The earth quaked. The town trembled.
Three shadows—raging, bloodied, relentless—crashed again and again through the shattered ruins, leaving trails of devastation: crumbling ground, bursts of magma, shockwaves splitting the very air.
The earth groaned beneath the strain, tal spheres scread across the sky, and explosions of dust burst like tidal waves across the ruined streets.
Over a hundred Marines had already retreated to the harbor, clutching their rifles, shielding their battleships from the storm of debris. Their palms were slick with cold sweat.
One minute.
Five minutes.
Ten minutes.
Thirty minutes.
An hour.
What began as stunned awe slowly twisted into blank-eyed numbness. The three combatants fought like beasts in a cage—rciless, unhinged.
No one dared to breathe too loudly.
This kind of battle was far beyond them.
Rushing in would do nothing but get them killed... and maybe distract Commodore Darren and Rear Admiral Sakazuki long enough to lose the fight.
"This is insane!!"
"They're like three monsters!!"
"They're tearing the entire town apart...!"
"..."
And then—
BOOM!!
A towering pillar of magma erupted into the sky.
"Kahahahaha!! What a rush!! Marines!!"
Douglas Bullet burst from the smoke like a rabid beast. His body was drenched in wounds, blood streaking his golden hair, his form barely holding together.
But his eyes still burned—bright red with battle-lust.
"This ends now!!"
Sakazuki's cap was long gone. Blood ran freely down his face, but he grinned like a madman, eyes sharp beneath his buzzcut.
"Chasing the title of 'strongest in the world'?
You're nothing but a deserter—a coward who ran from his own army!"
A roaring surge of magma exploded from his arm.
BOOM!!
Haki-darkened fists and volcanic destruction collided in a thunderous blast.
The shockwave exploded outward from them both, rippling the earth like a sea. Dust leapt in rings from their feet.
Then the ground finally gave out beneath them—ripping open in a spiderweb of canyons, magma spewing from the depths.
Sakazuki plunged into the molten lake—erging monts later like a demon born of fire, flas trailing behind his punch.
"Hound Blaze Lotus!!"
Bullet laughed maniacally, refusing to retreat. Every ounce of Armant Haki he had surged into his fist.
White shockwaves burst around his knuckles as the air was torn apart.
BOOM!!!
The impact shattered the land. Buildings were blown away like paper.
Both n spat blood simultaneously, their bodies thrown back, pale and heaving.
"Darren!!"
But then—Sakazuki grinned.
A cruel, knowing grin.
"NOW!!"
Bullet's eyes snapped wide.
Clink.
The sharp tallic sound of a coin being flicked rang out—piercing through the chaos like a bell of judgnt.
"Go to hell, pirate."
Sakazuki's voice was low. Flat. Final.
And then—his body exploded.
Not into blood—but into lava.
Voluntary elental transformation.
Ti seed to slow.
Through the molten gap in Sakazuki's form, Bullet saw a blurred figure in the distance—and sothing shot into the air from his hand.
A coin.
That silver coin spun in slow motion, reflecting fire, magma, blood, smoke, ash... and a flicker of blue electricity dancing between bloodstained fingers.
No...
Bullet's instincts shrieked. Dread flooded his spine.
From the Marines' perspective, the three n now ford a straight line.
And Sakazuki—stood directly between Darren and Bullet.
The coin flew.
Darren's blood-soaked black hair whipped in the wind.
Click.
The silver coin turned jet black, then vanished in a blur of velocity.
"Magnetic Overload: Railgun!"
One month of brutal training. Enhanced Haki. Refined Devil Fruit mastery.
All of it poured into one shot.
BOOM!!!
The coin ignited the sky—launched through the supercharged magnetic field at a speed no eye could follow.
It tore through air.
Through fla.
Through smoke.
Through shattered ruins.
Through Sakazuki.
And through everything in its path—
—Until it beca a beam of orange-red light screaming toward Bullet.
Too fast.
His eyes bulged. Blood leaked from his lips as he roared and threw up a desperate fist.
"Don't underestimate , MARINE!!"
With one last gasp of will, he activated his Clank-Clank Fruit.
tal and stone surged from the battlefield, wrapping his arm like living armor. A massive cannon ford around his right arm—barrel glowing, pressure rising.
His last strength.
His last Haki.
All of it.
HIS LAST PUNCH.
SHHHHHH—!!
Steam blasted from vents. The cannon ignited.
"I will beco... the strongest in the world!!"
And then—
BOOM—!!!
The clash lasted but a second.
Brilliant white light swallowed everything.
Bullet's Haki armor shattered.
The fusion cannon shattered.
His fist shattered.
His forearm—
—shattered.
BOOMMMM!!!
Flas exploded into the sky.
The ground shook.
Darren dropped to one knee, pale as death. He gasped for air, body drained to the bone.
He couldn't lift a finger. But his eyes locked onto the inferno ahead.
Sakazuki fared no better—his breathing ragged, blood pouring from his nose and mouth. His guts scread from internal bleeding.
Marines stared, dumbstruck.
"...Did it work?"
"...It must have..."
"No one could survive that."
"..."
The smoke cleared.
Bullet reappeared.
Kneeling.
Bleeding.
His left hand clutched his right shoulder.
His entire right arm was gone.
Blood poured in rivers from the stump.
The world fell silent.
Only the sound of fire crackling and labored breathing remained.
"I... lost..."
Bullet's voice was hoarse.
He raised his head—looked at Darren and Sakazuki—and then burst into wild, wheezing laughter.
"Kahahahahaha!!"
"What a fight... What a glorious f***ing fight!!"
His voice echoed like the howl of a mad devil.
"...Before you finish ," he grinned, "tell your nas, Marines."
Sakazuki stepped forward.
Blood ran down his legs, dripping from torn uniform pants. Smoke coiled from his arm, magma bubbling to the surface.
"You're not worthy of our nas, pirate filth."
He raised his fist, standing over the broken Bullet like a judge delivering a death sentence.
Magma churned.
Murderous intent surged.
And then—
"Wororororo... Now that was a battle worthy of blood."
A deep, thunderous laugh rolled from the distant sky.
Clouds gathered—black as ink.
Lightning flashed.
Thunder cracked the heavens.
The sky turned dark.
The Marines turned pale.
And Darren and Sakazuki—
—felt a chill run down their spines.
Their pupils shrank to pinpricks.
---
To be continued...
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