"Only one warship, huh? Well, it's better than nothing."
Douglas Bullet's eyes gleamed with a savage, arrogant light as he sneered.
"Before I take down that guy named Roger, I'll use you lot to warm up—"
Before he could finish, his expression shifted.
A flash of silver suddenly tore through the sky and slammed into the ground at terrifying speed.
A massive cloud of dust erupted across the ruined town.
Bullet's figure was sent skidding back dozens of meters, his black military boots carving deep trenches into the earth. The swirling dust whipped up by the blast obscured much of his body. His right hand, clad in Armament Haki, clutched a streamlined silver metal skateboard.
"A Devil Fruit user? Now things are getting interesting..."
Bullet licked the corner of his mouth, his eyes igniting with a burning will to fight. He gripped the metal board so tightly it bent in his hand.
Just as he was about to move, a barrage of shells rained down from above, completely swallowing him in wave after wave of explosions and flames.
The blasts roared like thunder, flames shooting into the sky.
The wreckage of collapsed buildings lay scattered under the indiscriminate bombardment. Under the searing shockwaves, stone, glass, soil—and bodies—were blown to pieces.
Aboard the warship, the Marines looked on in stunned silence as the shells, neatly stacked on deck, blanketed the target zone like a tactical array. One after another, massive mushroom clouds erupted.
At that moment, the entire town seemed to transform into a colossal artillery test site. The explosions lit up the sky in a blazing inferno.
They could hardly believe what they were witnessing.
Their eyes instinctively shifted to the tall figure at the bow of the ship—standing shoulder to shoulder with Sakazuki, arm extended flat.
Only now did they understand why the always-proud Rear Admiral Sakazuki had shown such regard for a mere recruit fresh out of the training camp.
He didn't need any heavy artillery.
This man—his firepower alone was enough to rival an entire army!
Even more terrifying was the fact that, thanks to Commodore Daren's Devil Fruit ability, the warship's shells didn't need to arc like traditional artillery. There was no need to adjust their trajectory.
Instead, they rocketed toward the target zone at speeds several times faster than standard cannons!
"No wonder Rear Admiral Sakazuki personally went to the training camp to get him..."
As the Marines stood frozen in shock, Sakazuki's eyes remained locked on the epicenter of the explosion in the distance. He frowned slightly.
"His aura hasn't faded."
A twisted grin spread across Daren's face.
"Of course not. That guy's not going down so easily."
He yanked off the Navy cloak draped over his back, rolled his neck with a few satisfying cracks.
"Guess I'll go have some fun with him."
Sakazuki responded coolly.
As his words fell, faint purple sparks flickered between his fingertips. Invisible magnetic waves rippled outward, then surged into violent turbulence.
In the stunned gaze of the surrounding Marines, the commodore's figure launched from the ship like a cannonball.
His speed peaked instantly, body nearly parallel to the sea as he tore across the surface. The sheer force of his flight split the ocean below into a snow-white trench... racing straight toward the fiery heart of the town!
Before this mission, Daren had already used his connections with the Marine Headquarters Armament Management Department to secretly upgrade his boots and belt, embedding them with metal components.
Now, he no longer needed a metal board—he could fly at full speed on his own!
"Don't just stand there! Full speed ahead!"
Sakazuki's sharp command snapped the Marines out of their daze.
In the next moment, the ship's engines roared like a wild beast... at full throttle!
"What a pathetic trick... Is that really all the Marines can do?"
From the thick smoke and raging flames, a black military boot stepped forward.
Then, Douglas Bullet's massive figure burst through the smoke. The Armament Haki that had coated his entire body faded rapidly, like ink being drained away. He tore apart the charred remains of his burned and tattered uniform, exposing a body of coiled, rippling muscle.
A low voice suddenly rang out.
A strange crimson gleam flashed in the depths of Bullet's eyes.
A black-haired Marine appeared above him like a ghost. His boot, clad in Armament Haki, came crashing down like a raging battle axe with overwhelming force!
Bullet let out a sinister grin.
"Looks like we've got a real monster this time."
He didn't flinch—just threw a punch straight upward.
Boot and fist collided in mid-air, unleashing a thunderous blast like a meteor slamming into the earth.
Douglas Bullet's body was driven downward. The ground within ten meters beneath his feet collapsed, forming a gaping crater.
His pupils contracted—but then he broke into a wild, delighted laugh.
"Kahahaha!! Now that's some power!"
"This is the first time— the very first time on these seas—that someone's matched me in raw physical strength!"
His eyes burned crimson, locked onto Daren's indifferent expression like a demon locking onto prey. Excitement flared deep in his gaze.
And at that moment, Daren finally got a clear look at Bullet's face.
It was almost exactly as he remembered—cold, sharp, emotionless. A face that knew neither pity nor compassion. In his eyes, a madness and obsession that screamed from deep within.
But compared to his memory, the Bullet before him looked much younger—barely twenty.
"You have no idea how vast this sea really is."
His body twisted in mid-air, and using that momentum, he drove a punch straight at Bullet's head.
The terrifying force—surpassing even that of the Giants—combined with Armament Haki, tore through the air with a roar. White shockwaves exploded outward, followed by a deep sonic boom. Newest update provided by NoveI~Fire.net
Bullet laughed wildly, brimming with fighting spirit as he threw his fists forward.
"Then show me what you've got... Marine!!"
Two jet-black fists collided in the sky with a deafening crash.
At that moment, Bullet's eyes narrowed, and an overwhelming, abyssal aura erupted from his body.
The wind howled—heaven and earth shifted.
Without hesitation, Daren unleashed his own Conqueror's Haki at full force.
Purple and red waves of Conqueror's Haki clashed like tangible tsunamis in the sky, colliding and crashing in a storm of crackling lightning.
The violent shockwaves rippled out from the center, sweeping everything in their path.
The ground, shattered buildings, dirt, boulders, mangled corpses—everything was hurled skyward by the sheer force of the Haki clash.
Wave after wave of surging energy rolled out in every direction.
p@treon com / PinkSnake