"It means death!" Cheng Xiaoyu's tone was dismissive, as if he was talking about something insignificant.
As soon as he finished speaking, countless Shadow Spikes surged from his shadow, shooting towards Bullet like arrows released from a bowstring.
"You!" Bullet didn't even have time to let out a full cry of alarm before he was pierced through by countless Shadow Spikes.
"Puff, puff, puff!" Dense sounds echoed in the cell, and Bullet's body was instantly riddled like a giant hornet's nest!
Blood splattered, dyeing the cell floor red, and also staining Cheng Xiaoyu's cold face.
The Sea Stone's restraint still firmly bound him, preventing him from falling, leaving him hanging there like a bloody puppet.
Bullet's eyes were wide open, filled with disbelief and unwillingness. He never expected Cheng Xiaoyu to be so decisive, so ruthless!
"You... you..."
Bullet struggled to utter a few words, but his head finally slumped down weakly, completely lifeless.
Until his death, he didn't understand why Cheng Xiaoyu wanted to kill him, or why such a young man possessed such terrifying power.
Cheng Xiaoyu looked at Bullet's corpse expressionlessly, without the slightest ripple in his eyes.
To him, Bullet was just a tool, a tool that could enhance his strength.
"[Killed Devil Offspring, bounty estimated at 2.9 billion Berries, gained 290,000 experience points, level increased to 83!]
"Level 83, huh..." Cheng Xiaoyu muttered to himself.
Bullet's strength was beyond doubt, with top-tier Three-Color Haki and a top-tier Devil Fruit ability.
It was within Cheng Xiaoyu's expectations that he would provide such generous experience points.
If he hadn't been immobilized, the current Cheng Xiaoyu would have been completely unable to defeat him.
"Stand up!"
Cheng Xiaoyu turned his gaze to Bullet's shadow on the ground, his voice cold, carrying an undeniable authority.
According to the system description, shadows of Admiral-level and above could be extracted at level 80.
Now that he was level 83, it should, in principle, be no problem.
However, the same phenomenon occurred during the operation as when extracting Kuina's shadow.
Bullet's shadow struggled violently, as if resisting something, preferring to remain in eternal slumber rather than serve Cheng Xiaoyu.
"What? Does a strong person's pride not allow you to join a pirate crew other than Roger's?" Cheng Xiaoyu snorted coldly, with a hint of mockery in his tone.
"What the hell is a strong person's pride!"
"I'll be frank, the real condition I'm offering you is: I will only let you take action against opponents of Admiral-level or higher."
"And it won't be long before I will definitely become an existence stronger than Roger. When that time comes, I welcome your challenge."
It should be known that Bullet joined Roger's crew as a challenger, constantly challenging Roger from behind him, but always ending in failure.
It wasn't until Roger was about to die, and he lost his challenge target, that he left to go solo.
Cheng Xiaoyu wanted him to find a new challenge target. Whether he was alive or dead didn't matter at all to Bullet.
Becoming Cheng Xiaoyu's shadow would, on the contrary, make his battles purer, fighting only against strong opponents.
So he was certain that Bullet would eventually become his shadow for the sake of becoming stronger.
Cheng Xiaoyu paused, then continued, "Roger has been dead for so many years. Think carefully, do you want to sleep here forever, or come out with me and slaughter those so-called Admirals and Four Emperors!"
Just then, a yellow flash of light condensed at the end of the corridor, approaching rapidly like a bolt of lightning.
"It seems, as expected, the Marine still sent the fastest Kizaru over..." Cheng Xiaoyu narrowed his eyes, a playful smile playing on his lips.
Kizaru's figure gradually became clear. He lazily yawned, his tone carrying a hint of playfulness, "Captain Cheng Xiaoyu of the Shadow Pirates, I seem to have discovered an incredible secret, yo~"
"Oh? Even an Admiral knows my name now? It seems this period of hard work wasn't in vain."
Cheng Xiaoyu smiled noncommittally, but his gaze never left Bullet's shadow on the ground.
"Not much time, only three seconds!"
Cheng Xiaoyu's voice was cold and urgent, carrying an undeniable authority.
"Three!"
"Two!"
"One!"
"Stand up!"
With Cheng Xiaoyu's final command, Bullet's shadow finally trembled and stood up, transforming into a tall and burly figure, standing behind Cheng Xiaoyu.
During his imprisonment, he did not give up on cultivation; instead, through continuous effort, he elevated his strength to a new level.
He didn't want to waste the fruits of his cultivation like this; he still wanted to go out and turn the Grand Line upside down!
Bullet's figure moved, stretching his muscles and bones, emitting a sound like steel grinding.
"Truly an offer I can't refuse, Shadow brat."
He looked down at Cheng Xiaoyu, a hint of disdain in his tone, "Your name is Cheng Xiaoyu, right? Just to be clear, I won't call you Captain."
"It's fine, titles don't matter."
Cheng Xiaoyu waved his hand indifferently. To him, as long as power could be used by him, titles were insignificant matters.
Bullet snorted coldly, turning his gaze to the golden light flickering in the distance from Kizaru, a hint of battle intent flashing in his eyes, "This yellow monkey in front of me, leave him to me."
In his eyes, apart from Roger, everyone else was trash, including this Flash-Flash Fruit user in front of him.
"Suit yourself, I won't interfere much with your actions." Cheng Xiaoyu nodded in satisfaction, then turned around, his gaze coldly fixed on Kizaru.
He wanted to see what kind of strength Bullet, this former monster, could unleash now that he had been shadow-fied.
"Oh my, how scary~"
Kizaru feigned surprise, but there was no hint of fear in his tone; instead, it carried a hint of playfulness,
"I didn't expect you to be able to control Bullet's shadow. It seems your Devil Fruit ability is even more troublesome than I imagined."
"Less talk, if you want to fight, hurry up!"
Bullet didn't have as much to say as Kizaru. He was already eager to fight this Marine Admiral.
Before he finished speaking, he transformed into an afterimage and charged towards Kizaru, his speed so fast that even Kizaru was slightly surprised.
"Such an impatient fellow~"
Kizaru still spoke unhurriedly, but the movements of his hands were not slow at all. He transformed into a golden light, instantly appearing in front of Bullet, and delivered a light-speed kick fiercely towards Bullet's chest.
"Boom!"
With a loud bang, Bullet remained motionless. Kizaru's attack was actually blocked by his single hand!
"Good speed, but unfortunately, your power is too weak." Bullet sneered, then threw a punch in return, and a sudden roar echoed through the air.
Bullet's fist slammed heavily against the wall, and the hard rock instantly cracked, sending debris flying. The entire Impel Down seemed to tremble.
"As expected of the legendary Devil Offspring, such terrifying power!" Kizaru appeared in mid-air, his tone carrying a hint of solemnity.
He had originally thought he was just dealing with Cheng Xiaoyu, but he didn't expect an even more troublesome fellow to appear.
Bullet was not so easy to deal with, and now that he had become Cheng Xiaoyu's shadow, his strength was probably even more terrifying than before.
Bullet ignored Kizaru's exclamation and continued to barrage him with fierce attacks, each punch carrying the momentum to destroy the world.
Kizaru could only constantly dodge, unable to find an opportunity to counterattack for a moment.
"Light Speed Kick!"
Kizaru no longer hesitated and decisively made his move, transforming into a golden light and kicking towards Bullet.
Bullet was not to be outdone, swinging his massive Armament Haki-clad fist, engaging Kizaru in an intense close-quarters combat.
For a moment, golden light and black shadows intertwined, and fist winds and leg shadows flew together, turning the entire sixth level of Impel Down into their battlefield.