"You're right about that. The greater the mass, the greater the force," Diarmuid said, looking at Bullet. Before Bullet could reply, Diarmuid continued, "But the greater the pressure you endure, too. How many more times can you move at that speed?"
As he spoke, Diarmuid drew his sword, Kokorowatari. A dark, murky, and evil aura instantly radiated from the blade, making Diarmuid look incredibly sinister, not at all like a Marine. At the same time the aura seeped out, the ground beneath Bullet's feet suddenly shifted.
Because of his immense weight and the slight distraction from Kokorowatari's evil aura, Bullet was a step too slow when he tried to dodge.
"Hound Blaze!" Sakazuki burst out from beneath the ground. His fist transformed into a scorching magma dog, striking at Bullet's abdomen.
"Oniki..." Bullet only had time to coat his waist in Haki, offering a meager resistance. He was sent flying by Sakazuki's punch.
[TN: Oni +Ki = Demonic + Aura/Ki/Spirit similar to Ha + Ki = Supreme + Aura/Ki/Spirit]
At the same time, Diarmuid moved. Just as he had told Sakazuki, there was no need to have a one-on-one duel with someone like Bullet. If they had a chance, they would jump him and put him down for good!
The moment Bullet was sent flying, Diarmuid shed all the gravity on his body, using Soru to move at an undetectable speed, appearing directly in front of Bullet.
"Oniki: Netherworld Armor!" Bullet roared. He crossed his arms in front of him, covering them in a layer of Armament Haki.
The so-called Oniki was a very rare form of spirit. When it reached a certain level of power, it could be solidified just like Haki. Twenty years from now, Roronoa Zoro would be able to summon his own personal Oniki. And now, Bullet, who was known as the "Demon Heir," could do the same, and he was even more proficient at it than Zoro would be.
"Mountain Cleaver!" Diarmuid raised his sword and brought it down in a single slash. Kokorowatari's sharp blade, carrying a powerful gust of wind and gravity, instantly pressed down on Bullet's arms. The so-called "Netherworld Armor" created by the fusion of Oniki and Haki was no match for Diarmuid's power.
The moment the slash left the blade, blood splattered from Bullet's arms. Then, the immense gravity gave him no chance to resist, and he was sent flying out of the air like a cannonball.
The force of the slash didn't diminish, carving a new, bottomless thousand-meter-long fissure in the ground. And this fissure wasn't a clean cut like those made by a great swordsman. Instead, it was jagged and uneven, a clear sign that it was brutally created by overwhelming gravitational pressure!
Douglas Bullet was sent hurtling down into the chasm by Diarmuid's single slash. Diarmuid, however, didn't stop. He tossed Kokorowatari into the air and clasped his hands together in front of his chest, growling, "Tiger's Maw!"
The rift in the ground was instantly controlled by Diarmuid's ability, closing like the jaws of a hungry tiger, crushing the chasm together and trapping Bullet underground.
After this combination, Diarmuid landed on the ground. Without even looking, he reached up and caught Kokorowatari as it fell back down to him. He then casually swung the sword forward. "Jigoku Tabi..."
The ground in the area where Douglas Bullet had fallen instantly collapsed, as if swallowed by an invisible force, creating a massive, bottomless crater.
Nearby, Sakazuki's eye twitched. He felt a pang of pity for Bullet. He also looked at Diarmuid, who seemed completely unfazed. He couldn't help but feel a little emotional.
"That guy... has become even stronger. He can suppress Douglas Bullet with just a few moves?" Sakazuki murmured.
He felt that Diarmuid had somehow broken through to a new level of power. His strength, his fighting skills, and his swordsmanship hadn't seen any dramatic increase. The only thing that had improved was his control over his ability, but that simple improvement seemed to have elevated his overall strength to a new qualitative level!
At that moment, a realization dawned on Sakazuki. If before, he and Diarmuid were at a similar level, having just entered the ranks of top-tier fighters, now, while he was still struggling to find his footing, Diarmuid had already firmly established himself and was taking another step toward a higher echelon.
Once he found his footing at this new level, would he be on par with the likes of Whitebeard, Garp, and Sengoku, who were currently at the peak of the world's power?
Compared to that, Bullet was still a notch below in raw strength...
Diarmuid's sudden leap in power made Sakazuki feel a little emotional, but soon, his eyes burned with fighting spirit.
This is how it should be. Otherwise, how could Diarmuid deserve the title of Admiral Candidate? And how could he have the face to compete for an Admiral position?
He knew that a Marine Admiral wasn't just an Admiral of the Marines; they also represented the World Government's highest combat power. Without enough strength, trying for that position would only lead to humiliation!
'If you can do it, I, Sakazuki, can do it too. And I'll be even stronger!' Sakazuki thought to himself.
At that moment, a bloody hand suddenly reached out from the edge of the crater created by the Jigoku Tabi. Five fingers gripped the edge, and with a powerful pull, a muscular, battered figure crawled out of the crater. It was Bullet!
His other arm had a clean cut, clearly a sword wound, and it was from Diarmuid's slash. The wound was severe; it had cut through the thick muscles of his arm, exposing the white bone underneath, which was also fractured. It was obvious that his arm was out of commission for now.
Not only was his arm severely injured, but Bullet's chest was also caved in a bit, and he had several broken ribs. Blood flowed from his mouth as his eyes, full of hatred, stared at the unharmed Diarmuid. He was also in shock.
How could he be so strong? The moment Diarmuid unleashed that slash, he felt the same helplessness he had felt when facing Roger years ago...
'Did that guy... really reach the same level as Roger? Why? Why can't I take that final step?' Bullet thought furiously.
He might not understand why for a long time. In the original story, he would have to spend twenty years training in Impel Down with shackles to finally reach his peak. Diarmuid and Sakazuki's judgment was correct; the current Bullet didn't live up to his reputation. He hadn't reached his peak yet!
"Still able to come out? You surprise me a little," Diarmuid said, raising an eyebrow.
With those words, he swung Kokorowatari back and casually rested it on his shoulder. Then, he snapped his fingers.
"Tengai Shinsei..."
The moment he said that, Sakazuki instinctively looked up at the sky. As expected, three to five breaths later, a massive flaming meteor fell from the heavens, heading straight for Douglas Bullet, who was still panting at the edge of the crater.
If the meteor landed, it would also conveniently fill in the Jigoku-Tabi crater.
Bullet looked up at the rapidly falling meteor, and a ruthless look flashed in his eyes.
Just then, a flash of lightning struck beside Diarmuid, and Gion appeared from the light. She quickly said, "Diarmuid, something's not right!"
Diarmuid looked at her in surprise. "You're not going to say you can't beat Crocodile, are you? He's forcing a stalemate with you?"
"Forcing a stalemate?" Gion was stunned for a moment. "Marco! Do you know Marco?"
"Of course, the little phoenix of the Whitebeard Pirates," Diarmuid replied.
"Douglas Bullet somehow captured Marco and locked him on this island. Crocodile was fighting him to steal Marco and use him as leverage against Whitebeard!" Gion said, furious and alarmed.
Diarmuid was utterly bewildered. What are you talking about? My brain is a mess, I can't follow.
"...So, you're telling me that Douglas Bullet captured Marco of the Whitebeard Pirates, and Crocodile, knowing this, came here specifically to steal Marco and use him to threaten Whitebeard... which means he was planning to take Marco and go after Whitebeard, right?" Diarmuid asked, rubbing his temples.
"Pretty much!" Gion said with a serious expression.
Diarmuid's face darkened. He said in a low voice, "In other words, the Whitebeard Pirates..."
He was cut off by a sudden tremor that erupted from all directions. The sea instantly tilted, St. Poplar split down the middle, and half the island sank into the ocean. The thick clouds in the sky shattered into countless pieces.
Sakazuki, Diarmuid, Gion, Bullet, and the others were all taken by surprise, suddenly squeezed by this invisible yet omnipresent shockwave.
Diarmuid and Bullet spat out a mouthful of blood, and Sakazuki and Gion were instantly forced out of their elemental forms. It felt as if space itself was warping.
It was a truly, utterly overwhelming power!
The falling meteor directly exploded in the sky like a firework, scattering into countless fragments that rained down on the island and the sea.
After the tremor completely subsided, Diarmuid wiped the blood from his mouth, a grave look in his eyes. "Whitebeard... is here."
There was no doubt about it.
That single, world-shaking, space-shattering tremor was Whitebeard's enraged strike, his way of announcing his presence to everyone.
Because the power was so absurdly strong and caught everyone off guard, Diarmuid and the others were unprepared and took the hit, each of them suffering some injuries.
At this moment, Diarmuid was truly baffled. He had come here just to capture Bullet, and maybe Crocodile at most. Why was Marco involved? And with Marco as the fuse, the Whitebeard Pirates were now here.
Where did Whitebeard even enter the first half of the Grand Line from? Did none of the Marine surveillance ships in the New World spot them?
For some reason, Diarmuid suddenly looked at the more-injured Bullet, but saw a crazed smile on Bullet's face, his eyes filled with a destructive aura.
In that instant, Diarmuid suddenly understood. 'Right, at this stage, Bullet is a madman... Is it really so unbelievable that he would do something this ridiculous? Did he want to take everyone down with him? Or had he always wanted to fight Whitebeard, who was on par with Roger, here?'
There could be many reasons, but no one could truly know what a madman was thinking.
Sakazuki also seemed to have figured out why Bullet kept calling out Diarmuid's name but never went to G-7. It turned out he wanted to drag Whitebeard into this from the very beginning. But what was the point? What was his goal?
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