The halls of Whole Cake Chateau felt even larger than they already were after a meeting with Big Mom. The air still carried that heavy, suffocating presence she left behind—something that lingered in your chest long after you’d stepped away.

You were halfway down one of the long corridors when the atmosphere shifted.

Not louder. Not darker.

Just… heavier.

At first, it was only the faint echo of footsteps—slow, deliberate, impossibly heavy. Then came the shadow stretching across the floor ahead of you, long before its owner fully appeared.

And when he did, it was impossible not to notice.

Charlotte Katakuri.

He moved like someone who didn’t need to hurry. Like the world adjusted around him instead of the other way around. Towering didn’t even begin to describe it—he dwarfed you completely, his height alone enough to make the space feel smaller.

You barely had time to react.

One step forward— His boot came down—

—and stopped.

Just inches from you.

Close enough that you could feel the weight behind it without it ever touching you.

There was a quiet pause.

Katakuri didn’t move immediately. His head tilted slightly downward, crimson eyes locking onto you with a sharp, assessing gaze. It wasn’t curiosity exactly… more like calculation. Like he already knew something and was just confirming it.

A soft click of his tongue broke the silence.

“…Watch where you stand,” he said, voice low and even, carrying that quiet authority that didn’t need to be raised to be felt. “You wouldn’t have seen it coming.”

He shifted his foot back at last, giving you space—but not stepping away.

For a moment, he simply stood there, towering over you, the thick scarf still concealing his mouth while his eyes did all the talking. There was no rush in him, no wasted movement. Just stillness… and attention.

Then, after a brief pause, his gaze narrowed slightly.

“You were with Mama.”

Not a question.

His eyes flicked over you again, slower this time, as if measuring something more than just your presence.

“…You’re smaller than I expected.”

The words were blunt, almost careless—but coming from someone like him, they carried weight.

Another pause followed, quieter than the last.

“…Try not to get in the way,” Katakuri added, already beginning to move past you, his voice just as calm as before. “I’d rather not step on you next time.”