Bullet and Lucci looked up at the same time. A tall figure was leisurely floating in midair.
The moment Bullet saw the newcomer, blazing battle intent erupted in his eyes, as if he had spotted the prey he craved most. His booming voice rang across the plain:
"Adams! You came at just the right time! Fight me! I've already surpassed Roger! You're next!"
Lucci's expression darkened even further. Being seen by Adams in such a battered, vulnerable state filled him with embarrassment. He snorted coldly and awkwardly turned his head away, unwilling to let Adams see his current expression.
Adams's gaze lingered on Lucci for a moment, as though he had seen through his inner struggle. Only then did he turn to Bullet, the amused smile on his face growing wider.
"Oh? Really? I don't believe you."
Adams drawled, his tone thick with mockery.
"Unless... you prove it to me right now."
As he spoke, he seemed to perform a magic trick, pinching an ordinary-looking leaf from his fingertips. With a casual flick, he tossed it into the air.
The leaf spun lightly through the air before exploding with a "bang," releasing a thick cloud of white mist.
The mist swiftly condensed, and a figure stepped out from within—a straw hat on his head, a mustache curling upward like nose hair, a red captain's coat draped over his shoulders, and a bold, unrestrained grin on his face. At his waist hung a replica of Ace, the Supreme Grade Blade renowned across the world.
Adams knew very well that when Bullet claimed to have "surpassed Roger," he meant defeating the Roger replica created through Shapeshifting Leaves based on Bullet's own understanding.
That replica had been powerful, but it was still far inferior to the real Roger.
The one Adams had created