"Demon's—Cannon!!!"
Bullet poured his ambition of surpassing Roger, along with all the horror he felt toward the monster before him, into this single punch!
Pitch-black Conqueror's Haki turned into tangible black lightning, coiling around his fist.
Even before the strike landed, space itself began to twist.
Every legendary pirate in all of Eternal Hell held their breath in that instant.
"..."
Hawke quietly watched.
He could see the flow of every ounce of power within Bullet's body.
He could hear his heart pounding madly from rage.
He could feel the unyielding will within him.
"Hoo—"
Hawke drew in a deep breath, his chest rising and falling slightly.
His feet pressed firmly against the stone floor.
Power surged from his waist and abdomen, his spine like a coiling dragon. The force coursed layer by layer through his entire body, finally converging at his right shoulder.
Then, his five fingers clenched into a fist, and his right arm shot forward.
This punch carried all the insights he had gained over the past three days.
Observation as the eyes.
Armament as the armor.
Physique as the root.
Martial arts as the technique.
The four as one.
"Fist: Collapse!"
Hawke's calm voice echoed through Eternal Hell.
The next instant, two fists, each wrapped in ultimate power, clashed before everyone's eyes with a deafening impact!
No sound.
Or rather, the moment sound was born, it was swallowed whole by an even more terrifying force.
Eternal Hell fell into eerie silence.
At the center of the collision, light twisted into a pitch-black singularity.
Then, a devastating circular shockwave suddenly exploded outward!
"Not good!!!"
Magellan's pupils shrank violently!
Without hesitation, he leapt before the spreading shockwave, pressing his hands firmly against the ground.
"Venom: Gate of the Underworld!"
A massive purple door formed of deadly poison rose from the ground, blocking the onrushing wave.
"Zzzz—"
The shockwave slammed fiercely into the poison gate, the two forces gnawing and eroding each other in madness.
"..."
At last, the aftermath faded.
In the smoke and dust—
Bullet still held his punching stance, chest heaving violently.
The fist wrapped in Conqueror's Haki had been utterly drained, the black lightning gone without a trace.
His eyes locked tightly on the figure before him.
Hawke stood firm, unmoving.
Only the white coat of his Marine uniform bore a faint smear of dust at the hem.
"Hoo—"
Hawke slowly drew back his fist, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Conqueror's Infusion...
So this is Conqueror's Infusion!
When two fighters' Armament and physique were evenly matched, simply wrapping Conqueror's Haki around one's attack could yield such a terrifying boost in power.
Even his perfected strike, forged from uniting the four fundamentals... had almost lost!
Conqueror's Infusion... he must master it!
"That was a very enjoyable battle."
Hawke looked at Bullet, his voice carrying a trace of genuine admiration.
"Although... you cheated at the end."
"..."
Bullet's body stiffened sharply.
This monster...
Even with his Conqueror's-coated strike, he couldn't truly shake him.
Just where... did this man come from?!
"But, I can give you another chance."
Hawke raised his hand, gently brushing the dust from his coat.
"After I finish handling things in Impel Down..."
"We'll go outside, find an uninhabited island, and fight with no restraints."
"The condition remains the same."
"As long as you can defeat me, I'll let you go free."
"..."
Bullet fell silent.
It was true, he hadn't fought with everything he had...
He still hadn't used the hidden trump card—his awakened fruit ability.
But...
The meaning behind this Marine Rear Admiral's words—did he truly believe he could achieve tremendous progress in such a short time?!
Impossible!
"Step—"
Hawke no longer paid him any mind.
He turned and walked toward Hannyabal, whose face brimmed with fanatic excitement.
Casually reclaiming his Justice cloak and the box containing the golden Den Den Mushi, he slung the cloak back over his shoulders.
After this battle, his power, enhanced by attribute points, had now fully merged into his being.
What he needed now was patience—waiting for his Justice Points to arrive.
Once his Conqueror's Haki was raised to Top-Tier, and he mastered Conqueror's Infusion...
Then he could once again use Bullet as his whetstone, to test the sharpness of his new edge!
After all, in all of Eternal Hell—
Bullet was the most suitable opponent.
"I'll go check on Zoro and the others."
Hawke nodded slightly to Magellan, then strode toward the elevator leading to the upper levels.
"Hmm."
Magellan gave a small nod, his gaze falling back on Bullet.
"..."
The battle spirit in Bullet's eyes had already faded, replaced instead by an abyss of gloom.
Without a word, he turned and walked back to his cell.
"Clang—"
The heavy Seastone door was shut by Magellan himself, the lock snapping into place with a crisp click.
"..."
Eternal Hell sank once more into silence and darkness.
But this time, something in the darkness had changed.
After a long silence, muffled whispers slowly rose from the shadows of the cells.
"That Marine brat... did you all see clearly?"
"Clear as day... His punch on the third day of battle was at least thirty percent heavier than on the first!"
"Observation, Armament, physique, fists—how could anyone polish the basics to such an extreme? And then there's that world-crushing Conqueror's..."
"A monster... he's the true monster!"
"With such a monster in the Marines... even if we escaped, returned to the seas, would there still be any path to survival?"
This question silenced every whisper.
"No..."
"The killing intent around him is practically solidified already..."
"And it's not just strength—you saw those four Buster Calls, didn't you?"
"That represents the collective will of Marine Headquarters' highest echelon!"
"Who exactly is this Rear Admiral Hawke?!"
"Sengoku, Akainu, Aokiji, Kizaru... Have those four gone insane?!"
The whispers were filled with dread, confusion, and bone-deep fear.
At that moment, a clear and elegant voice rose from the deepest darkness, instantly drowning out all the noise.
"Bullet."
Every voice fell silent.
A pair of blood-red eyes glowed faintly in the dark. Their owner, addressing Bullet's cell, asked softly:
"Next time... will you have a chance?"
The Red the Aloof—Patrick Redfield.
Eternal Hell fell so silent, one could hear a pin drop.
Every legendary pirate held their breath, all eyes fixed on Bullet's cell, awaiting his response.
In the shadows, Bullet's fists—tightly clenched from exertion—slowly loosened.
He recalled the suffocating battle of the past three days.
He recalled the opponent's unbelievable growth rate.
He recalled those calm eyes that never once wavered.
After a long time—
He finally forced three hoarse words from his throat.
"I don't know..."