In truth, both Sakazuki and Diarmuid felt a sense of relief after their initial clashes with Douglas Bullet. He wasn't as powerful as they had imagined, and his strength wasn't on par with the rumors that he was equal to Rayleigh.
Diarmuid had faced off against Charlotte Linlin before, and she had displayed a level of extreme power. Even at his full strength, Diarmuid was only able to hold his own against that old hag for a short time. Based on pure strength, he was definitely a notch below her.
After all, despite her being a monster, her talent was no joke, and she had been rampaging across the seas for decades. Her combat experience was incredibly rich, so her strength made sense.
Douglas Bullet, on the other hand, while strong and experienced, had not shown the power worthy of his reputation in either his clash with Sakazuki or Diarmuid. In fact, Diarmuid sent him flying with a single slash!
Regardless of whether he was holding back or not, Diarmuid now had a clear idea: Douglas Bullet was weaker than him. So, both Sakazuki and Diarmuid were feeling a bit more relaxed.
Meanwhile, after being sent flying, Bullet finally came to a stop. He looked down at the tiny, intricate cuts on his body, which were caused by the sharp wind pressure. The cuts were bloody and looked terrible, but in reality, he wasn't seriously injured.
Contrary to Diarmuid and Sakazuki's judgment, while Bullet now recognized that Diarmuid was indeed powerful and not the sneaky, worthless scum he had imagined, he still believed he was the stronger one. This was the confidence of a true powerhouse.
"You two just chatting idly... Do you think you have me figured out already?" Bullet said, stretching his shoulders.
Sakazuki looked at him, then turned to Diarmuid. "Looks like you're underestimating him too?"
"Not underestimating him, just think he doesn't live up to his reputation," Diarmuid said with a smile.
"Maybe so, but he is undeniably strong. You're not thinking of taking him on alone, are you?" Sakazuki asked, a few drops of scorching magma dripping from his hand.
"Hahahaha, when did we Marines ever need to play by a pirate's rules? Although I think I can handle him alone, let's just go all out! We don't have time to waste on him!" Diarmuid laughed loudly.
From a distance, Bullet saw that Diarmuid and Sakazuki weren't paying him any mind, and a flash of anger crossed his eyes. He stomped his foot, and the ground instantly cracked.
Then, rocks and soil began to spread up his legs. In just a few moments, the entire right side of his body was covered in stone. This was the power of the Clank-Clank Fruit, which allowed him to fuse with anything.
This wasn't all. Once his body was covered in stone, a glint flashed in Bullet's eyes. He coated the rock-covered half of his body in Armament Haki, which seemed to flow like a liquid over his surface. This was the second stage of Armament Haki.
"Entertain me!" Bullet roared commandingly, charging toward Diarmuid like a monster.
Diarmuid didn't move. He simply rested his hand on the hilt of his sword, Kokorowatari. The moment Bullet closed in, Sakazuki moved. Just like Bullet, his left side turned into scorching magma, also coated in a powerful layer of Haki. He blocked Bullet's path, throwing a punch.
A ferocious look crossed Bullet's face. He sneered, roaring, "Get out of my way!"
The two fists collided, and a clash of Armament Haki exploded, causing the very space around them to tremble.
A look of surprise flashed in Sakazuki's eyes; this bastard's power had grown stronger! In an instant, Bullet's overwhelming punch overpowered Sakazuki, threatening to crush him.
But Sakazuki's strength was no joke; his reputation as a Marine monster wasn't for nothing!
The ground beneath him instantly turned into magma, which erupted, giving him a powerful boost. He twisted his waist, and his arm began to swell with thick, scorching magma. It was a state of high-pressure magma. It first retracted backward, then the volatile power erupted forward.
"Volcanic Ash!" Sakazuki roared.
Another powerful burst of force emerged, evening the score. What was more terrifying was the intense heat of the magma. It was so hot that even through the Haki, Bullet's fist turned red, as if it was about to be burned along with his Haki.
From the moment Bullet gained the upper hand to when Sakazuki fought back, it only took a moment.
But before Sakazuki could take a breath, the situation changed again.
"Capture!" Bullet sneered, a look of triumph on his face.
As soon as he said that, Sakazuki's expression changed dramatically, for he felt his erupting magma lose control. In the next instant, a massive amount of magma covered Bullet, turning him into a true magma monster. Yet, the magma, which should have turned anyone to ash, didn't harm him at all. Instead, it seemed to become part of his power!
Sakazuki's power was lost to him, and Bullet seized the moment, forcing his power. His downward punch finally overpowered Sakazuki.
Sakazuki's arm instantly shattered into countless magma fragments, which fell to the ground. Bullet's punch continued, striking Sakazuki's shoulder and driving him into the ground. The ground shattered, and magma exploded as Sakazuki was sent into a deep crater.
After knocking Sakazuki down with a single blow, Bullet roared. He stomped his foot, and his body, covered in hot magma, charged toward Diarmuid again.
Diarmuid watched this with a bit of surprise, then he started to laugh a little. Sakazuki was too careless. He underestimated him and got played by Bullet. With Sakazuki's control over his ability, if he hadn't been so reckless, Bullet would have never been able to so easily steal control of his magma.
"Demon's Wrath!" Bullet's fist, covered in hot magma, slammed down on Diarmuid.
"Shinra Tensei," Diarmuid said softly. Just as the hot magma was about to drip onto Diarmuid's face, a powerful repellent force erupted from his body, instantly blocking Bullet's wild strike.
The magma and rocks that had covered Bullet were repelled by the powerful force, falling off his body and scattering behind him. But Bullet himself withstood the impact.
Ignoring the cracks appearing in his skin, he gritted his teeth and continued to push his fist down on Diarmuid's head, as if he wouldn't be satisfied until he landed a blow.
"HRAAAH!" Just as his strength was about to give out, Bullet roared again.
The ground beneath his feet instantly changed, turning into a swamp that swallowed his feet. A massive amount of rock and soil fused into his body, making him even larger. Not only that, but Diarmuid suddenly felt the repellent force crumble as Bullet's power seemed to swell rapidly.
At that moment, Diarmuid recalled Sakazuki's situation and, putting the two together, he began to understand.
"I see... The fusion isn't a simple combination!" Diarmuid said softly.
Douglas Bullet's fusion ability truly enhanced his power in every way. When he absorbed the rocks and soil, it looked like his body was just getting bigger and more rugged on the surface. But that wasn't the case.
The rocks and soil didn't just attach to his skin; they grew into his body, becoming a part of him. And while the principle was unknown, this fusion greatly increased his power!
"Do you get it now? But it's too late!" Bullet sneered.
In the next instant, his punch broke through Diarmuid's repellent force. His fist, covered in rocks and soil, slammed down on Diarmuid's head.
It was then that Diarmuid finally moved, raising his arm as his upper body was instantly covered in flowing Armament Haki. He didn't dodge, meeting Bullet's powerful punch with a single palm.
The Armament Haki struck Bullet's fist from a distance, and a powerful shockwave and a clash of Haki created an invisible ripple that spread outward between them.
In the next moment, Diarmuid was sent flying backward by the force, retreating over ten meters. But Bullet didn't give up, charging toward Diarmuid like a raging bull.
Diarmuid, however, remained the same. He met Bullet's fist with a single palm and, without resisting, was sent flying again.
Bullet became a blur, constantly attacking Diarmuid, who seemed to be toying with him like a matador. Every time, he would slap Bullet's fist with his palm and then be "sent flying" away.
After a dozen exchanges, Bullet was breathing heavily. He hunched over and stopped, looking at his arms. A serious look appeared in his eyes.
"Do you feel it?" Diarmuid said with a grin.
Bullet didn't reply. He just shook his body, and the rocks and soil covering him fell to the ground. His original body was revealed. His slightly hunched back straightened, and his ragged breathing calmed down a little. But his brow remained furrowed.
He then tried to absorb the ground again. But as soon as the rocks and soil reached his knees, he canceled the ability and looked at Diarmuid.
"It's useless. Your ability is fusion, but the core seems to be your original body. No matter what you absorb, it fuses into you, becoming one. So, as long as the concept of your ability doesn't change, no matter how many times you try, it will be the same," Diarmuid said softly.
During their last several clashes, every time Diarmuid touched Bullet, he would apply a layer of gravity. The first time, it doubled Bullet's weight. The second time, it tripled it, and so on. In just a few dozen exchanges, Bullet's weight had increased tenfold, subjecting him to a massive amount of gravity.
At the same time, if he used his fusion ability to absorb anything into his body, the absorbed material, like rocks and soil, would also instantly have its weight doubled tenfold. In other words, the more Bullet absorbed, the heavier he would become and the more pressure he would endure!
Unless he found a way to break free from the ability Diarmuid was applying, his powerful Clank-Clank Fruit would, in a way, be rendered useless by Diarmuid.
"I see..." Bullet slowly raised his arm and clenched his fist. After a moment, he looked at Diarmuid and said in a low voice, "That's a clever use of your ability. But you probably didn't realize it... or you've rarely used this technique, right?"
Diarmuid's brow furrowed slightly. "What are you talking about?"
"As they say, the greater the mass, the greater the force!" Bullet roared.
In the next instant, he vanished, and then suddenly reappeared in front of Diarmuid.
A look of surprise flashed in Diarmuid's eyes. He hadn't expected Bullet to move so fast with all that extra weight. But his instincts took over. He used Soru and vanished from the spot before Bullet's fist could land.
BOOM!!!
Bullet's punch hit the ground, and the earth for a thousand meters around him shattered and trembled. Just as he said, his power had gotten even stronger.
"Hahahaha, interesting. You turned my ability against me? Your combat experience is really something!" Diarmuid laughed as he stood on the cracked ground in the distance.
Bullet slowly pulled his heavy fist out of the ground and looked at Diarmuid. "Same to you. Didn't you use my ability against me as well?"
Despite what he was saying, Bullet felt a heavy weight in his heart, because he realized that Diarmuid still hadn't gotten serious. It was as if he was just using Bullet as a guinea pig.
How incredibly arrogant!
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