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Only by dueling with a powerhouse can one's Haki grow stronger.

Perhaps the reason Arthur had yet to reach a higher level of Haki was because—on the seas, there were very few people left who could be his opponent.

"CLANG!"

The Seven Star Sword was instantly unsheathed, stabbing directly towards Katakuri!

Shimmering with a faint green light, the demonic sword that greatly amplified its wielder's power, combined with Shiryu's own ever-improving strength, was perfectly displayed in that single instant.

The grim sword aura seemed to make the temperature plummet, forcing the surrounding spectators to retreat once again, terrified of being wounded by the aftershocks of the fierce battle.

"It's finally starting..."

"Will this end with the Thunder Emperor being exiled from the New World—or will he defend his title and seize new territory?"

"That sword energy is insane! How the hell is someone this strong flying under the radar??"

One thought after another flashed through their minds. The whispering voices instantly disappeared as they watched, transfixed, the wager that revolved around the vast territories of the New World.

"Ding..."

A crisp sound of metal clashing came from the center of the ring. The shower of sparks made people involuntarily squint their eyes.

Katakuri's hand had continuously morphed, a trident emerging from the soft mochi—successfully blocking Shiryu's slash.

Although the duel had just begun, anyone with a discerning eye could feel that the strength of these two seemed to be on the same level, evenly matched.

"I don't know what other tricks Katakuri has up his sleeve, but Shiryu will definitely win. Big Mom, I'll be claiming that territory now—and I won't be asking nicely," Arthur said, propping his feet up on the round table, a cold smile on his face as he spoke to Big Mom opposite him.

"This is just getting started! Katakuri's going to crush your little subordinate! MAMAMAMAMA!" Big Mom never believed that her most prized son—would lose to Shiryu.

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His first slash was blocked. Shiryu's expression didn't change in the slightest—he remained indifferent. But he could feel that his opponent was a bit stronger than he had imagined.

However, it was precisely because his opponent was strong that the slaughter would be all the more meaningful.

The Seven Star Sword danced in his hand, and the slashes he sent out were like a waterfall, pouring down on Katakuri, his entire body enveloped in the sword energy.

Shiryu's combat intuition was very sharp. Plus, he had already known about the abilities of Katakuri's Mochi-Mochi Fruit in advance—so he left no room for his opponent to defend.

When facing others, Katakuri always maintained a calm and composed appearance, upholding his dignity of having looked down upon the world since birth.

Without a doubt, he was outstanding. So outstanding that he far surpassed most people on the seas. His Devil Fruit ability, Haki strength, and even his use of weapons had almost reached the pinnacle of his craft.

This was a talent that made people jealous—

Some people are born with a starting line that is the finish line for countless others who have striven their entire lives. Katakuri was this kind of person, a naturally extraordinary monster. If one had to count, Arthur also belonged to this category.

But there was another kind of person. Although they couldn't compare to the naturally extraordinary monsters in terms of innate talent, through their own efforts, they could catch up to those monsters—

The former made people envious and jealous. The latter made people admire them. Shiryu was this kind of person.

"CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG!"

The sound of intense collisions echoed from the ring, the dense sounds like raindrops falling on the earth.

Shiryu's terrifying sword slashes were like a torrential downpour, but they were completely ineffective against Katakuri. They were completely broken by the repeated flips of his trident.

Observation Haki could predict movements in advance—allowing for highly efficient attacks and evasions. A person at a higher level could naturally suppress a person at a lower level. No matter how hard the other party attacked—it wouldn't affect them in the slightest.

Katakuri's Observation Haki was clearly higher than Shiryu's, and by more than just a single step.

The situation was not optimistic.

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"Thunder Emperor, your crewmate doesn't seem to be doing so well, does he? You really think you can swagger around with dead weight like that? MAMAMAMAMA!" As if she had found Arthur's weak spot, Big Mom mocked him relentlessly.

Kaido was uncharacteristically silent at this moment, drinking wine in large gulps to relieve his boredom—constantly comparing in his mind who would win in a duel between Jack and Katakuri.

After thinking about it, he concluded that Jack was no match for him. However, he still had two other "All-Stars" who were stronger than Jack.

With this thought, Kaido couldn't be bothered to think anymore—watching the one-on-one duel between the two on the field with great interest.

He wasn't interested in those who were too weak. But a duel of the level of Katakuri and Shiryu was something anyone would be happy to see.

Arthur watched Shiryu gradually fall into a disadvantage, but there was not a trace of worry on his face. He even showed a hint of a sneer.

"Big Mom, I'm ready to take over that territory. And when you lose, I better not hear any excuses."

Arthur was extremely confident in Shiryu's incredibly sharp combat intuition.

Half a month ago, on Raijin Island, Arthur had given Shiryu some pointers, telling him about the top-tier powerhouses in the world, and also about the pinnacle of the three types of Haki and how to counter them.

Observation Haki—Katakuri and Arthur were both at the pinnacle of the sea. They had the most say in this ability.

In the evenly matched duel on the field, Katakuri was under pressure, and his Observation Haki was gradually entering the level of predicting the future.

And how to counter such an unbeatable ability as predicting the future?

It was very simple—make the enemy lose their cool.

The word "Future" represents countless possibilities, which means that the future you see will appear in your mind in a diversified form.

A person with this ability must judge which direction things will develop in next through the every move of all the people, events, and things around them.

Katakuri had only just begun to predict the future. His ability was not yet mature—far from the way he would use it as second nature in the future. He needed to judge where every move of Shiryu would land, to judge what kind of action he would make in the next second.

This was a very, very huge calculation.

A person with insufficient brainpower would be mentally and physically exhausted, even endangering their life. At a critical moment like this, if anyone pushed him over the edge and shattered his focus, how could he still calculate the future??

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"SWISH!!"

A razor-sharp sword slash viciously chopped down on Katakuri's body. His Mochi body was split in two!

"BROTHER!!"

"KATAKURI..."

The people of the Charlotte family were shocked. Even Big Mom couldn't remain calm and shot to her feet.

Just then, a horrifying scene appeared before everyone's eyes. The mochi ball that had been split in two squirmed and directly formed a new Katakuri.

Completely unharmed—

Shiryu, who had made a futile effort, stopped his movements, his brow slightly furrowed, and fell into deep thought.

He had read the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia Arthur had given him and was no stranger to the abilities of the Mochi-Mochi Fruit. It was a special Paramecia, with the entire body turning to mochi, creating an ability similar to a Logia-type Devil Fruit.

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