Carl understood exactly why Bullet was considered a monster. However, seeing the man's power firsthand was an entirely different experience. Bullet was terrifyingly strong. Carl wondered how many people in the entire world possessed Armament Haki of such a high caliber. He ran through a mental list of candidates, but only individuals like Garp, Whitebeard, and the mysterious Five Elders stood out as being clearly superior to Bullet. Perhaps Gol D. Roger would have been on that list as well, but he was long gone. Even with that chilling reality, Carl maintained absolute confidence in Luffy. While Bullet's Haki was undeniable, Luffy was far from weak. Perhaps Luffy did not possess the same massive volume of Armament Haki, but when it came to sheer quality and texture, Carl believed Luffy's Haki was superior.
High above, Luffy zipped around the massive construct Bullet had created. The giant was truly immense, nearly half the size of an entire island, and it stretched so high into the sky that it was impossible to circle it completely in a short amount of time. Of course, Luffy was not there to play; his goal was to identify and exploit a weakness. That weakness was obvious: the man inside the construct. Bullet was clearly piloting this giant from within. If Luffy could pinpoint Bullet's exact location and deliver a strike with his full power, he could bring him down. The concept was simple, but executing it proved to be an incredibly difficult task. Luffy flew around the titan for a long time, yet he could not locate the cockpit.
Luffy decided to rely on his intuition. Based on his experience with various mechanical devices and robots, the cockpit was almost always located in the head or the chest, right in the center. It was not just a matter of convenience or order; it was the most efficient place to control such a large machine. If the cockpit were anywhere else, the giant would likely struggle to walk in a straight line. Unsurprisingly, Luffy bet on the head. He immediately propelled himself to the highest altitude. As soon as he drew close to the giant's massive head, he sensed Bullet's presence.
Luffy was overjoyed, but he sensed a sharp spike of danger just as he prepared to strike. He accelerated his flight, narrowly dodging a massive fist that sliced through the air right in front of him. The giant's limb grazed his belly; had it connected, the impact would have likely knocked Luffy right out of his Fourth Gear.
Luffy shouted, "Bullet! Your time is up!"
He pulled his arm back, his muscles stretching like a giant rubber band, and roared, "Gomu Gomu no Gun!"
The massive fist retracted deep into his shoulder before suddenly exploding forward toward the giant's head. Before the punch even made contact, the Conqueror's Haki swirling around his arm shattered the air itself. The giant's head exploded into fragments, finally revealing Bullet's figure hiding inside. In the next heartbeat, Luffy's fist slammed into the cockpit, catching Bullet completely off guard.
Boom! The head of the ultimate giant shattered into dust.
The force of the punch twisted Bullet's body, and he could not stop the blood from rushing out of his mouth. Even his eyes turned bloodshot from the sheer impact. Yet, despite the pain, a wild, manic grin spread across Bullet's face.
"Hahahaha! That's incredible, Straw Hat boy!" Bullet laughed, ignoring the blood dripping down his chin. "You have learned to coat your attacks in Conqueror's Haki. Your strength is getting closer and closer to Roger's level. I am so excited!"
Bullet did not care about his wounds; he was completely consumed by the thrill of the battle. Before he could be blasted away by the momentum, he slammed his fists against the neck of the headless giant. With a burst of effort, the giant's head began to reform. Luffy, caught in the middle of the reconstruction, found his body momentarily trapped within the dense material.
Ignoring the pain tearing through his own body, Bullet lashed out with a heavy punch. Luffy coughed up blood, but he gritted his teeth, determined to maintain his Fourth Gear transformation. He realized that while Bullet had mastered the basics of coating his attacks with Conqueror's Haki, he was not yet fully proficient with it. Bullet's true advantage was his overwhelming Armament Haki, while his own advantages lay in his Observation Haki and the refined control of his Conqueror's infusion.
Luffy realized this in an instant. He wrapped his entire body in Conqueror's Haki. With a powerful shockwave, he shattered the giant's head once more and drove a punch straight into Bullet. Bullet spat out more blood, but he retaliated with a brutal punch of his own.
The two men hammered at each other on the neck of the headless titan. Compared to the clumsy melee at the beginning of the fight, this was now a masterclass in Haki mastery. Bullet's Armament Haki provided a terrifying, unbreakable defense. However, Luffy was not far behind. His ability to look one second into the future allowed him to dodge the worst of the attacks, and his own Conqueror's infusion allowed him to bypass Bullet's defenses. Bullet seemed to have forgotten about the giant entirely, focusing solely on the visceral, flesh-and-blood combat with Luffy.
The constant collision of their Haki caused the weather around the sea to shift violently. Thunder crackled across the sky, heavy rains began to pour, and tsunamis erupted on the surface, leaving everyone watching in total awe.
An hour passed. Two hours passed. Three hours followed.
Both men continued to fight as if they were tireless. The injuries on their bodies were visible and deep, yet they possessed unyielding spirits. Even as they grew exhausted, even as they suffered under the weight of their wounds, they refused to stop. They were waiting for the other to fall. This was no longer just a battle of strength; it was a pure competition of willpower. Only those with the strongest resolve were worthy of being called the strongest. Whoever collapsed first would be the loser.
"Bullet!"
"Straw Hat Luffy!"
They roared with their final reserves of energy, throwing their fists forward and hitting each other in the face at the exact same time.
For a brief moment, their eyes glazed over, turning white. They staggered back several steps, their bodies swaying before they finally started to collapse. However, as Luffy's Fourth Gear began to dissipate, he used the lingering air pressure from his transformation to stop himself from falling forward. He found some hidden reserve of strength, took a single step, and stabilized his stance.
Bullet, however, hit the ground.
"I... I win," Luffy whispered before he also collapsed, a triumphant smile plastered on his face.
Bullet's face pressed against the neck of the giant. He struggled to lift his eyelids to look at Luffy, a small smile appearing on his lips. He had lost, but in that defeat, he had found a new goal. He would defeat Straw Hat Luffy. Before, his goal had been to defeat Roger, but after the Pirate King's death, he had been adrift. Now, he had a purpose again. Competing against a man like this for the title of Pirate King would be far from boring.
The moment both fighters fell, the headless giant lost its support and began to topple toward the other half of the island. It fell with massive speed. With a deafening crash, the island shattered further, showing signs of sinking into the sea. High above the chaos, both Luffy and Bullet began to fall from a height of several thousand meters.
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