Three Punches
A single punch had knocked him unconscious, leaving him unable to fight.
Vmmm!
Bullet's Conqueror's Haki rippled through the air, engulfing everyone around him. The backdrop turned violet-blue, and the air grew heavy and suffocating.
"I've waited a long time for this!"
"Today, I'll finally wipe away the humiliation of that fight."
Bullet slowly rose from his seat, his lips twisting into a savage grin as he clenched his fists with a series of cracks.
"Whew!"
Crocodile exhaled a plume of smoke, his expression turning grave.
There was no question that Bullet was a terrifying opponent.
He seemed even stronger than the last time they had fought.
I'm curious how you plan to bring a man like this under your command.
A devil!
As the thought crossed his mind, he turned his gaze toward Xia Le, who remained calm beside him.
Then, in the very next instant, his heart jolted. A violent shockwave whipped his clothes about as a ring of savage energy spread outward at a terrifying speed.
In the blink of an eye, it engulfed the entire island.
The violet-blue backdrop rapidly turned black and red. Even the ground, stones, and trees around them began to crack, fissures spreading across their surfaces.
An aura of Conqueror's Haki far more oppressive than Bullet's weighed heavily on everyone's hearts.
Several pirates near Bullet collapsed without a sound, unable to withstand its pressure.
At that moment, Xia Le spoke with a smile.
"Bullet!"
"I'm not here to fight you."
He extended his right hand toward him.
"I like you, damn it!"
"Become a Marine under my command!"
Crocodile stared in disbelief, then pressed his right hand to his forehead.
Was this really the plan his superior had come up with to recruit an unyielding powerhouse?
What a lousy approach!
Sure enough, a moment later, he heard Bullet's furious laughter.
"You want me to serve under you?"
"Then beat me fair and square first!"
Hearing that, Xia Le burst into laughter and knocked his fists together.
"That couldn't be easier!"
PS: Thanks to Book Friend 161118225708003, bolo Doesn't Eat Pineapple, Book Friend 20230205131942830, A Classmate Liu, Heart Fox, Not Helping, Names Are So Hard to Pick, Little Virus Yi, and 1 Never Abandon 2 Never Give Up for the monthly votes and tips! Please, please keep reading!!! During a new book's launch, reader retention matters so much, aaah!
Three punches
At that moment, a black-and-red backdrop covered almost the entire island, and the aura of Conqueror's Haki seemed to freeze space itself.
The two men stood facing each other, their eyes locked, sparks almost seeming to flash between them.
Bullet in particular had bloodshot, demonic eyes, and his presence had already reached its peak.
He refused to accept his previous defeat. Brief yet devastating, it had dealt a crushing blow to his pride.
"Raaagh!"
With a thunderous growl, Bullet drove his feet into the ground and vanished.
The instant he moved, Xia Le moved as well, disappearing from directly ahead of him.
Both were unimaginably fast, their hand-to-hand combat skills clearly at a superhuman level.
Whoosh!
A thousandth of a second later, they were face-to-face.
Bullet's eyes blazed with rage, his face contorted as he hurled a punch.
Xia Le grinned broadly, his right fist clenching with a faint crack as a streak of black-red lightning appeared.
The next second, their fists slammed together.
Bam!
A dull impact rang out, and a circular shockwave swept in every direction, laced with fine threads of lightning.
Bullet's expression changed in horror. His right arm, coated in Armament Haki, snapped with a crack, completely unable to withstand the terrifying force surging toward him.
Conqueror's Haki Infusion!
He roared inwardly. He had felt this power from Roger before.
An even greater force came roaring toward him a moment later. Black-red lightning churned, threatening to race up his arm and sweep across his entire body.
Bullet shuddered and reflexively retreated at top speed.
Bam!
He landed heavily, his weight caving in the ground beneath his feet.
Crocodile took a drag on his cigar, his gaze fixed on Bullet's right arm. After just one exchange, it hung limp and powerless, already crippled.
Clearly, Xia Le's strength had been overwhelming in that brief clash.
"Hahahaha!"
"Bullet, your reactions are sharper than last time!"
Xia Le laughed.
He stamped hard against the air, changing direction and appearing above Bullet. Once again, he clenched his right fist and bent his arm, drawing it back for another blow.
Bullet's expression shifted. He knew all too well how powerful that fist was.
A red light flashed in his eyes as he predicted what would happen next.
Observation Haki.
Almost immediately, a fierce, savage wind struck the top of his head. Even the air pressure changed as black-red lightning shot downward.
Xia Le punched with lightning speed.
Vmmm!
The air roared like thunder, lightning streaked outward, and a savage shockwave covering thousands of meters crashed down.
Bullet moved, retreating swiftly to dodge. Ahead of him, he could clearly see the ground, trees, and grass shattering inch by inch, collapsing into chaos. Like a broken mirror, cracks spread rapidly across the scene.
Fast! Everything was too fast!
It also showed just how terrifyingly destructive that punch was.
This guy!!
Bullet's heart trembled.
Facing Xia Le head-on, he truly felt the terrifying pressure radiating from him. Every breath felt as though countless mountains were bearing down on him.
Savage iron fists, lightning speed, and attacks that came like a relentless storm.
It was only the second exchange, yet all he could do was dodge!
"Hahahaha!"
Just then, another burst of laughter rang out overhead.
A crushing, terrifying pressure followed.
Bullet looked up to see a black-and-red sky filled with lightning, and a fist swinging violently down toward him.
His pupils contracted sharply at the sight.
In that brief span, he had already retreated nearly two thousand meters from his previous position, yet his opponent was clearly even faster!
"Fist Bone Meteor!"
Xia Le laughed.
Black-red lightning shot from his right fist as a crushing wave of force swept down toward Bullet.
Boom!
The punch plunged downward. It was still dozens of meters above the ground, yet its impact struck within a ten-thousandth of a second. Countless weeds and clouds of dust surged upward, and the earth rippled like a lake struck by a giant boulder.
Bullet's entire body nearly twisted out of shape as the punch drove him into the ground, embedding him without the slightest pause.
His consciousness instantly sank into oblivion.
Before he blacked out, this iron-willed man who sought only to become the strongest was still filled with shock—and traces of the fear one felt before a natural disaster.
That fist, wreathed in black-red lightning, made him feel as though he were facing another Roger!
Just as unstoppable, just as domineering and magnificent.
He had lost. Utterly and completely!
At the same time, despite his reluctance, Bullet finally conceded defeat in his heart. Faced with that overwhelming strength, he had even begun to feel a fear he could not resist.
Three punches!
This time, it had taken only three punches!
Xia Le landed on the shattered ground, his white cape fluttering behind him as he looked down.
"Take him with us, Little Sand!"
"He's tough. He probably won't die!"
Crocodile walked over and exhaled a smoke ring. Sand stirred in his hand, lifting Bullet, who was covered in blood and had suffered multiple broken bones.
Then he surveyed their surroundings.
His eyes narrowed slightly at the sight of the two enormous craters, each spanning thousands of meters, as though meteors had struck. When he looked toward the surrounding forest, the broken trees made the sight all the more shocking.
Three punches had completely transformed the island's ecosystem.
"Is this the power of the world's strongest?"
Muttering to himself, Crocodile took another drag on his cigar.
He remembered how he had once dreamed of challenging Edward Newgate.
Did that man possess power like this too?
The two returned to the warship. When the others aboard saw Bullet covered in blood, they were left rather speechless.
"Sir, didn't you say you were going to recruit someone?"
"Is this guy dead?"
"With all his bones broken, he's as good as dead."
"The famous Douglas Bullet ended up in such a miserable state against our commanding officer."
"Commander Xia Le, just how strong are you?"
The officers marveled endlessly.
Xia Le waved a hand. "We should still be able to save him!"
"He's got a sturdy constitution. Patch him up, and he'll still be useful!"
After a pause, he flashed a grin.