Bullet let out a feral grin.
"Got it."
Hanging up the Den Den Mushi, his eyes flickered slightly as they scanned the battlefield.
He swiftly locked onto a target. That massive build… looked tough enough to take a beating.
The enhanced speed in his basic Demon Mode was something he could freely control. A thought flashed through his mind.
"Multiply—50x speed."
BOOM——
The air exploded in a storm, a thunderous roar shaking the surroundings.
The members of the Red-Haired Pirates were startled. They had still been able to catch his afterimages before, but now his figure had completely vanished.
Yasopp's Observation Haki caught something, and his expression drastically changed.
"Roux!!!"
But it was already too late.
By the time the sound reached them, Bullet's fist had already slammed straight into Lucky Roux's belly.
It was like smashing a giant rubber ball.
The impact rippled out from Lucky Roux's gut in visible shockwaves.
Lucky Roux grunted heavily, biting down hard. The veins on his forehead bulged violently. He was clearly in pain—but he didn't dare let go.
His entire body was wrapped in Armament Haki, which continuously wriggled to dissipate the force.
Bullet sneered as he poured in even more strength. His arm sank a little deeper…
Lucky Roux's eyes bulged slightly. With a fierce glint in his gaze, he stopped dispersing the force and instead tensed his muscles and Haki, locking Bullet's arm deep in his gut.
At the same time, he raised his hand, ready to strike.
Bullet stomped on the ground, a sonic boom erupting beneath his foot.
His arm jerked, hurling Lucky Roux backward as they switched positions.
Lucky Roux's counterattack was instantly cut off.
Behind him, the Red-Haired Pirates' attacks had already closed in. Their coordination was sharp, surrounding him seamlessly.
Bullet grinned wider as he turned to look at Lucky Roux.
Demon mode surged into his left arm, swelling it to three times its size in an instant as he raised it up…
Lucky Roux's eyes widened in rage as he stared at the massive arm crashing down toward his head.
"Damn it—"
There was no way he could take that hit head-on again. He relaxed his Haki on his stomach, letting go of Bullet's arm.
He crossed his arms and braced for the incoming blow.
BOOM!!!
The collision froze the air for a split second—and then Lucky Roux vanished from his original spot.
His entire body turned into a round, rolling streak of light as he was blasted toward Shanks.
PA!
Shanks caught Lucky Roux by the back, but the impact still sent him flying backward.
He stomped several times midair to steady himself before dropping down onto the ship below.
The rest of the Red-Haired Pirates also landed. They couldn't keep up.
Even though they were burning with the urge to avenge Mihawk, their drawn-out fight had already made one thing clear… revenge wasn't going to be easy.
Bullet's speed was simply too fast.
They couldn't beat him one-on-one, and even a group assault couldn't catch him.
The moment Lucky Roux was sent flying, Bullet vanished again. That terrifying speed… anyone would believe he had eaten the Glint-Glint Fruit.
...
Lucky Roux lay on the deck, clutching his stomach.
"Cough, cough, cough…"
"Doc!!!"
"Got any painkillers!!!"
Though he'd suffered some internal injuries, it wasn't too serious—but the pain was unavoidable.
When the adrenaline of battle faded, the pain slammed into his nerves like a hammer. Cold sweat poured down as he clutched his belly, rolling on the deck and shouting for the ship doctor.
Shanks ordered two men to bring Lucky Roux into the cabin nearby. His expression was heavy.
"Sakazuki…"
Everyone had heard Bullet's voice through the Den Den Mushi just now.
They'd been intercepted for half a day, and now Sakazuki's order for Bullet to retreat came through. Clearly, something had already happened. The operation was over. There was no longer a need to delay them.
And that was what made it so maddening… the enemy's plot was completely in the dark, while they knew nothing. How could they rest easy?
Beckman frowned deeply.
"What now? Do we keep going?"
They'd originally set out to support Knock, their ally.
After all, Sakazuki had recklessly declared war on two Yonko at once. There was no doubt he had some kind of trump card.
Knock had grown uneasy and reached out to them. They'd also intended to probe the situation.
After crossing through Kaido and Charlotte Linlin's territories, they'd barely entered Knock's sphere of influence when—
Bullet blocked them.
They had the will to avenge Mihawk, but after surrounding and fighting Bullet for so long, they hadn't gained the upper hand. Only after Sakazuki gave Bullet the retreat order did the fight end…
Shanks hesitated, lost in thought.
Yasopp suddenly noticed something and looked into the distance.
"Hey, look over there."
"Those are Kaido's men, right?"
"They're heading toward Knock's side too."
As a sniper, he constantly scanned the sea. The tiny black dots far off on the surface caught his eye in a casual glance—and something felt off immediately.
Kaido had clashed with Sakazuki too. So why was his fleet heading toward Knock?
Shanks and Beckman stepped forward, sweeping the area with Observation Haki. They sensed the massive fleet.
They exchanged a glance, realization dawning like a thunderbolt.
"Kaido!!!" ×2
They understood everything. If they hadn't been stalled here for half a day, they would have already linked up with Knock by now.
And Kaido's fleet was now appearing en masse in Knock's territory… There was only one explanation.
Sakazuki had joined hands with Kaido. They had staged a grand play and deceived the entire New World.
Their goal was clear as day.
They were going to butcher Knock like a pig.
"Den Den Mushi!"
...
New World, G-14 Branch.
Sakazuki hung up the Den Den Mushi.
He stood at the edge of the fortress, looking out over the sea, waiting.
Vice Admiral Doru was below, nervously arranging the troops, preparing for the coming war.
At that moment—
A soldier brought him the latest intel. Sakazuki's lips curled slightly.
He slowly pulled out the video Den Den Mushi he had used to contact Knock earlier.
The original plan had included one more step—Enel was supposed to raid Knock's fleet, destroy all their Den Den Mushi, and completely cut off their communications.
By the time they realized anything, it would've been far too late.
But Enel's injury had thrown that part of the plan off.
He had no choice but to skip that step and slightly adjust the plan.
Sakazuki pressed the Den Den Mushi in his hand and dialed out.
Buru buru~ buru buru~
...
Knock's fleet.
Nearly a hundred large ships were deeply embedded in the sea.
The decks were stacked with weapons—new, old, powerful, weak—and even some special navy missiles discarded by the research division.
It was shocking to see such classified weapons appear here. But for the biggest underground power in the New World?
Not surprising at all. Many high-ranking World Government officials were their "business partners."
Inside the cabin.
The officers were in a meeting.
They had never planned to go head-to-head with Sakazuki. Their goal was to wipe out all the navy bases in the New World.
To expand their territory—especially since Sakazuki was also at war with Kaido. A heaven-sent opportunity…
Buru buru~ buru buru~
All eyes turned to the ringing Den Den Mushi.
Seeing it, Knock frowned slightly.
"Sakazuki…"
He picked up the Den Den Mushi, but before he could speak—
Sakazuki's voice came from the other side.
"Kaido has been eyeing your arms business for a long time, Knock…"
KRAK—
The Den Den Mushi clicked. The line went dead.
Knock's pupils contracted. Kaido… arms…
Something clicked in his mind.
Buru buru~ buru buru~
The Den Den Mushi rang again—this time, it was Red-Haired Shanks.
Knock answered, but within two seconds, his furious roar echoed through the entire fleet.
"Return to base!!!"
"Kaido! Sakazuki!!!!"
"AAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!"
BOOOOM——!!!!!!
...
At the same time.
Bullet, having disappeared from the Red-Haired Pirates' sight,
circled around in a wide arc.
He flew toward the territory of Red-Haired Shanks, to rendezvous with the fleet floating thousands of meters high in the sky…
-----------
The fanfic is Finished on p@treon/tambeerg. 414 chapters in total