North-South Pincer Attack! Bullet and Kuma Fight Together

Southern front.

When Bullet dropped from the sky, he smashed a gun emplacement on the shore with one punch.

Wood splinters and shards of metal flew everywhere. The CP Agents guarding the emplacement had no time to react before the debris struck them, and they fell screaming to the ground. The gun was smashed in two, and its barrel rolled across the ground, snapping a small tree.

"Wuhahahaha!" Bullet laughed as he stood up amid the rubble and dusted himself off. "Where's CP0? Come on out!"

His voice echoed along the coast.

But no one answered.

Bullet frowned and headed inland. The southern front was covered in shrubs, with flat ground and a clear view. In the distance, he could see the white roofs of the Celestial Dragons' palace, and beyond that lay the dense forest of the Central High Ground.

He had gone less than fifty meters when more than a dozen dark figures suddenly sprang from the shrubs.

They were all CP Agents, dressed in black suits and sunglasses, their faces expressionless. Their movements were perfectly synchronized, like those of a precision killing machine.

"Shigan."

Ten of them thrust out their fingers at once, their fingertips coated in a thin layer of Armament Haki. They stabbed at points all over Bullet's body—his throat, heart, temples, spine, and kidneys.

Bullet didn't dodge.

He crossed his arms in front of his face, Armament Haki covering his entire body. The Shigan strikes rang against him with metallic clinks, as if they had struck a steel plate.

"That's it?"

Bullet lowered his arms and punched the nearest man. The man dodged to the side, but the force of the punch still sent him flying. He spun three times in the air before crashing into the shrubs and falling silent.

"Spread out! Attack from a distance!" shouted a man who seemed to be their captain.

The agents quickly retreated and pulled short guns from their waists. These were no ordinary guns, but special weapons loaded with Seastone Bullets—Vegapunk's latest invention, designed specifically to deal with Devil Fruit Users.

Bullet's pupils contracted slightly. He wasn't a Devil Fruit User, so Seastone Bullets had no effect on him. But getting hit by them would still hurt.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Gunfire erupted. Bullet crossed his arms in front of him and used Armament Haki Hardening. The bullets struck his arms, leaving white marks, while fragments of Seastone ricocheted off and stung his face.

"Wuhahahaha! That barely tickles!"

He stepped forward, the ground exploding beneath him, and charged into the agents like a cannonball. He punched one agent in the chest, sending him flying more than twenty meters and through three trees. A backhanded palm struck another agent in the face, spinning him around five times on the spot before he fell stiffly to the ground.

In less than a minute, half the dozen-plus CP Agents were down.

The captain gritted his teeth and drew a short blade from his waist. Dense Armament Haki covered the blade, its edge black as ink.

"Rankyaku: Amane Dachi!"

He kicked out sharply, sending a silver-white slash flying from the sole of his foot. It tore through the air toward Bullet's neck. This was Rankyaku, one of the Six Powers, improved by CP0 to be three times as powerful as an ordinary Rankyaku.

Bullet didn't dodge. He raised his left arm and blocked the slash.

"Hiss—"

The slash left a shallow cut on his arm. Beads of blood seeped out and dripped down his forearm.

Bullet looked down at the wound, then raised his head, a wild grin spreading across his face.

"You finally broke the skin."

He charged forward, grabbed the captain by the collar with his left hand, and smashed his right fist into his face.

The captain flew away as if he'd been hit by a truck, spitting blood in midair, teeth and bloody spittle scattering. He flew more than fifty meters before crashing into a large tree. The tree snapped, and he was left embedded in the stump, unconscious.

The few remaining agents looked at one another, their legs trembling.

"Still want to fight?" Bullet tilted his head.

No one answered.

"Then get lost."

As if granted a pardon, the agents turned and ran.

Bullet didn't chase them. He wiped the blood from his arm and continued inland.

His destination was the Central High Ground. Lin Yuan had said the prize warehouse was over there. He didn't need to go to the warehouse, but his job was to draw fire and keep CP0's main force tied up on the southern front.

He had walked less than two hundred meters when a clearing appeared ahead.

A man stood in the clearing.

He wasn't a CP Agent or a Marine. He wore a white suit with a golden medal pinned to his chest and a rapier at his waist. His silver-white hair was immaculately combed, and his eyes were as cold as a snake's.

A member of the Holy Knights.

Bullet paused. He had heard of the organization—the Celestial Dragons' personal guards, every one of them a monster.

"Douglas Bullet," the man said softly, though every word was perfectly clear. "Formerly a soldier of an unnamed country, then a pirate. Wanted by the World Government, bounty unknown. Currently serving under Lin Yuan."

"Serving under him?" Bullet sneered. "I don't serve under anyone. Lin Yuan is my partner."

"It doesn't matter." The man drew his rapier. Golden Armament Haki coated the blade—not black, but gold, one of the signs of top-tier Armament Haki. "My duty is to hold the southern front. You cannot pass."

Bullet said no more. He clenched his fists, Armament Haki covering his entire body, a black hardened layer enveloping his fists and arms like armor.

Both men moved at once.

Northern front.

When Moria dropped from the sky, he landed beside a small river.

The water had already been stained red—something upstream was bleeding, and there was a lot of blood. He looked upstream and saw a village. It was burning, thick smoke billowing into the air, which reeked of scorching and blood.

His expression darkened.

"Shadow Horn Spear!"

The shadow beneath his feet surged up, transforming into several long black spears that stabbed at the CP Agents resting by the river. The agents reacted quickly; some dodged to the side, while others knocked the shadow spears aside with Shigan.

But there were too many spears.

One agent's shoulder was pierced, and he fell screaming. Another was stabbed through the thigh and tumbled into the river, staining the water an even deeper red.

"Who's there?!"

"A pirate!"

"It's Gecko Moria! His bounty... He doesn't have a bounty? Never mind, kill him!"

The remaining agents charged, brandishing swords and blades. Moria swept both hands outward, and his shadow formed a black wall that blocked every attack.

"Shadow Box!"

The shadow rose from the ground, forming a huge black box that trapped three agents inside. They hacked at it frantically, but the shadow box didn't budge.

"Shadow Scatter!"

The shadow box burst apart, transforming into countless tiny black needles that rained down on the surrounding agents. Some were struck in the eyes and screamed, clutching their faces; others were pierced through the throat and fell, clutching their necks.

In less than three minutes, all the dozen-plus agents by the river were down.

Moria panted heavily, his hands trembling. His fruit ability consumed a great deal of stamina, and using it repeatedly had left him struggling. But he couldn't stop.

There were still people alive in the village.

He ran toward the village. The closer he got, the stronger the stench of blood became. Bodies lay on the ground—men, women, and children. Some were incomplete, missing arms or legs, the torn ends ragged as though beasts had ripped them apart.

Moria's hands shook even harder.

He thought of his companions. He remembered how they had died—surrounded and slaughtered by a long-established pirate crew, falling one by one until he alone remained.

"Not alone," he murmured, as if reminding himself. "I'm not alone anymore."

In the center of the village, several Celestial Dragon guards were chasing a group of civilians. The civilians ran in tears while the guards laughed and pursued them, as if playing a game.

Moria clenched his teeth.

"Shadow Horn Spear!"

Black spears shot out from beneath his feet, piercing two guards through the shoulders. They fell screaming, their swords clattering to the ground.

The three remaining guards turned around. Their expressions changed when they saw Moria.

"Gecko Moria!"

"What's he doing here?!"

"Kill him!"

All three charged at once. Moria swept both hands outward, and his shadow turned into countless thin threads that wound around their arms and legs. Tugged by the shadow threads, the three staggered this way and that before falling in a heap.

"Shadow Box!"

The shadow box rose, trapping all three inside.

Moria didn't kill them. He turned and ran toward the civilians.

"Run to the shore!" he shouted. "Someone will meet you there!"

The civilians looked at him, then at the shadow behind him, unsure whether to trust him.

"Run!"

At last, someone moved. A woman ran toward the shore with a child in her arms, and the others followed. Moria stood behind them, his shadow forming a huge wall that blocked their pursuers' path.

Just then, a powerful presence approached rapidly from a distance.

Moria turned to look.

A tall man emerged from the dense forest. He wore a black suit with a golden medal pinned to his chest and carried a black whip.

A member of the Holy Knights.

"Gecko Moria." The man flicked his whip, and it sliced through the air with a piercing crack. "A piece of trash like you dares come to God Valley?"

Moria's expression changed.

It wasn't because he was angry at being called trash, but because he sensed the man's strength—his presence was more than a level above those of the CP Agents from before.

But he didn't retreat.

"I'm not trash." Moria gripped his scissors tightly, his shadow slowly spreading beneath his feet. "Shadow Horn Spear!"

Black spears stabbed toward the man. He didn't even dodge, simply flicking his whip and scattering them.

"That's it?"

Moria's pupils contracted sharply.

Near the Central High Ground.

Bullet and the Holy Knight were locked in fierce combat. The man's swordsmanship was formidable, and golden Armament Haki covered his blade. Every swing sliced through the air.

Bullet had no weapon and relied entirely on his fists and body to withstand the attacks. Three sword wounds had appeared on his arms, blood streaming from them, but the longer he fought, the more excited he became.

"Wuhahahaha! Again! Again!"

The man frowned. He had thought the young man would be dealt with quickly, but Bullet's physique and Haki had exceeded his expectations.

"Who are you?" the man asked. "You're no ordinary pirate."

"Douglas Bullet!" Bullet threw a punch. "Remember that name!"

The man dodged to the side and thrust his sword back at Bullet's throat. Bullet turned his head aside, and the tip grazed his neck, drawing a thin line of blood.

Just then, a figure flew toward them from the distance—no, he had been sent flying.

A Holy Knight sailed through the air and crashed into the clearing between Bullet and the man, kicking up a cloud of dust. The man was covered in wounds, his clothes torn and blood at the corner of his mouth. He was unconscious.

Bullet froze for a moment.

"Who did that?"

A tall figure emerged from the dust.

Kuma.

The paw marks on his palms had yet to fade, and the pads were slightly red—traces of his intense use of his fruit ability.

"The civilians in the east have all been rescued," Kuma said calmly. "Lin Yuan sent me to support the northern front."

"The northern front?" Bullet frowned. "Isn't Moria on the northern front?"

"Moria ran into a tough opponent," Kuma said. "I came to take over for him."

The Holy Knight looked at Kuma, then at his unconscious companion on the ground, his pupils contracting slightly.

"The Paw-Paw Fruit... You're Bartholomew Kuma?"

Kuma didn't answer. He simply raised his palm.

"Both of you, come at me," the man said, tightening his grip on his sword.

Bullet wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and smiled.

"Wuhahahaha... Just what I wanted."

The two attacked at once.

Bullet charged head-on, punching at the man's face. The man dodged to the side and thrust his sword toward Bullet's abdomen. But before the blade could touch Bullet's skin, an air cannonball blasted in from the side and struck the man squarely in the shoulder.

"Bang!"

The man was blasted away, crashing through two trees.

Bullet turned to glance at Kuma.

"You didn't wait for me to say start?"

"No need."

"Wuhahahaha... Fine."

The man climbed out of the tree stump, his face ashen. His left shoulder was bleeding; the air cannonball had shattered his shoulder blade.

"You two..."

Bullet and Kuma advanced at the same time.

The man turned and ran.

Bullet wanted to pursue him, but Kuma raised a hand to stop him.

"Don't chase him. Lin Yuan said not to get caught up in fighting."

Bullet reluctantly withdrew his fist and glanced at Kuma.

"How many civilians did you rescue in the east?"

"More than three hundred," Kuma said. "I sent them all flying to Hachinosu. Ginny is there to receive them."

Bullet whistled.

"Nice work."

Kuma didn't respond. He turned and headed toward the Central High Ground.

Bullet followed behind him.

The two traveled one behind the other through the dense forest. Behind them lay the fallen CP Agents and Holy Knights; ahead stood the white palace of the Central High Ground.

The southern and northern fronts had both been cleared.

(End of Chapter 36)