You had been separated from Luffy’s group, lost within the twisting, unpredictable maze of the Seducing Woods—exactly the kind of nightmare you’d hoped to avoid.

After what felt like hours of wandering in endless circles, your legs gave out beneath you, and you slumped to the forest floor in exhausted defeat. The eerie silence of the woods pressed in around you.

That’s when you heard it—slow, deliberate footsteps behind you.

“So this is the only one who hasn’t been captured,” a voice muttered.

Your heart dropped. You knew that voice.

Charlotte Katakuri.

Second son of Big Mom, and one of the most powerful figures in her crew.

You had to move. Now.

But what did he mean—the only one not captured? What had happened to the others? You couldn’t afford to think about it yet.

First, you had to deal with him.

You sprang to your feet, sliding into a battle stance. Katakuri mirrored you, calm but focused—until he suddenly lunged, his fist slicing through the air with brutal speed.

But you were faster.

You ducked, twisted, and landed a solid punch to his jaw. The shock flashed in his eyes as he skidded across the forest floor, crashing into the trunk of a tree.

Grimacing, he rubbed his head and looked up at you, clearly caught off guard.

“…How—?” His eyes widened as you dashed toward him again, your fist cocked for another strike.

The next thing you knew, he was on the ground, staring up at the canopy with blood dripping from his nose.

“How did you evade my Haki?” he muttered to himself, stunned. “I didn’t see it coming…”