One Piece: A Warlord's Path

Chapter 920: Chapter 920: Charlotte Katakuri!

RUMBLE! RUMBLE!

A violent shockwave swept outward, causing large sections of the spacious lawn balcony and the fifth-floor rooms to collapse. As massive boulders plummeted toward the ground, Aeridar quickly tightened his grip on Pudding’s waist and took to the skies.

"Quick! Get back!"

"The balcony is collapsing!"

The officers and Chess Soldiers gathered on the fifth floor scrambled backward in a panic, desperate to avoid falling with the crumbling masonry.

"Candy Maiden: Decoration!!!"

Seeing Aeridar take flight, Perospero immediately manipulated the sea of violet-red syrup in the sky. It rapidly solidified into a massive, beast-like Candy Iron Maiden perched atop the castle roof.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

The next moment, the spiked Candy Maiden unhinged its maw, firing a barrage of thick, conical spikes taller than a man. They whistled through the air, streaking toward the airborne Aeridar.

"Watch out!" Pudding screamed at the sight.

"Child’s play!"

Aeridar scoffed. He extended a single hand, releasing a burst of intense pressure that compressed the air in front of him into a visible, transparent wall.

Impact Wall!

The massive spikes slammed into the barrier but suddenly seemed to hit a giant spiderweb. Their high-speed momentum died instantly, leaving them suspended in the air two meters from Aeridar, looking as if they were stuck in frozen time.

Suddenly, a tall man with short crimson hair and a white, flower-like donut scarf appeared beside Perospero. His expression was cold and aloof, his physique lean yet powerful with long legs and pink tattoos snaking across his left arm and torso. His attire screamed "Dark Metal" biker chic.

The man’s eyes sharpened. He swung his leg out in a horizontal sweep; mid-swing, the limb stretched and expanded into a long, elastic metal-like cylinder. With blistering speed, the pillar smashed through the dozen frozen candy spikes and shattered Aeridar’s Impact Wall in one clean motion.

A gale-force wind followed the strike, sharp as a blade. Aeridar, still holding Pudding, glided backward dozens of meters to evade the follow-up.

"Tch... the ’Man Whose Back Never Touched the Ground,’ huh? Looks like a real headache just showed up." Aeridar let out a light huff, but his eyes narrowed with newfound gravity.

He could laugh off most Big Mom officers, he had sent even a Sweet Commander like Cracker flying with a single punch. But this man was different.

The crown jewel of the Big Mom Pirates, leader of the Three Sweet Commanders, a man with an undefeated record hailed as the Charlotte Family’s greatest masterpiece, with a bounty exceeding one billion berries—Charlotte Katakuri!

The second son of the family and Minister of Flour, he carried a staggering bounty of 1,057,000,000 berries. He was a user of the Special Paramecia-type Mochi-Mochi Fruit.

Like his mother, Big Mom, he possessed Conqueror’s Haki.

And like Aeridar, his Observation Haki had reached the pinnacle: the ability to see the future.

"K-Katakuri-nii!" Pudding stammered, shrinking back and clinging tightly to Aeridar.

"Golden Ring Aeridar!"

Katakuri cast a brief, lingering glance at Pudding in Aeridar’s arms before fixing a deep, piercing stare on the man himself. "Return Pudding," he said, his voice a low, heavy rumble. "If you do, I will grant you leave to go. I will even do my best to convince Mama not to punish her."

While surprised by Pudding’s betrayal, he understood it. How could a nameless prince from the Germa Kingdom compare to the man standing before her?

If this man weren’t already married, and if not for Mama’s strict rules, he would have been the perfect match for Pudding and the best possible ally for the Big Mom Pirates.

"Pudding’s actions are already a betrayal of your crew. Convincing Big Mom to forgive a traitor... Katakuri, knowing her as you do, do you honestly think that’s possible?" Aeridar let out a mocking laugh.

Katakuri lowered his gaze, falling into a tense silence. A powerful aura began to leak from his frame, condensed but ready to explode. He knew Aeridar was right. With Mama’s temperament, even her own flesh and blood would find no mercy for betrayal.

After a moment, Katakuri’s eyes flashed with a sharp light. "Golden Ring Aeridar, I’ve wanted to face you for a long time. They say you’re the second Red-Haired Shanks. Ever since I saw you stop Mama during our last encounter, I’ve been looking forward to this."

To Katakuri, fighting the strong was a source of thrill. He feared no one.

"I’ve wanted to face you too. I heard you’ve never lost. Well, today’s the day we fix that record!" Aeridar smiled calmly, though a fierce battle-lust ignited in his eyes.

He reached out his hand. A massive chunk of the castle’s broken outer wall rose into the air, hovering beside him.

"Wait up there. I’ll come get you in a bit."

Aeridar placed Pudding on the three-meter-wide floating stone and gave her hair a reassuring pat.

"Okay... be careful!" Pudding nodded obediently, her voice laced with worry.

"Don’t worry. I never lose."

With a confident grin, Aeridar waved his hand, sending the stone platform carrying Pudding high into the sky, well away from the impending chaos.

Seeing Pudding moving out of reach, Katakuri frowned. He kicked off the roof, lunging into the air.

"Candy Escalator!"

Simultaneously, Perospero waved his candy wand. The massive Candy Maiden behind him melted instantly into a torrent of syrup that solidified into a flight of purple stairs beneath Katakuri’s feet, extending rapidly into the sky.

"Pudding, you’re staying here!"

As Katakuri sprinted up the purple steps, his wrist split open. A pale, doughy mochi substance spat out his long trident, Mogura. Gripping the weapon, he blurred toward Pudding.

BOOM!

Suddenly, the stairs in front of Katakuri shattered. Candy shards sprayed everywhere as a silhouette burst from below, intercepting Katakuri with a three-punch volley.

Katakuri reacted instantly, thrusting his trident. Mogura struck the center of the oncoming fist like a lightning bolt.

CLANG—!

The deafening collision shook the air like a giant bronze bell. A visible ripple of distorted space expanded from the point of impact, followed by a violent atmospheric gale that swept the clouds away.

For a heartbeat, the world seemed to lose its color, turning to monochrome as streaks of black and red lightning crackled through the air. The terrifying pressure of the clash struck the hearts of everyone below. Homies collapsed in heaps, their souls dimming, and even some officer-level members fell unconscious, their eyes rolling back.

"A clash of Conqueror’s Haki!"

"Get back! Katakuri-sama and Aeridar are fighting above!"

"That single strike... that’s not a level we can interfere with!"

"Dammit! That Golden Ring bastard!"

The unaffected Homies were frozen in terror, and the remaining conscious officers retreated in fear. Only a handful of the truly powerful members managed to hold their ground.

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