Desert island.
Two figures closed in at incredible speed.
Whitebeard's golden hair streamed in the wind, his eyes flashing a dark red glow. In a furious rage, his presence was like a wrathful deity descending.
A milky white halo laced with black lightning erupted from his fists and slammed straight toward the Vice Admiral's sinister black dragon claws!
Boom!!
It was like a missile detonating on the spot—violent shockwaves burst outward from the point of impact, centered on the two of them.
Daren let out a muffled grunt as his body shot backward like a cannonball, skidding dozens of meters before finally grinding to a halt.
Blood dripped steadily from his arms, which were split open with torn flesh and strained muscles showing signs of rupture.
Compared to Roger's refined and dangerous swordsmanship, Whitebeard's destructive power was on another level.
Especially the terrifying impact imbued with the Gura Gura no Mi's "world-destroying power." The shockwaves could tear through the void itself—each blast strong enough to threaten even Daren's "Indestructible Body."
"Kahahaha! Daren, you're still too weak! Watch this!"
Bullet roared with laughter as a strange purple halo suddenly appeared on his body, spreading across the ground beneath him in the blink of an eye.
"Unión Armado!"
An unbelievable sight unfolded—
Under the influence of some invisible force, the vegetation, rocks, the very ground... everything, living or not, began to squirm uncontrollably, surging toward Bullet's body.
His form rapidly expanded and grew taller. In no time, a colossal figure, several dozen meters high, burst from the earth, kicking up massive clouds of dust and rubble.
The towering giant cast a terrifying shadow, completely engulfing Whitebeard's silhouette.
Roar!!
Covered in a thick coat of Armament Haki, the giant's head took on the shape of a snarling wolf. It let out a thunderous howl, and its lantern-sized eyes glowed with savage scarlet fury.
The roar sent cracks rippling through the ground as if the earth itself were crying under the pressure.
The "Giant Bullet" form!
"Kahahaha! See my strength now, Daren?!"
Inside the giant's body, Bullet looked as though he was sitting at the controls, gripping a pair of levers and laughing with exhilaration.
"This move was made just for you!"
As he spoke, the Unión Armado giant let out another earth-shaking roar, raising a mountainous fist and hurling it down toward Whitebeard like a falling peak!
With overwhelming mass and force, the punch tore through the air, releasing shockwaves in concentric bursts of white energy.
"Ultimate Faust!!"
The punch crashed down like a meteor!
The blast kicked up roaring winds, sending Whitebeard's blond hair and snow-white cloak billowing wildly.
Panting lightly, he narrowed his eyes at the massive fist falling from above. Then, suddenly drawing a deep breath, he stepped forward—
And threw a punch straight at it, without dodging!
Boom!!
Despite the drastic difference in size, the two fists collided midair. They never even touched, but the air itself shattered—countless cracks splintered through the void around them.
Bullet's eyes widened.
The scene before him twisted violently, then shattered like broken glass!
Whitebeard roared, the milky white halo around his fist bursting outward.
"I'm Whitebeard, damn it!!"
Crack-crack!!
A sharp, explosive sound rang out as countless cracks spread across the giant's fist. Then, like a detonation from high-grade explosives, it began to disintegrate and blow apart!
From the fist, to the forearm, to the upper arm… under the overwhelming might of the "world's strongest," the giant created by Bullet through the power of the Gasha Gasha no Mi—
Came crashing down in pieces!
...Revealing Bullet sitting there in stunned disbelief.
"That's it?"
Daren rolled his eyes in exasperation.
Bullet's face turned bright red as he snapped,
"You try it then!"
"I got bigger, didn't I?! Can you do that?!"
To his surprise, Daren suddenly grinned.
"Well, funny you should mention that."
Gundam? I have one too!
He took a deep breath, and as he exhaled to steady himself, his body began to change.
Crack, crack—
It sounded like his bones were shattering and fusing again, sending chills down the spine.
Under Bullet's wide-eyed stare and Whitebeard's grim gaze, the Vice Admiral's body began to swell and grow, as if inflated.
His uniform shirt tore apart in an instant. Metal fragments spun and assembled around him, forming armor that quickly covered his body. In moments, a sleek and imposing steel giant stood before Bullet.
A Giant's Body!
A crushing sense of pressure surged outward, whipping up a storm of wind and sand. Whitebeard's eyes immediately sharpened.
He saw it at a glance.
This was different from the brat in Roger's crew who used a Devil Fruit. The power this Marine kid just unleashed… it came from within himself!
"The bloodline of the giants?!"
A ridiculous thought flashed through Whitebeard's mind.
Before he could react, Daren had already extended his massive arm and, with one hand, gripped the suddenly enlarged cursed blade "Enma," swinging it down like a titan tearing open the heavens—straight at the world's strongest man!
Instinctively, Whitebeard raised his naginata to block.
Boom!!
The immense black blade crashed down like a falling sky. Despite Enma's razor-sharp edge, Daren was wielding it like a slab of iron.
Overwhelmed by the sheer force, Whitebeard's expression shifted. A metallic taste rose in his throat, and his feet drove into the ground like stakes.
With a deafening impact, the earth within several kilometers sank downward, collapsing by several meters as rubble burst skyward.
Whitebeard's face flushed red on the spot.
Feeling the crushing force bearing down on him, his features turned crimson, and veins bulged across his forehead and arms.
"...What the hell is that ability?!"
Bullet's shocked voice rang out.
He could hardly believe his eyes.
Transforming into a super-sized giant was a combat technique he had painstakingly developed.
In that form, his combat capability skyrocketed. Though his reaction speed and agility were reduced, his destructive power and brute strength soared exponentially!
It was tailor-made to counter someone like Whitebeard—an opponent not known for speed, but capable of overwhelming devastation.
So how had Daren managed to come up with something like this!?
Daren growled through clenched teeth.
"Quit yapping and help me already!!"
Bullet paused for a second, then in a flash, landed right on top of Daren's head.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
Daren roared in annoyance, the force of it nearly shattering Bullet's eardrums.
"Get off my damn head!!"
But Bullet suddenly looked like he'd remembered some brilliant technique. His eyes lit up with excitement.
"If you can turn into a giant..."
He stood tall, staring straight at Whitebeard.
"Then what if I add my ability on top of that?"
Daren froze.
Add your ability?
What's he talking about...
Wait a second—
His eyes flew wide open, as if he'd just imagined the most absurd scene possible.
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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