Bullet VS Rogue

The heavy blow to his face had clearly done a number on Rogue. When he stood up from the ground, a clear fist print was visible on his cheek, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

Still, judging by his condition, Rogue hadn't suffered any serious injury.

"What are you?"

Rogue's voice was harsh and stern, his face marked by an indescribable gravity, for he felt a thick threat emanating from the newcomer.

But the man didn't answer Rogue's question. Instead, he bent down, lifted Shirakawa by the scruff like a cat catching a mouse, then walked over to Buggy and Shanks and lifted them the same way.

He had to admit, his hands were truly large—grabbing two people by the collars with one hand took no effort at all. He glanced at Kaiser Lynn lying beside Buggy, a flicker of doubt in his eyes, but didn't dwell on it and picked her up as well.

He walked to a relatively sturdy tree, tossed them to the ground, and didn't bother whether they felt any pain.

After handling these trivial matters, he returned to face Rogue and spoke in a voice utterly devoid of emotion.

"Bullet. That's my name."

"Are you with them?"

"You could say that. At least for now, we're still on the same side."

That's right—the newcomer was Bullet. Shirakawa had only fainted without a second thought because he saw Bullet arrive. He trusted Bullet's strength, absolutely capable of protecting them.

"Do you have any last words?" Bullet's concise, icy voice rang in Rogue's ears again.

"What do you mean?"

"You injured my companion, so there's no reason for you to keep living. If Roger found out you were still alive, he'd nag me endlessly."

Though Bullet had always regarded Roger as a rival, after long exposure, he had gradually blended into the big family of the Roger Pirates.

"Are you so sure you can keep me here?"

"Of course. You have some strength, but compared to me, you're still a ways off. You can feel it, can't you?"

"Damn it. Then let me show you what I'm made of."

"Ha!" Rogue shouted, charging at Bullet with speed that nearly rivaled teleportation.

But Bullet didn't move. Instead, he threw a punch straight ahead.

In an instant, two fists wrapped in Armament Haki collided, simultaneously drawing out the Conqueror's Haki from within both of them.

"You have it too," Rogue said in surprise during the clash.

In all his years, he could count on one hand the number of times he'd encountered Conqueror's Haki users, yet today he'd run into two at once.

This plunged him into deep self-doubt. His master had once told him that Conqueror's Haki appeared in only one in a million people—but was that really true?

"Getting distracted in battle isn't a good thing."

Seeing Rogue lost in thought, Bullet kindly reminded him, then forcefully pushed his fist aside and struck with his left, landing a solid blow on Rogue's abdomen.

That hit didn't sit well with Rogue, as he hadn't had time to use Haki for defense.

But Bullet's punch was packed solid with Armament Haki.

Rogue's eyes nearly popped out from the impact, saliva flying from his mouth as his body curled up like a shrimp.

"Cough, cough." After taking that heavy blow, Rogue coughed a few times, spitting up blood.

"You bastard. I'll make you pay."

At this point, Rogue's eyes were bloodshot, two long fangs sprouted from his mouth, his limbs hit the ground, and his whole body showed signs of animal transformation.

"Oh? A Zoan Type user?"

Bullet was somewhat surprised that Rogue had a Devil Fruit, but it only stoked his excitement.

"An Ancient Species? A Saber-toothed Tiger?"

Sure enough, in Bullet's eyes, Rogue had fully transformed into a Saber-toothed Tiger, his frame growing larger.

"Roar~" Rogue let out a furious bellow, his gaze blazing with anger as if it could spit fire, staring straight at Bullet.

"Now this is interesting." Bullet revealed a smile that seemed almost satisfied.

"I'll tear you apart." As he said this, the Saber-toothed Tiger form of Rogue stood up and vanished from Bullet's sight in an instant.

"His speed increased that much."

Shock filled Bullet's mind. He whirled around and threw a punch, but to his surprise, he found himself at a disadvantage in strength as well.

"Hahaha, hahahaha! As expected of an Ancient Species—more and more interesting."

Bullet let out a wild laugh, his punches growing faster and heavier, giving off a manic vibe.

Yet even in this state, Bullet's mind remained eerily calm, constantly on guard against Rogue's two fangs. Getting bitten by those was no joke.

Their fight escalated from fists to feet, blows and kicks trading back and forth, the battle growing fiercer. The battlefield could no longer be contained within the small mountain bandit stronghold; it pushed deeper into the mountains.

Countless large trees along the way were shattered by the two of them, and the once-dense forest was forcibly carved into a path by their clash.

"Are you even human?"

After fighting for a while, Rogue said in shock to Bullet, because even after using his Devil Fruit ability, he still hadn't gained the upper hand in this battle.

The man before him was like a demon; as his own strength and speed increased, so did his opponent's, and the power within that body seemed inexhaustible, never running dry.

Every time he thought Bullet's power had reached its peak, the other would always give him another surprise.

"You can call me a monster." Bullet's grin stretched wide.

"Monster?" That word had always been used by others to describe him, Rogue. He never thought he'd one day use it on someone else.

"Alright, this fight is over."

The moment Bullet finished speaking, his body suddenly turned blue, his eyes became bloodshot, and his hair took on a whitish tinge.

"Th-this, what is this?"

In this state, Rogue felt an overwhelming threat from Bullet.

This was Bullet's Devil Form, his strongest state, relying on his own Demonic Qi and fusing Armament Haki with Conqueror's Haki. This was also the main reason Bullet was called the Descendant of Devils.

"Watch me take you out in one punch."

"Not good, I'm really going to die." That was the last thought in Rogue's mind.

"Strongest Fist." Faced with this absolute punch that surpassed his own speed, Rogue had no way to dodge.

He could only barely defend, but it was destined to be a futile effort. Both arms used for defense snapped instantly, and Bullet's fist broke through like tearing a membrane, driving straight in and slamming heavily into Rogue's head.

It knocked him unconscious on the spot.