The Dragon Descends!

After a long while.

Bullet's emotions finally calmed down. His mind regained its clarity, and the blood-red tint in his eyes gradually faded until they were clear once more.

Xia Luo stepped forward and asked with concern, "Finished venting? Calmed down?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, right. This is for you. Even though you've already guessed who was behind it, you should still listen to this."

Shaking his head, Xia Luo handed the recording Den Den Mushi to Bullet.

Soon, the Den Den Mushi began playing the audio. Hearing that familiar voice, Bullet did not ask Xia Luo where he had obtained the recording. It was not important. What mattered was that the person who had sold him out was his adoptive father, Douglas Had!

After learning the truth, Bullet said nothing. The hatred in his heart for Hade silently reached its peak.

"Come on. I'll take you to get revenge."

With that, Xia Luo grabbed Bullet by the shoulder, then transformed into an Azure Dragon before Bullet's horrified eyes and shot into the sky.

Rumble!!

The next moment,

Storm clouds gathered!

Thick, leaden clouds blocked out the sunlight and blanketed the entire island!

Bullet only felt thunder roaring above his head and violent winds howling past his ears.

"What... is that?!"

"A legendary dragon?!"

Bullet was utterly shaken. His eyes widened, and his mouth fell open uncontrollably. At that moment, he was like a little chick, clinging desperately to a dragon claw as he soared through the skies.

In the blink of an eye, the Azure Dragon arrived above the military camp. Its enormous body circled continuously, flickering in and out of sight amid the thunderclouds. Its ferocious, majestic dragon head emerged from the black clouds and looked down below.

A high, resounding dragon roar rang through the heavens. Curious, people raised their heads to look up, only to be so frightened that they collapsed to the ground, their faces pale and their legs trembling.

"Dragon!!"

"What a huge dragon!!"

"Where did that dragon come from? Are we going to die?!"

"The war! It must be because of the war—the Dragon God is angry!"

For a time, some of the more timid people fainted on the spot. Some collapsed to the ground and lost control of their bowels. Some trembled so badly they could barely stand, while others fled in every direction in search of cover.

The Azure Dragon's arrival threw everyone into a panic. The entire battlefield instantly froze, falling into a brief deathly silence.

"Bullet, want to try something fun?"

Xia Luo's voice sounded beside Bullet's ear, carrying a hint of eager excitement. Bullet, who was already being tossed about by the wind, suddenly had a bad feeling.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but the wind was too loud and fierce. The instant he opened it, his mouth filled with wind, and no one could hear what he was saying.

"If you're not saying anything, I'll take that as agreement. Great! Just as expected of someone I've taken a liking to!"

Xia Luo's excited voice rang out again. Bullet realized something was terribly wrong, but it was already too late.

Xia Luo suddenly shifted into his dragon-man form and plummeted from the sky in free fall, Bullet still dangling from one hand as he let out an excited cry.

"Whoo—"

"AAAAAH—"

Bullet screamed even louder than Xia Luo, sounding even more excited.

BOOM!

A massive roar shook the heavens.

Dust instantly billowed into the air.

In the blink of an eye, the two of them slammed like cannonballs into Douglas Had's villa. The villa collapsed at once, turning into ruins and leaving behind a giant crater several meters deep and dozens of meters wide.

Only a few seconds later,

Xia Luo leaped out from the bottom of the pit with Bullet in hand. His eyes were filled with admiration as he looked at Bullet, and he laughed loudly.

"Hahaha! Who would've thought you'd be even more excited than me!"

Then Bullet, still shaken, let out a thunderous roar. "Was that excitement? I was scared!!"

"Jumping from that high up would scare anyone to death, you know?!"

"Huh? Weren't you excited? Then why didn't you say anything when I asked if you wanted to have some fun?"

Bullet trembled with rage. "I did say something! You were the one who couldn't hear me!"

Xia Luo hooked an arm around Bullet's shoulders and chuckled. "Ah, it's fine. Aren't you perfectly fine now? Besides, it was just some high-altitude bungee jumping. No big deal."

Bullet had nothing to say to that. What could he do? Xia Luo was the boss.

"Alright, go get revenge on your so-called adoptive father. He's buried under that pile of rubble. He probably hasn't breathed his last yet, so hurry up."

Xia Luo had already calculated the landing point when he descended, ensuring that Hade would not be crushed to death.

Fortunately, Hade had always been cautious. When he slept, he never allowed anyone near his room, which prevented innocent people from being caught up in it.

Though there were still a few unlucky people buried beneath the rubble, it was not a big problem. As long as they were not dead, it was fine.

About half an hour later.

Bullet returned to Xia Luo's side with little interest. His lips were pressed together, and he did not say a word.

Xia Luo did not know whether Douglas Had had lived or died in the end. He neither cared nor wanted to ask.

"Since everything's settled, let's go." Xia Luo patted Bullet on the shoulder in comfort, and the two soon left the Country of Endless War.

Xia Luo did not interfere with the Country of Endless War. For now, he was merely a passerby and could not remain there for long. Even if he truly wanted to do something, it would be difficult to achieve any results.

Maintaining the status quo might have been the best choice for now. At the very least, it would not draw the attention of pirates.

The weather in the New World was ever-changing and unpredictable. Xia Luo was not a navigator, so he certainly could not sail a ship. Besides, traveling by ship was too troublesome and not discreet enough.

When he had come, he had flown directly over the Red Line and entered the New World. Naturally, he would return by the same route, but before heading back to the West Blue, there was one more place he needed to visit.

The First Half of the Grand Line.

"Boss, where are we going next?" Bullet asked, looking curiously at Xia Luo's face, which was not much older than his own.

A few days earlier, after leaving the Country of Endless War, Xia Luo had removed his mask and introduced himself to Bullet.

When Bullet learned that Xia Luo came from the West Blue and was a Marine, his expression had been one of utter shock—no less shocked than when Xia Luo had transformed into an Azure Dragon.

After revealing his identity to Bullet, Xia Luo gave him two choices.

The first was to join the Marines with him and become his personal guard.

The second was to find a place to establish a force or pirate crew and develop in secret. Bullet would act openly, while Xia Luo remained in the shadows and provided all kinds of support.

Bullet chose the first option without the slightest hesitation. He wanted to follow Xia Luo. Establishing a force or something like that sounded like a headache, and he was not suited for it anyway.

On the contrary, if he followed Xia Luo, he only needed to grow stronger and fight. Whoever Xia Luo told him to fight, he would fight. Whoever Xia Luo told him to kill, he would kill. There was no need to think—just charge ahead!

As for Bullet's choice, Xia Luo could only say that it was within expectations. However, that also meant he still needed to find a subordinate with brains, strength, potential, and good character.

There were exceedingly few candidates who met all those requirements—so few that they could be called rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns.

The people Xia Luo could think of had either already joined other forces, were too young, or had simply not even been born yet.

It seemed Xia Luo could only dig them up himself or cultivate them personally.