The small fry take on the big guns

Onigumo shouted in agreement.

Within the Marines, he belonged to the Hawk Faction led by Akainu. Everything else came second to killing pirates.

His first move after retreating was to seal off the coastline and unleash the Buster Call's indiscriminate slaughter!

"Run! That purple stuff's almost reached us!"

The pirates weren't fools. They didn't know what Bullet's Devil Fruit Ability was, but they could see the island shrinking and his body swelling rapidly.

They could make a fair guess.

That bastard's devouring the entire island!

Inside the giant construct's control room, Bullet's eyes turned savage. The colossal figure's scarlet eyes grew fiercer too.

Their brief clash had given Bullet a rough grasp of how this Marine fought.

Her Hand-to-Hand Combat, Haki, and Swordsmanship had all reached the absolute pinnacle.

Even the strength and speed he prided himself on fell far short of hers.

Her sudden burst of speed had caught him off guard.

But it had also made one thing clear: in pure Hand-to-Hand Combat, he was no match for her!

Hand-to-Hand Combat, Devil Fruit Ability, Haki—reaching the peak in any one of them was enough to make someone a pirate of renown in the New World.

Reach the peak in all three, and they stood at the very top of the seas.

That was true of the Emperors of the Sea, and just as true of the Marine Admirals.

And now there was Bullet!

Before, Atlas had outclassed Bullet in every respect.

Now, at least in strength, Bullet was no longer far behind her.

A larger body brought greater strength. That was inevitable.

He had sacrificed some agility, but his ability to take a beating had grown by leaps and bounds.

There was a reason the Sea Kings were the true rulers of the seas. It wasn't just their