Chapter 1296: Third Tier??

A bullet came whistling through the air. Katakuri punched Doflamingo back, intending to rush toward Cracker.

"Foot-Kick Thread."

Doflamingo coated his leg with Armament Haki and kicked at Katakuri's head. Katakuri was forced to stop, blocking with one arm in front of him.

With a bang, yellow sand mixed with bits of flesh splashed. Cracker was sent flying several meters away by the bullet's impact. His legs were blown into a bloody mess, revealing white, ghastly bones. Before the bullet hit him, he had coated his legs with Armament Haki.

Did Su Xiao miss this shot? Not at all; he and Doflamingo were currently besieging the enemy to strike the reinforcements.

Katakuri's personality seemed aloof and cold, but in reality, it was not so. Unlike his birth mother, Charlotte Linlin, although Katakuri appeared cold, he actually cared deeply for his subordinates and family.

Cracker was his younger brother, a brother he had watched grow up since childhood. Therefore, he would never stand by and watch Cracker die. The semi-conscious Cracker had taken a shot from Su Xiao; relying solely on Cracker's Armament Haki, he definitely couldn't have blocked that shot. It was Katakuri who, while taking Doflamingo's kick head-on, flung out a mass of mochi coated in Armament Haki, wrapping Cracker's legs inside.

This was the terrifying aspect of being able to predict the future. Before the bullet landed, Katakuri had already predicted its landing point.

As a Mochi-Mochi Fruit user, Katakuri could almost ignore physical attacks. However, Doflamingo's kick carried Armament Haki, which could strike Katakuri's true body.

Katakuri's expression was ugly. He knew that while protecting Cracker, he couldn't fight Doflamingo.

In a 1v1, Katakuri had full confidence in killing Doflamingo, but the current situation was clearly not a 1v1.

"Kata... kuri-nii, first... deal with... the Sea Hooligan, I... can... hold on."

Cracker regained some consciousness from the pain. He understood the current situation; he was a burden now. He had underestimated the Donquixote Family earlier; this was the price of underestimating his opponent.

"......"

Katakuri remained silent. He assessed Cracker's injuries; they weren't bad enough to completely lose combat capability.

Katakuri lightly stepped on the sand beneath his feet. The texture of the yellow sand changed. With Katakuri as the center point, the surrounding sand turned milky white and bonded together.

This was the ability possessed after a Paramecia-type fruit awakened, capable of assimilating all surrounding objects. Katakuri was a Mochi-Mochi Fruit user, so he could turn surrounding objects into mochi.

Doflamingo leaped backward repeatedly, exiting that mochi area. The sand beneath his feet also began to turn white, becoming a type of white thread. Doflamingo had also awakened his Paramecia-type Devil Fruit.

The beach for hundreds of meters around was half mochi-fied and half thread-fied. This was the power of a Paramecia awakening, making the surrounding environment more favorable for one's own combat.

Cracker lay on the mochi, and the mochi slowly wrapped him inside.

A large expanse of threads rolled toward Katakuri. Katakuri waved his hand, and the mochi met them.

Cracker soon disappeared into the mochi, and a large amount of mochi and fine threads rolled into a ball.

With a boom, a figure flew backward out of the threads. It was Doflamingo; he protected his head with both hands and crashed straight into a giant rock.

Drip, drip, drip...

An electronic sound came from within the mochi. Katakuri hooked his finger, and a plastic bomb was squeezed out by the mochi.

The bomb exploded. Katakuri didn't care at all about the firelight produced by the explosion. A mass of mochi appeared in his hand, rapidly deforming into a trident, coated in pitch-black Armament Haki.

Katakuri's body arched slightly, part of his body turned into mochi, and he assumed a throwing posture.

Bang!

A loud whistling sound spread, and the trident in Katakuri's hand flew out.

Gravel splashed. A giant rock by the seaside was pierced with a hole three meters in diameter. Blood could still be seen inside the hole. This was a Fourth Tier contractor with permeability abilities; he had been instantly killed by Katakuri's strike. No need to guess; this guy had come to pick up scraps.

Not just this contractor, but nearby, at least dozens of Fourth Tier contractors were watching. These contractors had originally been mixed into the battlefield to scavenge pirate reputation. After discovering Doflamingo and Katakuri fighting, they hid nearby, waiting to pick up scraps when one side fell.

Most of these contractors were from Big Mom's faction, with a small portion having joined the Donquixote Family or Kaido's faction.

Do not think that once contractors joined a faction, they would help that faction fight. Without benefits, who would be willing to risk their lives for plot-character factions? The answer was no one.

Now, dozens of eyes were staring at the heavily wounded Cracker. Cracker had been wounded by Su Xiao; if they had a chance to kill Cracker, they could obtain all the benefits of killing him.

Under such tempting circumstances, even contractors from Big Mom's faction were tempted. Even if they betrayed Big Mom's faction, they had a chance to join the Donquixote Family or the Beasts Pirates, though their main mission rewards would be reduced.

These people weren't just eyeing Cracker; they were also eyeing Su Xiao. Given the current situation, if someone could take care of Su Xiao, it would definitely be a great achievement for Katakuri. Katakuri's influence in the Big Mom Pirates was enough to earn them a high status and benefits.

The current situation took a sharp turn. Katakuri resolved the crisis with his own ability and even had the momentum to heavily wound or defeat Doflamingo. Therefore, these contractors focused their attention on Doflamingo.

Inside the fourth floor of the villa, Su Xiao no longer paid attention to the situation on the beach. Doflamingo could only fend for himself; Su Xiao had other troubles.

Su Xiao shifted his scope. He had already discovered several contractors approaching the King's Plateau. These were contractors from Big Mom's faction.

Killing contractors from the opposing faction could also earn pirate reputation, the amount being half of the enemy's current reputation. That is to say, if someone could kill Su Xiao, the other party could obtain over 1,000 pirate reputation points.

In the residential area of Dressrosa, five contractors were quickly weaving through the houses. They were a squad.

After the five moved quickly for a distance, they stopped behind a tall building.

"Don't expose yourselves directly to that guy's gun. Cracker only took one shot and was beaten half to death."

A thin man holding a chain spoke. He leaned against the edge of the wall, looking toward the King's Plateau.

"Have you confirmed that guy's identity?"

"Confirmed. He's a Third Tier contractor, codenamed White Night. Specific attributes are temporarily unknown; the distance is too far."

A red-haired girl with long legs responded to the thin man while looking toward the King's Plateau.

"Third Tier?"

The thin man holding the chain looked slightly surprised.

"That's right, Third Tier."

The long-legged girl spread her hands, indicating this was the intelligence she had detected. ===== CHAPTER 1297 =====