One Piece: Honey Badger Speedruns the World

Katakuri did not answer immediately.

Those scarlet pupils contracted slightly, emitting an eerie red light.

hum.

A ripple, perceptible only to the strong, spread through the air.

He's watching.

Looking at the future a few seconds from now.

In that brief glimpse of the future: green light flickers, Brulee covers her smooth face and weeps, while Goss stands there, panting heavily, his face etched with a scar.

There are no lies.

There were no traps either.

The red light dissipated.

squeak--!

The trident-shaped earth dragon hovered less than two millimeters from Goss.

Katakuri used his free left hand to forcefully pull up the fur scarf covering the corner of his mouth.

He wrapped himself up even more tightly, even covering his nose, leaving only his eyes showing.

Why go to such lengths?

Katakuri's voice was low and hoarse, tinged with a hint of confusion: "For the so-called deterrent effect of pirates? That reason might fool Brulee, but don't try to fool me."

Although having a scar on his face does make him look really handsome...

He took a step forward, an immense pressure enveloping Goss: "You're a shrewd fellow. But in this world, nobody does anything that doesn't benefit them. What are you truly after?"

Goss smiled. The fervor in his eyes hadn't diminished; instead, it had become even purer—a thirst for power.

"I want eyes."

Goss pointed to his eyes, looking directly at Katakuri: "I want you to teach me... Observation Haki that allows you to foresee the future."

"What?!"

Brulee gasped in surprise. That was Katakuri's strongest technique, the foundation of his invincibility! This newcomer's goal was this?

Goss ignored Brulee and continued, "Without dual-color Haki, one cannot enter the ranks of the masters."

"I traded this face for Ms. Brulee's new life; I traded the curse I endured for a lesson."

Goss stepped forward, his voice firm and resolute: "This is a genuine exchange of interests."

Katakuri fell silent. He looked at Goss. This man possessed both the ruthlessness to achieve his goals and the ambition to demand power from the strong.

He glanced at Goss first, then his gaze involuntarily shifted to Brulee beside him.

Brûlée was covering her face, peeking at Goss through her fingers, her eyes filled with a longing she herself dared not admit.

thump.

Katakuri's heart skipped a beat.

Decades ago, on a rainy night, his younger sister lay in a pool of blood, and the wound that pierced her nose and ruined her life... That memory haunted him like a nightmare.

That was the only indelible stain behind his "perfect and invincible" legend, a sin he could never atone for in his lifetime. As long as that scar remained on Brulee's face, his guilt would never cease.

And now...

Katakuri looked at Goss again.

This newcomer, he said he could take it with him. He wanted to transfer the sin that belonged to me, the pain that tormented Brulee for half her life, onto his own face, and turn it into a stepping stone for his advancement.

Compared to giving his sister a new life, compared to lessening even a fraction of his own self-loathing for his incompetence... what does a mere lesson in Observation Haki even matter?

a long time.

Katakuri grabbed the weapon called Earth Dragon and slammed it heavily on the ground.

"make a deal."

Two simple words, and the decision was made.

"no!!"

A piercing scream instantly shattered the tacit understanding that had just been reached.

Brulee, who had been trembling with anticipation, rushed out as if she had gone mad.

Ignoring her reverence for her brother, she spread her withered arms and stood firmly between Katakuri and Goss.

"Brother! You can't agree to him! Absolutely not!!"

Brulee, her face streaked with tears, turned to look at Katakuri, her voice hoarse with extreme anxiety:

"That's your signature move! That's the fundamental power that made you an invincible legend and the greatest masterpiece of the Charlotte family!"

She pointed to her face, her fingers digging fiercely into the scar, even drawing blood, as if to prove that her face was worthless:

"For me... for an ugly monster like me... it's not worth it at all!"

"I'm used to it! I've long accepted the fact that I'm an old witch! Anyway, I'll just hide in the mirror..."

Brûlée was trembling with sobs, her eyes pleading as she looked at her haughty brother.

"You are the perfect Katakuri, the idol of all your younger siblings. How could you compromise with an outsider for the sake of a trivial scar like mine?!"

In Brulee's heart, Katakuri's perfection is sacred and inviolable.

She would rather be ugly for the rest of her life than see her brother lower his head even a little bit for her sake.

Goss raised an eyebrow and stopped. What a touching sibling bond...

Katakuri looked down at his sister, who was standing in front of him, crying her eyes out.

He was silent for a moment, then slowly reached out his hand. That large hand, big enough to crush rocks, landed very gently on Brulee's head and ruffled her messy hair.

"Brulee".

Katakuri's voice came through the scarf, no longer cold, but carrying an awkward gentleness:

"Nothing is perfect, and nothing is worth sacrificing your family's suffering for."

"and……"

He paused, and through that scar, he seemed to see again the little girl from decades ago who would bring him an umbrella on rainy days and laugh as she praised his handsome lips:

"I also want to see your smiling face again, the one you had before you were injured."

Brulee was stunned.

Her mouth was open, tears streaming down her face, but she could no longer utter a word of refusal.

Watching the touching bond between the siblings, Goss had already anticipated this outcome.

The reason he dared to make such an outrageous, even predatory, demand on Charlotte Katakuri, the strongest general with a bounty of one billion, was not because he was bold, but because he knew Charlotte Katakuri too well.

To outsiders, he was a cold-blooded, ruthless, and flawless monster.

But in front of his family, especially when facing Brulee who suffers because of him, his bottom line... is infinitely low.

Goss knew very well that as long as he could erase the pain from Bry's face, as long as he could atone for the decades of guilt he had felt, he would succeed.

Let alone a mere method for cultivating Observation Haki, even if he were to kneel down and kowtow right now, this seemingly invincible man wouldn't even blink.

The outcome was predetermined from the start.

"Alright, that concludes the touching family drama segment."

Goss interrupted the sentimental atmosphere, albeit untimely, yet perfectly timed.

He strode forward and yanked Brulee, who was still stunned and crying, away. The action was rough but effective.

"Don't let your brother's sacrifice be in vain, you old witch."

Goss unfolded the cold, gray fabric, a wicked smile playing on his lips. "And let's get started. I can't wait to put that medal on."

"Bear with it, Ms. Brulee. It might be a little itchy."

After saying that, he took out the bodysuit, put one end on Brulee, and put the other end on himself.

start up.

Sizzle sizzle—!

With a crackling sound of electricity, the special shape memory material, like a silvery-gray liquid, gushed out from the belt in an instant.

They spread wildly along Goss's spine and limbs, enveloping him completely in the blink of an eye.

That wasn't ordinary clothing; it was a bodysuit that felt like a second skin.

It constricted every muscle in Goss's body, making even breathing difficult.

Then, the material climbed up his neck, covered his chin, nose, eyes... until it completely engulfed his head.

At this moment, Brulee looked exactly the same, like a faceless, silver-gray doll, radiating a cold and eerie technological glow.

Katakuri kept his Observation Haki active to prevent any accidents from happening.

"Ugh!!!!"

A sharp pain shot through him instantly. Goss felt as if an invisible hand was tearing flesh off Bry's face and then roughly sewing it back onto his own.

Those were decades-old wounds, pain accumulated over half a lifetime. Now, it all erupted in an instant.

Goss's face contorted in pain, veins bulging, but he didn't utter a sound, as if to prove that he was qualified to bear this power.

puff.

With a soft sound, the core fabric of the priceless Germa bodysuit, having fulfilled its purpose, instantly turned into black ash, which drifted into the air.

Everything returned to calm.

"...It's a lie...this must be a lie..."

Brulee touched her cheeks with trembling hands.

Smooth, delicate, and warm to the touch.

She looked in the mirror.

The woman in the mirror was no longer the ugly old witch, but a stunningly beautiful woman with a beauty mark at the corner of her eye.

That's what she looked like at twenty, the past she longed to return to in countless midnight dreams.

"Waaaaah!! Brother! My face! My face is healed!!"

Brulee cried her heart out, and her whole being radiated an amazing glow.

However, Katakuri didn't look at his sister. His gaze remained fixed on Goss.

In the shadows, Goss slowly raised his head. He casually wiped the blood from his face.

His once handsome, fair-skinned face had completely vanished. In its place was a terrifying scar that ran diagonally from his left temple across the bridge of his nose and down to his right jaw.

His flesh was torn and rolled back, revealing the bone, making him look like a vicious wolf that had just emerged from a battlefield of carnage.

"So...so handsome!!!"

An extremely untimely exclamation broke the silence.

The crocodile-man Thorton, standing nearby, was holding his face in his hands, his dull little eyes now sparkling with adoration, his tail wagging wildly behind him.

"Captain!! You look absolutely awesome right now!!"

"That's what a real pirate looks like! I want a scar like that too!!"

Goss was wincing in pain, and almost laughed in anger when he heard this.

He twitched his still-bleeding lips, revealing a hideous grin at Katakuri:

"Katakuri-sensei."

"When will the first lesson begin?"

Katakuri did not immediately answer Gos's question about the "first lesson".

His sharp eyes fell back on Brulee's face.

Smooth, fair, without any scars.

That was the most beautiful image of his sister from decades ago, deep in his memory.

The heavy sense of guilt that had weighed on his heart for decades, preventing him from sleeping soundly on every rainy night, vanished completely at this moment.

Swish.

Katakuri suddenly reached out and pulled the heavy scarf around his neck up to his eyes, covering almost half of his face and wrapping himself up completely.

"go out."

His voice, muffled by his scarf, sounded somewhat indistinct, even carrying a barely perceptible tremor: "Now, immediately, everyone get out."

"Huh? But it's my brother..."

Brulee wanted to say something else.

Goss gave the fully armed man, who was completely concealed, a deep look, and the playful smile on his lips deepened.

He didn't say a word more, nor did he pester them. He simply turned and left, grabbing Thornton and Bryn by the back of their collars as they stood there, still in a daze.

"Let's go. Let's give Katakuri-sensei some...private space."

They didn't stop until they had walked far enough away that the room was completely out of sight.

"Phew...that scared me to death."

Thornton patted his chest, his crocodile face filled with lingering fear. He scratched his head, looking at Goss with concern:

"Captain, Katakuri's last appearance... was terrifying. He covered his face so thoroughly and even tried to drive us away."

Thornton lowered his voice and asked cautiously, "Is he going to back out? Does he feel like he lost out on this deal and doesn't want to teach you how to be domineering anymore?"

"Shut up! You stupid crocodile!"

Before Goss could even speak, Brûlée bristled. She clutched her beautiful new face and shrieked at Thornton like a protective mother cat:

"My brother isn't that kind of person! He's the most perfect man! He promised, and he'll never go back on his word!"

"He sent us away, it must be because... because he needed to do some deep meditation! Yes! My brother needs to get into the right mindset to teach Goss!"

Brulee looked at him with adoration, as if even Katakuri's farts smelled sweet.

"Oh."

Goss leaned against the mirror, touched the burning, fresh scar on his face, and shattered Brûlée's fantasy with a mischievous grin:

"It's not that I'd change my mind. But meditation... well, it really is meditation."

He pointed in the direction behind him and said jokingly, "If I'm not mistaken, that invincible Lord Katakuri is probably hiding under his scarf and crying right now."

"ha?!"

Brulee froze, then flew into a rage: "What nonsense are you spouting?! I'll tear your mouth apart!!"

"How could my brother possibly cry?! He is the greatest masterpiece of the Charlotte family! A man whose back has never touched the ground since the moment he was born! A powerful figure who will forever look down upon the earth!"

Brulee's face flushed with anger as she pointed at Goss's nose and yelled, "Tears are such a weak thing! My brother abandoned them long ago! He absolutely, positively could never cry!!"

Goss shrugged, giving him a "you don't understand men" look.

……

Meanwhile, inside Nuomi's room.

In the empty room, only the trident, still stuck in the ground, remained.

The towering man, who resembled a demon god, was sitting cross-legged on the ground, his back to the direction everyone had left in.

"Ugh... ugh..."

Katakuri clutched his scarf tightly; it was his last line of defense.

Beneath that thick fur scarf, in that terrifying mouth full of fangs, he was biting his lower lip hard, desperately trying not to make a sound.

but.

Splash!

Tears flowed wildly from his bloodshot eyes, like a burst dam or a broken faucet!

It can't be stopped. It's completely unstoppable.

It was the guilt that had been building up for decades, the bitterness that had been swallowed countless times when looking at her sister's scars, all of which turned into scalding tears at this moment.

At this moment, he was not a general with a bounty of 1 billion, nor was he the invincible Katakuri.

He was just an older brother who had finally been relieved of his burden.

"Waaaaah..."

The tough man's broad shoulders trembled violently as he cried like a 200-pound child, tears streaming down his face.