After saying that, without waiting for Red Count's response, Gawain turned around and left the Propulsion City with Kaya.
After using Yomotsu Hirasaka to send Kaya back to the Dark Bird Ship, Gawain teleported again, appearing near the battlefield along the black hole that appeared in the air.
Gawain sent Bullet and Mihawk to the Red Line quite far from Mary Geoise.
The Red Line is a continent that encircles the entire planet, far exceeding the size of ordinary islands.
Considering that most of the islands have life, including humans, sending Bullet to the sparsely populated Red Line is the optimal solution!
When Gawain appeared, Bullet was gripping Mihawk's knife tightly in his fist.
While desperately trying to push the blade downwards, Bullet roared as he asked.
"So, the ability to teleport us here isn't your Devil Fruit power, is it?"
If you, my junior, are a pure swordsman, then it means that the one who ate the Devil Fruit was that damned Celestial Dragon!
Interesting, a Celestial Dragon actually ate the Devil Fruit and even set his sights on me!
What? Does a place like Mary Geoise lack combat power capable of killing?
I don't care who I kill for, because only by constantly challenging the strong and the impossible can I become stronger!
But the key point is, if you want to subdue me, let that Celestial Dragon come and fight me in person!
No matter how much fun you have fighting me, no matter how much you please me, I will never choose to submit because of our fight.
Indeed, defeating me might make me bow my head temporarily, but I want to witness his true character for myself!
Lao Tzu's past captains were indecisive and hypocritical.
But he's Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King!!!
Ultimate Impact!!!
With a roar, Bullet's free left hand tore through the air and slammed into Mihawk's head.
Mihawk pursed his lips in satisfaction as he met Bullet's fist.
"Ninja Art, Swordsmanship, Crescent Moon Dance!"
With a sigh, Mihawk instantly transformed into several phantoms, like a willow branch swaying in the wind.
The sword he had been gripping tightly was freed from trouble in just a moment and landed back on Bullet!
Upon hearing the eerie term "ninja technique, "Bullet paused slightly in surprise.
"Ninjutsu?
Isn't that something from Wano Country?
So you're a swordsman from Wano Country, just like Ryuma?
Your clothes don't match either!
As he spoke, Bullet flexed his muscles, forcefully using his indestructible Armament Haki arms to block Mihawk's sword.
While Bullet's Armament Haki isn't as good as Garp's, it's still at least among the top three in the world.
Keep in mind that even though he used the Devil Fruit to assimilate an entire island, transforming himself into a colossal figure over three thousand meters tall,
The Armament Haki that covers his massive body is so potent that attacks from anyone other than Hancock, Luffy, and a handful of others can't harm him at all!
It's worth noting that this happened in Bullet's own theatrical film.
The lineup to deal with him is quite impressive.
Crocodile has a bounty of nearly two billion, but even so, Crocodile couldn't break through Bullet's defenses!
This shows that if Bullet's Armament Haki is so powerful when he is at his colossal size, then his Armament Haki in his normal state must be even more invincible!
Therefore, even Mihawk's Black Blade only made a clanging sound as it rubbed against Bullet's evil muscles.
Mihawk grinned, looking extremely satisfied, as he forcefully pressed down on the knife with both hands.
"No wonder Gawain specifically sought out and decided to recruit him, and also why Senior Rayleigh praised him so highly!"
Bullet, I'm very satisfied with your skills!
Since that's the case, I won't use any of the new tricks I've recently learned to play with you.
Whether you submit to Gawain is none of my business.
Just like you, all I want is the thrill of a good fight!
After saying that, Mihawk drew a sharp circle with the Black Blade in his hand. The next moment, a sword aura like a dark, round moon suddenly spread out, rushing towards Bullet's position.
This sword energy startled Bullet slightly.
"Excellent swordsmanship, excellent Observation Haki! I have no room to escape!"
But you mean Rayleigh- senpai?
What, hahaha!
That old Rayleigh is still alive?!
Although Bullet was blunt, a hint of nostalgia ultimately showed on his face.
Tsk tsk, I've been in prison for too long, haven't seen my old buddies in ages.
Although I haven't been a member of Roger Pirates for very long.
But I have to admit, everyone on that ship was the best of friends.
Aside from being indecisive, they are all very good friends!
As he pondered, Bullet laughed and raised his fist. His fist and Mihawk's knife collided violently, like Mars colliding with Earth!
Clang, clang, clang—the sharp sounds pierced the air and reached Gawain's ears, while violent shockwaves continued to tear apart the nearby Red Line.
However, the Red Line has stood for tens of thousands of years and cannot be easily destroyed by a single battle between two powerful individuals.
Mihawk seemed to enjoy the fight against Bullet, who was probably even stronger than Bullet.
Not to mention Raleigh; decades ago, when Barrett was not even twenty years old, he could fight Jabarelli to a draw.
Rayleigh is old now, while Bullet is in his prime, so it's normal for them to have such strength.
In that case, let Mihawk and Bullet fight it out for a while.
With a major battle imminent, even powerful figures like these two need a warm-up.
There are still three days until the start of the war, so leaving one day for Bullet shouldn't be a problem.
So Gawain came to the edge of the Red Line and sat down on a cliff ten thousand meters high.
In the distance, Mihawk and Bullet, amidst their fierce battle, sensed Gawain's presence and movements.
Mihawk didn't say anything, but Bullet became interested.
He kept adjusting his direction, and finally, following the force of Mihawk's sword strike, he flew backwards all the way to Gawain's vicinity.
"Hello!!!"
As he glided through the air, Bullet grinned excitedly.
"Young man, you think you're one of Mars's men?!"
If so, how about you come down and fight me?
Since you can teleport us, your teleportation power alone must be quite strong, right?
Or is that the only move you know?
As he shouted, Bullet did a somersault in the air and then quickly pushed off the ground as he charged toward Gawain.
But before he could even touch Gawain, Mihawk stopped him again.
Holding Black Blade to Bullet's arm, Mihawk frowned as he spoke.
"At least for now, your opponent is me. To get distracted at a time like this, do you want to die?!"
Night!!!"
Brush!!!
The pitch-black sword energy swept across the area, instantly filling Bullet's entire field of vision. In Bullet's eyes, Mihawk's sword strike almost cleaved everything in two, even severing light!
Sensing the power of the sword strike, Bullet's eyes widened.
"What a powerful sword strike! This strike finally has a bit of Captain Roger's style!"
It's a pity I'll never have the chance to play around with Roger again!
Assimilation - Body Shield!
As he spoke, Bullet grabbed at his breath with both hands.
Instantly, the nearby water vapor and clouds, as well as the surrounding ground, were all assimilated by Bullet.
The substances quickly transformed into part of Bullet's body, then appeared in front of Mihawk under Bullet's control.
Whoosh!!!
With the sound of matter being swiftly sliced in two, Mihawk's sword finally stopped in front of Bullet.
Looking at his slightly cut flesh, Bullet felt a chill run down his spine!
"They actually managed to slightly cut through my Armament Haki defense with pure brute force and sword energy!"
Haha, ahahahaha!
If I had known there were such powerful beings in the world, I would never have stayed in Impel Down for so long!
I haven't read a newspaper in a long time; the last one I read was five or six years ago!
Until five or six years ago, the strongest people in this world were still the same group I was familiar with, such as Whitebeard Newgate, Big Mom Kaido, Ochoku John!
Even the so-called Four Emperors is none other than Shanks, an old acquaintance and a young apprentice crew member from back then.
This kind of world bores me; I just never expected it.
The you I saw in the newspaper, the you I thought was a lackey of Mary Geoise.
You fucking actually reached the pinnacle of this world!!!
After speaking, Bullet's body expanded slightly, and he rearranged the countless substances around him, then combined them into his living body.
Especially after being compressed, its hardness now far exceeds that when it was infinitely expanded.
The Assimilation Fruit is never a useless Devil Fruit. It can make him grow bigger, and it can also make him more adept at fighting creatures of normal size by changing the Assimilation Fruit method!
Across from him, Mihawk scoffed dismissively at Bullet's words.
"A frog in a well!"
After making a comment, Mihawk charged forward with his sword, his tiny figure once again confronting Bullet's massive body.
Feeling the constant pressure emanating from Black Blade Night, Bullet gritted his teeth.
"Who the hell were you calling a frog in a well!"
Although I haven't read newspapers, I've learned a lot from listening to my fellow inmates' conversations over the past few years!
That Celestial Dragon set sail more than a year ago and has recently made a name for himself; there are even rumors that he defeated Garp.
Heh, screw it. If it weren't for this news, I might have believed it.
But defeat Garp?
That's an opponent even Roger couldn't defeat!
As for you, what right do you have to laugh at me!
Even if I am a frog in a well, I still have my own well and the corresponding freedom.
And you...
What do you have?
"You've still become the Celestial Dragon's lackey, haven't you? Trash!!!"
The atmosphere had built up to this point, making it completely beyond Gawain's ability to stop them.
Mihawk and Bullet went all out, their trash talk completely exploding between them.
This time, Bullet and Mihawk finally started to show signs of blood.
Their unconventional attacks all inflicted damage on each other's Armament Haki that was impossible to completely block.
So much so that in just a few tens of minutes, Bullet was shirtless, his body covered in fine knife wounds.
Mihawk's coat was also torn!
Wow!
After a sharp crack, Bullet abruptly took two steps back.
Just now, Mihawk's sword energy sharply grazed his ear, tearing a long, narrow wound in his left earlobe.
He was lucky he dodged it; otherwise, that sword strike would have seriously injured him.
As he regained his footing, Bullet continued to sneer.
"As expected of the Celestial Dragon's dogs, their loyalty is truly admirable!"
"The Celestial Dragon's dogs when they open their mouths, and the Celestial Dragon's dogs when they shut up."
Bullet, do you know that no identity can encompass every soul that bears that identity?
You call me a dog of the Celestial Dragon, but you don't understand that I'm still, barely, a friend of Gawain.
He was even like a mentor to me, opening the door for me to make my swordsmanship even more formidable!
Most importantly.
Unlike me, your old friend Rayleigh is now Gawain's first mate!
Serving as a dog for the Celestial Dragon...
Hehe!
Rayleigh is far more deserving of the title of Celestial Dragon's dog than I am!
"You bastard!!!"
Upon hearing this, Bullet blushed slightly.
That's right. Even now, Bullet still can't understand why Rayleigh joined the Celestial Dragon' ranks.
These pirates have a really bad impression of the Celestial Dragon!
Those are Celestial Dragon, how could any of them be good people?
Gritting his teeth, he kicked out twice, forcefully pushing Mihawk's sword away.
Bullet seized the opportunity and flashed to Gawain's vicinity.
"Hey, are you and your buddy still here watching the smoking?"
You wanted me to be your subordinate, didn't you?
Come on, prove your strength and character to me, you bastard!
Since you can get that old Rayleigh to take a liking to you, you must have a similar level of talent as Roger!
Let me see your Conqueror's Haki and your ideals!
Come here!!!
With a loud roar, Bullet swung out his right hand.
Suddenly, his enormous knuckles detached, and a section of his assimilated finger shot towards Gawain's head like a missile.
Seeing the attack so close at hand, Gawain didn't even bother to squint.
Without moving, Gawain's head transformed into the image of lightning, expanding into a sufficiently large void.
Bullet's fingers were easily dodged.
Seeing that his attack was ineffective, and then looking at the lightning emanating from Gawain's body.
Bullet frowned.
"What kind of Devil Fruit did you eat?!"
Did you eat more than one Devil Fruit, and then have different Devil Fruit work together in your body?!
Haha, if that's really the case, then you must be pretty strong!
If you still have some matching ideals, it wouldn't be surprising if that old man Rayleigh trusted you!
But if you don't fight me, you can forget about making me your subordinate. I won't look at you any differently just because Rayleigh has sided with you. I only trust what I see!
So come on over here, don't let that stubborn swordsman fight me!
My future is destined to stand on a wave sweeping the world, I..."
"What do you mean, 'you'?"
Suddenly, Gawain spoke.
Meeting Bullet's slightly surprised gaze, Gawain grinned and said softly.
"You keep emphasizing your own needs while also explaining what you require of me."
But don't you know?
Right now, during what you call examining me.
Didn't I start observing you?
Bullet!!!