At Sea — Marine Withdrawal
Upon receiving the order—
The Marines didn't hesitate.
"The God's Knights will handle this."
"We are to withdraw."
The command from the Fleet Admiral was absolute.
On the warship cutting through the New World seas—
Two figures stood at the bow.
Sengoku adjusted his glasses, eyes narrowed in thought.
Beside him, Monkey D. Garp leaned casually against the railing.
"…Strange," Sengoku muttered.
"Since when do the God's Knights involve themselves so proactively?"
Garp dug into his nose, completely unfazed.
"Who cares?" he laughed.
"If that brat wants to do our job for us, that's fine by me!"
He grinned widely.
"I used to think those Celestial Dragons were all useless… but looks like there's at least one who can actually fight."
Sengoku shot him a sharp glare.
"Watch your mouth."
"What?!" Garp barked back, unconcerned.
"No one can hear us out here!"
But even as he laughed—
A faint image surfaced in Sengoku's mind.
A calm young man.
Standing amidst ruins.
Claiming—
He had driven away Shiki the Golden Lion.
"…That boy…"
Sengoku's gaze drifted toward the distant horizon.
"…just how strong are you?"
New World — Island of Ruin
Silence.
Thousands had come.
Thousands had fallen.
The battlefield was a graveyard.
Broken weapons.
Shattered ships.
Collapsed earth.
And at the center—
Douglas Bullet stood alone.
Blood dripped from his fists.
He shook it off.
"Weaklings."
His voice rumbled low.
"They couldn't even withstand my Haoshoku."
Most of the pirates hadn't even reached him.
They had collapsed—
Foaming at the mouth—
Before the fight even began.
A few had managed to clash.
They died quickly.
Bullet turned.
Ready to leave.
Then—
He stopped.
His gaze snapped to the coastline.
A warship.
Still.
Silent.
Wrong.
He activated Observation Haki—
And in that instant—
A presence descended.
Wild.
Savage.
Like a king of beasts stepping into its territory.
The air thickened.
Breathing—
Became difficult.
Bullet froze.
Then—
Slowly—
He smiled.
A grin stretched across his face.
Mad.
Excited.
"…Now this…"
He cracked his neck.
Bones popping loudly.
"…is interesting."
His fighting spirit ignited.
"Come."
"Let me see—"
"Just how strong you are."
Arrival
Shamrock walked forward.
Calm.
Unhurried.
The wind tugged at his cloak.
Bullet's gaze locked onto him—
And paused.
"…A kid?"
The words nearly slipped out.
But before he could finish—
Shamrock moved.
His sword left its sheath.
And—
BOOM.
Conqueror's Haki erupted.
A tidal wave of pressure crashed forward.
The ground trembled.
The air distorted.
Bullet's expression changed instantly.
"…This Haki—?!"
Cold sweat formed on his forehead.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
This wasn't ordinary Haoshoku.
This was—
Overwhelming.
Bullet clenched his fists.
Armament Haki coated his body.
Conqueror's Haki surged outward to resist.
Muscles bulged.
The ground beneath him sank.
His eyes burned with excitement.
"Good."
"GOOD!!"
"If you're this strong—"
"Then I can go all out!!"
"BANG—!!!"
They vanished.
Then—
Collided.
Like two meteors crashing into each other.
The ground exploded.
A massive crater formed instantly.
Fissures spread like spiderwebs across the island.
Dark-red lightning erupted into the sky—
Splitting the heavens apart.
Far away—
World Government agents stared upward in horror.
"The sky—!!"
"It's splitting—!!"
"No—!!"
"It's been cut open!!"
The clouds parted violently.
As if the world itself had been struck.
Overwhelming Force
Before their blades even met—
The Haki alone detonated.
Shamrock stepped forward.
And swung.
A simple strike.
No technique.
No flourish.
Just power.
BOOM.
A visible shockwave erupted.
It slammed into Bullet.
And sent him flying.
"BANG!!"
He crashed into a cliff.
The mountain wall collapsed instantly.
Rock.
Dust.
Debris.
Everything buried him.
Realization
Shamrock stood still.
Looking at his hand.
"…That…"
"…was just a normal swing."
A faint pause.
"…And it already reached this level?"
Roger's power—
Was beyond what he expected.
Then—
A roar exploded from the rubble.
"IT'S NOT OVER!!!"
"BOOM—!!"
Bullet burst out like a cannonball.
Charging forward again.
Shamrock's eyes sharpened.
His figure vanished.
And reappeared—
Directly in front of him.
Sword in hand.
"Ryuougan."
The name fell—
At the same time as the strike.
A blazing arc cut through the air.
"SLASH—!!"
Blood sprayed.
A massive wound tore across Bullet's chest.
His eyes widened.
For a moment—
His consciousness nearly snapped.
His body froze.
And fell backward.
But—
He twisted.
Forced movement.
Instinct alone.
"NOT… OVER!!!"
His arms hardened again.
Trying—
To fight back.
Domination
"Too slow."
Shamrock's voice was calm.
Cold.
He had already moved.
Appearing at Bullet's side.
This time—
No sword.
Just a punch.
Coated in Armament.
"BANG!!"
The blow landed.
Bullet's body folded.
Blood erupted from his mouth.
Before he could react—
Shamrock grabbed his arm.
And threw him down.
"RUMBLE—!!"
The ground shattered again.
Cracks spread endlessly.
Bullet tried to rise—
But it was useless.
The attacks didn't stop.
They rained down.
Punch after punch.
Strike after strike.
Each one—
Heavier than the last.
This wasn't a fight anymore.
It was domination.
Bullet was slammed out of the crater—
Like a broken doll.
Mid-air—
Shamrock appeared again.
A whip-like kick tore through the air—
"CRACK—!!"
Bones broke.
Audibly.
Bullet spun violently—
Crashing through multiple massive trees.
Before finally stopping.
Silence.
Dust filled the air.
Bullet struggled.
Trying to rise.
But his arms—
Were shaking.
Uncontrollably.
For the first time—
The Devil's Heir—
Had reached his limit.
And standing before him—
Was something even greater.
Bullet struggled.
Every muscle in his body screamed.
Every bone felt like it had been shattered and reassembled incorrectly.
Still—
He forced himself up.
"…Hah…!"
His arms trembled violently as he pushed against the ground.
Blood dripped from his fingers.
Slowly—
Painfully—
He lifted his head.
His vision was blurred.
Dark at the edges.
But he still saw him.
That boy.
That… monster.
Standing there calmly.
Untouched.
Bullet's pupils trembled.
I… lost?
Even now—
He couldn't accept it.
He—
Douglas Bullet.
The man who stood shoulder to shoulder with Gol D. Roger's crew.
The one who sought to surpass all—
Had been crushed.
Not in a drawn-out war.
Not in a desperate exchange.
But completely.
"…Heh…"
A hoarse laugh escaped his throat.
"…A kid…"
"I couldn't even…"
"…put up a fight…"
Shamrock looked down at him.
His gaze—
Calm.
Unmoved.
Like looking at a defeated beast.
He raised his hand slightly—
Ready to end it.
Then—
A voice echoed in his mind.
[Mission Triggered: Subdue Bullet]
[Reward: Mysterious Grand Gift]
Shamrock paused.
"…System."
"What counts as subduing him?"
[Current loyalty: 20%]
[Target: 80%]
A brief silence.
Then—
A faint smile formed.
So that's it.
He looked at Bullet again.
This man—
Didn't fear death.
Didn't care about survival.
What he wanted—
Was strength.
Absolute strength.
And Shamrock—
Understood that kind of person perfectly.
"…You."
His voice broke the silence.
"From now on—"
"You'll follow me."
"I need a powerful subordinate."
Bullet froze.
Then—
Laughed.
"Pfft… heh…"
Blood spilled from his mouth.
"A dog?"
"You want me to be a dog for the World Government?"
His eyes burned with pride.
"I might admire your strength…"
"But don't mistake that for submission."
Shamrock—
Laughed.
Softly.
But there was something in it—
Something sharp.
Something… absolute.
"You misunderstand."
He turned his back.
Completely exposing himself.
As if Bullet didn't matter.
As if he wasn't even a threat.
"Isn't your goal…"
"To become the strongest?"
A pause.
Then—
"Defeat me."
"And you will be."
Silence.
The wind passed between them.
Shamrock didn't look back.
Didn't wait.
Didn't explain.
He simply walked away.
Step by step—
Toward the warship.
Steady.
Certain.
As if he already knew—
The outcome.
Bullet remained there.
Breathing heavily.
Blood pooling beneath him.
His fists clenched.
His mind—
Was in chaos.
Roger…
A memory surfaced.
That overwhelming figure.
That impossible wall.
And now—
Another one.
Stronger.
Younger.
Closer.
"…Tch."
Bullet clicked his tongue.
"…So that's how it is."
His lips slowly curled.
A grin.
Wild.
Unhinged.
"…Then I'll follow you."
"…Until I surpass you."
He pushed himself up again.
Not as a defeated man—
But as someone who had found a new target.
A new summit.
On the Warship
Shamrock had already returned.
Seated beneath the mast.
Eyes closed.
Calm.
The deck was silent.
Agents moved like shadows.
No one spoke.
No one dared disturb him.
Then—
Footsteps.
Heavy.
Approaching.
"Bullet, halt!"
Guns raised.
Dozens of muzzles aimed.
But—
He didn't stop.
The next instant—
He vanished.
"So fast—!!"
Before they could react—
He was already there.
Standing before Shamrock.
The deck tensed instantly.
Agents surrounded him.
Weapons ready.
"Lord?"
A quiet request from an Agent.
Shamrock didn't open his eyes.
"…Stand down."
Simple.
Absolute.
Every weapon lowered.
No hesitation.
No doubt.
Bullet watched.
Silently.
Then spoke.
"…What do you want from me?"
"I'm a wanted man."
"The Marines will hunt me endlessly."
Shamrock opened his eyes.
Those calm—
Unreadable eyes.
"You only need to stay by my side."
"As for the Marines…"
A faint pause.
"I don't think anyone in the Marines…"
"…can touch what belongs to me."
No anger.
No arrogance in tone.
Yet—
It carried absolute dominance.
Bullet's eyes narrowed.
"…Who are you?"
Shamrock leaned back slightly.
"…You'll find out when we return."
"…To Mary Geoise."
Silence.
Then—
Bullet's pupils shrank.
A memory surfaced.
Something Roger once said.
Half-drunk.
Half-serious.
A power above the world.
A force hidden in the shadows.
"…Mary Geoise…"
"…You're…"
"…a Divine Knight."
"…One of the Celestial Dragons' strongest."
Shamrock didn't answer.
He only smiled.
Slightly.
And that was enough.
Bullet inhaled sharply.
Everything—
Made sense.
That overwhelming strength.
That untouchable authority.
"…Heh."
A low laugh escaped him.
"…Interesting."
The ship cut through the sea.
The wind howled.
The sky stretched endlessly.
Shamrock rested.
Eyes closed.
Like nothing in the world concerned him.
And nearby—
Bullet sat at the edge of the deck.
Silent.
Still.
Eyes closed.
But within him—
Something burned.
Not defeat.
Not submission.
But something far more dangerous—
Ambition reborn.