Buster Call Activated!

North Blue.

The scientific mercenary kingdom, Germa 66.

"Den Den Mushi..."

In the office of Judge, commander of Germa 66 and also king of Germa, a Den Den Mushi that Judge had sealed away long ago suddenly began ringing incessantly.

"This Den Den Mushi is?"

Judge stared at the Den Den Mushi before him. He was initially stunned, then his brows drew tightly together. Rather than answering it immediately, he fell into thought...

In Judge's memories, whenever this Den Den Mushi rang, nothing good ever happened. What awaited him was usually a bottomless pit.

"Ugh..."

After a moment, seeing that the Den Den Mushi seemed determined not to give up unless he answered it, Judge could only sigh helplessly. He picked it up and connected the call, asking softly, "This is Vinsmoke Judge! Make it quick..."

"Oh my~"

"Dear Mr. Judge, is that any way to greet an old acquaintance?"

"You've truly hurt this little lady's feelings!"

Once Judge connected the Den Den Mushi...

A woman's voice that made one's body and soul tingle immediately came through.

Just hearing that soft voice was enough to make one fantasize about its owner.

"Greetings? I don't have time for your warm greetings..."

"And have you forgotten? It seems necessary for me to remind you."

"Whatever friendship we had ended completely when you chose to leave with Vegapunk and the others!" Judge impatiently told the owner of that voice. "So stop making pointless pleasantries here! I know you're not the sentimental type, so get to the point! Stussy..."

"Hehehe..."

That was right. The one calling Judge from the Figarland villa in Pangea Castle, Mary Geoise, was Stussy.

After hearing Judge's words, Stussy gave a soft laugh before continuing, "Since you clearly know that I left with Vegapunk and the others back then, you should also know that Vegapunk is currently cooperating with the World Government, right?"

"Of course I know..."

Judge nodded lightly. He did have that intelligence.

"Since that's the case, Judge, I'll keep this brief..."

"To be honest, I currently have an opportunity for Germa 66 to establish ties with the Celestial Dragons!"

"Once Germa 66 successfully establishes ties with the World Nobles of the Holy Land, I hardly need to tell you about the benefits, do I?"

"The question is whether Germa 66 can seize this opportunity!"

Only after receiving Judge's answer did Stussy slowly reveal why she had suddenly approached him after so many years.

"What? An opportunity for Germa 66 to establish ties with the Celestial Dragons? You're not joking, are you, Stussy?! Can something this good really exist in this world?"

Judge's eyes immediately lit up. Gripping the Den Den Mushi, he anxiously questioned Stussy. If Germa 66 could truly establish ties with the World Nobles living in the Holy Land as Stussy claimed, the benefits would be beyond imagination...

"Hehe, of course it's true..." Stussy smiled softly before continuing, "Among the nineteen Celestial Dragon families currently residing in the Holy Land, the young master of the renowned Figarland family intends to marry into a royal family from the lower world, in order to ensure that the Figarland family continues growing stronger. Judge, do you understand what I mean?"

"Gahahahaha!"

"Of course I understand what you mean!"

"Stussy, I'm grateful for the information."

"This time, I, Judge, owe you a favor."

"If this truly works out, you certainly won't lack for money!"

"Rest assured, I know why you told me this information."

After receiving Stussy's intelligence, Judge, who had never been one to smile, suddenly burst into loud laughter and thanked her.

"Oh my, we're old acquaintances. There's no need to thank me~"

After saying that, Stussy directly hung up the Den Den Mushi.

See? That was the good thing about talking to smart people...

She only needed to casually hint at a few things, and he would fill in the rest himself, including her intentions~

Not only would he scramble to form a marriage alliance with the Figarland family she represented, he would even grab her hand and keep stuffing money into it to properly thank her, Stussy~

Little did he know that Stussy merely wanted to find herself a pretty sister. That was all.

Of course, from now on, they would all be family. They would all be members of the Figarland family.

"Shaya, it's done~"

After informing Judge of the matter, Stussy turned around, winked at Shaya, and gave him a flirtatious look that could shake any man to his core. "Shouldn't you hurry up and reward me?"

It had to be said, Stussy was really good at this~

"Stop messing around. The child in your belly comes first."

Shaya crossed his arms and directly rejected Stussy's "invitation."

Hmph~

Stussy pouted at that.

Who was it that had been so impatient about that sort of thing back then?!

Shaya inwardly replied, That was definitely Stussy! I've always been pure. Ever since I was young, I've never been interested in pretty girls! Just like Jack Ma has never been interested in money. Ahem...

While the marriage alliance between Shaya and Charlotte Linlin's Whole Cake Island, and Vinsmoke Judge's Germa 66, was steadily progressing...

The sea was anything but peaceful.

After the legendary Pirate King Gol D. Roger was executed...

Douglas Bullet, known as the Demon Heir, went completely berserk!

In the short four months after Roger's death, Bullet rampaged as though no one could stop him. He destroyed thirteen towns belonging to World Government member nations, along with two Marine branches! He fiercely slapped Marine justice across the face.

The Marines in the New World organized numerous campaigns to suppress Bullet, but the results were far from ideal. Whenever they moved against him, he either defeated them with ease, or broke through their encirclement and escaped before Marine reinforcements could arrive...

Bullet's madness finally made both the World Government and the Marines resolve to capture him! After all, even the Marines' greatest enemies, Pirate King Roger and Golden Lion Shiki, had already been captured and publicly executed!

What kind of waves could Bullet, a mere man the world called Roger's "heir," possibly stir up?

Unfortunately, the Marines still underestimated Bullet! Like a cunning hunter, Bullet thoroughly demonstrated the anti-reconnaissance and anti-tracking abilities he had learned in the nation of war during his struggle against the Marines!

Whenever the Marines made up their minds to dispatch Sengoku or Garp to arrest Bullet, he would always silently leave whatever city he was in, take a ship deep into the New World, and ruin the Marines' plans...

Thus.

Just like that...

Nearly another half-year passed amid Bullet's rampage in the Great Pirate Era opened by Roger! The time had reached the year 1499 of the Sea Circle Calendar.

By then, Bullet had rampaged across the seas for nearly a full year since Roger's death!

That day, he seemed to finally remember something and temporarily stopped his mad rampage...

He sat amid the ruins of the Marine branch he had destroyed, continuously pondering an extremely important question...

"How can I surpass Pirate King Roger?"

Bullet looked puzzled.

Until, after a moment, Bullet looked at the ground...

At the newspaper that the vice admiral of this Marine branch had carefully preserved, framed, and hung in his office...

It had been published by the World Economic Journal around a year ago, reporting how Pirate King Roger had been defeated and captured by Hero of the Marines Garp in White Town, North Blue...

And another newspaper from around half a year ago, also published by the World Economic Journal, reporting how the legendary great pirate Golden Lion Shiki had stormed Marine Headquarters Marineford alone at dusk, only to be captured alive by Garp and Sengoku working together...

After reading these two newspapers, which had delighted Marines around the world, his eyes finally lit up. He seemed to have thought of something...

"Roger was captured by Garp, while Shiki was captured by Garp and Sengoku together..."

"In other words, as long as I can defeat Garp and Sengoku at the same time, I can prove that I have completely surpassed Roger, the Pirate King, as well as Golden Lion and Whitebeard, legends of the sea! Then I'll become the strongest being in this world! Ahahaha..."

Bullet laughed maniacally. He seemed to have figured it out.

This time, Bullet did not run. He directly picked up the undestroyed Marine Den Den Mushi amid the ruins and dialed the Marine's direct line...

"Den Den Mushi..."

"This is Marine Headquarters Marineford!"

"New World G9 Branch, respond if received!"

"I repeat, this is Marine Headquarters Marineford!"

"G9 Branch, respond if received!"

The instant Bullet connected to Marine Headquarters, the resolute voice of a Marine communications officer immediately came from the Den Den Mushi.

"This is Douglas Bullet!"

"The G9 Branch you just mentioned has already been completely conquered by me!"

"If you want to save the Marines inside the branch..."

"Then have Garp and Sengoku come together! I'll be waiting for them at G9..."

Bullet said coldly into the Den Den Mushi.

"What?"

As Bullet finished speaking, the Marine Den Den Mushi immediately wore an exaggerated, incredibly human expression of terror!

Clearly, the communications officer on the other end, stationed at Marine Headquarters Marineford, had been utterly shocked by Bullet's words.

"Click~"

Bullet had no intention of saying anything further and directly hung up the Den Den Mushi.

"Hurry up and come! Sengoku and Garp..."

"Then let me defeat you and prove myself!"

After informing Marine Headquarters Marineford that he had destroyed the Marine branch in the New World and provoking Marineford to immediately send Sengoku and Garp to capture him, Bullet simply sat amid the ruins and quietly waited for Marine reinforcements to arrive...

Meanwhile, at Marine Headquarters Marineford.

In the Fleet Admiral's office, Kong, the current Fleet Admiral, nearly roared, "A mere Bullet dares provoke the Marines? Does he really think that because the world calls him the Demon Heir, he's truly Pirate King Roger? He even wants us to send Sengoku and Garp together to capture him? What does he take the Marines for? That bastard..."

Only after cursing Bullet for nearly five minutes did Kong order the soldier beside him, "Does that bastard Bullet want Sengoku and Garp? Fine! As Fleet Admiral, I'll grant him his wish! Have Sengoku and Garp immediately take fifty warships over there! Once Bullet releases the branch Marines he captured, launch a Buster Call on the island at once! Even if it costs us one branch and one island affiliated with the World Government, I'll send that ignorant little bastard Bullet into Impel Down!"

"Yes, sir!"

The Marine rear admiral, who had listened to Kong curse Bullet for nearly five minutes, immediately gave the Fleet Admiral a crisp, respectful salute!

Then, not daring to waste even a moment, the rear admiral swiftly ran out of Fleet Admiral Kong's office to relay his orders.

Ten minutes later.

Sengoku and Garp, who had already been dispatched by Kong to the New World to maintain world peace because the arrival of the Great Pirate Era had caused the number of people going to sea to soar and made the entire ocean turbulent...

Upon receiving Fleet Admiral Kong's orders, immediately departed from Marine G1 Branch with fifty warships and sped toward the G9 Branch where Bullet was located...

Several hours later.

When Garp and Sengoku arrived at G9 Branch aboard the Marines' newest warship, developed by Vegapunk, Bullet was sitting atop the ruins and yawning.

Behind Bullet stood a group of Marines he had tied together with ropes.

"Bullet, we're here! Release the hostages!"

Sengoku and Garp stood aboard a marine warship and coldly called out to Bullet.

"Ahahaha..."

"Sengoku, Garp! You finally came."

Bullet looked at Sengoku and Garp on the marine warship, bared his teeth in a wild grin, then walked toward the branch vice admiral and the other Marines tied together behind him...

"What are you doing?!"

Seeing Bullet's arms strain until veins bulged, the Marine branch vice admiral immediately broke out in cold sweat and nervously asked.

"Sending you back, of course!"

As Bullet spoke, he picked up the rope tying everyone together from the ground and hurled it with all his strength toward the marine warship in the distant sea...

"Ah!!"

The next second, accompanied by one scream after another, the Marines defeated and captured by Bullet fell into the sea around the warships carrying Garp and Sengoku like dumplings...

"Hahaha! Come on, Sengoku! Come on, Garp!"

"I've returned the trash you wanted."

"Now let's have a good, bloody fight!"

After doing all that, Bullet crossed his arms, raised his chin, and lightly crooked a finger at Garp and Sengoku aboard the distant warship.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh..."

Unfortunately, what greeted Bullet next was neither Marine Admiral Sengoku nor Hero of the Marines Garp, as he had imagined, but one endless cannonball after another from the Marine warships, falling like rain!

"Buster Call activated."

Aboard the warship, Marine Admiral Sengoku held a golden Den Den Mushi in his hand and gazed coldly at Bullet on the island as he calmly spoke those five words.

Boom!

At once, endless explosions erupted across the island where Bullet stood, the former site of the Marine branch, as countless flames burst forth!