Bullet was completely enraged!
What did he mean by "I don't want to kill you"? Was Daren saying he could kill him anytime he wanted?
In his entire life, Bullet had never encountered someone so outrageously arrogant.
Even Captain Roger, as mighty as he was, had never spoken to him with such blatant disdain.
Even if you've gotten stronger, Daren, you're not the only one who's grown!
At that moment, an unprecedented fury exploded from Bullet's chest. His Conqueror's Haki raged even more violently, rolling through the air and turning the entire environment into a deep, oppressive purple.
"Then there's no helping it. I guess I'll have to knock you down before we talk."
Daren sighed helplessly and added with a grin,
"Don't say I didn't warn you. Try not to scream too loudly later—there are tens of thousands of Marines watching. It'll be really embarrassing for you afterward..."
On the distant warships along the coast, the Marines who heard Daren's words all twitched their mouths at once.
Especially the three Vice Admirals, who were now covered in cold sweat. They couldn't help but glance over at Borsalino, lounging on his beach chair, sipping watermelon juice.
That maddeningly smug tone... why did it feel so disturbingly familiar?
They could already picture Douglas Bullet erupting on the spot. The source of thɪs content is noᴠelfire.net
Sure enough, as soon as Daren finished speaking, Bullet's eyes were instantly bloodshot, crisscrossed with fierce, violent veins.
Slamming both feet into the ground, Bullet's figure shot out like a cannonball, his speed instantly reaching its peak.
The moment he disappeared from his original position, the ground beneath him caved in with a thunderous boom, leaving behind an exaggerated, giant crater.
Like a rampaging beast, Bullet's blood-red eyes gleamed like those of a vengeful demon. His expression twisted with rage, his aura rising to an extreme.
In the next instant, he appeared right in front of Daren, throwing a punch wrapped in a thick layer of Armament Haki, tearing through the air with overwhelming force, aiming straight for Daren's head!
This was Douglas Bullet!
He disdained sneak attacks.
Even filled with fury, he would always defeat his opponent head-on with raw strength.
"Looks like you've made some progress..."
A fierce grin tugged at Daren's lips. A strange crimson gleam flickered deep within his pupils.
As his Observation Haki spread outward, he clearly sensed and predicted the path of Bullet's punch.
No retreat, no evasion.
The moment he took a deep breath, Daren's eyes sharpened to an extreme focus.
Armament Haki surged like crashing waves, or like scattered falling petals, swiftly coating his arm and flowing down to his clenched fist... then he struck!
There was no exaggerated sonic boom, no visible shockwaves twisting the air.
In the eyes of the distant Marines, Daren's punch looked so plain, so slow, it seemed like even the naked eye could catch every movement.
But what they didn't notice was that Borsalino, lounging on his beach chair, paused mid-leg shake.
After a moment of stillness, a meaningful smile curled up at the corner of his mouth once again.
However, Bullet, facing Daren's incoming punch head-on, felt a terrifying chill race through his entire body, as if all the blood in his veins had frozen solid.
Every hair on his body stood on end.
In his field of vision, everything else seemed to fade away, leaving only Daren's ordinary-looking fist coming straight for him.
He even felt a bizarre illusion—as if the space around him was warping and distorting under the force of Daren's punch!
It was clearly just a simple punch... yet it carried the crushing pressure of an unstoppable avalanche, of a tsunami devastating everything in its path!
He had only ever experienced it once before—and only from one man!
That blade that even demons and gods would retreat from!
The thought alone sent a tremor through Bullet's heart.
Could it be... Daren's strength had already reached Captain Roger's level?
But at this critical moment, Bullet had no time to think. He could only roar and charge forward with everything he had.
A heavy collision echoed through the battlefield as their blackened fists crashed together in midair.
A mighty shockwave rippled outward from their clash, sending sand and debris flying in all directions.
Within a radius of a thousand meters, the ground cracked with dense fractures, the rocks trembling under the impact.
For the first time, Bullet's expression twisted in shock.
Pain seared through his arm, coated in Armament Haki, as his knuckles gave an audible crack, unable to withstand Daren's terrifying punch.
His body was flung backward, tumbling through the air several times before he managed to land on one knee, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth in a vivid streak.
"What kind of move is that!?"
He roared in disbelief.
In that brief clash, he had felt it clearly—Daren's strength was enough to crush him!
But what was even more terrifying was how strange that punch had been.
At the instant of the strike, Bullet had sensed Daren entering a special state where his Armament Haki and his physical technique became one, a unity so complete that it shattered Bullet's own Haki defense.
Panting heavily, Bullet glanced down at his lone arm. His blood-soaked fist was dripping steadily.
Daren stood unmoving where he was, the ember at the tip of his cigar glowing faintly.
The corners of his mouth lifted into a slight smile.
With his own strength having risen to Admiral level, Daren found he now had a much deeper understanding of Garp's fist techniques.
Though he still couldn't use Conqueror's Haki in his attacks as perfectly as Garp, this state of complete unity between body, mind, and technique allowed him to bring the internal destruction effects of Armament Haki to their fullest potential.
Coupled with his absurdly durable physique and strength surpassing even the warriors of the giant race...
The power he unleashed wasn't something as simple as one plus one equals two.
"You're full of shit!!"
Bullet's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets as he roared furiously.
What the hell was a "Serious Punch"?! There was no such move in this world!
He was fighting with everything he had, and this bastard was mocking him !?
Seeing Bullet so furious he was about to burst a vein, Daren let out a small sigh and muttered,
"Even when I tell the truth, you don't believe me... There's really nothing I can do."
"But Bullet, you should have realized the gap between us by now, right?"
"There's no point in dragging this out. Otherwise, I'm afraid I might accidentally break your other arm too."
"With one arm left, you could still become one of the Shichibukai.
But with no arms left, I'll have no choice but to toss you into Impel Down to rot away."
Three Vice Admirals: ...
Vice Admiral Daren, is this your idea of persuading someone to surrender?
You're practically forcing Bullet to fight you to the death!
"Damn you, Daren!! You're the one who forced me into this!!!"
Bullet's face twisted with rage, his eyes savage and bloodthirsty like a demon, locked onto the Marine Vice Admiral in front of him.
"I was saving this move to challenge Captain Roger..."
He suddenly stomped forward.
A purple-black whirlwind, visible to the naked eye, erupted from his burly frame, spiraling around him like a hurricane.
His strength gushed out violently, seemingly endless.
Even the surrounding air and earth seemed unable to withstand it, groaning under the unbearable pressure.
Daren frowned slightly.
He didn't even need to use Observation Haki to sense it—he could clearly tell that Bullet was burning through the Haki within his body at an insane rate.
"Such a ridiculous level of Haki consumption...
Could he really be so pissed off that he's going all out?"
Daren's expression turned a little strange.
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