Whoosh!!!
A sharp tearing sound split the air as a massive ship's anchor hurtled over, slicing through the sky toward them. The anchor was shrouded in a deep darkness, not corroded rust, but the result of being infused with Haki.
Unlike the earlier falling rocks and debris, this anchor had clearly been deliberately aimed at him.
"Kamusari!"
The Conqueror's Haki unique to Red Hair wrapped around the tip of his blade. With a swing of his arm, the condensed Conqueror's Haki merged into the slash itself and cleaved straight toward the enormous anchor.
In the clash of Haki, the Conqueror's Haki coating clearly overwhelmed the Armament Haki on the anchor. After a brief moment of resistance, it pulverized the anchor midair and continued surging forward toward the center without losing momentum.
Boom!
Kamusari seemed to miss its intended target, yet it blasted out a deep trench across the island. From where Uta stood, she could even see the distant coastline through the newly carved path.
"You b*stard… don't you think that's going too far?"
A sea breeze swept across the island, dispersing the smoke and dust and revealing what truly lay there.
On the shattered island, countless pirates lay scattered and fallen. Only one man still stood at the center.
He was tall, with messy blond hair spilling down the back of his head, clearly untended. A pair of headphones hung over his ears, and he wore a sharp military uniform that accentuated his powerful build.
His white gloves were already stained with blood and dust, and in his hand he was gripping a pirate's head.
As if to make a show of it, he gave Shanks a cruel smile, then began tightening his grip.
The pirate in his grasp struggled desperately, but the large hand was like an iron vise, unyielding. With a shrill scream, a burst of blood sprayed outward, and the pirate's head was crushed like a watermelon.
"I—I know that guy! Skull Crusher Kadak! A pirate with a 400 million Berry bounty! He—he just crushed his head…"
"Who the hell is that guy…?"
The remaining pirates on the island stared at the solitary figure in confusion. After all, he had not shown himself on the seas for a full twenty-three years.
That span of time was long enough for ordinary animals to live and die, long enough for a human to grow from infancy to parenthood. On these ever-shifting seas, few people still remembered his name.
At that moment, Buggy slowly regained consciousness and immediately saw the man standing there.
"Bu—Bullet!!"
During his days on Roger's ship, Bullet had been one of the people who left the deepest impression on Buggy, because he had been so openly unfriendly. There was barely anyone aboard the ship whom he regarded highly.
Even now, he did not spare a single glance to the pirates on this island.
Originally, Bullet had intended to use these people who had been lured here by the treasures as a warm-up. But the aura Shanks released while protecting Uta had instead caught his attention, giving him a new target.
"Shanks, huh. How unexpected. That brat from back then actually became an Emperor of the Sea? The gap between you two is absurdly wide."
Only then did Bullet spare Buggy a glance, and from that look, Buggy clearly sensed undisguised contempt.
Buggy said nothing, merely wriggling away in an attempt to put distance between himself and this place. This was not someone to trifle with.
Even in his youth, Bullet had accomplished the feat of taking on an entire army alone, drawing the attention of the World Government. After joining Roger's crew as a challenger, he made a name for himself across the seas.
At that time, his reputation even surpassed Kaido's. He was a terrifying figure known as the "Demon Heir."
After leaving Roger's crew, he rose to fame again as a rookie, earning the title "Demon Heir." Following Roger's death, he stirred up massive turmoil across the seas, ultimately triggering a Buster Call single-handedly before being imprisoned.
Even in prison, Bullet never slacked off. Every day, he trained himself under the high-pressure environment of the prison. His strength not only did not weaken but instead became even greater than before he was imprisoned.
"This works out well. That bunch of weaklings didn't interest me anyway."
"And that justifies harming innocents?"
"Innocents? Hah. On this sea, how many innocent people are there? Weakness is their original sin.
This sea has never had a seat for the weak. Their very existence is a mistake."
An evil grin spread across Bullet's face as he sized up the person Shanks shielded behind him.
"If I remember correctly, you're left-handed. After I escaped Impel Down, I didn't hear any news about you losing an arm in battle against a strong opponent.
Which means… that arm of yours wasn't lost in a duel with a powerful enemy, was it?"
"To make you lose an arm… you must have been held back by something."
Clenching his fist, Bullet readied himself for battle once more.
"Protecting this bunch of useless trash is your greatest weakness. Just like Roger, you were dragged down by that incomprehensible thing.
I never liked you to begin with, but the fact that you've come this far, I'll admit I misjudged you. Still, this world belongs to the strong. You yourself are the best proof of that.
Last time it was an arm, this time it might not be just that."
With that, Bullet raised his hand like a blade and swung it toward Shanks.
Even without a weapon in hand, a flying slash shot toward him. More precisely, Bullet's attack was aimed at Uta.
Boom!
Shanks unleashed an identical slash. The two attacks collided midair, kicking up another wave of smoke.
"Bullet, what are you trying to do?"
"Isn't it obvious? Do you even need to ask?"
"You're just as unlikable as ever. Attacking my important family again and again, you know what that means, don't you?"
Their gazes clashed as if sparks were flying in midair. Shanks' ordinary height made him seem small before the towering Bullet, yet his presence was in no way inferior.
"Heh heh heh…"
After a long stare, Bullet suddenly laughed. Then he shot back a question.
"That move earlier… Roger taught you that, didn't he?"
Bullet had boarded Roger's ship with the sole goal of challenging him. Having fought Roger several times, he was intimately familiar with his techniques, especially something as formidable as Kamusari, a move involving Conqueror's Haki infusion.
"But compared to Roger, you're still far inferior."
Whoosh!
Before Bullet could finish speaking, black lightning was already crackling along Shanks' blade as he closed the distance in an instant.
Clang!
Shanks' sword slashed toward Bullet's shoulder, but before the blade could land, Bullet's fist had already swung forward.
His punch carried Haki no less powerful than Shanks'. Unlike the anchor he had thrown earlier, this time Bullet's fist was wrapped in a special layer of blue.
Bullet himself was extraordinary. This was the greater power he had honed during his dark years in prison.
Crack—
His fist blocked the blade. The clash of Haki further shattered the already broken island. Feeling the strength contained within Shanks' lean frame, Bullet did not grow angry; instead, he seemed almost pleased.
"You've learned a few tricks. But you've only got one arm!"
Bullet's left fist also clenched at his waist, then he threw a punch straight at Shanks's face. Though it didn't land, it broke the previous stalemate.
Then the Haki around Bullet's fists extended outward as he launched a flurry of punches at Shanks.
Unlike Shanks, who had someone to protect, Bullet fought without restraint. Every strike aimed at vital points, sometimes even toward Uta behind Shanks.
Each time that happened, Shanks would forgo evasion and choose to take the blow head-on.
"You're just like Roger, wasting time protecting useless people!"
"Stop throwing Captain Roger's name around! Someone like you could never understand him, Boundless!"
Gryphon traced a half-circle through the sky. The sword energy that should have surged forward instead transformed into an unbreakable shield.
Boom!!
Another clash ended. The cape behind Shanks had already been blown skyward by the intense shockwaves, yet all impact stopped abruptly in front of him. The area behind him became like a harbor, still carrying a trace of calm amid the raging storm sweeping the seas.
"You've learned plenty of Roger's techniques. But how much of their true power can you really bring out?"
Clang!
Bullet's arms were wrapped in that deep blue Haki as he smashed a punch into Shanks' blade. A violent force traveled along the sword and into Shanks' body.
After that strike, Bullet's fists rained down like a storm. Only a handful of people could even glimpse the afterimages of their battle.
"Kahahaha! To think one arm can match me in this state. Brat, no… Red Hair Shanks. Your growth over these years is indeed extraordinary."
Fists and blade collided in increasingly violent bursts of sparks. Everything on the island seemed insignificant beneath their assault. The only place Shanks paid attention to was where Uta stood; as for the others, they were on their own.
One was an Emperor of the Sea who had ascended to that throne six years ago. The other was a man who in earlier days had fought Rayleigh to a standstill, taken on entire armies alone, and endured a Buster Call head-on—a monster with a dazzling list of feats.
When two fighters of Emperor-level strength clashed, it was far beyond what ordinary people could endure. Many were swept into a domain they had no right to tread.
The battle was fierce, something that should have delighted Bullet. Yet after they separated once more, there was no satisfaction on his face. Instead, resentment and frustration surfaced.
His already violent aura grew more ferocious, and his gaze locked tightly onto Shanks' severed arm.
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