles tearing, bones breaking, and internal organs shattering. Amidst this collapse, a tremendous force surged from her broken body.
Her entire being was enveloped in Armament Haki, amplifying the devastating energy. With a sharp thrust of her right hand, the violent energy roared out, her golden hair billowing dramatically with the movement.
Despite the beauty of the scene, in Jack's eyes, it was the arrival of death.
"Black Flash!!!"
"Boom!!!"
"Puff!"
With Kaya's cry, the terrifying energy exploded against Jack's mammoth body. The sheer force of the attack tore through his muscles, bones, and internal organs, mixed with the powerful Armament Haki. The lethality of this strike was immense, even surpassing the White Tiger Gales of Gion. Blood spewed from Jack's mouth, his once fierce eyes now rolled back, completely white.
"Boom!"
The massive mammoth body collapsed heavily, without a sound.
"Jack!!!" Queen's voice echoed in shock as he witnessed Jack fall unconscious instantly.
"The doctor of the Entei Pirates, 'Fallen Doctor' Kaya!" Katakuri's scalp tingled as he recognized the figure. How could she be so powerful? With one blow, Jack the Drought, one of the Beasts Pirates' top officers, was rendered unconscious.
If not for the extraordinary vitality granted by his ancient Zoan Devil Fruit, Jack would likely have been killed by that single attack. Kaya's "Black Flash" Was Extremely Potent!
Another Admiral-level combatant!
Katakuri's heart sank as he saw Kaya standing alongside Vivi. Facing one Admiral-level opponent was daunting enough, but two, especially with one being a Logia user like Vivi, was overwhelming.
The odds were bleak. Despite their numbers, the combined might of the Entei Pirates' officers was proving too formidable. The battlefield had shifted dramatically, and the once confident alliance of the Beasts Pirates and Big Mom Pirates was now staring at a potential crushing defeat.
"Buzz!"
In an instant, the entire battlefield was filled with yellow spots of light. These dazzling spots of light quickly spread and merged into the bodies of Hancock, Nami, and Gion, rapidly restoring their physical strength and healing the injuries they had sustained from their clashes with the two Four Emperors, Kaido and Charlotte Linlin.
The healing fruit ability, a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit, had awakened!
"Crack! Crack!"
As the yellow dots merged with Kaya's body, her previously torn muscles, broken bones, and shattered internal organs were instantly restored. However, the slight sweat on her forehead indicated the considerable price she had to pay for this miraculous recovery.
For Kaya, whose healing fruit power had been awakened, the most challenging aspect of using the Black Flash move was not the physical damage to her muscles, bones, and internal organs. Her awakened healing fruit power granted her a recovery ability even more formidable than that of an awakened Zoan Devil Fruit user. However, this power came at a cost. The immense pain caused by the instantaneous tearing and breaking of her body placed a significant burden on her spirit. If the pain exceeded Kaya's tolerance threshold, she would fall into a coma. Currently, Kaya could only use the Black Flash move three times before reaching her limit. Until those three attacks were executed, she was an even more formidable Admiral-level combatant than Gion.
"So that's it. Using the power of the healing fruit and medical technology, you can forcibly break the body's limits, paying the price of breaking all your muscles, bones, and internal organs to launch a desperate attack? Terrifying woman, the 'Fallen Doctor.'"
Katakuri, with his Observation Haki practiced to its pinnacle, saw through the secret of Kaya's Black Flash. His ability to foresee short-term future events revealed the intricacies of her technique. Despite the severe price, Admiral-level combat power remained formidable. Bypassing the body's self-protection mechanisms and forcibly unleashing its full strength was something even the Four Emperors couldn't achieve. Only the 'Fallen Doctor,' with her unparalleled medical skills, could fight this way.
Katakuri's expression grew solemn. He knew he couldn't afford to take a direct hit from such an attack. Jack's Elephant Fruit-Ancient Species-Mammoth Form provided top-tier defense even among the rare ancient species, yet he had been nearly killed by Kaya's strike. A direct hit from this attack would have been fatal even for him.
"'Fallen Doctor'? I don't like this name. I prefer to be called 'Black Flash' Kaya."
Kaya lifted her golden hair and smiled slightly. The name of this move, Black Flash, was given to her by Ace. Only a name bestowed by Ace was worthy of being her title.
"'Black Flash'? A terrifying move," Katakuri thought, his mind racing. The battlefield had become a place where even the most powerful warriors had to tread carefully, and the Entei Pirates' strength was proving overwhelming.