Clang!
The giant axe crashed down on the distant deck and buried itself deep into the wooden planks.
Bullet's dragon fist, after sending the axe flying, did not lose any of its momentum. It drove straight in and slammed solidly into Kent's chest.
For a heartbeat, time seemed to freeze.
The vicious grin on Kent's face went rigid, twisting into pure terror and disbelief.
He lowered his head, staring at the black dragon claw pressed against his chest and then...
Boom.
Kent's massive body, more than three meters tall, was flung away as if he had been hit head-on by a full-speed locomotive.
His feet left the deck. His huge figure became a blurred streak, shooting backward at frightening speed.
Bang, bang, bang!
He smashed through two stacked barrels, rolled and scraped across the deck for over ten meters.
Finally, under countless horrified gazes, he crashed heavily to a stop at Roger's feet, right where the man was drinking.
Pffft!
Kent spat out a mouthful of bright red blood. His chest was visibly caved in, his eyes rolled back, and he passed out cold on the spot.
The entire deck fell silent in an instant.
...
The crew stared, jaws dropped so wide their eyeballs looked ready to pop out.
The rowdy din from moments before vanished. You could have heard a pin drop.
Only the whisper of sea wind tugging at the sails and the gentle slap of waves against the hull remained.
One move?
No, it did not even really count as a move.
It had been nothing more than a single, simple punch.
Great Axe Kent, a well-known combatant on the ship, a ferocious fighter with a bounty over ten million...
Had just been swatted away like a housefly.
By a boy who looked no older than fourteen.
Every gaze locked onto the youth who was slowly withdrawing his pitch-black dragon arm.
That arm shrank back to its original shape at a speed visible to the naked eye. The scales sank beneath the skin, the color returned to normal, and it became a regular human arm once more.
Bullet stood where he was, expression calm. It was as if all he had done was casually brush some dust off his clothes.
The silence held for about three seconds.
"Gurararara!"
A booming, hearty laugh suddenly shattered the stillness.
Gol D. Roger lowered his bottle, glanced at the unconscious Kent at his feet, then lifted his gaze toward Bullet.
He laughed so hard his body rocked, slapping his thigh with obvious delight.
"Interesting! This is way too interesting!"
Roger laughed until tears almost came out of his eyes.
"Kent really kicked an iron wall this time!"
"Hahahahaha!"
His laughter was full of pure appreciation and joy. There was not the slightest trace of anger at his subordinate's crushing defeat. If anything, he looked like a man who had just enjoyed a fantastic show.
With Roger's roaring laughter, the frozen atmosphere finally cracked.
The crew snapped out of their stupor and erupted into an even louder storm of shouts and chatter than before.
"Did you... did you see that?"
"Boss Kent... taken out with one punch..."
"A monster!"
"That is definitely not a normal Zoan ability!"
"That feeling just now..."
Rayleigh had stopped polishing his sword at some point.
He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Behind the lenses, his eyes were sharp, fixed firmly on Bullet, especially on that arm that had just reverted to normal.
The power that had exploded in that brief instant, and the faint traces of ancient, violent aura that lingered, stirred a strong sense of interest and gravity in Rayleigh's heart.
Shanks' gaze had grown even brighter and sharper, locked tightly on Bullet.
It was the look one gave only to someone whose strength was worthy of genuine respect.
Buggy, meanwhile, had already ducked behind Shanks, peeking out with only half his head showing.
The way he looked at Bullet was full of lingering fear and relief.
Thank goodness he had not been the one to provoke him.
Bullet seemed deaf to the commotion around him.
He lowered his head and looked at his right hand, which had returned to its human form.
Power. The aftertaste of that surging power still lingered in his fingers and palm.
That punch just now... he had not even used the devouring force slumbering within him.
It had been only the basic physical strength of the Nidhogg form, combined with the natural combat instincts of this already monstrous body... and it had produced such a result.
Mythical Zoan... it really was far beyond what he had imagined.
And this was only a partial dragonization.
He lifted his head, calmly meeting Roger's grinning face, then shifted his gaze to Rayleigh and Gaban's thoughtful stares, and finally brushed past Shanks' burning eyes.
He had done it.
He had established his presence.
And the result was... perhaps even more dramatic than he had planned.
But that was exactly what he needed.
On these seas, mercy and modesty would not keep you alive.
Only strength... overwhelming, undeniable strength... was a real passport.
Roger's laughter finally began to fade.
He wiped at the tears at the corners of his eyes and strode up to Bullet with long, confident steps.
Without the slightest hesitation, he clapped a heavy hand on Bullet's shoulder, grinning wide and bright.
"Kid, not bad at all!"
"I like your type!"
"From now on, on this ship, feel free to go all out!"
"Although..."
He jerked his thumb toward the unconscious Kent on the deck.
"Try to go a little easier next time, so the ship's doctor does not have to work overtime, hahahaha!"
The corner of Bullet's mouth twitched slightly. It was the closest thing to an answer he gave.
He knew that from this punch onward, his place on this legendary ship would no longer be the same.