"This is..."
Hearing Austin's words, Shamrock froze as well.
Could he also...
But that shouldn't be possible!
Even the Holy Land had only recently acquired the technology to make weapons consume Devil Fruits, and powerful fruits were exceedingly rare.
How could Austin possibly possess such a weapon?
Austin slowly put on gloves with both hands, then reached into the void with one hand.
A completely black weapon appeared in his grasp.
It looked like a gun, though it was somewhat strange because it was far too long. If one insisted, it could also be called a pole or a club.
This was also something Austin had specifically emphasized before.
A good sniper also had to be a good baseball player.
"That gun probably hasn't consumed a Devil Fruit."
After observing it carefully, Shamrock came to his conclusion.
He could tell it was a gun. Combined with Austin's official title, "Black Spear," it was easy enough to confirm, but he could not understand Austin's intentions.
Did Austin want to use ranged combat to avoid the edge of the awakened Hell: Three-Headed Dog?
It was indeed a very prudent way to fight.
"To be honest, this is my first time using this gun in actual combat. I hope it doesn't disappoint me."
With a thought from Austin, custom bullets automatically chambered one after another.
He then slowly raised it to eye level and aimed at Shamrock, the sight settling directly on his left shoulder first.
Then he slowly pulled the trigger.
"Bang—!!!"
The terrifying recoil instantly traveled into Austin's hands, then through his body and into the ground.
If Austin had not teleported his body to maintain his balance, his feet would have plowed backward through the earth for at least a meter.
And that was merely the gun's own kinetic force...