"So this is the power after releasing my body's self-limit... It's strong, no doubt, but without the Healing Silence Seal, that punch just now would've hurt me more than Katakuri," Rosinante muttered as he looked at his bruised and trembling fist.
When Rosinante unleashed that devastating punch, every muscle fiber in his arm had snapped. If it weren't for the Healing Silence Seal suppressing his injuries, his arm would've been destroyed before the punch even landed. And not just his arm—both of his legs had sustained heavy damage, all just to produce that incredible burst of speed.
As he spoke, Rosinante vanished from where he stood, and silently reappeared beside Katakuri. Without a sound, he lashed out with a powerful kick.
"I… I can't sense him with my Observation Haki?" Katakuri's eyes widened in shock.
BANG! The kick connected cleanly, sending Katakuri flying and crashing violently into another mountain wall.
No breath, no sound—Rosinante had completely silenced his presence. Even someone like Katakuri, a master of advanced Observation Haki, couldn't perceive his form or aura.
Wiping the blood from his lips, Katakuri slowly stood up, his expression darker than ever. Since mastering his Observation Haki, he had never encountered an opponent he couldn't sense. His ability had always been his greatest pride—even Big Mom herself couldn't surpass him in that domain. But now? He couldn't even locate Rosinante's shadow.
"His speed is indeed fast—but not so fast I should be completely blind to him. Which means... it's not his speed, it's his power suppressing his presence..." Katakuri's sharp gaze locked onto Rosinante, brain spinning at lightning speed.
"Every living being emits a 'sound'—heartbeat, joints grinding, muscles contracting, even the hum of conscious thought. But Rosinante has silenced them all. He's eliminated even the friction of movement, the sound of slicing through the air—probably because his Devil Fruit silences forces like friction and resistance too. Once everything is muted, he enters a state of nothingness. Unless someone's Observation Haki can break through the fruit's effect, it's impossible to perceive him. In this case… there's only one way to fight back."
But before Katakuri could act, BOOM—Rosinante flashed in again, this time slamming a crushing punch straight into his abdomen. Katakuri doubled over, coughing out bile. Without pause, Rosinante interlocked his fingers and smashed them down on Katakuri's bent back like a hammer.
CRACK! Katakuri's body was driven deep into the ground, the earth beneath fracturing from the sheer force.
Rosinante didn't relent. Grabbing Katakuri by the collar, he pummeled his face mercilessly.
BANG! BANG! BANG! Each blow hit like thunder, sending Katakuri staggering left and right like a human punching bag. Unable to sense Rosinante, and with Rosinante's speed exceeding his reactions, all Katakuri could do was endure with full-body Armament Haki reinforcement.
"W-What the hell…?" Perospero had just stumbled out of the mochi shelter Katakuri had created for him, now awake and barely walking. The scene before him made his heart lurch.
Despite his resentment that Big Mom had named his younger brother Katakuri as a Sweet Commander instead of him, he had never once doubted Katakuri's power. A genius since childhood, Katakuri's Devil Fruit mastery and Observation Haki were peerless. Even their monstrous mother admired his gifts.
Yet now—this same brother was being utterly brutalized, unable to fight back. Perospero couldn't believe it.
"With Katakuri's Observation Haki, even against Mom, he wouldn't be this helpless... Could it be—this guy's stronger than Mom herself? No, impossible! If he was that strong, Katakuri would've been finished already. He's not down yet. Which means this guy's not invincible. Then why the hell is Katakuri being overwhelmed ?"
BOOM! Katakuri was once again blasted back by Rosinante's fist. And yet—he still stood. The Sharolotte family's resilience truly was monstrous. Even under this rain of strikes, Katakuri remained conscious.
"Remember... just remember... that feeling..." Katakuri murmured through gritted teeth.
He had always been gifted in Observation Haki, but talent alone hadn't brought him here—he was obsessive, pushing his limits from a young age. That effort had made his Observation Haki second to none—even Big Mom herself couldn't match it.
At one point, he'd believed he had reached the peak. But one day, he suddenly "saw" something—an event that hadn't happened yet. At first, he thought it was a hallucination—until it happened in reality, just as he'd envisioned.
That was the moment he realized: Observation Haki could see glimpses of the future.
Since then, flashes of the future came to him now and then, though uncontrollable. No matter how hard he trained, he couldn't will them at will.
But now—his only chance to defeat Rosinante was to master that future-seeing ability.
Rosinante frowned. A wave of unease crept through him.
"After releasing my body's limit, my power is overwhelming—but it's difficult to control. That means techniques requiring precision, like Crushing Fist Burst, become near-impossible. Even if I manage it, the price will be massive. I don't know how long Healing Silence Seal can hold out…"
No power is without its flaws. The Healing Silence Seal did suppress injuries—but it wasn't limitless. If the damage exceeded its threshold, it would collapse—and every injury it held back would detonate inside his body all at once. Not even gods could save him then.
That was why Rosinante hadn't used destructive techniques like Crushing Fist Burst—it required building up force inside the body and releasing it explosively. Under normal conditions, this stayed within safe limits. But now, with his body unshackled, even a single use would boost its power eightfold—but increase internal damage thirtyfold.
"Kill 800 enemies, lose 3,000 of my own... that's the cost," Rosinante muttered.
He clenched his fist.
"But I can't afford to hesitate anymore. Healing Silence Seal... hold on for me!"
As Rosinante tightened his grip, a terrifying force began to surge in his fist. The air around it trembled, vibrating as if even the atmosphere feared what was coming next...
T/N: All the occurrences of Sanders has been changed to Rosinante for maintaining uniformity. Many of you had also complained about it.