An Interlude Before the War! Bullet's Third Challenge!

Wano Country, Onigashima).

"Ooh lol lol lol!!"

In the heart of the island's town, within the towering castle tower, Ian's beloved teacher, Teacher Kai, was laughing heartily, "So that brat has finally decided to challenge me?"

"Is there anything to be happy about, Boss Kaido!"

Uncle Queen, who had been summoned to discuss the matter, practically gritted his teeth. "That damn brat! I knew he wasn't going to stay put; he'd cause trouble one day!"

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

Teacher Kai just kept drinking and laughing, "I've been waiting for that kid to make his move for ages!"

"Is there anything more satisfying than defeating a formidable enemy you personally nurtured?"

"But, Boss Kaido,"

Queen said somewhat cautiously, "That brat's power is a bit outrageous right now."

Ian himself goes without saying; his battle on Onigashima was enough to show that he is definitely a super monster on par with Kaido.

That was almost two years ago.

Judging from how fast that kid has gotten stronger, and how much time has passed, it's hard to imagine how strong he has become.

He also has Yamato under his command, as well as that brat named Hancock, both of whom are also exceptionally gifted monsters.

Two more years have passed, and their skills have certainly reached a whole new level.

Queen couldn't help but lick his lips.

To be honest, he didn't really see any chance of victory.

"So you're saying I'm going to lose to that brat?"

Teacher Kai, who was gulping down his drink, lowered his head and glared fiercely at Queen.

Uncle Queen shuddered, shaking his head so hard that his fat cheeks bounced up and down. "How could that be? Kaido, of course you're the strongest!"

"As long as you can defeat that Ian guy, the rest are nothing but chickens and dogs!"

That's right!

If Kaido can win, then there's no reason to lose this war!

but.

Another thought suddenly popped into Uncle Queen's mind.

Can Kaido really defeat Ian in his current form?

Although it's hard to admit, that brat is indeed a monster like none Queen has ever seen before.

He's only 17 years old!

"In short, Jhin!"

Kaido looked at his capable assistant.

"Yes, Mr. Kaido."

Uncle Jin nodded solemnly, "What do you plan to do?"

"Summon all forces stationed abroad!"

Teacher Kai laughed loudly, "Hehehehe! This time it's a real all-out war!"

"Understood!"

Jin nodded heavily.

He didn't care about victory or defeat; all he knew was that since it was Kaido's order, he would do his utmost to carry it out.

Since that kid Ian wants to fight, then let's fight him!

Total war?

Queen thought that no matter which side wins the next battle, the World's Strongest pirate crew will be born.

The Beasts Pirates will soon become a terrifying pirate group comparable to the Rocks Pirates of yesteryear!

Hey-hey!

Then let the whole world tremble!

Let the gods fear us, let the heavens tremble before us!

Hachinosu Island.

Combat readiness work is also underway urgently.

Although it's described as a total war, Ian certainly didn't intend to take all the troops from the Hachinosu Island waters with him.

However, not much will be left.

He planned to summon some of the Beast Giant stationed on other islands in this sea area, and leave behind a few of his Affiliated Pirate Crew; that should be enough.

All other troops will accompany him to Wano Country.

Even Tesoro, now a civilian employee, will bring his former subordinates and the former Donquixote Family's executives to the battle.

Although Ian felt that defeating Teacher Kai and his forces at this moment did not require such a grand display.

All we need are him, Yamato, and Hancock.

No, you could even say that he alone is enough.

If he can defeat Teacher Kai, then everyone else in the Wano Country branch will be no match for him.

However, since this is Teacher Kai's final battle before stepping down, we still need to give him the highest possible status.

Let's give him a spectacular battle.

The entire Hachinosu Island was in turmoil.

Although Ian hasn't told these lower-ranking pirates what to do next, this is the first time Hachinosu Island has begun to gather such a large force.

Everyone realized that a major battle was about to begin.

The pirates couldn't help but get excited.

Finally, I can fight for the great Lord Ian!

Compared to these low-ranking pirates, Ian's officers naturally knew the objectives of the war effort much earlier.

Yamato was the most excited about this.

"Is it finally time to officially start the war with Dad?! Honestly, I've waited so many years!"

"The time is ripe now."

Ian laughed and said, "Nothing can stop us now!"

With the Dyna Stone in hand, the World Government's concerns can no longer be taken seriously.

The power they now possess is more than enough to completely overwhelm Teacher Kai's forces.

What's there to hesitate about?

"Next, Ian,"

Hancock stared intently at Ian, "We will be the World's Strongest, and you will be the man closest to becoming the Pirate King!"

"That's right!"

Jack was equally excited, "We're about to truly stand at the top of the ocean!"

"Then let's get started!"

Ian laughed and said, "Friends, let's get ready for war!"

"Oh!!"

The preparations for war were progressing very smoothly, and a large fleet was quickly formed in the port of Hachinosu Island.

More than thirty warships, with a total personnel exceeding 20,000.

This blatant behavior quickly attracted the attention of certain individuals.

Stussy was the first to approach Ian.

After learning that Ian was going to war with Kaido, she asked seriously, "Should we inform the World Government about this?"

With such a large force assembled on Hachinosu Island, even if Stussy didn't deliberately report it to the World Government, the Gorosei would soon find out.

Ian then said, "We can report that we are about to set off, but don't rush to tell them that our target is Wano Country."

The World Government, of course, would never want to see the Beasts Pirates completely united.

Ian didn't want anyone to interfere with Teacher Kai's grand final battle.

So let's just do it half-heartedly for now.

"Understood."

Stussy nodded slightly.

This isn't an unreasonable request.

It would be strange if she knew directly what Ian's target was, wouldn't it?

After Stussy left, his old friend Morgans rushed over to find out what was going on.

"What?"

Upon learning what Ian was planning, Morgans was so excited that his feathers stood on end. "Ian, you're going to wage war against Kaido and completely unify the entire Beasts Pirates?"

"That's right."

Ian nodded slightly.

"This is so cool!!"

Morgans was so excited he almost fainted on the spot. "The World's Strongest pirate crew is finally about to be officially born?"

"Hahaha! Please let me accompany the military for interviews!"

Morgans bowed deeply to Ian. "If I had missed such a Big News Morgans, I'm afraid I would have had no choice but to end my own life!"

It's not like missing out on a news story would cause such a stir with Zisha teapots.

However, Ian didn't have any objections.

Wouldn't it be interesting if Morgans had spread the news of the war's outcome throughout the world immediately after it ended?

Ian simply asked Morgans not to report on it before the battle was over.

As I said before, I don't want anyone to interfere in this battle between the World's Strongest master and disciple.

Soon after the troops were assembled, the day of departure arrived.

Ian stood aboard the Golden Flying Dragon, with his companions who had always followed him behind him.

How do you say "spirited and full of vigor"?

"So,"

Ian raised his right hand, giving the final command, "Go—"

"Ian!!"

A wild, unrestrained laugh echoed from the distant sea.

Ian, who was about to announce the fleet's departure, was genuinely taken aback.

Um?

His lips twitched slightly as he looked towards the distant sea.

A large metal ship is rapidly approaching.

Bullet stood at the bow of the large ship, laughing wildly, "Is this a force specially prepared for me?"

"Hahahaha! The scale is now on par with the Navy's Buster Call!"

He was incredibly excited. "Excellent! Excellent! There's never been a better moment!"

Ian's eye twitched.

Is this bastard trying to launch a third attack now that so many ships have gathered in the port?

He really knows how to pick his timing.

Indeed, with so many warships and so much weaponry, he could better unleash the full potential of his Combine-Combine Fruit Awakening.

But how can I entrust this hard-won fleet to you to mess around with?

"Don't get in my way, Bullet,"

Ian shouted, "Now is not the time to fight you. If you want a challenge, wait until I come back later."

"Who cares about you!"

Bullet burst into laughter. "A challenge, of course, is decided by the challenger—when and where it begins!!"

That bastard, he won't listen to anyone!

Ian sighed.

Okay, let's spend some time dealing with him.

Let's minimize the damage.

If that's the case, once the third challenge is completed, this guy will become one of your subordinates.

Hey, this will also give Teacher Kai an unexpected surprise.

Once I defeat Teacher Kai and annex the Wano Country branch, my Beasts Pirates will be a true Three Emperors crew!

It's hard to say whether the Rocks Pirates were this wealthy back then!

Thinking about it this way, Ian's irritable mood actually turned into a pleasant one.

"Oh! The Devil's Heir! Douglas Bullet!"

Morgans frantically slammed his phone down on the approaching Bullet, asking, "Ian! What's going on? Is this guy here to cause you trouble?"

You'll find out soon enough.

Ian said casually.

He ordered, "All personnel must disembark temporarily, and all ships must be emptied."

The pirates were puzzled, but since it was Lord Ian's order, they had no choice but to obey.

All the pirates disembarked, leaving only an empty fleet in the harbor.

"Brother Ian, are you sure everything's okay?"

Jack asked.

He wasn't worried about the outcome of the battle.

Just kidding, how could Brother Ian possibly lose?

He had never seen Brother Ian lose a battle since he was a child.

Of course, this excludes the lessons taught by Kaido, the boss.

He was just worried that Bullet's abilities would destroy the fleet.

Even with their strength, it would be quite troublesome to bring over another fleet.

This is such a waste of time.

"It doesn't matter."

Ian smiled as he watched Bullet and his massive metal ship draw ever closer.

"He didn't have the chance to cause much damage."

"Understood."

Jack nodded emphatically. Since Brother Ian had said so, he naturally had no doubts.

"Come on, Ian!!"

Bullet's laughter, growing louder as they drew closer, was so loud that it made the warship's sails tremble.

"This is the final battle!"

Ian simply extended his right hand. "Surtur."

We need to be a little more serious.

The Fire Spirit perched on his shoulder obediently flew into his hand, instantly transforming into a golden sword.

"Let me show you the strongest power I've gained after all this training!!"

Bullet laughed wildly, and a purple aura spread from his body downwards, sweeping across the entire sea surface in the blink of an eye.

The ships docked in the port were instantly swept away.

And it wasn't just these purple waves; they were also heading towards the buildings on the Hachinosu Island further back.

"Oh, that won't do."

Ian clenched his fist lightly, and the golden sword instantly turned crimson.

With a casual flick of the wrist, a surging crimson wave erupted like a tsunami.

The surging flames crashed directly into the purple waves that were spreading out to sea.

The purple wave was instantly burned to ashes, leaving not a trace.

"How could this be!"

Bullet, enveloped in purple light, looked bewildered.

His abilities were destroyed?

Can Ian's flames really go that far?

Never mind!

A few fewer buildings won't be a big problem; these warships are enough!

The power of the Combine-Combine Fruit activated at this moment, swallowing all the ships on the sea and ultimately forming a gigantic purple monster hundreds of meters tall.

"That's an exaggeration!"

Luo stood on the shore, looking up in amazement, "Isn't it ridiculously big?"

"The key lies in,"

Drake muttered to himself, "The entire giant is enveloped in Haki, such an exaggerated amount of Haki!"

"A single strike would be enough to severely damage the entire Hachinosu Island."

"So strong!"

Yamato's eyes were very serious.

After using Awakening, Bullet's aura became ridiculously strong!

but.

A smile played on her lips.

Standing on the dock, Ian looked as small as a reptile when facing the enormous creature whose lower half was now submerged in the water.

The scarlet blade in his hand looked no different from a toothpick.

"Hahahaha! Ian! Prepare to die!!"

The enormous fist, tens of meters in size, crashed down, much like a falling mountain.

Unleashing a powerful Inazuma of Haki, he delivered a thunderous punch towards Ian.

Ian smiled.

Whoosh!!

The next instant, he vanished from the spot.

"What?"

Inside the giant, Bullet's eyes narrowed instantly.

So fast?

Ian was like a black Inazuma, flashing through the air.

Too late!

The enormous fist that came crashing down couldn't hit him at all!

Bullet raised his other arm, as if to grab Ian.

But it was too late; Ian was already about to reach the giant's chest.

"Hateful!"

With a roar, Bullet unleashed countless black spikes from the giant's chest, also imbued with Two-Color Haki, attempting to pierce through Ian.

Ian chuckled, casually waving the Ruin Demon Blade in his right hand, "Heaven and Earth Ash."

A crimson slash suddenly appeared in the sky.

The black spikes vanished without a trace, and a huge gash was torn open in the giant's chest in an instant.

"Whoa! What?!"

Bullet, spitting blood, shouted incredulously, "Didn't my Haki offer any protection at all?"