Bullet let out a feral grin.
"Roger that."
He then hung up the Den Den Mushi. His eyes shifted as he swept his gaze across the battlefield, locking onto a target almost instantly.
That big body… it could probably take a good beating.
In normal Demon Mode, his multiplied speed was something he could control freely. His thoughts turned cold and precise.
"More-More Fiftyfold speed!"
Boom!
The air exploded outward. A thunderous roar followed.
The Red Hair Pirates were startled. The figure that had still left faint afterimages a moment ago vanished completely.
Yasopp's Observation Haki picked up something. His expression changed at once.
"Roux!!!"
But it was already too late.
By the time his shout carried over, Bullet's fist had already smashed straight into Lucky Roux's stomach.
It felt like punching into an overinflated ball.
The impact rippled outward in concentric waves across Roux's belly.
Roux let out a muffled grunt and clenched his teeth hard. Veins bulged on his forehead. He was clearly in agony, yet he did not dare loosen his grip.
Armament Haki wrapped around his entire body, constantly writhing as it tried to disperse the force.
Bullet grinned savagely and increased his output. His arm sank in even deeper.
Roux's eyes bulged slightly. Gritting his teeth, he made a ruthless decision. He stopped dispersing the force entirely and instead tensed his muscles and Haki, locking Bullet's embedded arm in place.
At the same time, he raised his hand to counterattack.
Bullet stamped down, and a sonic boom cracked through the air.
With a violent twist of his arm, he hurled Roux backward. Their positions swapped in an instant.
Roux's attack was interrupted.
And behind them, the Red Hair Pirates' attacks had already arrived. The crew closed in from all sides with flawless coordination.
Bullet curled his lips into a grin as he looked at Lucky Roux.
Ghostly energy flooded into his left arm. It suddenly swelled to three times its size as he raised it high.
Roux's eyes went wide with fury as he stared at the enormous arm crashing down toward his head.
"Damn it…!"
There was no way he could keep tanking it. He released the Haki on his stomach, let go of Bullet's arm, and crossed both arms to block the incoming punch.
Boom!!!!
For an instant, the clash froze.
Then Lucky Roux vanished from where he stood.
His entire body turned into a round streak of light, hurtling straight toward Shanks.
Smack!
Shanks raised a hand and caught Roux by the back. The force drove him backward through the air.
He stomped several times midair before stabilizing himself, then descended toward the ship below.
The rest of the Red Hair Pirates also landed. There was no choice. They could not catch up.
They had wanted to avenge Mihawk, but after half a day of fighting, they had all realized something.
Revenge was not happening.
Bullet was simply too fast. They could not beat him one-on-one. They could not even keep up in a group.
The moment Lucky Roux was sent flying, Bullet vanished again. That speed… people would believe it if you said he had eaten the Glint-Glint Fruit.
Lucky Roux clutched his stomach and lay sprawled across the deck.
"Cough, cough… Doc! Do we have painkillers?!"
He had suffered some internal injuries, but nothing too serious. The pain, however, could not be blocked.
Once the fight ended, the delayed agony slammed into his nerves. Cold sweat poured down his face as he rolled on the deck, holding his stomach and shouting for the ship's doctor.
Shanks had two men carry Roux into a nearby cabin. His expression was heavy.
"Sakazuki…"
Everyone had heard the voice from Bullet's Den Den Mushi.
They had been held back here for half a day, and now Sakazuki had issued a withdrawal order. It was obvious something had been done, and it was already over. There was no longer any need to stall them.
That was exactly what made it infuriating.
They had no idea what the enemy's scheme was.
How could anyone relax under those circumstances?
Beckman frowned deeply. "What do we do? Do we keep going?"
They had originally been heading to support their ally, Knox.
After all, Sakazuki had brazenly declared war on two Emperors at once. He had to have some kind of trump card.
Knox had felt uneasy and contacted them. They had also wanted to test the waters, so they set out.
They crossed Kaido's and Big Mom's territories and had only just entered Knox's sphere of influence when Bullet intercepted them.
The crew, eager for revenge, had fought for half a day and ended in a stalemate. Then Sakazuki's order for Bullet to withdraw came through.
Shanks hesitated, deep in thought.
Yasopp seemed to notice something and looked into the distance. "Hey, look over there. Those are Kaido's men, right? Why are they heading toward Knox as well?"
As a sniper, he constantly scanned the sea. The distant black dots on the horizon had caught his attention almost subconsciously, and something felt wrong immediately.
Hadn't Kaido also clashed with Sakazuki? Why was his fleet heading toward Knox?
Shanks and Beckman stepped forward. They swept the area with Observation Haki and sensed that massive fleet.
They exchanged a glance, confusion turning into realization at the same time.
"Kaido!!!" x2
They understood instantly.
If they had not been delayed for half a day, they would have almost reached Knox by now.
And Kaido's fleet appearing in force within Knox's waters meant only one thing.
Sakazuki and Kaido had worked together. They had staged an elaborate performance and deceived the entire New World.
The objective was painfully clear.
They were slaughtering Knox like a pig.
"Den Den Mushi!"
* * *
New World, G-14 Branch.
Sakazuki hung up the Den Den Mushi and stood at the edge of the fortress, gazing out at the distant sea as if waiting for something.
Below, Vice Admiral Doll was tensely deploying troops, preparing for the coming battle.
At that moment, a soldier reported the latest intelligence.
Sakazuki's lips curled upward slightly. He then slowly took out the video Den Den Mushi he had previously used to contact Knox.
Originally, the plan had included another step.
Enel was supposed to launch a raid on Knox's fleet, destroy all their Den Den Mushis, and cut off every line of communication. By the time they realized what was happening, it would already be too late.
But Enel's injuries had been unexpected.
There was no choice but to skip that step and adjust the plan slightly.
He pressed the Den Den Mushi and dialed.
Purururu~ Purururu~
* * *
Knox's fleet.
Nearly a hundred massive ships were riding low in the sea.
They were loaded with weapons. New ones, old ones, high-powered ones, low-powered ones. There were even decommissioned special missiles from the Marines' science division.
It was surprising to see such confidential weapons here, but for the ruler of the New World's largest underground organization, a partner to many high-ranking figures within the World Government, it was not all that strange.
Inside the cabin, a meeting was underway.
From the start, they had never planned to confront Sakazuki head-on. Their goal was to uproot every marine base in the New World and expand their control.
The timing had been perfect. Sakazuki was also at war with Kaido. A gift from the heavens.
Purururu~ Purururu~
All eyes turned toward the ringing Den Den Mushi.
Seeing it, Knox frowned slightly.
"Sakazuki…"
He picked it up, but before he could speak, Sakazuki's voice came through.
"Kaido has been eyeing your arms business for a long time, Knox…"
Click.
The line went dead.
Knox's pupils shrank.
Kaido… arms…
Something clicked in his mind.
Purururu~ Purururu~
The Den Den Mushi rang again.
This time, it was Red-Haired Shanks.
Less than two seconds after answering, Knox's furious roar echoed throughout the fleet.
"Turn back! Kaido! Sakazuki!! Aaaaaaahhh!!!"
Boom!
* * *
At the same time.
Far beyond the Red Hair Pirates' line of sight, Bullet curved around in a wide arc.
He flew toward Shanks' territory.
Ahead of him, thousands of meters above the sea, a fleet lay waiting.
**
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