Douglas Gray's expression turned complicated when he heard the report. Bullet was the strongest weapon in his hands, and he had watched him grow, step by step, into what he was today.
As the army's commander, he had always led it to victory for the country, yet the title of hero had not fallen to him. Instead, Bullet had snatched it away.
Recently, that fellow Bullet had even told him he wanted to leave the army after their victory and gain some kind of freedom.
How could he possibly let Bullet leave with the title of hero after winning the war? Ridiculous!
At that thought, Douglas Gray clenched his fist and instructed his staff officer, "Contact the World Government's people and arrange a meeting with me."
"General, the World Government won't stand by and watch us end the war. If you meet with them, I'm afraid..."
Seeing the anxious look on the staff officer's face, Gray waved a hand.
"Don't worry. It's only a matter of interests. Once I win, I can naturally compensate them for those interests."
Seeing that the staff officer was still hesitating, General Gray spoke again, impatiently. "Go arrange it."
Three days later, the Cipher Pol members lurking on the island appeared in Douglas Gray's command tent.
At the camp in the back mountains, Roy and the others trained as usual.
They didn't know that Bullet's tremendous increase in strength over the past six months and his unusually frequent trips to the back mountains had long since attracted the attention of interested parties.
While the Cipher Pol members were on their way to General Gray's tent, Marine Headquarters also received a piece of secret intelligence.
At Marine Headquarters, Admiral Sengoku, who had just returned from a New World base, was dealing with a backlog of paperwork.
He opened a drawer and was about to take out the tea leaves inside to make himself a cup of hot tea when a wanted poster in the corner caught his attention.
Sengoku took out the poster. The blond-haired youth in the photograph was Roy, who had escaped from him a year ago.
"Sigh! I wonder where they've been hiding this past year," Sengoku said.
When the Marines first received Roy's wanted notice, they had searched for him in earnest. But as time passed, the Marine intelligence department had stopped making it a priority.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Come in."
Sengoku looked up from his paperwork at the knock and saw a messenger hurry in, come to attention, and salute.
"Report, Admiral Sengoku! We may have found traces of Roy's group."
With that, he placed the report in front of Sengoku.
"We received a tip that the slave Stella, who was rescued by the pirate Roy, may have been spotted in the town of Galzburg in the Endless War Country."
As he spoke, the messenger pulled Stella's wanted poster from the report.
"Based on the quantity of daily necessities she bought in town, the intelligence department has determined that Roy's group is near Galzburg."
Sengoku frowned deeply as he looked at the report in his hands.
"Most of the high-level forces the Marines can deploy are in the New World guarding against pirates. An Admiral also has to remain at headquarters, so I can't leave. What a headache!"
Considering who could carry out the mission, Sengoku put down the report and immediately ordered the messenger, "Summon Rear Admiral Borsalino to my office at once. He's on leave."
"Yes, sir!"
Just as the messenger turned to leave, Sengoku the Buddha called out.
"Contact Vice Admiral Varmo on duty at headquarters and have him come as well."
"Understood!"
At the Marine Headquarters harbor, Borsalino and Vice Admiral Varmo had already boarded the flagship after receiving their orders. Three warships sailed out of the harbor and sped toward the Endless War Country.
Aboard the flagship, Walu, a current Headquarters Vice Admiral, looked over the report on Roy's group and asked Borsalino curiously, "Why does Admiral Sengoku attach so much importance to these brats? He's even sent a Marine 'monster' like you along."
"Don't underestimate this mission, Vice Admiral Varmo. I nearly died at that brat's hands a year ago! He's a scary one."
Clutching Roy's wanted poster, Borsalino spoke to Vice Admiral Varmo in all seriousness.
Vice Admiral Varmo glanced at Borsalino's serious expression and said nothing more. He headed straight into the cabin, though he took the mission a little more seriously now.
At the camp in the back mountains, Roy was sparring with Bullet.
Boom!
Their fists collided at full force once again. The muffled impact exploded in the ears of the spectators, and a violent shockwave spread outward from the two, sending dust flying from the ground.
Their figures crossed in the arena. Roy moved nimbly; at two meters tall, he had no advantage over Bullet. Over the past year, he had further incorporated the essence of the Six Powers into his physical combat, placing greater emphasis on technique and explosive power.
Whoosh!
Roy flashed forward, using the explosive burst of Soru in combination with his ability to break through the air resistance in front of him. With his fist coated in Armament Haki, he appeared before Bullet in an instant.
"Nice speed, Roy! But your strength is still a long way off!"
Bullet likewise coated his arms in Armament Haki and crossed them to block Roy's fist. He shook out his arms, let out a low growl, and charged forward again.
His attacks were wide and sweeping, and he paid no attention to Roy's ordinary attacks. Protected by Armament Haki, the Shigan and Rankyaku strikes that landed on him left only small white marks.
He slammed his right foot into the ground, instantly causing the earth around him to collapse. Huge cracks spread from beneath his foot as he tried to destroy Roy's footing.
"Strength isn't just about brute force, Bullet! I can fly, you know."
Roy laughed, and his figure abruptly vanished. The next moment, he appeared at Bullet's side. With his hand coated in Armament Haki, he condensed gravity into a sphere in it, assumed Whitebeard's pose, and smashed it hard into Bullet's ribs.
"Try this! Gravity Fist: Gravity Collapse!"
This punch not only concentrated his Armament Haki, but also formed a Gravity Singularity on his fist before impact.
Besides increasing the attack's power, it could briefly immobilize an enemy the instant it made contact.
Boom!
Bullet took the blow squarely and staggered back several steps. Intense pain and a strange pulling sensation came from his ribs.
A trace of surprise flashed through his eyes, but there was even more excitement.
"Interesting! Now that's the kind of attack I like, Roy!"
He forcibly twisted his body and pushed off with both legs, the ground beneath him instantly collapsing. He reached out with a large hand and grabbed directly for Roy's arm, trying to hold him in place.
Whoosh!
Realizing what Bullet intended, Roy used Soru again and narrowly dodged.
The others at the edge of the arena had long since stopped training and were quietly watching the two "monsters" fight.
"Boss seems... to have gotten stronger again."
Thanks to Roy's special attention, he could now withstand triple gravity, yet watching the two fight still made his heart tremble.
"Bullet's physique is ridiculously strong too. He took such a heavy attack, but it didn't affect his movements at all."
The light of Observation Haki flickered in Stella's eyes. Through her magnetic field perception, she could see the two men's vigorous life force.
Little Savi clenched his fists, his eyes full of longing.