The Dragon Descends!

After a long while.

Bullet's emotions finally began to settle. His mind cooled, and the blood-red haze in his eyes gradually faded until they were clear again.

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.

Before long, the Den Den Mushi began playing the audio. Hearing that familiar voice, Bullet did not ask Xia Luo where he had gotten the recording, because that was unimportant. What mattered was that the person who had betrayed him was his adoptive father, Douglas Had!

After learning the truth, Bullet said nothing. The hatred in his heart for Had 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 his horrified eyes and shot into the sky.

Rumble!!

The next moment,

Wind and clouds gathered!

Heavy, leaden clouds blotted out the sunlight and covered the entire island!

Bullet felt thunder roaring above his head and gale-force winds howling past his ears.

"What... is that?!"

"A legendary dragon?!"

Bullet was utterly stunned. His eyes went wide, his mouth hanging open involuntarily. At that moment, he was like a little chick, clinging desperately to the dragon's claw as he soared through the sky.

In the blink of an eye, the Azure Dragon flew above the military camp. Its enormous body continuously coiled through the thunderclouds, appearing and vanishing from sight. Its savage, majestic dragon head emerged from the dark clouds and looked down below.

A soaring dragon roar resounded through the heavens. People curiously looked up at the sky, only to be so terrified that they collapsed onto the ground, pale-faced and trembling uncontrollably.

"Dragon!!"

"What a huge dragon!!"

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

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

For a moment, 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 not even stand, while others fled in all directions in search of cover.

The arrival of the Azure Dragon threw everyone into a panic. The entire battlefield instantly came to a standstill, falling into brief dead silence.

"Bullet, want to try something fun?"

Xia Luo's voice sounded beside Bullet's ear, carrying a hint of eager anticipation. Bullet, who was already being battered by the wind, suddenly had an ominous feeling.

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

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

Xia Luo's excited voice came 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.

"Wooo—"

"AAAAAH—"

Bullet screamed even louder than Xia Luo, as though he were even more excited.

Boom!

A massive roar echoed across the sky.

Dust instantly billowed everywhere.

In the blink of an eye, the two crashed like cannonballs into Douglas Had's villa. The villa collapsed at once, turning into ruins and forming a massive crater several meters deep and dozens of meters wide.

Only a few seconds passed,

Before Xia Luo leaped out from the bottom of the crater with Bullet in hand. His eyes were full of 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 by the experience, let out a thunderous roar. "Was I excited? I was terrified!!"

"Jumping down from that high up—do you know how horrifying that was?!"

"Huh? Weren't you excited? Then why didn't you say anything when I said I was taking you to have some fun?"

Bullet trembled with rage. "I did say something! You just couldn't hear me!"

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

Bullet had nothing to say to that. After all, Xia Luo was the boss.

"Alright, go get revenge on your bargain-bin 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 Had would not be crushed to death.

Fortunately, out of caution, Had never allowed anyone near his room when he slept. That was why no innocent people had been caught up in it.

Though a few unlucky people were still buried beneath the ruins, it was no big deal as long as they were not dead.

About half an hour later.

Bullet returned to Xia Luo's side with little interest, lips pursed and silent.

Xia Luo did not know whether Douglas Had was dead or alive 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 consolation, and the two soon left the Country of Endless War.

Xia Luo did not interfere with the Country of Endless War. He was only a passing traveler 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 was perhaps the best choice for now. At the very least, it would not attract the attention of pirates.

The weather in the New World was unpredictable and ever-changing. Xia Luo was no navigator, so he certainly could not sail a ship. Besides, sailing was too troublesome and not discreet enough.

When he came, he had flown directly over the Red Line to enter 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 curiously as he looked 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 he learned that Xia Luo came from the West Blue and was a Marine, Bullet was utterly shocked—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 soldier.

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 behind the scenes to provide all kinds of assistance.

Bullet chose the first option without hesitation. He wanted to follow Xia Luo. Establishing a force or something like that made his head hurt just thinking about it. In any case, he was not cut out for it.

On the other hand, if he followed Xia Luo, all he needed to do was grow stronger and fight. Whoever Xia Luo told him to beat, he would beat. Whoever Xia Luo told him to kill, he would kill. No need to think—just charge forward!

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

There were very few people who met all those conditions. It could even be said that they were almost nonexistent.

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

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