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Ben Beckman held a cigar between his lips, a thin haze of smoke curling around his face.
His deep, steady eyes gazed calmly at Dan, who hovered high above Kaido's dragon head.
"Kid."
His voice was low, not loud, but carried a weight that silenced everything around him.
"You go first."
"Wouldn't want anyone saying I bully children."
The crowd erupted.
"Beckman's letting that brat strike first?!""He's that confident?""Well, he is the Red-Haired Pirates' vice-captain!"
The crew of the Red-Haired Pirates exchanged glances—half astonished, half unsurprised.Across the battlefield, Whitebeard's men—Jozu, Vista, and others—frowned deeply.
This Ben Beckman was even more dangerous than they'd imagined.
Kaido's massive dragon eyes narrowed, a glint of amusement flickering in them.
"Wororororo! The redhead's right-hand man's got quite the mouth!"
Dan blinked, his big dark eyes calm and unbothered. The boy's small face betrayed no emotion.He didn't seem insulted. Or maybe, to him, it wasn't even worth being insulted over.
Since you're letting me go first...
Then don't blame me for being rude.
The tomoe in Dan's right eye spun to life—blood-red, spiraling wildly.
"Amaterasu!"
Fwoosh!
A burst of inky black flame flared to life on Beckman's shoulder—appearing out of nowhere!Too fast, too sharp an angle—impossible to dodge!
"That black fire again!""Beckman, watch out!"
Shouts rose from the Red-Haired crew, remembering how Rocks D. Luckstar had been scorched not long ago.
But Beckman didn't even flinch.
He didn't so much as glance at the black flames consuming his shoulder.Instead, he slowly raised the rifle in his right hand—calm as ever.
Then—
A suffocating wave of Conqueror's Haki exploded from him, raw and overwhelming!
It wasn't just pressure—it was like an invisible, crushing tide.That aura locked perfectly onto the black flame, pressing down with terrifying precision.
Zzzzz—!
A faint hiss, like melting snow.
And the black fire—Amaterasu, the flame that couldn't be extinguished even by Marco's blue phoenix fire—flickered, withered, and vanished.
Not a single ember remained.
The entire act took seconds. Smooth, effortless.
As if he'd just brushed dust from his shoulder.
"This level of Conqueror's Haki… definitely second only to Shanks.""No wonder he rarely fights—everyone said Beckman was insanely strong, and now it's obvious why.""Just with that, he's easily on par with an admiral!"
Even Whitebeard's men went still, eyes narrowing with new respect.Kaido's massive dragon eyes tightened slightly.
This Beckman guy… really was the real deal.
Dan's small brows twitched almost imperceptibly.
No surprise—Shanks' vice-captain was bound to be tougher than Marco.
"Kid," Beckman said, still calm but his eyes sharp as blades."Your little tricks won't work on me."
He lifted the rifle again, muzzle leveling at Dan.A chill seeped through the air—cold, lethal.
"Now it's my turn."
Before the words finished—
BANG!!!
The gunshot shattered the silence like thunder!
This wasn't like Yasopp's sniping—no comparison at all.
A bullet wreathed in jet-black Armament Haki and ghostly blue energy shot from the barrel, tearing the air apart.It screamed through the sky like a cannon shell, deadly enough to destroy the heavens themselves.
The air wailed under its pressure.That eerie blue aura pulsed with something far darker—an energy that made souls tremble.
"Spectral Bullet: Yama's Requiem."
Beckman's low voice rolled out after the gunfire.
He wasn't holding back—not even a little.This was a killing shot.
"Not good!" Kaido's dragon eyes widened. He could feel it—this shot was monstrous!
Dan's black eyes flared crimson again, the Mangekyō spinning madly—
Whummm!
A massive blue skeletal giant erupted into being, encasing the boy completely.
Susanoo!
BOOM!!!!
The bullet slammed into Susanoo's arm with an earth-shattering roar!
The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the sky, waves of energy spreading in visible ripples.The Moby Dick and Red Force both rocked violently, groaning as if they'd split apart at any moment!
Crack—!
A sharp, splintering sound split the chaos.
Every eye turned—
The indestructible blue arm of Susanoo, the defense that had easily withstood Marco's full power—
Now had a massive hole blasted through it!
Cracks spread like spiderwebs across the giant's frame—
And a second later—
BOOM!!!
Susanoo exploded!
Blue shards of energy scattered like shattered glass across the sky before fading away.
Everyone stood frozen, jaws slack.
That near-invincible armor—blown apart by a single shot?!
"What insane power…" Jozu muttered, face grim. "Even my diamond form might not block that.""Beckman… he's that strong?" Marco's expression darkened.If that bullet had been aimed at him, even Phoenix Flames might not save him from total ruin.
Shanks' lips curved faintly, barely noticeable.That's my vice-captain.
Even Kaido's blazing eyes widened slightly in astonishment.This Beckman… had been hiding his strength well.
Up in the air, Dan floated amid the drifting blue light, his small face showing—for the first time—a hint of surprise.
He could feel it.That bullet hadn't just carried Conqueror's and Armament Haki—There was a third energy, something like the "demonic aura" Zoro and Barrett used.
Three powers fused together… no wonder it shredded Susanoo.
This Beckman… was seriously troublesome.
"Kid," Beckman said coolly, his voice devoid of emotion,"Your turtle shell's gone."
He raised the rifle again, muzzle locking onto Dan.The air around it grew icy.
"Second shot."
BANG!!!
Another thunderous report split the air!
The same overwhelming power, the same demonic energy!The bullet streaked straight toward Dan's face—
Just as it was about to hit—
Whummm!
That familiar, blinding blue light burst forth again!
A brand-new Susanoo—whole and unbroken—wrapped around Dan like armor.
BOOM!!!!
The bullet struck, detonating once more in a roar of destruction!
The shockwave raged outward again, a storm of chaos and light!
Crack!
The blue arm fractured again, riddled with holes and cracks—
But it held.
Barely.Dim and flickering, but standing.
It had blocked Beckman's second earth-shattering shot!
"It came back?!""He reformed it that fast?!""What the hell is that defense?!""Breaks, reforms, breaks again—it's endless! How do you even fight that?!"
Both the Whitebeard and Red-Haired crews were grim-faced now.
That defense… was just plain cheating.
"..."
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