Bullet saw light.
In that moment, it felt as if he were staring directly into the sun.
The blinding brilliance was so intense that he couldn't keep his eyes open—he couldn't see anything ahead of him at all.
All he could feel was a bone-chilling fear rising from deep within his soul. An overwhelming sense of danger loomed right in front of him.
But he had no way to dodge it.
In an instant, the endless flood of light engulfed him entirely.
"What… is this?!"
A massive shockwave roared out from the spot where Yamato and Hancock stood.
Like a raging tsunami, the sheer force of it crushed everything in its path.
The giant black figure standing before them was swallowed whole by the attack, which then surged forward toward the sea, slicing open the ocean like a divine blade and carving out a vast chasm.
The tidal wave of energy continued to surge outward, stretching as far as the eye could see.
Only after that came the raging wind, blasting across the battlefield, followed by a deafening rumble like thunder splitting the sky.
"W-What the hell is that?!"
Ace stood frozen in shock. "Yamato and Hancock were hiding something like that?!"
He couldn't even begin to imagine it.
Those two women—who seemed to brawl every other day—actually had a combined technique this powerful?
Could it be… their relationship was actually better than anyone thought?
Maybe the way they showed affection just looked a little different?
"Hakoku Sovereignty!"
Solem burst into wild laughter. "Heeheeheehee! I never thought I'd witness that technique here! This is… this is truly moving!!"
"Even in Elbaf," chimed in Himir with genuine admiration, "only a rare few can perform that move."
"It's incredible! That attack demands extraordinary individual strength—and flawless teamwork."
A slight smile curled at the corner of Ian's mouth.
Hakoku Sovereignty.
Like the legendary Hakoku itself, it was one of the ultimate weapons wielded by the giants of Elbaf.
But its power surpassed even that of Hakoku.
No one really knew where Aunt Linlin learned that technique.
But regardless of its origin, she passed it on to Kaido-sensei, and the two of them were even able to use it together.
Later, Kaido-sensei taught the technique to both Ian and Yamato.
However, Ian's strength had always far surpassed Yamato's. The gap in their abilities made it impossible for them to execute the technique in sync.
So Ian decided to teach it to Hancock instead. Her power had always been closely matched with Yamato's, making them perfect candidates to perform the technique flawlessly.
"Whew—"
Yamato straightened her posture, exhaling a breath of white mist. "Good thing you didn't drag me down. Otherwise, I wouldn't have let you off so easily!"
"That's my line," Hancock replied with a cold snort.
Even though they'd worked together in perfect sync during battle, the two women still clashed like fire and ice—never backing down.
"Damn it!!"
A furious roar tore through the air, cutting off their exchange.
Soaring above the raging waves, Bullet stomped through the sky, rapidly returning. He descended like a meteor, crashing to the ground with an earth-shaking impact.
Blood traced the corner of his mouth, and his face had turned a sickly pale. His expression twisted into something monstrous—like a demon that had just escaped the depths of hell.
"They actually—!!"
They actually destroyed the giant he had conjured with his ability in just one strike!
He'd even been sent flying across the sea by the force of that blow. If not for his ability to use Moonwalk, he would've been feeding the sea by now.
Those two women… actually had that kind of technique!?
Bullet gritted his teeth.
That warship held many weapons he had collected along the way.
Although his ability allowed him to combine any lifeless materials, naturally, the stronger the material, the greater the enhancement it gave him.
In other words, even if he used his ability again, he couldn't transform into that powerful form he just had.
He hadn't even fought Ian yet, and just his two female subordinates had already pushed him to this state?
Bullet's teeth were about to shatter from the tension!
"You're really tough to take down," Yamato said in surprise. "Didn't Hakoku Sovereignty manage to knock you out?"
That last strike was her and Hancock's all-out effort, yet this bastard still endured it.
"Doesn't matter," Hancock said coldly, "One strike isn't enough? Then we'll just hit him a few more times."
Hakoku Sovereignty's attacks didn't wear them down much, so firing several consecutive shots was no problem.
This guy was definitely no match for the two of them.
"Damn it!!"
A purple aura spread from Bullet's body once again.
Let the sand fly.
It was still better than not using his ability and going toe-to-toe with them in raw strength.
"Running out of tricks?"
Law chuckled lightly. "The so-called Demon Heir doesn't seem as strong as people imagined."
"He's already pretty powerful," Black Maria said with a smile. "But not as powerful as the legends say."
The legendary Demon Heir, Bullet, had possessed strength rivaling the Dark King Rayleigh at just fifteen years old.
With that talent, he was by no means inferior to Ian.
But now, at thirty-three, Bullet seemed weaker than he was at fifteen.
Ian chuckled.
It seemed the giant form Bullet just used was already his full power. Had he not mastered his awakening yet?
Let's say he was at the admiral level for now.
Even among admirals, he wasn't particularly strong.
Ian stood up, leisurely stretching. "Shall we end this here?"
He spoke lazily, his voice drifting over the beach like a sea breeze.
Yamato and Hancock both turned around in surprise.
"Huh? Is it over just like that?"
Yamato asked, puzzled. "Ian, this guy still has fighting strength."
"If we keep going, it's only going to drag on longer."
Ian sighed. "The beach is about to get completely wrecked."
If the beach gets ruined, where will I play later?
"How about it, Bullet? What do you say—"
He looked up, only to see the purple-black giant reforming once again.
Ian raised an eyebrow. "Oh? I think the outcome is clear already. Continuing to fight is just a death sentence."
"You think! You can kill me!"
A huge fist slammed down from the air, flying past both Yamato and Hancock, heading straight for Ian.
"Ian!"
Hancock instinctively leapt to block.
But—
"Really no choice. I'll end this quickly."
Ian became a shadow and launched himself upward.
Time for a kick!
Ian delivered a flying kick.
Bullet, controlling the giant, suddenly felt a sharp pain in his right fist.
Huge cracks exploded across the massive black fist, spreading rapidly up the entire arm.
With a thunderous sound, the giant's whole arm shattered into pieces.
"Waaah!!"
Bullet screamed in agony.
At the same time, Ian used the momentum to fall to the ground, then, gathering strength in his legs, sprang upward again.
His right fist was wrapped in a dual Haki, trailing long, pitch-black lightning.
Then, that punch landed squarely on the black giant's chest.
Bullet's powerful Haki had no effect at all at that moment. The giant's chest instantly caved in and shattered.
**********
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