Just as had been said before.
As a top-tier martial artist, Wang Zhi (Ochoku) could always clearly perceive the slightest killing intent, the smallest bodily movement, and every related detail whenever he faced an enemy.
And that was precisely where the problem lay.
Because right now, his senses were telling him something.
Every figure standing before him was real.
Although he could not see their appearances clearly, their killing intent, physiques, vitality, and even their breathing were all genuine.
"A cloning ability?" He muttered inwardly, every muscle in his body tensing.
He did not immediately launch an attack against the figures before him. Instead, he steadied his breathing.
He was waiting.
And what he was waiting for was very simple.
"Mamamama… Hey, Wang Zhi! What happened here?"
Only a few moments later, Wang Zhi heard the voice he had been hoping for coming from outside the door behind him.
Bang!
In the next instant, the massive doors were thrown open.
A thundercloud and flames drifted into the room, and outside the doorway appeared the enormous figure of BIG MOM, wielding her tricorne hat-sword, Napoleon.
Wang Zhi's muscles relaxed slightly.
A smug smile appeared on his lips.
"You actually thought it was a good idea to attack me inside Cake Chateau?" He sneered at the figures emerging from the air before him, as though he could sense panic among them.
That's right.
This was exactly what he had been waiting for. He didn't know who the Zodiac "Inu" was, nor what ability they possessed.
But that didn't matter. He was currently on Whole Cake Island, inside Cake Chateau.
Any disturbance here would immediately come to BIG MOM's attention.
"A foolish act courting death deserves punishment!"
He spread his arms and laughed loudly.
"Linlin, the Zodiac 'Inu' is right here! Let's work together and capture him!"
As he spoke, BIG MOM's massive figure had already charged into the room with her giant blade raised.
A surging tide of killing intent swept forward, accompanied by an ear-splitting roar.
"Spear of Elbaf: Might of the Nation!"
This secret martial technique of the Giants was one of the powers BIG MOM possessed, something Wang Zhi knew well.
As an ally, it was an incredibly reassuring power to have on your side.
But then
"!!!"
The smile on Wang Zhi's face froze, because he clearly realized at that moment that the target of that thunderous attack was not anyone else.
It was him!
In the next instant, Wang Zhi reacted immediately.
Jet-black Armament Haki coated his body as he twisted to evade.
But it was obvious… Faced with such a sudden attack, he could no longer dodge.
Boom!
A slash carrying the might of an entire nation struck Wang Zhi head-on and blasted him away.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
His body tore through nearly the entirety of Cake Chateau in an instant. By the time he crashed to the ground, he was already spewing large amounts of blood.
The loose robe he wore exploded apart, revealing the body beneath.
And then…
"Hm?"
A trace of surprise flashed through the eyes of the "BIG MOM." Because beneath Wang Zhi's robe was a suit of pitch-black armor that fit tightly against his body.
The armor was clearly extremely durable. Each scale-like plate was perfectly fitted to his physique, even rising and falling with his breathing. As a result, despite suffering such a heavy blow, the armor remained firmly in place.
And at this moment…
"You... Linlin... what is the meaning of this...?"
Despite receiving such a devastating attack, Wang Zhi slowly rose to his feet.
Grinding his teeth, he stared at the woman before him.
"You intend to start a war with me…"
His words abruptly stopped in his throat, because he suddenly noticed something.
The figure of "BIG MOM" who had attacked him was slowly dissipating once again and this time, as she faded away, so did the entirety of Cake Chateau.
Yes.
The hallways filled with the scent of sweets.
The candy-glazed walls reflecting sugary light.
The candles standing motionless like those in a dream.
The flying Homies.
At this moment, all of them vanished.
In their place, what appeared before Wang Zhi was a vast and distorted space.
Reflective mirrors were everywhere, while the ground rose and fell like an irregular maze.
"The Mirror World?"
Naturally, Wang Zhi knew that among BIG MOM's daughters was one named Charlotte Brûlée, the user of the Mirror-Mirror Fruit, capable of entering the Mirror World.
Thus, he instinctively looked toward the place where he had just been attacked.
Sure enough… A massive mirror stood there.
At that point, the truth was practically laid bare before him.
"When exactly did you begin to believe this was Cake Chateau?"
From the very beginning, the moment he stepped through the door to his room, he had already entered the Mirror World.
Everything that happened afterward had merely been...
"An illusion!?" Wang Zhi gritted his teeth. "How dare you humiliate me like this..."
Being toyed with in such a manner filled him with shame.
But clearly…
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The continuous sound of footsteps and the figures appearing one after another before him were already telling him the answer.
"Since when did you start believing that I intended to humiliate you?"
Standing at the center of the countless figures was Inu.
Looking at Wang Zhi, he said calmly,
"I already told you... I'm here to kill you."
As he spoke, Wang Zhi finally got a clear look at the figures standing before Inu.
Charlotte Perospero, Charlotte Katakuri, Charlotte Oven… Almost every member of the Big Mom Pirates was there.
And before Wang Zhi could even process what he was seeing…
"Spear of Elbaf: Might of the Nation!"
A furious roar echoed from above his head once more.
He looked up and saw the figure of "BIG MOM" descending from the sky, giant blade in hand.
Having already experienced the power of that attack once, Wang Zhi did not hesitate.
He leaped backward at once, extending a finger and drawing a character across the ground.
[Shield]
The instant the character was completed, the floor of the Mirror World surged upward, transforming within moments into a gigantic shield that blocked BIG MOM's path overhead.
Boom!
Napoleon collided violently with the massive shield.
And then…
Poof!
To Wang Zhi's widened eyes, BIG MOM's figure vanished completely.
"Another fake!?"
At this point, Wang Zhi was utterly bewildered.
He could no longer understand what was happening.
The BIG MOM attacking him was clearly fake, but if she was fake, then how had that earlier strike truly unleashed the power of Might of the Nation and injured him?
And if she was fake, why was he inside the Mirror World? Had Brûlée betrayed her family?
And just then…
"KILL HIM!" × N
A chorus of battle cries erupted.
Turning around, Wang Zhi saw countless Charlotte Family officers charging toward him.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Whoosh!
Flintlock bullets and roaring sword slashes came flooding toward him.
Every bullet.
Every slash.
Felt completely real.
So, he began writing on the ground once more.
This time, he wrote two characters.
[Shield]
[Wall]
The two words merged into the ground, and a massive defensive wall instantly rose around him, completely enclosing his body.
Bang!
Boom!
The bullets and slashes struck the barrier… And then disappeared without a trace.
"As expected... they're all illusions!?" Seeing this, Wang Zhi gritted his teeth in frustration.
His gaze locked onto Inu in the distance.
"I don't know how that bastard managed to imitate Linlin's Might of the Nation, but these attacks should all be fake."
"This Devil Fruit ability is related to illusions!"
Even as he reached that conclusion, he wasted no time.
Leaping out from behind the shield wall, he charged forward.
And at that very moment…
Swish!
"Katakuri," wielding a trident, extended an arm that transformed into sticky mochi and grabbed toward Wang Zhi.
Fwoosh!
"Oven's" blazing-hot fist appeared beside him as well.
"As expected, they're fake. Even if someone can copy appearances, there's no way they can replicate Devil Fruit powers."
Wang Zhi became even more convinced of his theory.
Therefore, he completely ignored the attacks from the two figures.
Instead, he focused entirely on Inu in the distance.
Raising his fist, he struck forward.
"Airwave Fist: Tiger's Roar!"
A tiger-shaped shockwave burst forth and sped toward Inu.
That was Wang Zhi's decision.
He would strike directly at the leader, eliminate Inu, and end this farce rather than waste time fighting illusions.
But only an instant later…
Boom!
A tall figure suddenly appeared in front of Inu.
The man was large and muscular, holding a massive biscuit shield.
Wang Zhi immediately recognized him.
One of BIG MOM's Three Sweet Commanders… Charlotte Cracker.
But the important thing wasn't who he was.
It was what happened next.
Bang!
Cracker's giant biscuit shield blocked the path of the Airwave Fist and forcefully stopped Wang Zhi's attack.
Rumble!
A tremendous tremor erupted.
Huge cracks spread across the surface of the biscuit shield.
Yet only moments later, the cracked biscuit rapidly repaired itself.
[Paramecia: Biscuit-Biscuit Fruit (Pseudo)]
"It... blocked it?"
Wang Zhi was completely stunned.
'Weren't they supposed to be illusions?'
Why could they stop his attacks?
"N-No... wait... could it be...?"
Only now did Wang Zhi realize the horrifying possibility.
He instinctively turned around.
But it was already too late.
Tap!
Katakuri's mochi-transformed arm had already wrapped around his body.
[Paramecia: Mochi-Mochi Fruit (Pseudo)]
Wang Zhi: "!!!"
And then…
Boom!
A burning fist engulfed in scorching flames smashed directly into Wang Zhi's face.
His face was instantly charred black.
The blood spraying from his mouth was vaporized by the heat before it could even fall.
[Paramecia: Heat-Heat Fruit (Pseudo)]
"Wha..."
His eyes widened with utter confusion.
Were these people real?
Or fake?
Carrying that unanswered question, his body was sent crashing downward by the punch.
(End of Chapter)
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