Two fists collided.
Boom!
Sakazuki's arm abruptly exploded, and Bullet's punch struck forward without the slightest obstruction. Though the latter didn't fully understand what had just happened, he didn't hesitate.
The admiral, however, curled his lips. In Bullet's shock filled eyes, the arm that had burst apart reappeared as if out of thin air. It didn't regrow or reform gradually, it simply re-materialized in an instant.
Sakazuki twisted slightly, his newly formed arm swinging back at a sharp angle and slamming into his opponent's chest.
Boom!
Bullet's body shot backward like a cannonball, crashing through the air and setting off white shockwaves before slamming into the ocean.
Bang!
A wall of water dozens of meters high rose and spread in all directions. The golden light faded from Sakazuki's eyes as he withdrew from his Crimson Lotus state, returning to normal. He stepped forward and launched himself skyward, landing moments later on a distant warship.
The deserted island where they had fought finally gave out, collapsing and slowly sinking into the sea.
Splash!
Bullet burst from the water, also deactivating his Demon Mode. Shaking his head, he swam to the ship and climbed aboard.
Taking the towel handed to him by a soldier, he wiped himself dry and muttered, "I'm still not on your level. That was hardly satisfying."
Sakazuki chuckled. "This wasn't a death match. Just a test. That's enough for now. And your foundation is already very solid. The rest of your Haki and physical prowess can only be honed slowly through training. Without using Devil Fruit abilities and purely competing in martial arts and Haki, you're quite troublesome."
He hadn't gotten his fill either, but it couldn't be helped. If they had gone all out, the island wouldn't have lasted even a day. One Magma Burst from him would've sunk it immediately.
Bullet smirked. "Troublesome, huh."
Carlo, who had returned some time ago, added, "There are hardly any who can beat Admiral Sakazuki through pure strength and Haki alone. In a one-on-one fight, aside from Vice Admiral Garp or Fleet Admiral Sengoku, I doubt anyone at headquarters could take you."
Bullet clicked his tongue. "I guess that's true."
Sakazuki smiled faintly. "Your devil fruit's been prepared for a while. I think it's about time you got it."
Bullet's eyes lit up. "Oh? What kind of fruit?"
"A fruit you'll never refuse," Sakazuki replied.
Carlo pulled out a sealed box and handed the fruit to Bullet. Sakazuki explained, "It's a Paramecia-type. The More-More Fruit. It allows the user to amplify anything they touch, speed, power, size, weight, by multiples. The maximum amplification is one hundred times. You can apply it to your own body too, but the limit's the same. As for awakening, no one has ever reached that point, so it's unknown. Still, it's quite convenient. For example…"
Carlo laughed. "Imagine multiplying one of Enel's missiles a hundred times and launching it."
Bullet's eyes widened, and he took a sharp breath. This…this was the fruit of his dreams. Countless ideas for how to use it raced through his mind before he even tasted it.
Without hesitation, he bit into it. His brow furrowed at the taste, but he swallowed and closed his eyes, feeling the power spreading through him. He spoke softly. "Ten times speed."
He stomped his foot.
Whoosh!
A hole blasted open in the warship's railing as Bullet vanished. He reappeared hundreds of meters away, standing over the sea, staring back in shock. This was double his speed in his Great Ashura King form, and he was only in his base state.
Whoosh!
He returned to the ship instantly, staggering slightly as he struggled to control the new power. A grin spread across his face. "This fruit... it's incredible."
He waved a soldier over and took a bullet from him. The bullet glowed as a transparent film surrounded it, expanding threefold until it became the size of a cannonball. Bullet weighed it in his hand; it felt perfectly natural, as if it had always been that large.
He then hurled it toward the horizon.
The projectile disappeared from sight almost immediately. At a hundredfold speed, it struck the sea far away, exploding into a massive geyser. Just the impact alone was enough to imagine the destruction if it had been one of Enel's missiles.
Sakazuki watched, impressed. "Not bad. How many times can you control your amplification?"
Bullet's grin widened. "Ten times is easy. I can handle up to twenty or thirty times before it gets unstable. A hundred times works as well, but it's useless. I can't control it."
Sakazuki nodded. "That's already impressive."
The fruit's previous user, Byrnndi World, had only been a moderately strong pirate, barely decent in hand-to-hand combat. Even Luffy, fresh in his Haki training, managed to defeat him. Human reflexes have their limits; that's why World could only reach fiftyfold speed.
But Bullet was on another level. His body had been honed to the peak. With his reflexes, a twenty or thirtyfold increase meant that even Borsalino or Enel might struggle to match him at close range.
He'd gone to war since he was eight, starting as a demolition soldier where death was nearly certain. Then, after joining the Marines, he'd fought alongside Sakazuki for over twenty years, each battle sharpening his instincts further.
At close quarters, even light and lightning would be caught by his armament-coated hands. Logia users needed time to react, after all. But over distance, Bullet couldn't hope to catch them. Light and electricity were just too fast for the human body to match.
Sakazuki said, "Keep training. Don't reveal your ability yet. We'll find a way to 'discover' this fruit during a pirate purge later."
Bullet gave a nod. "Understood."
It wasn't paranoia; Sakazuki's caution was justified. Both Byrnndi World and Golden Lion had died by his hand. And right after Shiki's death, his Devil Fruit ended up with Soter. Some might call that coincidence.
But World's fruit? That one couldn't be explained away. Anyone with half a brain would make the connection. Two powerful fruits, both previously belonging to men slain by Sakazuki, now conveniently gifted to his subordinates? Only a fool would believe that was luck.
Whether among the pirates, the Marines, or government officials, there was no shortage of intelligent people in the world.
* * *
A few days later.
Marineford.
Several warships loaded with training cadets were ready to depart from the harbor. At the front stood Soter, directing the crews in perfect order. Zephyr, watching from a nearby vessel, nodded approvingly.
Inside the Fleet Admiral's office, hurried footsteps echoed.
Knock, knock, knock!
"Come in."
The door burst open, and a messenger ran in, panting as he caught his breath. "Reporting, Fleet Admiral Sengoku! We just received news. Admiral Akainu and Vice Admiral Bullet have launched a full assault on Sabaody Archipelago's auction district in the lawless area! They're expanding the purge zone as we speak!"
Sengoku shot to his feet. "What?! What happened?!"
The messenger swallowed hard. "It seems... it's because of a Devil Fruit."
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