Kizaru floated in mid-air, his hands in his suit pockets, his muscles already tensed beneath his usual lazy posture.
He tilted his head towards Bullet, a forced smile playing on his lips: "What a hassle~ For a monster from twenty years ago to still be able to crawl out of his coffin…"
Before he finished speaking, Bullet had already blasted in front of him like a cannonball, his Haki-wrapped fist tearing through the air with a roaring sound.
"Bang!"
Kizaru's elemental body dispersed into photons at the last moment, leaving a ten-meter deep crater where he had been, blasted out by the force of the punch.
Amidst the flying debris, his true form reformed twenty meters away, but a drop of cold sweat seeped from his forehead.
Although Kizaru was known as the "Slacker Admiral," his strength was among the best in Marineford, and the fact that he was currently being suppressed by Bullet truly surprised Cheng Xiaoyu.
"You dodge pretty fast!" Bullet grinned, revealing his bone-white teeth.
"Hahaha, exhilarating! Again!"
Bullet laughed loudly; he had been imprisoned in Impel Down for over twenty years, and now that he was finally free, he urgently needed a hearty battle to vent the frustration in his heart.
He stomped his right foot fiercely on the ground, and Impel Down's special Sea Stone floor shattered like tofu, instantly closing in on Kizaru with the recoil.
Kizaru was too slow to dodge and was hit hard in the chest by a heavy punch from Bullet, sending him flying backward and smashing a large crater into Impel Down's thick wall!
"Cough cough…" Kizaru climbed out of the rubble, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, his face also looking rather grim.
He never expected that he, a dignified Admiral, would be beaten so miserably!
"Is this all the current Admiral can do? How disappointing!" Bullet stretched his limbs, his eyes full of mockery.
"What a troublesome fellow…" Kizaru wiped the blood from his mouth, his gaze becoming sharp, "It seems I'll have to get serious…"
"I remember you, back during the Buster Call, you were just a Vice Admiral. I never thought you'd dare to show off in front of me now!"
Bullet roared, his voice like thunder, shaking the entire Impel Down.
"What a nostalgic memory~" Kizaru maintained his lazy tone, but his gaze gradually grew solemn.
The brutal scene of that Buster Call still remained vivid in his mind.
At that time, Bullet already possessed monstrous strength; Sengoku and Garp had to work together and only managed to subdue him by exhausting his stamina.
The level of power involved was self-evident.
Now, after being enhanced by Cheng Xiaoyu's Shadow Fruit ability, he was even terrifyingly stronger.
Bullet didn't care about Kizaru's sentiments; he roared and charged at Kizaru again.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Their fists and feet clashed, erupting in roars, as if the entire sixth level of Impel Down was about to be torn down by them.
"Is this… a monster from the old era?" Cheng Xiaoyu stood at the edge of the storm, his black trench coat flapping in the wind.
Bullet's strength was indeed very strong; even an Admiral like Kizaru was being suppressed by him.
"It seems I made the right bet this time." Cheng Xiaoyu's lips curled slightly, revealing a cold smile.
It looked like Cheng Xiaoyu had only leveled up twice and extracted one Shadow on Impel Down's sixth level.
But even so, the gains were much greater than from the previous levels.
Because Bullet was truly formidable!
The battle between Bullet and Kizaru continued, but anyone with a discerning eye could see that Kizaru had completely fallen into a disadvantage.
"Ama no Murakumo!"
Kizaru once again used his signature skill, drawing a golden light sword and striking at Bullet.
Bullet snorted coldly, not dodging, and met it directly with a punch.
"Boom!"
With a loud bang, Kizaru was sent flying directly by Bullet's punch, crashing heavily into the wall, creating a huge crater in it.
"Cough cough…"
Kizaru struggled to get up from the ground, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.
He clutched his chest, his face extremely grim.
He never expected that he would suffer such a great loss at Bullet's hands.
"You… you bastard…" Kizaru gritted his teeth, looking at Bullet, his eyes filled with anger and shock.
The Bullet before him was actually completely suppressing Kizaru's attacks purely with his three types of Haki and his own physique.
To be able to achieve this level without even using his Combine-Combine Fruit ability was truly terrifying!
"You can die now." Bullet sneered, approaching Kizaru step by step.
"Damn it…"
Kizaru cursed inwardly; he knew that he was probably done for today.
Just then, Cheng Xiaoyu suddenly spoke: "Enough, Bullet."
Bullet heard this, stopped, and turned to look at Cheng Xiaoyu, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes: "Are you telling me what to do?"
Cheng Xiaoyu knew that with Bullet's current strength, dealing with Kizaru should be no problem, and what he needed to do was to leave this place of trouble as quickly as possible.
Once Marineford discovered that Kizaru couldn't complete the mission, they would inevitably send stronger forces for support, and Magellan was only injured, not dead.
At that time, if Magellan stalled for time until the next wave of stronger reinforcements arrived, it would be difficult for them to leave.
Moreover, Kizaru's strength was not weak; if they really wanted to kill him, they would have to pay a considerable price.
"Warden Magellan should be back soon; we should go." Cheng Xiaoyu said indifferently.
Bullet, of course, knew Magellan's strength, but he still showed no fear.
"It's just a Magellan, what if he comes back… I'll still beat him down!"
"You just got out; there will be plenty of opportunities to fight strong opponents in the future." Cheng Xiaoyu interrupted Bullet, "Now, leave here immediately."
"I'll give you face today, Kizaru, consider yourself lucky!"
Although Bullet was a bit reluctant, he still obeyed Cheng Xiaoyu's command.
He glared fiercely at Kizaru, then turned and merged into Cheng Xiaoyu's Shadow, leaving Impel Down's sixth level together.
When Magellan, after dealing with his stomach issues and covered in poisonous blisters, arrived, he only saw a mess everywhere.
The damage Cheng Xiaoyu had inflicted on him was actually not high; he had only chosen not to continue fighting because he needed to relieve himself.
He never expected that Cheng Xiaoyu wouldn't choose to escape directly upwards but instead went down to the lower levels to slaughter!
"Cheng Xiaoyu escaped?" The Warden's poisonous dragon writhed wildly behind him.
"Escaped?" Kizaru twitched his mouth, "That kid was just strolling through his own backyard."
He pointed to the wall—where a line of arrogant message was carved:
[Sixth-level specialty signed for, looking forward to better hospitality next time.]
…
Cheng Xiaoyu's figure moved through Impel Down like a ghost.
The jailers along the way were killed by Cheng Xiaoyu before they could even let out a scream.
Aside from Magellan, Impel Down's strict defenses were virtually nonexistent to him.
"Actually, Impel Down is nothing more than this." Cheng Xiaoyu said lightly.
He advanced irresistibly and quickly returned to the first floor above ground.
Here, he encountered Impel Down's last wave of resistance.
"You bastards, you won't escape!"
The jailers roared, raising their weapons, and charged towards Cheng Xiaoyu and Bullet.
However, in the face of absolute power, their resistance seemed so futile.
Bullet laughed wildly, his massive fists raining down like raindrops, sending the jailers flying one by one.
After clearing the guards on the first floor above ground, Cheng Xiaoyu quickly arrived at the port.
Finally, he burst out of Impel Down's gates, the dazzling sunlight shining on Cheng Xiaoyu's face, making him squint uncomfortably.
The Shadow was quietly moored there, as if awaiting their return.
…
More than a week later, the Shadow sailed on the calm sea.
"Captain, according to the newspaper, Crocodile has been defeated by Straw Hat Luffy."
Kuro handed the newspaper to Cheng Xiaoyu, a hint of regret in his tone.
This meant he had missed Crocodile's Shadow.
He couldn't go to Impel Down again in a short time; now was undoubtedly when Impel Down's defenses were tightest.
Moreover, he had gained Bullet's Shadow during this time, so it was completely worth it!
Cheng Xiaoyu smiled, "It doesn't matter, there will be plenty of opportunities later."
"Where do we go next?" Kuro asked.
Cheng Xiaoyu put away the newspaper, looked up at the sky, his eyes gleaming.
"Sky Island."
"To take down that man who plays with lightning."