Friends, Meet Family
AU. When news got back to Tottoland that battleship of a certain Charlotte daughter was spotted within the mysterious Florian Triangle, Katakuri was tasked with the mission to retrieve his runaway little sister, with Panna and Nougat tagging along. They arrived on Thriller Bark the same night a certain rookie pirate crew made their entrance.
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Party
Luffy pumped his calves and steamed. He was tired, still weakened after his battle with Gekko Moriah, but he already had food and a bit of rest. He would not hold back from the start. "Gear Second," Luffy declared, sprinting with boosted agility towards Katakuri while simultaneously stretching his right arm back, for a point-blank hit with his fastest technique to date. "Gomu-Gomu... Jet Bullet!"
That attack was supersonic in speed, should be virtually inescapable in theory—
—but Katakuri sidestepped, avoiding the hit with minimal movement and seemingly ridiculous ease. The impossible happened next, when the Sweet Commander's large hand closed around Luffy's arm mid-strike, seizing him...?!
Luffy had never been caught like this in Gear Second before.
And then he was flung like a plaything, sent flying in an arch over the battlefield, before crashing down at the base of that fallen main tower hull. Luffy wasn't hurt thanked to his rubber physique, but he was definitely unnerved.
"Anything else?" Katakuri asked, then shook his head in disappointment. "That's boring, you are just trying to get a lucky shot in."
Luffy got back up and attacked again, this time using both his fists. "Gomu-Gomu... Jet Gatling!" Luffy shouted, pelting his opponent in a relentless hurricane. His rapid fire technique bashed up a dust cloud when he struck the cobblestone ground, but he couldn't feel hits landing on flesh at all, despite his target being such a huge man. Katakuri was walking through his shower of attacks like it was nothing. Luffy paused, halting his meaningless assault, and abruptly had an epiphany.
"You know mantra, just like Earlobes on Skypiea," Luffy realized.
Katakuri concurred. "Mantra, that is the term they use on sky islands for observation haki," Katakuri said. He knew about this, because his little brother Dacquoise was mixed-blood from a winged sky island race. "You are correct, I'm a proficient practitioner."
Luffy thought about what had worked last time against those opponents, though this guy was so much swifter than Enel had been. He searched around, finding the collapsed tower building behind him made for an adequate bouncing material, so Luffy inhaled, enlarging his head into a ginormous size before letting air out and arms hung limp like spaghetti.
Katakuri was curious, so he decided against preventing the boy from going into this seemingly squishy octopus mode, then blinked in pleasant mirth when he foresaw what would follow. "That's fairly clever," Katakuri praised.
Luffy used his gatling punch on the wall, with heightened speed and potency compared to the past due to his Gear Second state, ricocheting his fists in all the random directions. "Gomu-Gomu... OCTOPUS JET FIREWORKS!"
Katakuri would give him props for ingenuity at least, as he dived headfirst into that boy captain's frenzy array, weaving seamlessly through the shower of fists completely unscathed. "Creative, but won't work against me," Katakuri said, crimson eyes gleamed as he dexterously snatched an uncoordinated hand from amid the chaos, grabbing Luffy by his wrist. Luffy was startled, since it was necessary to expose his back at the enemy to rebound his punches backward. "My observation haki is a bit different from normal, that not even a lack of intent will bypass my precognition sight."
Katakuri then pulled Luffy by his elongated arm and whirled the kid through the air, again and again, in a mock caricature of his own most destructive technique, until Luffy was dazed and disoriented, before slamming him into a deep crater on the ground. Luffy yelped, but Katakuri knew his devil fruit ability would spare him from true injury. In another time and another life, when Luffy was significantly stronger and a serious family threat, Katakuri would imbue his spiked forearm with armament haki hardening and strike with all the determination to put him down for good.
Now though. Monkey D Luffy was just an inexperienced teen with a surname that brought back distant memories, perhaps inheriting a blood tie too heavy for his frail shoulders to carry.
Luffy coughed, sticking his tongue out as he panted, crawling out of the hole. He stood back up, stance unfaltering and his fists raised, however hopeless he was still going to try again.
The bigger problem, this kid was actually amusing. Katakuri needed to fight against his own smile...
... but was drawn away when he heard the forewarned echo of a beast.
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Zoro and Nougat circled each other like a pair of young tigers, seeking for the slightest hint of an opening. Nougat being the hotheaded child, was once again the first to make his move. Zoro was surprised however, when Nougat completely changed method from before. The young Charlotte son didn't charge at him from the front as he did every other time, but dashed to his right, to slice at his shoulder with a diagonal cut.
Zoro blocked with Shusui in his right hand, repelling the attack.
Nougat frowned, a quick uncertain glance at the black blade, before refocusing on his opponent. "Can you...?" Nougat started to ask, wondering if this man could actually use armament haki, then changed his mind. "Or just this sword that is special."
Zoro didn't know what the kid was referring to. "You're too easily distracted."
Nougat pouted. "So I've been told," he muttered, recalling the many occasions Brother Katakuri had chastised him to pay more attention during this trip alone. Nougat darted to the right side again, this time to perform three consecutive hacks, his angle of assault becoming more difficult to counter with each, and now the older swordsman definitely knew he was doing it on purpose.
Zoro clenched his teeth, biting down on Wado Ichimonji. "You noticed."
Nougat nodded. "You are left-handed, so of course I'm going to attack from the right," he answered. "My swordsmanship was tutored by left-handed women, I learned to pick up the signs."
"That's some underhanded scheme," Zoro growled.
"I am a pirate first and foremost, unfortunately," Nougat replied. "I wasn't taught to be an honorable swordsman, so I don't mind trickery."
Zoro was frustrated with the awkward position he was made to maneuver in. That kid was not weak on his own, even without all this bullshit. Their blades deadlocked in impasse, muscles straining against an equal opposing force, when Nougat dug the tip of his toes into the dirt, using his foot to throw dust into Zoro's eyes.
That little fuck...!
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Panna had a more strenuous time compared to her two brothers due to the sheer number of enemies against her alone, among them was Robin as the most troublesome foe. Slender arms sprouted from her chest and bloomed on the floor, attempting to hold her down, but she was not going to get caught so easy. Panna was a dancer and a gymnast, her fighting style revolved around elegance and agility, and that was her secret advantage.
So, before those hands closed in on her, Panna cartwheeled forward in sudden rapid acceleration, turning herself into a spiked yo-yo heading straight for that devil fruit woman. "Il Io Taglio!"
That Charlotte daughter's max attack speed was faster than anything the Strawhats had ever seen. They would not be able to dodge, especially in their current fatigue, so Franky put himself in front of Robin and spread open his arms, to withstand the full might of that shearing slash.
Franky's instinct proved effective when sparks flew, but his steel chest remained unharmed. He wasn't expecting Panna to abruptly uncurl from her balled-up state mid-attack however, bracketing his head between her knees, then backflipped him into the ground with tremendous strength. Franky yelled out in agony, his human backside bruised and lacerated after smashing through solid bedrock.
Franky was down for the count, but Usopp would not let his effort went in vain, and sniped at that woman with a Fire Bird Star.
Panna saw it coming. "La Trottola!" Panna called, spinning herself like a toy top to create a miniature tornado to put out the flames. She had phenomenal offensive capability and speed, but lacked in pain soak and endurance, because as Mama's 'bisque doll' she was educated to allow absolutely nothing to mar her skin. Panna cartwheeled again, carving a groove through earth, racing past Sanji straight at that impudent sharpshooter.
Blood splattered. Usopp was down.
Sanji clamped down on his cigarette, frustrated that he could not keep up with Panna's movement, but he forced himself to stay calm and let his tactical mind took over to analyze the situation. Thus he noticed this, that Panna in fact was not able to change direction in her spins. Sanji was ready the next time she came in her spiky cartwheel yo-yo mode, attempting to run down Brook, and kicked a large stone block into her predictable path to ruin her momentum. Sanji's upbringing taught him to never physically harm a woman, but he could damn well create openings for his friends to have a fighting chance.
Panna flailed in surprise.
"Ochenta Fleur," Robin said, immediately sprouting eighty arms to combine into four much larger limbs. "Cuatro Manos, Hold."
If they could immobilize that Charlotte daughter, they could take her down—
"—Ahh!" Robin cried. There was a loud echo of bones snapping in half, flower petals dissipated, and Robin clutched at her left arm, bent in an odd angle. Panna's strength was overwhelming, she was a woman capable of tanking a direct hit from Oars without sustaining visible bodily damage.
Three down, three to go.
Panna zeroed in on her next target, when...
"Huh?" Panna coughed, blood dotting her ripped blouse, when did that happened? Panna glared at the singing skeleton strolling past her now.
"Three-Verse Humming," Brook said, re-sheathing his blade. "Arrow-Notch Slash!"
Panna growled, that hurt a lot, but wasn't quite enough to take her down, and she swatted at the bone man with her claws. Brook rammed through a brick wall and stayed still, four down. Panna turned to Sanji and Chopper, last ones standing.
"Sanji, get out of the way, I don't want to fight you," Panna said, readjusting her ruby brooch to pin her torn shirt together. "I know you don't want to fight me, either."
Sanji exhaled, blowing smoke, but his fists shook. "I cannot do that, Panna-chan," he replied.
Panna sighed. "Apologies in advance then," she said sweetly, before bounded into the sky like jumping from a trampoline. "Let's play hopscotch next, shall we? Le Campana!"
Sanji grabbed Chopper and rolled to the side, just as Panna dropped like meteor, with one foot nailing into the ground. Her 'Le Campana' technique was similar to Miss Valentine's battle style from so long ago, but a hundred times faster coming in rapid succession, a skip and a crater created in every single second. Sanji stumbled across the war zone supporting Chopper in his arms, avoiding her with difficulty. With Usopp and Robin out of commission, there were not many options to reach an opponent attacking from the sky, so Nami assembled her clima-tact to join in the fight.
Lola stopped her before Nami could attempt a thunderbolt. "Namizo, listen to me," Lola said urgently. "Panna and Nougat are not the problem. Whatever you do, you must not hurt them."
"What do you mean, Lola?" Nami asked.
"Brother Katakuri, he is only playing right now," Lola replied, gesturing to where her older brother was windmilling the Strawhat captain through the air. He wasn't even using anything—no haki, no devil fruit ability, no weapon—so quite obvious to someone who knew his actual combat skill to understand he was clearly messing around.
"We need to keep it that way, my friend, but hurting my siblings will truly anger him. You must not do that—"
—when a beast bellowed. Chopper had made his decision, pushing Sanji away from himself before throwing three rumble balls into his mouth. Speed, durability, and ferocity were all required to beat down that hovering lady enemy. They had managed to hurt her a little, but total damage output was too low with their three primary attackers—Luffy, Zoro, Sanji—occupied or emotionally handicapped. This was the only way, so he activated Monster Point.
Panna was unsure when the cute animal turned into a hideous behemoth. It made for a bigger target though, so she dialed up her speed, aiming right between the fur shoulders. "Le Campana, Veloce!"
Monster Chopper was assailed on his back, upper body bending forward slightly, but his enhanced brawn held firm. Panna was unprepared when a brisk backhand thwacked her like an insect and her armament haki faltered. She was sent soaring away, perilously curling herself into a ball.
Panna had already taken more damage this night than expected, and was not sure she could bear another impact through concrete...
... when soft mochi cushioned her crash. Katakuri retracted his extended arm and pulled his little sister close, shielding her from further harm.
"Brother Katakuri," Panna gasped, heart still racing.
"Awakened zoans are a bit more difficult to deal with," Katakuri said gently, putting his sister down. "I'll take him off your hands."
Panna nodded. Katakuri then ran towards that reindeer beast, covering the distance quickly with long strides, to deliver a solid haki infused punch at that creature's chest. Monster Chopper bawled in anguish, his gigantic figure colliding into the fallen main tower plowing through layers and layers of reinforced masonry, disappearing from sight.
"CHOPPER!" Luffy and Sanji shouted, reacting to what had happened to their friend. They attacked Katakuri together. Luffy intertwining his fingers to form a net, while Sanji utilized friction to engulf his leg in flame.
Katakuri however was focused on a much more dire situation. He stepped aside, evading Sanji's Diable Jambe so effortlessly the Strawhat chef might as well be a stationary statue, before stretching his right leg into a column of sticky mochi to pound Luffy into the ground. Strawhat captain was stuck now, with only his head and a hand exposed, half-buried underneath a mountain of rice cake.
Katakuri then turned to watch the duel between Nougat and Zoro, expression grim at what he foresaw, but compelled himself to respect his little brother and not intervene.
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Zoro's right forearm was bloody, with a wound that looked like it had been gnawed on by canine teeth. That kid's blade work was precise, yet inflicted such erratic damage.
Zoro did not have much stamina left for a drawn-out fight after pushing himself through the night, so he huffed, reversing his grip on Sandai Kitetsu before angling both Sandai Kitetsu and Shusui to the right in a symmetrical formation. He rotated his swords, creating a barrier. "Santoryu Ogi—"
Nougat narrowed his eyes, knowing this was it. He spun his own katana, thrusting, to perform his most ruthless drilling stab. "Keks—"
They both dashed forward, to meet the challenge.
"—SANZEN SEKAI!"
"—BOHREN!"
Zoro and Nougat clashed, their blades glistened reflecting under the morning light.
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Zoro wheezed, breathing hard, and red blossomed on his green haramaki, blood seeping through his clothes from a penetrative injury.
Nougat sighed, closing his eyes, the fluffy scarf around his neck unfurled and white feathers carried away by the wind. The katana in his hand trembled, the tip tinged scarlet, and then the metal cracked shattering into pieces. Nougat fell, collapsing headfirst onto the ground.
Zoro had won, however costly.
A shadow casted upon Zoro. He glanced up at the imposing figure before him now, with coppery tang in his mouth and blood leaking out of his stomach injury. His limbs were weak and heavy, the swords in his hands were unsteady, defenseless, but still Zoro determinedly refused to fall.
Nougat's chest had been cut open. His every inhale shallow and heartbeat fluttered like hummingbird wings, with invaluable blood pooling onto concrete, but he clung onto consciousness for just a moment longer. Brother Katakuri was standing over them now, inscrutable and absolutely furious at what had transpired. He must've had anticipated this, only held himself back due to honor and for that Nougat was grateful, but now with the one-on-one duel concluded, there was nothing to stop him from murdering the man responsible for this result.
With the last of his strength, Nougat released his broken blade and reached for his older brother, his bloodied fingertip touching a buckled boot, for the first time wishing to plead mercy for an adversary. Don't, he tried to say. Don't kill him...
Katakuri looked at his precious little brother on the ground, struggling for each breath, before turning to glare at the man he held accountable. "I've warned you before, to not give me a reason to be your enemy."
Zoro bit down on Wado Ichimonji. He didn't even have the strength to speak and vision was dimming at the corners, his blood painting the heirloom's handle in a sinister shade. Zoro understood what was going to come next, and he would be damned if he didn't die on his feet.
Sanji went, in a last ditch attempt to kick at the Sweet Commander, but Katakuri caught him by the torso without even needing to turn around, and his entire arm darkened coating in armament haki hardening. Sanji howled in pain when Katakuri tightened his fist, no mercy.
"You hurt my sibling, so now pay with your life."
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Luffy was still trapped underneath a mountain of sticky mochi across the plaza, unable to move, and he was forced to helplessly watch it all happen. No, no, no, no, no...!
"Zoro!" Luffy shouted, searching for any way to help. There was nothing.
"Zoro!" Luffy shouted again. He still couldn't move.
"ZORO!" Luffy screamed, hoarse and desperate. His friend was going to die, yet he could do nothing but shriek his name one final time...
... and an oppressive dominating will burst forth, swiping through the area. Black flickering sparks emitted from Katakuri on reflex when pressure of another conqueror brushed up against his own, so weak in comparison, but his hand halted an inch away from that green-head swordsman's stony face and attention redirected, to the young boy trapped still across the open field.
One in a million.
Just like him.
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Author Notes
For anyone worried, rest assured there will be no major character deaths in this story.
BM Pirates keep their childhood fairytale food theme, so Panna's attacks are all based on toys and games: yo-yo, top, trampoline, hopscotch. In Italian, because Panna is named after the Italian dessert panna cotta.
Nougat 'cheating' in a sword fight is based on canon portrayal, as he is incapable of believing that Luffy did not. It made for an interesting personality conflict between his pirate side and swordsman side. Nougat's final attack 'Keks Bohren' is a reference to both Cracker and Katakuri, means biscuit drill in German, named after Cracker.
