A mushroom cloud of magma, spanning thousands of meters, erupted and billowed in the sky.
Ignoring the panicked civilians fleeing toward the island's interior,
Bullet, carrying Rayleigh's severed head and corpse, walked toward the harbor, eyes fixed on the massive mushroom cloud in the sky.
"What a spectacular sight."
He found a spot on a staircase and casually tossed Rayleigh's corpse to the side.
Slumping down to catch his breath, he watched the fierce battle raging in the sky.
Thunderous booms echoed as white shockwaves exploded above.
Giant rings of sonic blasts formed in the sky, only to be rapidly dispersed.
For the people on the small island in the Four Seas, it was unimaginable that this was a clash between powerful beings.
All they felt was overwhelming fear.
And that was understandable... this sea was far too isolated in terms of information flow.
Many lived their entire lives without ever leaving their island, and the strongest person they'd seen was often just a pirate wielding a big machete.
Even back during the Sabaody Archipelago incident,
There were still ignorant pirates who thought they could shoot Admiral Borsalino to death with a flintlock...
buru buru~ buru buru~
Standing on the warship docked at the harbor, Karol was watching the battle in the sky when the Den Den Mushi suddenly rang.
Answering the call, Karol said:
"Moshi moshi~"
"This is Vice Admiral Sakazuki's warship."
From the other end of the line, Enel's voice came through:
"Karol-san!"
"Where's Sakazuki-san?"
Karol glanced at the battle in the sky.
"He's fighting."
"Mmm… against Vice Admiral Garp."
Enel's voice came again:
"Oh."
"....."
"....."
"HAA——???"
Karol let out a soft chuckle.
"What's up?"
That's when Enel finally remembered why he called:
"Oh right, have Sakazuki-san and Vice Admiral Garp return ASAP."
"Golden Lion attacked Marineford and has now been subdued."
"Half the headquarters is in ruins."
"Fleet Admiral Kong returned from the Holy Land and is furious."
"None of Garp's men have any idea where he went."
"Good thing we could at least get through to you guys."
"But when those two get back, they're definitely getting chewed out."
Karol frowned deeply.
"I see."
"I got it."
Click——
He hung up the Den Den Mushi and rubbed his temples. Marineford had been attacked… this was...
He looked at the battle raging above, then at his own small frame.
Karol was afraid that if he jumped into the fray, the two who were already fighting seriously might smash him to pieces with a single punch.
Turning toward the island, he swept the area with Observation Haki, then took a deep breath:
"Bullet!!!"
Bullet, who had been lounging back on the steps with his elbows propped up, watching the battle, suddenly heard Karol's shout.
He instantly rose, grabbed Rayleigh's corpse, and charged toward the warship.
Boom!
A streak of blue afterimage crashed down onto the warship.
The warship shook slightly, and Bullet's figure appeared:
"What's wrong, Karol-san?"
Karol looked at the battered and bruised Bullet and rubbed his temples. He wasn't surprised by Rayleigh's death.
"It's nothing. I just wanted you to go stop the fight in the sky."
Bullet looked puzzled.
"Stop it?"
"How am I supposed to do that? Just charge in and get beat up?"
Karol shook his head with a bitter smile.
"Headquarters was attacked by the Golden Lion. Half of Marineford is in ruins."
"Those two up there, abandoning their posts like that, are bound to face consequences."
"Better to stop it now. If this continues and something really happens, it'll be a complete joke."
Bullet furrowed his brows slightly.
"Bold move... attacking Marine Headquarters."
He looked at Karol's small frame and reached out to stop him.
Bullet took a deep breath.
"I'll go instead."
"At least I can take a few more hits."
Before Karol could say anything, Bullet shot upward.
...
A thousand meters above the ground.
The two frenzied figures were attacking each other like madmen.
No logic. No rhythm. Just pure chaos...
Covered head to toe in Armament Haki, they separated momentarily, turned sideways, and slammed their shoulders into each other.
Crack—
A wild shockwave burst out like sharp blades.
Where their shoulders clashed, the air exploded, forming jagged fissures that stretched several meters wide.
Boom!!!
A massive explosion erupted, and within several hundred meters around the two, a rippling distortion formed, blurring the air.
This was the result of the wild shockwave becoming almost tangible.
They closed in again.
Garp's eyes widened in fury, and he punched Sakazuki square in the abdomen.
Sakazuki's face twisted with rage. He gripped the back of Garp's head with both hands and rammed his knee upward.
Boom!
They separated again.
Gritting his teeth, Garp pulled back his fist to his abdomen. Black Armament Haki flowed over his arm.
The dense Haki formed a giant fist-like shape.
He launched it fiercely at Sakazuki.
Whoosh—
A compressed air bullet, dozens of meters in diameter, screeched through the sky toward Sakazuki.
Sakazuki's right hand glowed with power, and a blazing tiger-shaped flame shadow formed.
Infused with Haki, he countered Garp's attack:
"Meteor Volcano!"
Roar—
A massive tiger head of flame took shape, roaring as it charged at Garp.
As the two attacks collided—
An eruption of heat and force exploded like a second sun in the sky.
The thousand-meter-wide spherical shockwave continued to expand.
Then came two explosive sounds.
The balloon-like wave was burst open from both sides.
The sheer momentum shredded through the massive shockwave, driving inward toward the center.
Boom boom boom boom——
White shock blasts exploded all across the sky.
The two figures flickered and clashed again and again.
Bullet stood at the edge, taking a deep breath:
"Vice Admiral Sakazuki!!!!"
But it was completely useless.
Within that kilometer-wide zone, it was like a forbidden area.
Even Conqueror's Haki couldn't penetrate it, and his shouting was instantly drowned out by the thunderous explosions.
Left with no choice, Bullet forcibly activated the Demon mode.
His arms swelled to three times their size. Fangs sprouted. His face twisted like a demon.
He stomped the ground and charged straight in.
Above, Garp and Sakazuki raised their fists once again and collided.
Smack—
A massive shockwave exploded next to Bullet just as he arrived.
And in that moment, he felt what Rayleigh must have felt...
No time to think.
His thick arms reached out and grabbed both of their wrists.
With arms enhanced by severalfold strength, he barely managed to hold the two back.
Bullet roared:
"Headquarters is under attack!!!"
Garp and Sakazuki were both startled and instantly snapped back to their senses.
"What!"
"What!"
They turned in unison to look at Bullet.
Bullet held tightly to both their arms without letting go:
"Headquarters was ambushed by the Golden Lion."
"Vice Admiral Garp, you should return to your ship."
"Fleet Admiral Kong is furious and looking for you."
He slowly released their now-calm wrists.
The two stared at each other for a long moment...
Then Garp and Sakazuki both snorted and retracted their Haki.
Garp turned and flew toward Baterilla Island first.
To see if he could recover the body... and this time, he wasn't stopped.
Sakazuki took a deep breath, as if suddenly remembering the situation.
"How bad are the casualties at HQ?"
Bullet let out a sigh of relief.
"Supposedly, half of Marineford is destroyed."
"The exact numbers are still unknown."
"Fleet Admiral Kong is also looking for you."
Sakazuki nodded.
"Understood."
"Let's go. We need to hurry back to HQ."
The two of them descended toward the warship below.
...
Nighttime.
Bandaged from head to toe, Sakazuki and Bullet were replenishing their energy.
The large table in the dining hall was lined with empty plates.
On the deck, several giant Sea King meat slabs were being cut and brought into the kitchen.
Bullet grabbed a large haunch of meat and stuffed it into his mouth.
In just a few bites, he finished it and casually tossed the bone aside, reaching for another slab.
By contrast—
Sakazuki ate with a composed yet brutal manner.
He stuffed a whole leg of meat, bone included, into his mouth.
Crunch crunch—
He chewed the bone into splinters and swallowed it all in just a few bites.
The bones and flesh he swallowed—
Were instantly digested, converting into energy to replenish his body...
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