An Intense Battle
"Bullet! I won't stop until I can't get up!" Teach laughed loudly, staring at Bullet in front of him. He leaned forward and lunged forward, extending his blood-stained claws, which were his own blood.
Compared to Bullet, Teach is far inferior, whether in terms of strength, physical strength, or Haki. His claws were broken multiple times, and cracks were caused by Bullet's punches during repeated collisions.
Although he Life Return and his injuries are healing, the gap is still obvious.
His claws were enveloped in a steady, flowing Haki. Now, through continuous battles, he had truly broken through his Armament Haki bottleneck, perfectly mastering the external release of Haki. His Haki could now cause internal destruction, and he was able to injure Bullet, making him qualified to fight Bullet.
"Come on then, let's see how I take you down." Bullet laughed as he watched Teach charge towards him, a slight pain in his chest—the injury Teach had inflicted on him. Teach's improvement was intentional, for the sake of fighting better and more intensely.
But he wouldn't be so kind. He was a hero known as the "Heir of the Devil," who enjoyed fighting, crushing enemies, defeating the strong, and using his own might to defeat Teach —that was what he wanted.
Bullet charged toward Teach with incredible speed, raising his fist and covering it with Armament Haki. He unleashed a powerful punch directly at Teach.
This punch unleashed a powerful air cannon, and then shot directly towards Teach.
Teach, facing the terrifying punch head-on, refused to back down. With his Observation Haki, he couldn't possibly retreat or dodge at that speed.
Teach raised his claws high and swung them down fiercely. Lightning crackled across his claws, which were extremely sharp. Bullet felt a chill run down his spine as if Teach had wielded a knife, not claws.
Clang! Boom!
The area within a hundred meters trembled due to this powerful force, and cracks spread outwards from them, some as wide as a meter.
The ground beneath their feet suddenly rose rapidly, while the surrounding ground sank. The powerful shockwave from the collision spread quickly, affecting a large portion of the island.
High up, Gari and the others shielded their foreheads from the strong winds sweeping in from the center of the island. Holding onto the trees, they weren't about to lose their footing; the wind was just a bit strong. Pito expression unchanged. She had experienced the aftershocks of the earth-shattering collision between Whitebeard and Roger —that was truly terrifying, blowing people directly into the sky and bending trees with its force.
What she cares about more now is Teach's current situation. Having spent a lot of time with Teach, she knows some of Teach circumstances. Compared to the other monster, he is still in his peak condition, and his strength is second only to Roger and Whitebeard, whom she has seen.
Teach is no match for her. Although she doesn't understand why Teach wants to fight this battle, she will support Teach.
Teach is also in peak condition, but he has already used up more than half of his stamina, and his stamina is being depleted much faster than when he fought Ares.
Teach's physique can be described as monstrous. While constantly training, he also uses lightning to temper his body. He cannot control lightning with the precision of Rumble-Rumble Fruit- Devil Fruit User; he can only control it in a simple way. However, with his Observation Haki and Life Return, he can definitely use lightning to temper his body.
The strongest 100 million volt lightning is enough for him to use, although he doesn't have Kaido's innate physique, nor the amplification and adaptability brought by his abilities.
However, he was confident that his physique would reach that level. He might not be able to match it, but it would undoubtedly be a top-tier physique on the sea. His Pops was his role model. Most people on the sea were not born with such strong physiques; they mostly developed them through training. Whether it was Garp, Zephyr, Rayleigh, Roger, or the future Red-Haired Shanks, they were all the same. They all developed their powerful physiques through training and battles.
Facing Bullet's fist, Teach's claws trembled incessantly, their incredibly hard claws bending as if they could barely hold on. Bullet's Haki, Bullet monstrous strength, and Bullet physique all surpassed his own.
Gritting his teeth, Teach's brows were furrowed, and the muscles in his arms bulged, almost swelling to a full size, with veins standing out like coiled dragons. Teach had used all his strength, but he still couldn't budge Bullet.
Feeling the immense power of Teach's claw, Bullet gritted his teeth and couldn't help but smile. He unleashed his full power, facing Teach who was confronting him, and Teach was unable to withstand the punch, being sent flying once again.
This time, Teach was sent flying hundreds of meters away, his body weak and powerless. The powerful impact made it impossible for him to control his body and steady himself.
With his feet firmly planted on the ground, two deep craters gradually appeared in the ground under the powerful impact. He flew backward, his feet sinking deeper and deeper into the ground.
Boom!
Teach's body slammed directly into the rock wall, sending pieces of rock flying and dust billowing up. Teach's body was deeply embedded in the rock.
Teach caught his breath and stepped off the rock wall, the image of Bullet's punch flashing through his mind—an unmatched force that even his own full-force claw attack had been ineffective.
But he wouldn't give up. It was too early to knock him down like that. However, his claws trembled uncontrollably, as if he couldn't control himself. His fingers bent to their limit, and two of them were broken and tilted to the sides. Under Bullet's punch, he was defeated.
I'm so envious! Bullet's physical strength is real. In terms of physical strength, Bullet is a true monster. Only Kaido and Big Mom can compare to him. Even the Pops can't compare to him. But in terms of power, Bullet is not as strong as the Pops. He will truly reach that level in the next twenty years or so.
Of course, the world has changed, Teach doesn't know what Bullet's future holds either.
Exhausting his strength, the bones in his claws cracked and popped as they collided. Thanks to the Life Return effect, Teach's claws were restored.
However, this forced recovery is extremely painful. It is said that the fingers are connected to the heart, but Teach did not flinch, and this was not the first time.
In this battle, Teach never intended to win; the only purpose was to use this battle to break through his limitations and become stronger.
Fighting a powerhouse like Bullet will be a rare opportunity in the coming years, so we must seize it. After all, in the first half of the Great Voyage, there are very few such powerful individuals in the four seas, except for the Navy; most of them are gathered in the New World.
Life Return continues to adjust its state to reach its peak. Facing Bullet, who has become serious, no amount of caution is too much; it must maintain its best condition.
Bullet has stopped seeking passive defense and is now actively attacking; offense is his style.
His speed is incredibly fast; he possesses such speed solely through his physique. It's comparable to the speed of former Marine Admiral Zephyr that Teach had previously witnessed. However, Admiral Zephyr had already reached his peak, while Bullet hadn't. With his potential, he still has a full twenty years of growth ahead of him. At that time, Bullet will truly reach his peak, achieving the level of Roger and Whitebeard.
Bullet appeared in front of Teach and threw a powerful punch. In the next moment, Teach had already anticipated Bullet's move, bent his head to avoid the punch, and then another punch came flying at him.
"I've already seen a more distant future," Teach chuckled softly, dodging the punch again with a sidestep and then Teach Bullet in the stomach. With such force, Teach felt as if he had kicked steel, no, even harder than steel, while Armament Haki.
With immense power, Teach's kick naturally carried Haki, as black and red Inazuma appeared and meandered through the surrounding air.
Bullet remained as steady as a mountain. Under the force of the kick, Bullet took two steps back, having withstood Teach's power.
Fists kept flying at Teach, Teach tried his best to defend himself, dodging and using his body to block Bullet's attacks.
A Jab that broke through the air slammed into Teach's right head. Teach raised his hand to block the blow, his body involuntarily retreating. At the same time, he threw his own punch, which landed on Bullet's fist that was already swinging towards him.
Bullet's fists lashed out at Teach like a machine gun, the powerful punches landing relentlessly on Teach. Teach could see the punches coming so fast, but could only dodge a small portion of them, because the speed was too great for his body to react to.
While defending himself, he had no way to retaliate.
"Bullet Fist." Such a fist, moving faster than a bullet, hurtled towards Teach.
At first, Teach was able to dodge some attacks, but gradually, his reaction time decreased, and he could no longer dodge. Bullet's strength was too great; in just three seconds, Teach was hit with over a hundred punches.
Teach's eyes widened, almost as if she were resisting, but Bullet wouldn't give Teach any breathing room.
Teach unleashed his Observation Haki to its fullest extent, instinctively trying to dodge and see the future, but the future wouldn't change because Teach couldn't dodge it at all.
In the battle, Bullet had completely seized control of the rhythm, and the scales of victory had been tipped in Bullet's favor all along, but now they were shifting even faster.
Teach instinctively resisted, Armament Haki to defend his body, while simultaneously searching for an opportunity.
Although Teach's Armament Haki has improved, its strength is still far inferior to Bullet's. Bullet was able to fight Pluto Rayleigh at the age of fifteen and was a monster on par with Rayleigh in three years. He has experienced countless battles and fought against all kinds of strong people. Compared to him, Teach has lacked a lot of experience.
Waves of pain spread throughout Teach's body, and even his Haki couldn't withstand it, only weaken it. Bullet's Haki entered Teach's body, causing internal damage. Teach endured the pain and the injuries.
He needs to find a breakthrough, otherwise, he will soon be defeated.
A dark purple light flashed in his pupils, and a powerful Conqueror's Haki erupted from his body. The abyss-like Black Hole seemed to devour everything. This was Teach's Conqueror's Haki, a powerful mental influence that seemed to seduce people.
The aura released in that instant was directed at Bullet in front of him. Bullet, of course, would not sit idly by and wait to be killed. In response to Teach's aura, an even more powerful, Asura-like force erupted from his body.
The powerful auras clashed and clashed once again, and Teach seized the opportunity. During the battle, his Observation Haki was rapidly improving, and he could foresee the future further and further away. He burst out with extremely fast speed, dodging Bullet's attack, while also blocking Bullet's fist with one hand.
Raising his claws, the Armament Haki he unleashed flowed across his entire arm, turning it a metallic black. A power that made Bullet somewhat wary was faintly present.
An even more powerful Conqueror's Haki appeared on Teach's claws, coiling around him and exuding a powerful sense of oppression. Black and red lightning flashed around Teach's body.
The attack was concentrated on Teach's claws. "Demon Claw - Heart Piercer!" Teach's claws closed, like a black drill, piercing straight into Bullet's chest.
Faced with Teach's claw strike, Bullet couldn't help but get excited. "You're a monster among all the people I've ever met, no less than me," Bullet exclaimed in admiration as he witnessed Teach's stunning attack.
This is the Conqueror's Haki's Haki, which only the world's top experts can master. Once you master it, you can step into the ranks of the world's elite.
Although Teach's Conqueror's Haki is still very immature, he has achieved something many strong individuals cannot at such a young age. Given Teach potential, with some more time, it's only a matter of time before he reaches that level as well.
He raised his right arm, and Conqueror's Haki coating around his fist, while black and red Inazuma intertwined and collided around the two of them.
"Haha! Thanks for the compliment, but I'm still far from good enough!" Teach replied with a laugh. Although Bullet was only five years older than him, he was already his senior in terms of strength and one of the world's top people.
He was aware of his own condition and had known for a long time that Conqueror's Haki could be used to entangle attacks, so he had been exploring it. To withstand the entanglement of Conqueror's Haki, one needed a strong physique. As for the specific method of entanglement, Teach didn't know the method, and there wasn't really one. However, he had figured some things out over the years, mainly by observing his Pops's battles and those of other powerful individuals, such as Roger.