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[M.F.S] Ch 176: The Strongest
🕑 Added 2025-04-12 18:18:07 +0000 UTC— — — — — —
Whoosh!
With a flick of his wrist, Katakuri spun his trident.
His eyes gleamed with a different light. "Well then…"
"Gurararara."
Edward laughed heartily. "Let's go!"
Katakuri and Edward—They both moved at the exact same moment.
The ground cracked apart. The sky shook violently.
The area around them was split and torn asunder.
"You gotta be kidding!"
"Are they trying to kill everyone here?!" A pirate said, looking at the scene.
Everything within a kilometer was swallowed by the overwhelming presence.
An insane pressure surged out in all directions.
Intentional or not—That monstrous Haki was completely out of control.
Armament Haki. Conqueror's Haki. Observation Haki.
The three types of Haki exploded from both of them, each one pushed to the limit.
Katakuri dodged Edward's devastating Murakumogiri slash and shouted, "Whitebeard! You're too open with those wide swings—attacks like that are useless!"
As he spoke, his trident blurred like an illusion.
And not just that—As his assault continued, the ground trembled slightly. Earth Spikes and bubbles burst forth from the ground, responding to his power.
"Oh?" Edward raised an eyebrow, but didn't flinch in the slightest.
Whoosh!
With a mighty sweep of his massive blade, Murakumogiri, he cleared away every attack in an instant.
Then—He brought it down with the force of a mountain. "Interesting! That weapon of yours… it's got some kind of special power, huh?"
Katakuri didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
Spiritual weapons—weren't exactly rare in Totto Land. It was invented in the past four years, and his trident got the power of an Earth Dragon.
Edward didn't care that Katakuri didn't respond. He wasn't the type to overthink.
All that mattered was—Fighting!
Clang!!!
Katakuri's trident swept sideways, clashing hard against Edward's mighty downward strike.
But—
"Ugh!" Katakuri let out a grunt as the force shook through his arms.
That power—It was insane.
No way around it.
Edward was a solid Silver Rank 5 in terms of pure strength.
Katakuri? Only Silver Rank 3.
Even with all his trump cards, his foundation wasn't perfect.
Fighting across a two-rank gap wasn't impossible…But it was tough, especially if it was Whitebeard.
Still—Hard didn't mean hopeless.
Clang! Clang! Crack!
Their weapons clashed at high speed.
Edward's attacks were wild and powerful—like a berserker on the battlefield.
Katakuri's style shifted constantly—sometimes fierce and direct, other times light and swift.
The difference in their styles was crystal clear.
Katakuri thought to himself, 'No wonder Big Bro spoke so highly of this man... His strength is unbelievable.'
He remembered—One time, during a conversation with Big Mom…
Linlin had been asked, "Who's the strongest in this era right now?"
Shiki? Roger? Sengoku? Garp? Zephyr? Patrick Redfield?
All monsters are in their own right.
But she said no.
The strongest…Was Edward. The man known as Whitebeard.
He had the strength worthy of the title "strongest," no doubt about it.
But he never chased after fame or glory. All he cared about was his family.
Now Katakuri understood why his mom said that.
---
Whoosh~
Katakuri took a quick step back.
"Heh…" A smile crept onto his face.
"You really are the man called the strongest! Whitebeard… your strength is terrifying."
"Gurarararara~"
Edward laughed. "Strongest? Pfft! What a joke. I don't give a damn about that title. It's meaningless. None of those other guys would even recognize it!"
"Now—are you giving up or what, kid?"
Katakuri shook his head. "Quite the opposite. Facing a man like you… if I don't go all out, I'd be disrespecting you."
"So get ready—because from here on out, I'm done holding back!"
Edward stood tall. "Bring it! Let me see just how strong the so-called 'future strongest' really is!"
No denying it—In this era, Edward's power might only be slightly stronger than the others…
But that "slight" difference—Was more than enough to call him the Strongest of Today.
And Katakuri?
He was the one the world believed in. The one the sea whispered about.
The Strongest of Tomorrow.
Give it twenty years—Katakuri would definitely be the strongest man alive.
This was it—The Future's Strongest…vs The Present's Strongest!
A clash worthy of going down in history across the seas.
...
Katakuri let out a deep breath.
His aura began to calm.
The battlefield itself seemed to quiet with him.
For a moment—Everything went still.
No one could tell—What had just happened?
No one knew.
But one thing was clear—The real battle was only just beginning.
Suddenly!
Katakuri stomped the ground and dashed forward.
Whoosh!
Countless mochi balls shot out from the ground around them.
They converged—forming sharp spikes laced with Armament Haki.
All of them rained down toward Edward.
"Rainfall Mochi!"
"Hah!" Edward didn't even flinch.
With a single sweep—
Murakumogiri slashed in a perfect arc, like a full moon slicing through the sky.
SHING!!!
It was over in a blink.
All the mochi spikes were cleanly cut.
But—
Katakuri had already closed the gap.
His arm spun at high speed, his trident, Mogura, ready to pierce.
"Mochi Thrust!"
"Skyquake: Gekishin!"
The trident came down hard.
Edward met it with a solid punch right at the impact point.
CRACK!
The air shattered like glass—exploding outward in all directions.
CRASH!
Everything nearby was pulverized from the sheer shockwave.
They locked eyes—but in the next instant, Katakuri dropped to the ground.
"Unstoppable Donuts—Yamata-no-Orochi!!"
"ROAR!!"
From a series of floating donuts in the air, a monstrous eight-headed snake burst out.
This time—It wasn't like the old version that had eight dragon heads and one snake tail.
Now—Eight small donuts floated above, thin threads connecting them.
Together, they formed the terrifying shape of the Yamata-no-Orochi.
A ghostly, deathly shadow flickered behind Katakuri— and fused right into the massive serpent.
"ROAAARRR!!!"
In an instant— The Orochi's eight heads, sixteen glowing eyes— lit up with an ominous purple glow.
That was a new ability that Katakuri had created to combine his Devil Fruit with his Stand: Invincible Death!!!
Edward narrowed his eyes.
"…What was that just now?" he muttered. "That's not a Devil Fruit power… more like… a secret ability of the Charlotte family. Something unique to their bloodline."
That invisible entity...That unseeable power...
For four years—People across the seas have been trying to figure it out.
But no one ever got close.
A hidden ability? Some weird lineage power?
No one knows. It's a complete mystery.
But one thing's for sure—Edward knew this wasn't just some regular Devil Fruit trick.
No way.
Not far away—With his Observation Haki, Edward could sense it.
In the fight between Jozu and Oven—
Oven also had one of those strange shadows near him.
Clearly—Only members of the Charlotte family have these things.
Some have it, some don't.
Edward looked at Katakuri and suddenly asked, "That invisible figure… the one that can only be sensed with Observation Haki… That's your family's special power, isn't it? Something unique to the Charlotte bloodline?"
"Oh?"
Katakuri raised an eyebrow, completely unfazed.
But that subtle reaction—Was enough to confirm everything for Edward.
He was right.
Whoosh!
Katakuri shot forward like a bullet, eyes sharp. "Whitebeard—how about you stop running your mouth and start thinking about how to win instead?!"
"Unstoppable Donuts!"
"Nine-Headed Mochi!"
Nine powerful arms formed all at once, smashing down at Edward.
At the same time—The Yamata no Orochi launched its attack, locking its deadly gaze onto him.
Edward didn't even think about taking the hit head-on.
His Observation Haki screamed at him.
That Orochi's attack… was lethal.
If it landed, it would be fatal.
A one-hit kill.
Edward narrowed his eyes, "That ability's insanely dangerous… Is it designed to kill in one blow? Then…"
...
On the other side of the battle
"ROOOOAR!!" Oven let out a wild roar, his entire body erupting with flames and steam.
His fists clenched, and he hammered down toward Jozu.
"Heatwave Inferno!"
The very air around them ignited, like it was about to burn the whole world down.
Jozu didn't flinch—he charged right back in.
And at that moment—
"Airquake!" "Earthquake!"
Edward slammed his fists out to both sides.
CRACK!!!
The nine mochi heads were completely shattered.
Then—
The ground began to quake violently.
The Yamata no Orochi, caught in the upheaval, began to crumble along with the shattering earth.
Eventually—
That ghostly figure, "Invincible Death", returned to Katakuri's side.
"Whew…" Edward exhaled slowly, and muttered, "So that's it… Now I get it. You and that brat Oven both have these unique entities. Your power is a one-hit kill, and his manipulates fire."
Clearly—
Whitebeard, the future Yonko, wasn't some mindless brute who only knew how to swing punches.
He had brains—And in the heat of battle, he'd already figured out their Stand-like abilities.
Whoosh!
Katakuri calmly flicked his trident and said, "No need to hide it. You're right—this is our power, and I've got no reason to deny it. But even if you do know…"
Clap.
He stepped forward, Invincible Death manifesting beside him.
His eyes sharpened like blades.
"I have power so terrifying, even the gods would hesitate to face it. Wanna see for yourself?"
The killing intent in his eyes made one thing clear—
He wasn't bluffing.
If Edward dared try anything reckless…
He wouldn't hold back.
Edward shot back without hesitation, "Don't kid yourself! I ain't some dumbass. That power of yours has a super small range. Why the hell would I just stand there and let it hit me?!"
"Then let's find out!"
"Unstoppable Donuts!"
"Unstoppable Handclap Mochi!"
"HAH!"
Edward's hands lit up with the power of Airquake as he slammed the space around him.
BOOM!!
The air exploded.
Katakuri charged in again, refusing to let up.
"Mochi Tsunami Strike!"
Giant arms surged forth, wrapped in Armament Haki—And even more terrifying, they were laced with Conqueror's Haki.
This time—
Katakuri was going all out.
One devastating blow after another came crashing down.
Edward's eyes gleamed sharply, scanning every movement—
Then—
"Airquake!"
"Naginata Rasetsu!"
"And that…"
"Is your weakness, little Katakuri!"
Katakuri's crimson eyes flared, and in the blink of an eye—
He dodged countless attacks and appeared right in front of Edward.
With a flick of his wrist—
SWOOSH!!!
His trident swept forward—And at the same time—
Invincible Death struck from above. Heavy sword from the right, light blade from the left—
No way to dodge.
If this landed—It would be certain death.
"Gurararararararara~!"
Edward let out a wild laugh."You brat! Don't underestimate me! Observation Haki that lets you peek into the future? You think that alone is enough to take me down?!"
A strange, rumbling boom echoed out…
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