Marco closed his eyes to harness his Observation Haki.
With calm focus, he attuned himself to the battle, sensing the flow of Katakuri's attacks so his body could react almost instinctively.
But Katakuri's Observation Haki had already evolved to the level of predicting the imdiate future.
Even as Marco dodged the first flurry of strikes, the incoming whiplike mochi tendrils beca denser, cutting into Marco's form.
Pain lanced through him each ti he was struck, but it was brief.
His wounds healed rapidly with the help of the blue Phoenix flas that continually regenerated his body.
Marco steadied his breath, allowing his mind to settle, and probed more deeply with his Observation Haki to trace the attack patterns ahead of him.
The Big Mom Pirates stood behind Katakuri, roaring in triumph as if they already knew Marco would fall.
Their cheers grew louder, convinced their strongest fighter would soon claim victory.
On the opposite side, the Phoenix Pirates watched anxiously.
"Why isn't Captain Marco counterattacking?" soone asked.
"He's only defending."
"That's not like how Marco usually fights," another added, puzzled.
Sak frowned, studying Marco's defense.
"Indeed! This feels off!"
Ace watched steadily and said with conviction,
"Trust Marco. He chose to challenge Katakuri because he believes he can win. Katakuri is powerful, yes, but he is not yet Admiral level."
Those nearby nodded at Ace's reassurance.
Katakuri wrestled with irritation.
Is he trying to out-learn ?
he wondered, but he forced himself to remain composed.
In a cold voice he said,
"Then let's see how much you've actually learned."
With that, Katakuri awakened his Devil Fruit ability to summon nurous mochi spheres that hovered in the air like giant donuts.
Hardened mochi fists, reinforced with Armant Haki, erged from within the spheres.
Marco found himself surrounded by dozens of these Unrivaled Donuts.
He braced himself, maximizing his Observation Haki.
"Take this, Marco, Thirty-Six Heads: Mighty Mochi," Katakuri declared as dozens of fists launched themselves toward Marco without hesitation.
Marco leapt into the air, dodging and blocking with precise timing.
His Observation Haki traced every trajectory, guiding his movents to escape and parry each deadly blow.
Whether it was Marco's strong ntal foundation, the influence of his transmigrated soul, or the fact that he had simply grown stronger than before, he adapted swiftly.
With every passing mont, he grew more at ease facing the barrage.
Katakuri watched from afar, controlling the mochi with taut focus.
But sothing was wrong; his predictions were beginning to falter.
He had always assud his Observation Haki would remain superior, but over these few minutes it kept missing — just slightly at first, then more often.
How can he learn so fast?
Is he pretending to lag?
Or is his Observation Haki reaching the level of seeing the future?
A flicker of alarm crossed Katakuri's face.
He knew his greatest advantage in this fight was his Observation Haki.
Without it, he could very well be matched — or even outpaced.
Determined to regain control, he slamd his palm into the ground and growled,
"Drizzling Mochi."
Instantly, countless lumps of mochi burst from the earth and shot toward Marco as he hovered overhead.
Two thick strands shot up and snared Marco's feet, yanking him downward.
Observation Haki revealed a deadly trap beneath him: once on the ground, mochi would encircle and overwhelm him.
Reacting in a flash, Marco surged a massive amount of Armant Haki into his legs.
The mochi binding him shattered into rocky fragnts beneath the overwhelming force.
"What?" Katakuri's pupils narrowed sharply in disbelief.
Only soone of Big Mom's strength had ever nullified his Devil Fruit like that.
Armant Haki emission?
Realization struck him.
Marco's defense was not ordinary — he had unleashed raw Armant Haki at that mont.
Seizing the opportunity, Marco launched himself skyward toward Katakuri.
A confident smirk curled on his lips as he began his assault.
"Now it's my turn. Phoenix Seal," Marco called, rushing in with fierce resolve.
Katakuri reacted with his own attack.
"Mighty Mochi!"
Fists and feet collided in midair.
Marco's Armant Haki proved stronger, forcing Katakuri back a half-step.
From Katakuri's back sprouted three powerful mochi arms as he declared,
"Three-Headed Mighty Mochi."
The giant fists struck relentlessly.
Marco fought back, his arms moving instinctively to defend every blow, yet he was pushed backward by the raw power.
Still, as the duel wore on, Marco's Observation Haki matured exponentially.
What had begun as reactive defense gradually beca a predictive clarity — he began to see slight threads of the future, just enough to gain openings.
At last, Marco shifted from defense to offense, launching a vigorous assault that pushed Katakuri back.
The crowd's earlier cheers for Katakuri turned to murmurs of concern.
Ace watched with a slow smile forming on his lips.
"It seems Marco has mastered the Observation Haki that foresees the future," he said thoughtfully.
Izo, standing beside him, looked astonished.
"Ace, you an his earlier defense was just him learning Katakuri's future sight?"
Ace nodded, pointing to the battlefield.
"Katakuri's Observation Haki is powerful, but now Marco can clash with him head-on. There are tis when Katakuri himself has to defend. If Marco's Observation Haki were still far behind, Katakuri would simply warp his body like he did against and avoid every strike."
____
Power stones please?
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