Bullet vs. Rogue

Rogue had clearly taken a hard hit to the face. When he got back to his feet, a distinct fist mark showed on his cheek, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

But from the way he was standing, it was clear Rogue hadn't suffered any serious injuries.

"What's your name?"

Rogue demanded, his expression grave. He could feel a powerful threat emanating from the newcomer.

The man didn't answer. Instead, he bent down, grabbed Shirakawa as casually as a cat picking up a mouse, and then went over to Buggy and Shanks and picked them up the same way.

He really did have enormous hands. He could easily grip both men by their collars with one hand. He glanced at Kaiser Lynn, who lay beside Buggy, and looked puzzled, but didn't think much of it. He picked her up too.

He carried them over to a fairly sturdy tree and tossed them to the ground, not caring whether they felt the impact.

Once he'd taken care of these little matters, he returned to face Rogue and spoke in a flat, emotionless voice.

"Bullet. That's my name."

"Are you with them?"

"More or less. At least for now, we're on the same side."

That's right. The newcomer was Bullet. Shirakawa had seen him arrive, so he'd passed out without another worry. He trusted Bullet's strength; there was no doubt he could protect them.

"Any last words?" Bullet's brief, icy voice sounded in Rogue's ears again.

"What do you mean?"

"You hurt my companions. You don't need to live anymore. If Roger finds out you're still alive, I'll have to put up with him nagging me again."

Though Bullet had always treated Roger as his rival, after spending so much time around him, he had gradually become part of the Roger Pirates' family.

"You're sure you can stop me?"

"Of course. You've got some strength, but you're still a ways below me. You can feel that, can't you?"

"Damn you! I'll show you what I can do!"

"Ha!" Rogue shouted and charged at Bullet at nearly blinding speed.

But Bullet didn't move. He simply punched straight ahead.

Their fists, both coated in Armament Haki, collided, and the clash also stirred the Conqueror's Haki within them.

"You have it too?" Rogue said in astonishment as their fists met.

In all his life, he'd encountered people with Conqueror's Haki only a handful of times. Yet today, he'd met two of them at once.

He couldn't help but doubt everything he'd been told. His master had once said that only one person in a million might possess Conqueror's Haki. But was that really true?

"Losing focus in a fight isn't a good idea."

Seeing Rogue lost in confusion, Bullet kindly warned him. He shoved Rogue's fist aside with a burst of force, then seized the opening to drive his left fist into Rogue's stomach.

Rogue took the hit badly. He hadn't had time to use Haki to defend himself.

Bullet's fist, on the other hand, had been thoroughly coated in Armament Haki.

Rogue's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets. Spit flew from his mouth as he doubled over like a shrimp.

"Cough, cough." Rogue coughed twice from the heavy blow, bringing up several mouthfuls of blood.

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

Rogue's eyes were bloodshot. Two long fangs grew from his mouth, and he dropped onto all fours as his body began to take on an animal-like form.

"Oh? A Zoan Type user?"

Bullet was a little surprised that Rogue had a Devil Fruit, but the discovery only stoked his excitement.

"An Ancient Species, too. Is it a Saber-toothed Tiger?"

By now, Rogue looked entirely like a saber-toothed tiger to Bullet, and his body had grown larger as well.

"Roar!" Rogue let out an angry growl, glaring at Bullet as if his eyes could spit fire.

"Now this is getting interesting." Bullet wore a satisfied-looking grin.

"I'll tear you apart!" As Rogue spoke, he rose onto his hind legs in his saber-toothed tiger form—and vanished from right in front of Bullet.

"His speed has increased that much?"

Bullet was astonished. He spun around and threw a punch, but to his surprise, he was also outmatched in strength.

"Ha ha ha! Hahahaha! Just what you'd expect from an Ancient Zoan. This is getting more and more interesting!"

Bullet roared with laughter. His punches came faster and faster, each one heavier than the last, giving him an almost frenzied air.

But even in that state, Bullet remained perfectly clearheaded, constantly watching out for Rogue's two fangs. Getting bitten by those would be no joke.

The two began using their feet as well as their hands, trading blows as the battle grew more and more intense. The bandit stronghold could no longer contain their fight, and they began moving deeper into the mountains.

Countless trees were smashed along the way. The once-dense forest had been carved open into a path by the two of them.

"Are you even human?"

After they'd fought for quite some time, Rogue stared at Bullet in shock. Even after using his Devil Fruit powers, he hadn't gained the upper hand at all.

The man before him seemed like a demon. Whenever Rogue's strength and speed increased, Bullet's did too. The power within Bullet seemed inexhaustible.

Whenever Rogue thought Bullet had reached his limit, the man would surprise him again.

"You can call me a monster." Bullet grinned from ear to ear.

"A monster?" Other people had always used that word to describe Rogue. He'd never thought he'd one day use it for someone else.

"Enough. This fight is over."

As Bullet spoke, his body suddenly turned blue, his eyes turned red, and his hair began to whiten.

"W-what is this?"

Rogue could feel a powerful threat emanating from Bullet in this state.

This was Bullet's Devil Form, his strongest form. He drew on his own Demonic Qi and combined it with Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki. This was also the main reason Bullet was known as the Descendant of Devils.

"Watch me take you down with one punch!"

"Oh no. I'm really going to die." That was the last thought in Rogue's mind.

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

He could only try to defend himself, but the effort was doomed to fail. Both arms he'd raised to protect himself snapped, and Bullet's fist broke through as if bursting through a membrane, driving straight in and crashing heavily into Rogue's head.

Rogue lost consciousness on the spot.