Chapter 361: The Three Battlefields – Foreseeing the Future  

"Shocking! The Straw Hat Crew is evenly matched against the BIG MOM Pirates in a head-on battle! The rise of the Fifth Emperor is unstoppable!!" 

While the ever-dramatic Morgans was still hyping things up, the other underground bosses had already started running for their lives. After all, as the battle between these powerhouses escalated, lightning, storms, fire, sword auras, and slashes were flying in all directions! The top of the Whole Cake Chateau was on the verge of collapse. 

At the heart of the battle, three key fights stood out: 

"Three-Sword Style!" 

Zoro was undoubtedly among the strongest in the Straw Hat Crew. If Luffy was the "high-defense tank" and Roman was the "all-around mage," then Zoro was the "high-damage attacker." 

Unlike those who fight back and forth for hours before determining a winner, Zoro was the kind of fighter who could end a battle with a single decisive strike. He was first trained by the mysterious Koushiro, mastering a sword style that stood at the pinnacle of the pirate world. His endless array of new techniques left people in awe. His only weak point was Armament Haki. 

During the two-year training period, he became a disciple of Dracule Mihawk. Not only did he learn Armament Haki to coat his swords in black, but he also refined his Three-Sword Style to a whole new level. Ever since the Straw Hat Crew reunited, Zoro had been winning battles effortlessly, his strength immeasurable. 

But now— Clang!! 

A towering woman blocked all three of Zoro's swords with her long blade. Even though his overwhelming sword aura could cut through steel, it didn't leave a scratch on her. 

"...Water?" 

Under the impact of Zoro's fierce sword aura, Charlotte Smoothie's body rippled like waves on the surface of a pond, spreading outward in all directions. The movement was so subtle that one wouldn't notice unless they looked carefully. But to Zoro, it felt like his swords had been plunged into water—every movement met with increased resistance. 

"That's right. I ate the Juice-Juice Fruit and became a Juice Human." 

"I can extract juice from living beings and even objects. I can also squeeze out any harmful substances from my body. And—" 

Smoothie swung her sword, creating an invisible force field that sliced through and repelled everything in its path. Zoro's overwhelming sword aura was deflected harmlessly to the side. 

"I can extract the liquid from my own body, fuse it with my Haki, and form an invisible half-meter-thick Haki armor! So you don't have to hold back." 

"Tch, how considerate of you!" 

"Also, I can absorb moisture from my surroundings to enhance my body, making myself as tough as diamond and as strong as an elephant! Like this—!" 

With a sudden burst of power, Smoothie forced Zoro back a few steps. Dragging her sword behind her, she leaned forward—and in an instant, her entire body swelled in size! Her once-smooth arms bulged with defined, explosive muscles. 

At the same time, everything around her—buildings, chairs, food, drinks—suddenly dried up, as if an invisible hand had drained all their moisture in an instant. 

"Titan Strength – Raging Torrent!" 

In the next moment, Smoothie flicked her massive sword forward, sending a flying slash rolling out like a furious sea dragon! The Haki-infused sword energy, wrapped in surging waves, crashed toward Zoro with the force of a roaring ocean, like a tsunami swallowing everything in its path! 

The sheer momentum of the attack was overwhelming, as if an army of thousands was charging forward. Even a steel warship would be reduced to scrap in an instant under this attack! 

"Great swordsmanship!!" 

In a flash, Zoro's three swords danced through the air, weaving countless streaks of cold light within the crashing wave of sword energy. No matter how fierce the tsunami-like slash was, it couldn't completely engulf the gleaming flashes of his swords. 

In an instant, he had already swung over a hundred times! But as the battle went on, the sound of clashing blades became louder and sharper, showing that it was getting harder and harder for Zoro's swords to cut through the wave of sword energy. 

Until— 

Clang! 

A sharp metallic ring echoed to the sky, shaking the clouds above. 

"Slash!" 

With a sudden motion, Zoro brought his sword Shusui down in a powerful arc, leaving behind a fluid, effortless stroke in the air—like a master butcher slicing through meat with ease. 

And with that single cut, the massive wave of sword energy split cleanly in half! 

Yes! This is the kind of opponent I've been looking for! 

A grin slowly crept onto Zoro's lips, and his single eye gleamed with excitement. As a swordsman who had stepped into the realm of the great swordmasters, only an equally skilled great swordsman could ignite his fighting spirit. 

Only battles of this level could refine his blade, pushing him one step closer to his ultimate goal—the World's Greatest Swordsman! 

"Your sword skills aren't bad either, man." 

Charlotte Smoothie nodded in approval. Her attack hadn't just gathered the surrounding moisture into a tsunami, but also packed countless sharp slashes within it. 

Yet, the one-eyed man in the bandana had deflected them all flawlessly. 

With just three swords, he could walk through a raging waterfall or storm, yet his clothes wouldn't be touched by a single drop. 

Impressive! 

"Want to go again?" 

"Bring it on—!" 

"Go again, my ass!!!" 

Nearby, a group of unfortunate bystanders cursed internally. 

Zoro might be able to stand his ground against Smoothie's Raging Torrent, but they definitely couldn't! 

The scattered waves that Zoro had sliced apart were sharper than countless blades, and in an instant, the battlefield was dyed red with fresh blood. 

Most of the injured were members of the Charlotte Family, but— 

With these two battle-hungry maniacs going at it, no one dared to complain. 

They couldn't beat them, so they just had to stay the hell out of the way. 

——— 

Second Battlefield: 

"#@￥&········*" 

Compared to the fierce duel between Smoothie and Zoro, where two warriors tested their skills, Charlotte Cracker had already lost his ability to speak coherently—out of sheer rage. 

Because— 

"Paper-Style: Shining Impact!"

Facing The White Knight, who had turned his shoulder into "diamond" and was charging at high speed, Cracker had just started to dodge when another White Knight raised his hands from a distance and pressed them down toward him. 

"Paper-Paper: Hell's Journey!" 

Crack— 

A terrifying gravitational force crashed down on Cracker. Even though this "secondhand" gravity ability couldn't really hurt him, dodging swiftly had now become nearly impossible. Left with no other choice, Cracker stabbed forward with his sword— 

The blade struck the charging "Diamond White Knight" on the shoulder, but— 

"Paper-Paper: Lightning Dash!" 

Two White Knights, wrapped in crackling electricity and howling winds, suddenly appeared behind Cracker. Without hesitation, their swords slashed toward him from both sides. 

My kidneys—! 

"Pretzel!" 

Cracker spun like a whirlwind, his sword creating a glowing shield around him, forcing the White Knights back. Thanks to his fear of pain, he had always focused on defense in swordsmanship before fully mastering his Devil Fruit abilities. 

When he finally stopped spinning, something was different— 

Four extra arms had sprouted from his sides and shoulders, each gripping a sword identical to his own, "Pretzel." With six swords swinging at once, his defense was now impenetrable. 

"Not bad. If I can't summon puppets, then I'll just keep my ability focused on my own attacks." 

With this setup, even Roman wouldn't dare to recklessly use his Swallow-Swallow ability—because with all six swords covered in Armament Haki, it was impossible to tell which one was real. If he swallowed the wrong one… 

The Swallow-Swallow ability was strong against food-based Devil Fruits, but it had little effect on real swords—especially when they were coated in advanced Armament Haki. 

Either way, Roman could keep Cracker under control just using the White Knights, leaving him free to help on other battlefields and prevent the Straw Hat Crew from losing ground. 

This was the easiest fight so far— 

But the last battlefield was a different story. 

——— 

"Gomu Gomu no Hawk Gatling!" 

In his Gear Second state, Luffy's fists moved at full speed, covering the ten-meter space in front of him with Armament Haki-coated punches. The sheer number of strikes made it feel like there was no way to escape. 

But— 

Behind Charlotte Katakuri, countless mochi arms formed, mimicking Luffy's attack. They swung forward in response, meeting Luffy's rapid punches head-on. 

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! 

The battlefield echoed with the deafening sound of clashing blows, like an endless barrage of cannon fire. 

At the center of the impact, sparks burst into the air, and dark cracks spread outward—cracks so sharp they seemed to tear through reality itself, forcing fighters within a hundred meters to scatter in panic. 

After a relentless exchange, one figure was sent flying— 

Luffy. 

And the one who had launched the attack in the first place was Luffy himself. 

Yet Katakuri not only intercepted every one of Luffy's punches with pinpoint accuracy—he even managed to counterattack and knock him back. His level of skill was beyond reason. 

No—this wasn't just skill anymore. It was something else entirely. 

"You really can see the future, huh?" 

Luffy flipped in midair and landed, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. He looked at Katakuri, who had spoken his line before he could even say it himself. 

Now what was he supposed to say? 

"Your crew isn't doing too bad," Katakuri remarked, glancing at the battlefield. 

Zoro and Smoothie were still fighting, both growing more intense by the moment. 

Roman had successfully pinned down Cracker. 

The rest of the battlefield was still at a standstill. Many of the younger Charlotte family members had been defeated, but the true heavy hitters—the ones in their forties—were still fighting at full strength. 

And since this was the heart of the Big Mom Pirates' territory, reinforcements kept arriving. Wounded family members were being quickly evacuated, easing some of Katakuri's concerns as he refocused on the small but dangerous opponent in front of him. 

"As a captain, you're the one who looks the most pathetic." 

"If you can't be strong enough to protect everything, what right do you have to lead?" 

Luffy exhaled. 

"My crew aren't weaklings who need protecting," he said, rising to his feet and looking at Katakuri—the second-in-command of the Charlotte family, a master of Observation Haki so advanced he could see into the future. 

"But you're right about one thing." 

He bit down on his arm and took a deep breath. 

"Gear Fourth!"

Luffy's arm started swelling like Gear Third! But unlike Gear Third, which focused only on brute strength, his arm was also covered in Armament Haki, giving it a well-defined, muscular look. Charlotte Katakuri nodded at the sight. 

"Interesting... You're trying to use extreme speed so that even if I can 'see the future,' my body won't be able to react in time?" 

"Seimei Kikan—" 

As Luffy entered Gear Fourth, the Haki surrounding his body suddenly compressed inward, forcefully shrinking his large "Boundman" form into a leaner, more streamlined shape! With the full boost of Gear Fourth enhancing him, his speed reached another level. 

"Snakeman!" 

(End of Chapter) 

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