One Piece: Investing In Whitebeard At The Start.

"She seems to be a strong woman! Don't underestimate her. This woman can actually control the power of ice!"

Katakuri's expression turned serious. While he had suspected that Esdeath was one of the enemy's powerful crew members, he hadn't expected her to wield such a terrifying freezing ability—it caught him completely off guard.

Katakuri barked, "I'll handle Vane with Cracker! Perospero, Owen, you take on the woman. Don't hold back!"

Although Katakuri preferred a one-on-one against Rhett Vane, saving Smoothie took priority. This wasn't the time for pride. They needed to fight together and end it quickly.

Katakuri, being the most authoritative figure in the Big Mom Pirates after Big Mom herself, quickly gained the others' compliance. Brûlée, lacking any combat ability, wasn't considered.

Esdeath turned to Vane. "Find me a knife. I'm not used to fighting without one."

She hadn't brought her usual weapon.

"No problem," Vane replied, then gave a quick warning. "Crush them. Don't give them room to breathe. That guy with the tongue hat—that's Perospero. He's a Paramecia user with the Lick-Lick Fruit. He can generate and control endless candy. The one with the strange hair is Owen—he manipulates heat and can even boil seawater. Dangerous matchup for your ice."

He paused, voice turning grim. "But the most dangerous is the one with the scarf over his face. That's Katakuri. He's the strongest of them."

Esdeath cracked a confident grin and flicked her long blue hair. "Good. I like a challenge."

A cold blade of ice formed in her hand.

"That woman… she looks like she'd kill without blinking," Perospero muttered, chilled by Esdeath's bloodthirsty stare. "Why am I scared? I kill without hesitation too…"

As he hesitated, Esdeath crouched and slammed her palm into the ground. Frost raced across the surface, but that wasn't the real threat. Beneath Perospero, a massive spike of ice exploded upward, impaling him through the stomach and launching him into the air.

He screamed in agony, face instantly drained of color.

"Perospero!"

Owen and the others cried out.

"Don't underestimate her!" Katakuri shouted. "She's definitely Vane's crew number two!"

At that moment, Vane suddenly blurred into motion, targeting Katakuri directly with a sweeping kick.

"I know you can use Observation Haki to glimpse the future," Vane said, his leg crashing into Katakuri's face. The powerful Sweet Commander was hurled across the port and smashed into the coastline.

Vane didn't relent. Like lightning, he was already in the air above his target, another kick crashing down.

With a thunderous boom, the ground exploded on impact. A crater formed instantly, debris and dust flying.

"W-What's going on?!"

"Is that… Fire Sword Vane?!"

"And the Big Mom Pirates?!"

"A fight?! Big news again!"

The chaos at the port had drawn attention. But the chatter was silenced in an instant—Vane released his Conqueror's Haki, and a wave of pressure swept out, knocking bystanders unconscious.

"So strong… my body's numb…"

Katakuri climbed out of the crater, discarding his trident. If Vane wasn't using a weapon, then neither would he.

This was a fight between men.

Cracker hadn't shown up yet. Probably tangled with Esdeath, who was overpowering even him. Brulee, without combat ability, wouldn't count. Her Mirror Fruit was better for escape.

"Who is that woman? She's terrifying," Katakuri muttered. He adjusted the white scarf over his mouth, eyeing Vane closely.

Vane didn't bother trying to remove Katakuri's scarf.

"We do this one-on-one," Katakuri said, stepping forward.

He lunged with a long-legged kick. His Mochi-Mochi Fruit, a Special Paramecia, let him reshape his body and harden it with Armament Haki. His leg grew massive and blackened, sweeping toward Vane like a hammer.

Vane raised his hand, summoning an ice wall from the ground. It blocked the strike—but only for a moment. Katakuri's leg shattered the barrier with brute force.

Vane launched into the air. Around him, countless ice bullets formed and fired at Katakuri in a barrage.

The ground exploded under the hail of frozen projectiles. A thick cloud of yellow dust covered the battlefield.

"But moves like that won't hit unless he just stands still," Vane muttered, unimpressed.

Amid the swirling dust, two massive white mochi donuts materialized behind Katakuri. From their centers, two enormous arms extended—hardened with Armament Haki and ready to crush.

Katakuri's strength came not just from his fruit awakening, but his ability to combine it with top tier Haki. His Mochi Mochi Fruit and Haki fusion made him deadly.

The giant hands clapped together, aiming to crush Vane midair like a fly. The force could obliterate any normal opponent.

But Vane was already ready. Both fists clenched, covered with the power of the Gura Gura no Mi—two transparent spheres shimmered around them.

When the mochi palms struck, they met his fists—and the air cracked. A deafening crack rang out. The palms shattered, crumbling under the shockwaves.

"That power… the Tremor-Tremor Fruit?!"

Katakuri's eyes widened. "He really does have Whitebeard's strength…"

He leapt high into the air and slashed down with a leg kick aimed at Vane's skull. From decision to attack took only seconds—his speed was monstrous.

Vane met the blow midair with his own kick. The impact cleared the dust in a shockwave.

"Can't stay in the air forever, Katakuri. You can't fly."

Vane spun midair and slammed his leg downward with even greater force. Katakuri couldn't resist—he was driven into the ground like a cannonball, another crater forming around him.

Meanwhile, the other battlefield raged.

Originally, Katakuri and Cracker were supposed to double-team Vane. But Cracker had been caught by Esdeath—and was losing ground quickly.

---

Vane creates unpredictable moves and multiple possible outcomes within the possible future that Katakuri sees using his Observation Haki, making it impossible to predict everything—so he lands a hit despite the future sight.

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