Two Choices

At the point where sea and sky met, a black line appeared.

Time passed little by little.

When the Hell Battleship beneath Bullet's feet slowly passed through the enormous Gate of Justice,

the black line stretching across the sea for who knew how far finally revealed itself completely before Bullet.

It was a terrifying crest spanning the surface of the sea.

A wave crest towering like a mountain range.

A tsunami.

An unprecedentedly terrifying tsunami.

And on this sea,

only one person possessed the power to raise such a tsunami.

Whitebeard, Edward Newgate!

This dreadful tsunami had appeared here without any warning.

That meant the grand war had officially begun.

The towering wave crests rose and fell, shaking and overturning the entire sea.

Bullet stood on the deck at the bow, allowing the crest to lift the battleship beneath his feet high into the air.

Then the wave passed beneath the battleship and spread toward more distant waters.

Bullet knew.

When that mountain-like crest rolled back again, it would be time for the battleship to accelerate and charge toward Marineford!

This was the momentum he needed to borrow.

Before that, he still had some things to do.

Turning around, Bullet raised a hand and swept it toward the empty deck.

"Crack, crack, crack..."

The pitch-black steel deck continuously split apart and retracted to both sides.

Then, beneath the deck, a massive platform rose rapidly.

When the platform emerged above the deck, the prisoners standing on it stared at the boundless sea around them and froze.

Some prisoners whose faces had been full of fury, ready to fight Bullet to the death, suddenly lost their anger as well.

The deck fell silent for a few brief seconds.

Then excited, feverish cheers erupted.

Every one of these vicious prisoners who had escaped from Infinite Hell had joy written all over their faces.

"It's the sea!"

"Wahahahaha! We escaped! Look! It really is the sea!"

"Lohohoho! New World, I'm back!"

"Get back to Paradise, quickly! I'm going to drink myself silly, smoke cigars, and enjoy myself properly!"

"I want women! I'm going to the Pleasure District and fight for ten days and nights!"

Some wept tears of joy, their expressions crazed.

Others paced back and forth across the spacious deck, occasionally slapping their own faces as if they suspected they were dreaming.

Only after a long, long while did the deck grow somewhat quieter.

Only then did everyone notice the burly figure standing before them.

"Dou... Douglas Bullet!"

Bullet merely stood there, yet an overbearing pressure as vast as mountains and seas poured forth like a landslide and tsunami.

The deep majesty naturally radiating from him alone made everyone on deck feel their throats tighten.

It was as though a mountain had suddenly appeared on their shoulders.

"Step."

"Step."

Footsteps sounded.

Shiryu, a cigar clenched between his teeth, Teach, looking dejected, and the excited Shot and Devon stepped out from the crowd and came to stand beside Bullet.

"Trash of Infinite Hell..."

Bullet's cold voice rang out as he looked at the prisoners with their varying expressions.

"As you can see."

"You have left Impel Down, passed through the Gate of Justice, and arrived in the bright world outside."

"The direction this Hell Battleship is heading is Marine Headquarters, Marineford!"

The moment Bullet spoke, a commotion immediately broke out on deck.

"What? We're heading to Marine Headquarters? Are you kidding me?!"

"I just got out. I don't want to go to that damned place!"

"Marine Headquarters is already the most dangerous place in the world for pirates and criminals. Now, they say it's hosting the grandest war in the entire world!"

"The Whitebeard Pirates and their subordinate grand fleet are fighting Marine Headquarters and the Shichibukai!"

"That kind of terrifying place is ten times worse than Infinite Hell! I'm not going there to die!"

Bullet coldly watched the clamorous prisoners and continued,

"Now, I will give you two choices."

Bullet's voice was deep and booming.

Like muffled war drums, it rang beside every prisoner's ears.

"First, submit to me and join Douglas Bullet's ranks."

"I will take you to Marineford to participate in that grand war!"

"Those who survive that war, I will take to the New World!"

Many prisoners widened their eyes and stared at Bullet in disbelief.

"Y-you actually want to gather companions?"

They could hardly believe their ears.

Douglas Bullet, the solitary battle-crazed demon, was actually beginning to recruit companions!

Everyone knew that ever since Roger's death,

the Devil's Heir before them, who had inherited Roger's strength, had always been alone.

More than twenty years ago, this terrifying man had already possessed combat power comparable to a Marine Admiral.

He had rampaged across the seas of the New World alone, turning the entire New World upside down.

If they could follow such a man to the seas of the New World, they could imagine what kind of bright future awaited them!

Perhaps the New World seas would gain a supreme Emperor of the Sea!

At that thought, many of the bolder prisoners began breathing heavily.

"Second, if you do not submit to me..."

Bullet's icy gaze swept across the crowd. No one dared meet his eyes.

"Die!"

The moment the word "die" fell,

the deck instantly went silent.

Only after a long while did someone suddenly shout,

"Bullet! Don't go too far!"

"We're all prisoners of Infinite Hell. We're equally dangerous, so don't think you're somehow above everyone else!"

Bullet looked over.

The speaker was a heavily muscled giant standing six meters tall. He was broad and powerfully built, with a booming voice and an imposing presence.

When Bullet turned to look at him, the giant showed no fear.

"Above everyone else?"

Bullet moved, stepping directly toward the giant.

"Bullet!"

"If you want to go to Marine Headquarters, go by yourself! No one will stop you!"

"But I have my own freedom. You're not qualified to make me submit!"

Seeing Bullet stride toward him, a vicious glint flashed in the giant's eyes. He knew the battle-crazed man before him would not let him off easily.

Then he might as well strike first!

There were no weaklings imprisoned in Infinite Hell!

With that thought, the giant charged forward fiercely. The muscles throughout his body swelled again, making him look terrifyingly powerful.

"You're just a brat defeated by a Buster Call! I don't know what you people are so afraid of!"

"I am Rocky Thompson, with a bounty as high as 980 million Beli!"

"Die, Devil's Heir!"

Thompson threw a punch at Bullet's head.

The terrifying physical strength compressed the air before his fist until it cracked and burst.

A violent gale swept across the deck.

Facing such a savage punch, Bullet slowly swung his right fist.

Boom!

Two fists of equal size collided, instantly blasting apart the air around the Hell Battleship.

Feeling the force coming from the other side, Rocky Thompson's lips curled into a mocking smile.

"Douglas Bullet, you're nothing but—"

Before he could finish,

a terrifying impact like a Volcanic Eruption surged violently into his body, then exploded with a thunderous blast!

Boom!

Countless chunks of flesh and blood sprayed through the air above the deck.

This six-meter-tall muscular giant, nearly Bullet's size, exploded in an instant and became a rain of blood!

Bullet withdrew his fist, his cold gaze intimidating the entire crowd.

"I alone can kill every last one of you!"

"Now, tell me: submit, or die?"