Chapter 357: A Blinding Strike, Fighting on Two Fronts  

The moment BIG MOM stood frozen, Roman had already turned into a flash of light and lunged at her! 

On his sword, black Inazuma sparks jumped into the air! 

Armament Haki, 

Cover, Release, Compress— 

This is the highest-level Armament Haki technique that Garp possesses. Unlike others who simply cover their fists, feet, or swords with Haki, or release Haki outwardly, Garp uses his top-tier Haki by 'releasing' and then compressing it back into his fists, turning it into a non-human technique that covers his fists with a layer of Armament Haki! 

Double Haki! 

Indestructible, unrivaled in the world. 

This is the secret behind Garp's iron fists that have shaken the world! Of course, ordinarily, anyone who can cover their weapons with Haki is already a master. Those who can release Haki are even stronger, and using both together... 

"More More-60x Haki Compressed Shock Sword!" 

Let me see how tough this so-called 'steel balloon' really is— 

With the intensity of a thunderbolt that lights up the night sky like daylight, as Roman lunged, the entire top of the cake tower erupted in blinding sword light! The next moment, golden light filled the entire sky. Beneath the majestic golden glow, buildings, the battlefield, and everyone were bathed in a golden hue. The overwhelming light radiated an unexplainable coldness and a sense of superiority, filling the heavens and the earth. 

This move not only covered Armament Haki but also compressed the double Haki, creating a shockwave that amplified the damage, achieving a combined effect that was much greater than the sum of its parts. 

At the same time, Roman infused his 'Tremor-Tremor ability' into it! Without enhancing himself with the MoMo power, Roman would never have been able to perform such a terrifying move. 

Slash!!! "Damn it—" 

Although Charlotte Katakuri, who was also charging forward, could already see the 'future,' his face remained ashen. Because: 

"Don't even think about getting past me!" 

Now in Gear Fourth and transformed into a 'little giant,' Luffy blocked his path. He withdrew his arms, covering them with Armament Haki, and swung both fists forward without hesitation! 

In the eyes of others, it seemed like Luffy had suddenly eaten the 'Floral Fruit,' as fists as real as any physical object appeared, spreading wide like a peacock's tail, crashing through the air! The gust of wind tearing through steel rushed toward Katakuri. 

"Gomu Gomu no Kong Gun!" 

Damn it—

That was why Katakuri's face had darkened. With his strength, he could certainly handle an attack capable of taking down pirates with bounties of 600 to 700 million. However— 

This kind of rapid and relentless assault—what good was seeing the "future" in this situation? It wasn't like Katakuri could teleport and instantly move past Luffy. So, even as the second-in-command of the Charlotte family dashed forward, he had no choice but to keep using his "elementalization" to dodge Luffy's punches, inevitably getting held back. 

Meanwhile, on the battlefield behind Luffy— 

"Ahhh!!!" 

A scream rang out, and blood splattered everywhere! 

A flash of sword light disappeared in an instant, but its brilliance was burned into everyone's eyes, leaving a visible scar in the air, as if it would never fade. 

And the scream—it came from BIG MOM! A long wound stretched from her shoulder to her chest, blood spraying into the sky like a fountain. At the same time, Roman's pure white figure was instantly dyed red. 

Tch, tough! 

BIG MOM, the so-called "steel balloon," was injured! And not just injured—blood was gushing from her wound! The sight was enough to send Morgans, who was observing from the sidelines, into an uncontrollable frenzy. 

"Breaking news!! A Four Emperor, BIG MOM, is bleeding profusely—what does this mean for the world of piracy— *cough cough*..." 

Right, gotta hold back a little. 

After all, this was Totto Land—better not go overboard. 

Otherwise, tonight's dinner might be roasted albatross. 

"This—" 

Splat! 

On the other side, Charlotte Smoothie, momentarily distracted, suddenly felt a sharp pain in her arm as blood sprayed out. 

"Focusing on something else during a fight? Foolish!" 

Roman's sword strike had reached an unmatched level, a technique any top swordsman in the world would recognize as a masterpiece. Even Smoothie couldn't help but glance in that direction for a split second—but Zoro didn't even look. 

Once in battle, nothing else existed for him—only the three swords in his hands and the enemy before him. 

"Lesson learned..." 

Gritting her teeth, Smoothie twisted her massive three-meter-long sword, its movements as fluid as water, expertly deflecting Zoro's attack. The two master swordsmen clashed once again. 

Meanwhile— 

"Wave Pretzel!" 

A massive sword, spinning wildly like a raging storm, lunged at Roman, forcing him to retreat. The attacker, clad in biscuit armor—Charlotte Cracker—was just about to help the staggering BIG MOM up when— 

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" 

The scream that followed was even more horrifying, a chilling eruption of pain and fury from BIG MOM. Her enormous mouth twisted into a grotesque shape, stretching open to its absolute limit. 

It was a scream soaked in agony and rage, a sound from the depths of hell itself, capable of piercing the flesh, shattering the mind, and extinguishing the soul! 

"Stop! Stop screaming!!" 

A man with wild orange hair, a headpiece covered in grass, and a bare upper body collapsed to his knees, clutching his head in pain. His green polka-dot pants gave him the look of a primitive tribesman, but in reality, he was Charlotte Nougat, the 41st son of the Charlotte family. 

Among his many siblings, he wasn't the strongest, but he was at least on par with a Marine Captain. Yet, even he couldn't remain standing under BIG MOM's ear-splitting scream. 

The same thing was happening to many of the younger Charlotte children. Only the ten siblings of the male and female idol groups, who had fused into a giant using the Clatter-Clatter Fruit, managed to withstand the roar! 

"What a terrifying monster—" 

Even among the Straw Hat Crew, Nami, Robin, and Usopp felt their hearts pounding, their breathing growing shallow, their vision blurring, and their reactions slowing down. 

"This is only natural," 

Roman, covered in blood, took a deep breath as he pulled back. 

"This is the combined effect of BIG MOM's monstrous voice, Conqueror's Haki shockwave, and the soul-draining power of her Soul-Soul Fruit! If you're still standing, you're already a top-tier fighter." 

"Steady yourselves! Don't let 'Mama's' voice take you down!"

As Katakuri calmly shouted, he spread his palm and waved his hand, sending countless mochi balls flying across the entire venue. 

"Cover your ears!" 

How did the Straw Hat Crew know *so much* about Mama's weaknesses? Destroying the cake to enrage her, tearing the nun's photo to strip her of her defense, then injuring her to trigger her strange screams—it was a perfectly executed chain of attacks, hitting every weak spot! 

With this plan, the small but powerful Straw Hat Crew remained unharmed, while the Charlotte family had already lost a large number of fighters before the battle had even properly started. 

But— 

"Don't panic!" 

As the last painful scream faded, Big Mom stood frozen like a broken puppet. The wound on her shoulder had already been wrapped up by some unknown ability, making her look like a wealthy woman draped in fur. 

"Mama's fine. It's just a minor wound." 

— 

As Big Mom's screaming stopped, everyone looked up. 

Sure enough— 

The towering Big Mom stood there, eyes unfocused, mumbling things like "Sister Carmel," "everyone," and "it hurts," but showing no signs of a serious injury. 

Normally, this crazed state was a nightmare for most of the Charlotte children. 

But now, they all breathed a sigh of relief. 

Thank goodness. 

As long as she was still trapped in her madness, it meant she was okay. 

"Don't let that 'White Knight' scare you." 

With Big Mom out of action, Katakuri naturally took command of the family. The Big Mom Pirates still had the upper hand. Flipping his wrist, a trident appeared in his hand, its sharp tip aimed straight at Roman. 

"Take a good *look*. That powerful attack he just unleashed was some kind of forbidden move. That blood isn't Mama's—it's *his*!" 

Of course. That's Katakuri for you. 

Roman's Armament Haki was nowhere near Garp's level, and his body wasn't as naturally tough as some monsters. That devastating sword strike was a double-edged move—hurting the enemy but also severely injuring himself!

 The blood covering his body? It was from his own ruptured capillaries. 

"What?! So he's just putting on a tough act!" 

"Damn it, we have to avenge Mama—" 

"Don't let them get away!!" 

Hearing that Roman was already at his limit, the remaining fighters instantly relaxed. 

To be honest, if Roman had turned that same attack on them instead, most of them couldn't imagine any outcome other than instant death. 

"Roman, can you still fight?" 

Luffy asked. 

Roman rolled his eyes. 

"A man should *never* say he can't. Stick to the plan—" 

"Stick to the plan!" 

Even though the surprise attack had left them in bad shape, Katakuri quickly assessed the situation and gave the order to continue as planned. 

The enemy captain—he would handle personally. 

The swordsman—Smoothie would take care of him. 

Roman, whose Haki had dropped to less than a third after his big move—Cracker would step in. 

And as for Mama, who had unexpectedly taken a hit… they'd just let her rest for now. 

The rest of the family's strong fighters were still standing. The original plan wouldn't change. 

"No way… Sanji, that failure, is actually this strong—?!" 

It all happened so fast. 

From the moment Roman had interrupted the wedding ceremony to now, only a few minutes had passed. 

Vinsmoke Judge, still in shock, instinctively tried to stand up— 

Only to realize he *couldn't*. 

At some point, a layer of sticky syrup had *glued* him to his chair! 

Not just him—his three sons and daughter had also been turned into *sugar statues* without them even noticing! 

And at the same time— 

Click. Click. Click. 

A series of gun-cocking sounds filled the air. 

A row of special armor-piercing pistols was aimed directly at the backs of their heads! 

They were surrounded by the mid-tier officers of the Charlotte family—the children ranked between 30th and 40th. 

Each of them had bounties ranging from 100 million to 200 million. They weren't the strongest, but against a *trapped* Vinsmoke family, they were *more* than enough. 

"What's going on?! Big Mom, we had no idea the Straw Hat Crew would interfere—this must be a misunderstanding—" 

"Tch. At this point, this isn't even an *assassination* anymore."

"Don't look so shocked, or your 'evil army' reputation will be in tears." 

The eldest son, Perospero, was in charge of handling the Vinsmoke family, while Katakuri took care of the Straw Hat Crew. Even if Big Mom was out of commission, the Charlotte family still had the strength to carry out the "original plan." 

"Big Mom, I trusted you! Even pirates should have some sense of honor, right?" 

In that instant, Vinsmoke Judge realized the truth— 

Even if the Straw Hat Crew hadn't crashed the wedding today, he would have still ended up as a feast for others! 

How could he accept this? His lifelong dream, the thing he had fought for all these years, even sacrificing his wife for it... 

It was all over. Completely over. 

— 

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