The rubbery palm moved with incredible speed, reaching Bullet in the blink of an eye. Bullet met the strike with a punch of his own, and the resulting collision produced a massive shockwave that sent both of them recoiling. They simultaneously retracted their Conqueror's Haki, staring at one another with burning intensity.
"Hahaha, that is a nice Conqueror's! I hope you do not disappoint me," Bullet grinned.
"Stop talking nonsense! Get to the shore and fight," Luffy replied, clearly impatient.
Bullet jumped from the small boat, his landing creating a deep crater in the island's surface. As he looked up, he saw Luffy charging toward him; it was not a sneak attack, but rather an expression of Luffy's frustration with Bullet's delay.
"Gomu Gomu no... Jet Stamp!"
Luffy's rubber leg struck Bullet's belly, but Bullet simply blocked the blow with his arm. Bullet immediately retaliated, his massive fist driving toward Luffy's face and smashing him into the air. Before Bullet could celebrate, he was hit by a rubber leg to his own abdomen, sliding backward for several meters.
For the first half-hour, neither combatant used Haki—neither Armament nor Observation—choosing instead to test their raw physical strength. They traded blows back and forth until a final exchange sent them both flying backward. Upon landing, Luffy deactivated his Second Gear.
"It seems my body is tough even without Haki! You are amazing, Bullet!" Luffy exclaimed, clearly excited.
"Hahaha! You are a rubber bastard; it seems I cannot hurt you without Haki either," Bullet noted with satisfaction.
The spectators swallowed hard, realizing the fight had been merely a warm-up. Even without Haki, the intensity of their hand-to-hand combat was enough to overwhelm most Supernovas, demonstrating their extraordinary physical durability.
"Mr. Carl, it seems this is not as simple as a trial," Law remarked. The rest of the crew looked on, confused by his comment.
"You are right, it is not just a test," Zoro added. "The rhythm of the battle is being led by Luffy, and Bullet seems to be deliberately letting him do so".
Carl stepped in to explain: "Since Luffy released his Conqueror's Haki, Bullet chose to cooperate. When Luffy refrained from using Haki, Bullet followed suit. Luffy wants to surpass Bullet in every aspect, and Bullet understands this and is playing along, hoping to defeat Luffy in every category as well".
Jinbe nodded. "That is true. But since their Conqueror's Haki is tied and neither has the upper hand in hand-to-hand combat, the result will depend on their mastery of Armament and Observation Haki, as well as their Devil Fruit abilities".
Luffy covered his forearms in Armament Haki, adopting a defensive stance. Bullet stomped the ground, rushing forward like a gale-force wind, his fist coated in Haki as he slammed it into Luffy's crossed arms. Luffy felt the terrifying force, but he held his ground, sliding backward and plowing two deep trenches into the earth.
Luffy glanced at his arms; black smoke rose from his skin, and he felt a faint pain. Having gauged the strength of Bullet's Armament Haki, a smile spread across his face—he knew he could defeat him.
"Are you complacent, Straw Hat Boy? That was only my most basic attack. Do you think you are great just because you defended it?" Bullet sneered.
Bullet rushed in again, but this time, Luffy successfully dodged the punch. Bullet threw a frantic barrage of punches from every direction, but Luffy dodged them all, refusing to fight back or block.
"I see, your Observation Haki is truly excellent," Bullet grinned, impressed by Luffy's growth. He noted that while Luffy's Haki and physical body were extraordinary, he was still curious about the true strength of his Armament Haki.
Luffy seized an opening and punched Bullet in the shoulder, sending him somersaulting through the air. Bullet landed, looking stunned. "Your Observation Haki can already predict the future? And you can release your Armament Haki externally?"
"Hahahaha! I underestimated you, Straw Hat Boy! You have the strength of an Emperor. This battle will be very exciting. However, your strength is still far behind Roger's!"
"Shut up! You are so annoying! Don't you know that villains always die because they talk too much?" Luffy roared, reactivating Second Gear and unleashing a wild barrage of Jet Gatling punches.
The speed and power of the attack, combined with Luffy's advanced Haki, made the strikes nearly impossible to evade. Bullet shifted into his "Devil Form," his appearance becoming fierce and hellish, a look worthy of the Heir to the Devil, as he launched his own rapid-fire counter-attack.
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