"This is the culmination of my training!" Bullet roared, his grin feral, manic with triumph. "Can you feel it, Darren? This power that crushes everything in its path!"
He stood there, trembling with exhilaration, muscles coiled like cables of steel, a dark radiance emanating from his skin. The pride on his face was unmistakable—he was showing off, thrilled by his own creation, eager to see the disbelief on his rival's face.
"It's… impressive," Darren admitted, his voice low, his brow creasing as he analyzed the flow of Haki surrounding Bullet. "Your speed, defense, raw strength—they've all evolved. I didn't think you'd manage to create a form like this."
The brief clash of their fists had told him everything he needed to know. Bullet's Devil Form wasn't just a surge of brute force—it was a complete transformation. His physical power, once slightly inferior, now matched Darren blow for blow.
For the first time in a long while, Darren's battle was truly even.
"Of course!" Bullet barked, lunging forward. His punch cut through the air like a cannonball.
A sharp gleam flickered in Darren's eyes. He met the strike head-on.
Bang!
The impact sent tremors through the island. The moment their fists connected, both men vanished, only to reappear a heartbeat later, their elbows locked together, straining for dominance.
Another surge of Haki blasted outward, collapsing the ground beneath their feet into a massive crater.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Under the horrified eyes of the Marines, Darren and Bullet clashed over and over, their silhouettes flickering through the smoke—one cloaked in black, the other in white.
Each collision shattered the landscape further, shockwaves ripping through the island until half of it was split open, torn apart by deep fissures that glowed with molten heat.
"Monsters…" one Marine whispered, voice trembling.
"They're using basic strikes," another muttered in disbelief, "but each one could annihilate a battleship!"
"It's like watching two gods destroy the world…"
The three Headquarters Vice Admirals could only stare. Their Haki—refined through decades of experience—couldn't even follow the movements of the two combatants.
Even they knew: if they entered that battlefield, they wouldn't last three seconds.
"Kahaha!! Darren!" Bullet bellowed between blows. "Weren't you just saying you'd crush me whenever you wanted?! Or was that all talk?!"
His fists became a storm, raining down with fury.
Darren parried, step by step, his eyes gleaming—not in panic, but in thought. "This transformation of yours… it's not just Armament Haki, is it?"
Bullet's laughter turned wild and mocking. "Kahahaha! So you've noticed, but you still don't understand!"
He broke their deadlock with a roar, his voice booming across the battlefield.
"Everyone on this sea thinks Armament Haki is just a trick—to hit Logias, to coat weapons, to make your skin tougher. Fools!"
"Haki's true nature…" He grinned, teeth bared, eyes glowing crimson. "…is energy itself!"
"By compressing and fusing it into your body, you force it to become your power source! You push your limits—your flesh, your blood, your soul—to the absolute edge!"
He raised his fist, wreathed in swirling black-purple light. "Compared to that, your so-called training is a joke! You can't match my evolution!"
He lunged again, laughter echoing like thunder. "Now die, Darren!"
On the flagship, one of the Vice Admirals blinked slowly. "…Did he just… explain his entire secret technique?"
Another nodded stiffly. "Yeah. I think he did."
They exchanged blank stares.
---
BOOM!
Darren's body crashed into the earth, sending a ring of dust surging outward.
He climbed out of the crater, blood running down his chin—but his expression wasn't pained. It was almost… entertained.
"He broke my guard," he murmured, wiping the blood away with the back of his hand. Then, smirking faintly: "But…"
A dangerous gleam lit his eyes.
Bullet landed heavily, cracking the ground beneath him, laughter booming. "Hahaha! It's over, Darren! You were a fine opponent—but this is where it ends!"
He tore forward, Demon Form blazing, violet-black energy spiraling around his fist. "Ultimate Cannon!!"
He swung.
And froze.
A dull thud echoed—not an explosion, not a shockwave.
Because Darren had caught the punch.
His right hand, cloaked in sleek black Armament Haki, had stopped Bullet's fist cold.
"…What?" Bullet's voice cracked. "That—That's impossible!"
Darren tilted his head slightly, a slow grin spreading across his face. "You really shouldn't have told me how it works, Bullet. If I couldn't figure it out after that, I'd be ashamed of myself."
And then Bullet realized it—
The cigar.
Even now, after this earth-shattering fight, Darren still had it between his teeth. The ember burned steady, unwavering.
That realization hit him like ice water down his spine.
"Thanks, Bullet," Darren said softly.
Then it began.
An ominous, crimson-black light seeped from Darren's arm, rippling like liquid fire. It spread through his veins, flooding his entire body in the blink of an eye.
A monstrous aura exploded outward, shaking the heavens.
The Marines on the battleships could barely breathe.
"W-What is that?! Another… another transformation?!"
"His Haki… it's fusing—just like Bullet's!"
Bullet's eyes went wide. "No… No, you can't—!!"
"Demon Form," Darren said, his grin widening, his voice low and calm.
Before Bullet could even blink, the crimson-black fist filled his vision.
"Demon Form—"
BOOM!!
The impact was apocalyptic. The air warped. The sound shattered the sky.
A wave of force tore through the island, flattening mountains and flinging the ocean into the air. The ground quaked as the shockwave hurled Bullet backward like a broken doll.
His armor of Haki shattered, blood spraying from his mouth as he flew through the clouds like a comet.
Darren's muscles burned like molten iron, the crimson glow fading from his skin as he clenched his fist one last time.
"Fist Bone Meteor."
The words were quiet, almost reverent.
Far away, Bullet crashed into a mountain range with the force of a meteorite. The explosion rippled through the landscape, the entire range collapsing into dust.
When the smoke finally settled, Darren exhaled and released the transformation. His coat fluttered gently as he turned away.
He vanished in an instant and reappeared on the flagship's deck, standing before the stunned Vice Admirals.
"I'm a little banged up," he said lightly, adjusting his collar. "Would you mind locking that guy up for me? He shouldn't be dead… probably."
The three Vice Admirals just stared at him, dumbstruck.
And out over the horizon, a pillar of smoke rose from the broken mountains where Bullet had fallen.
To be continued...