"Try this one!"
Bullet clenched his fists. The Armament Haki covering his body began to seep beneath his skin.
His already ten-meter-tall beast-like form grew even larger without a sound.
The dark blue scale armor that coated his body gained an eerie bluish glow, making him look even more terrifying.
The faint glimmer of reason in his eyes was now gone, replaced by a blood-red fury.
Demon Form.
The rapid transformation triggered a massive sense of danger in Dragon's heart as he hovered high in the sky.
The storm howling around him had completely enveloped his form.
Then, the once-invisible wind solidified—shaped into a massive claw of condensed green energy.
The gigantic claw, several hundred meters in size, tore through the air with a screech as it slammed down toward Bullet.
"Hurricane Claw!"
"Useless!"
Bullet bent his knees and launched himself into the air. The impact of his leap shattered the island cloud below him entirely.
Boom!
The hurricane claw was pierced straight through by Bullet's fist, exploding into howling winds that raged outward in all directions.
"What a pain."
Watching Bullet hurtle toward him, Dragon acted with a flicker of will. The surrounding wind twisted—
And turned into invisible ropes, binding tightly around Bullet.
"I already said... it's useless!"
A crimson gleam flashed in Bullet's eyes. Like this could possibly hold him?
His legs stomped in midair.
The sheer force made the air itself seem solid under his feet.
With something to brace against, the massive cords of muscle running through his body tensed and snapped taut—
Then exploded with ocean-splitting strength.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
In the blink of an eye, the wind restraints shattered from the violent force.
His massive fist—larger than a barrel—continued its charge straight for Dragon's skull.
But it was enough.
Enough time for Dragon to ready his next move.
Just as Bullet's punch was about to land—
Dragon's figure vanished into thin air.
Crack!
Bullet's thunderous punch struck nothing but air, releasing a shockwave visible to the naked eye.
"Logia types... always such a damn nuisance!"
Bullet let out a furious roar. Every cell in his body was screaming a warning.
He hated cowards like this—who never fought head-on.
Behind him, Dragon's form reappeared, already reconstituted.
His claws surged with black-and-red lightning—the aura of Conqueror's Haki raging in the wind around him.
At that moment, Dragon looked like he held a storm in the palm of his hand.
And then—
There was no dodging it.
Splat!
Blood exploded into the air.
Bullet was slammed down from the sky like a missile.
Even Kaido—with his Oni bloodline and the durability of the Azure Dragon Fruit—would suffer from an Armament Haki strike like this.
And though Bullet was now empowered by a Mythical Zoan and wrapped in Demon Form Armament...
He still couldn't withstand the full force of that Conqueror-infused claw.
Three massive gashes tore open across his back, revealing bone beneath the flayed muscle.
Boom!
He crashed into the thick layers of island cloud below.
The clouds rippled and exploded in waves, like a tidal surge.
...
Back on Sky Island, the surveillance feed caught everything.
"Whoa!! Bullet went down?!"
Trebol gawked, his eyes nearly popping out of his skull.
This guy was one of Doflamingo's old enemies. That strong? How could they possibly hold out against someone like that?
"What kind of Logia ability is that?" asked Lao G, wrapped in bandages and clearly uneasy.
"Is Bullet-san okay? Miss Smoothie?" Tesoro looked nervously at Smoothie.
Bullet was more than just a powerhouse—he was Tesoro's hand-to-hand combat mentor. In his mind, aside from the BOSS...
Bullet was an unshakable mountain.
Could something really happen now, while the BOSS was away?
"Don't worry. If Bullet can go toe-to-toe with Doffy, he's far stronger than you think."
Smoothie didn't seem concerned about his defeat.
Her eyes were fixed on Dragon's claw—coated in the lightning of Conqueror's Haki.
Mama had it. So did Brother Katakuri.
Could she master it too?
"I'm going to help Bullet."
The moment the words left her mouth, Smoothie vanished.
She could control wind too.
Hearing that, Trebol relaxed—just a little.
But he kept his eyes locked on the cloud cover where Bullet had vanished.
...
On the battlefield—
Before Dragon could swoop in to finish the job—
"That hurts like hell!!!"
An enraged, almost feral roar burst from the depths below.
Before the echo faded, a violent shockwave erupted, blowing away everything within a hundred meters—including the Gates of Heaven nearby.
In the next instant, Bullet—ten meters tall, drenched in blood, transformed into a demonic serpent—launched into the air with such force that the very atmosphere cracked.
The gashes on his back had already closed, thanks to the combined powers of his Clank-Clank Fruit and the Yamata no Orochi Fruit.
Watching the sudden upheaval below, Dragon rose higher into the sky, rapidly widening the distance.
In that brief clash, he understood one thing—
Fighting Bullet head-on was not a wise move.
But still...
"How did Bullet eat two Devil Fruits?!"
Dragon's eyes narrowed at the sight of Bullet's completely changed form.
Even in this state, there was no mistaking him—Bullet's features were unmistakable.
And while the thought nagged at his mind, it didn't slow his hands.
Not only did wind tear through the skies—but now thunder gathered too.
Wind and lightning, woven together—
Formed into a monstrous claw, hundreds of meters wide, that plummeted from above.
"And what's the point of making it bigger?!"
Bullet's eyes blazed with madness. His feet pushed off the air, accelerating even faster.
Each of his fingers—larger than a normal person's head—curled into a tight fist.
His arm, as thick as a pillar, drew back high behind him.
Black-and-red Conqueror's Haki surged toward his right fist like a stream of molten power—
Until it looked like he was holding a black sun in his hand.
He unleashed his punch with everything he had.
Compared to the claw hundreds of meters across, Bullet's ten-meter frame looked no bigger than an ant.
The contrast was staggering.
BOOM!!!
The claw of wind and thunder—
Right before Trebol and the others' stunned eyes—
Shattered, piece by piece, from the point of impact outward.
In the next second—
A storm of wind and lightning erupted, flooding the entire battlefield in chaos.
...
Blood dripped from Bullet's mouth, but he didn't care.
He soared through the storm of elemental fury like a missile.
And then—
His body stalled in midair. His face twisted with rage.
"Son of a—!"
Up in the sky, the culprit had already vanished.
Bullet's Observation Haki burst out in waves, scanning every direction.
And finally, from the depths of his lungs, a roar filled with hatred exploded—
"You really deserve to die!!!"
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Fanfic is finished 527 chapters in total on p@treon/tambeerg