"State your name, kid and where you're from?"
Douglas Bullet grinned as he sensed Teach's fighting spirit. His massive frame, bulging muscles, and thick arms radiated raw strength. White gloves wrapped tightly around his hands, emphasizing the destructive power they concealed.
"Marshall D. Teach," Teach replied with a smirk. "Former member of the Whitebeard Pirates. I've formed my own crew now."
"Whitebeard, huh? You actually left that old man?" Bullet's eyes lit up with genuine intrigue.
"The Whitebeard Pirates were holding back my progress," Teach said calmly, adjusting his breathing and stance. "Staying there any longer would've been meaningless."
Bullet let out a booming laugh. "Hah! Interesting. Since you've come this far, don't expect to walk away unscathed. Let's have a proper fight!"
"That's exactly what I was hoping for," Teach replied, lowering his head slightly with a faint chuckle. His legs bent—ready to move at any instant.
A heartbeat later, his figure vanished with a sharp bang! The air cracked as Teach broke the sound barrier.
He struck first.
Bullet's arrogance meant he would never initiate the fight, and Teach understood the massive gap between their strengths. That's why he went all in from the very first move.
How could anyone hold back against an opponent like this?
"Demon Claw: Sky Rip!"
His speed and power fused perfectly, his hands transformed into clawed weapons coated in black Armament Haki, faint lightning flickering across them.
In an instant, Teach appeared before Bullet, whose unmoving posture suggested he hadn't even bothered to react. Yet when Teach's claws came slashing down, Bullet smiled. Facing the attack head-on, he simply raised his fist and threw a punch.
Boom!
The compressed air detonated like a cannon blast, shaking the island. The ground beneath Bullet's feet split apart, forming deep fissures.
Claw and fist collided but strangely, they didn't touch. Between them shimmered an invisible barrier, like two panes of transparent glass pressing against each other.
Ryuo!
Sensing the threat from Teach's claws, Bullet had instantly released his Haki outward; the technique known in Wano as Ryuo, the emission form of Armament Haki.
Teach had done the same. But compared to Bullet's perfectly condensed Haki, Teach's version was still incomplete, his control not yet solidified.
Bullet's fist easily overpowered the attack. Teach didn't seem surprised, nor did he flinch. What he wanted wasn't an easy victory—it was a battle that could push him to evolve.
He had lingered at the edge of mastering Ryuo for two years. His Haki had grown immensely in both quality and quantity, yet the barrier remained.
But now, he could feel it—this fight would be the key.
Waves of pressure exploded outward. After a brief standoff, Bullet grinned, his hunter's instinct fully ignited.
"Not bad. You've got some bite."
With that, he pressed forward, forcing Teach back with sheer brute strength.
Teach was flung into the air but used Moonwalk to regain control, landing smoothly before charging back in like a black storm.
This time, Bullet moved first. His figure blurred and vanished, his speed surpassing Teach's entirely. In an instant, he appeared on Teach's right and unleashed a devastating kick toward Teach's abdomen.
"I already saw it."
Bullet froze for a fraction of a second at Teach's words. Teach twisted mid-air, his leg whipping around in counterattack.
Invisible shockwaves erupted, shaking the ground beneath them.
Bullet's grin widened. So, Teach could see his future moves, an advanced form of Observation Haki. That made things interesting.
"Hah! This is getting fun. Let's go wild!"
Bullet's excitement rose. He'd expected Teach to be far weaker, but this revelation gave him reason to fight seriously.
Of course, the gap between them was still massive. Bullet's strength, Armament Haki, and physique all exceeded Teach's. His power was on par with a top-tier Admiral, while Teach's current level barely reached that of an Admiral candidate.
But future sight changed the dynamic. It didn't make Teach stronger—it made the fight more thrilling.
"Fine by me," Teach said, eyes gleaming. "I won't stop until you've beaten me into the ground."
Bullet's next kick met Teach's counter. The shockwave flattened trees across the battlefield. Though Bullet had the advantage in raw power, Teach's precision and predictive Observation Haki allowed him to stay in the fight.
Teach attacked relentlessly—fists, claws, elbows, and kicks flowing in seamless rhythm.
Bullet's punch crashed into Teach's chest. Teach took it head-on, gritting his teeth, and countered by tearing at Bullet's torso with his claws. Sparks flew as black Haki met black Haki.
Neither could land a decisive blow.
Teach shifted, vanishing from Bullet's sight—only for Bullet to pivot instinctively. His Observation Haki had already read Teach's trajectory, and his arm shot out to grab him.
But Teach had already predicted that prediction.
His Observation Haki extended one step further.
His claws slashed across Bullet's right arm, sending a metallic ringing through the air. Bullet's skin gleamed with hardened Haki, unscathed.
Bullet didn't seem disappointed. On the contrary, his grin widened—Teach's growth was palpable.
The battle raged like a storm. From afar, Gar and the others could only see forests being flattened and pillars of dust rising to the sky.
"Are they even human?" Wallace murmured, staring blankly at the devastation.
They couldn't even track the fighters, only Pito could faintly catch glimpses of their figures flashing across the battlefield.
Teach had told them before that the New World was full of monsters. Now they finally understood.
Bullet's combat instinct was monstrous. Even with future sight, Teach couldn't avoid everything. The body couldn't always keep up with the mind.
Their exchanges blurred into one continuous clash. Each time Bullet landed a hit, Teach countered with claws that sliced through the air, leaving glowing arcs of black and red lightning.
Teach was taking damage. Bullet's Haki and strength were far superior. But Teach's Life Return allowed him to restore his injuries mid-battle, keeping himself at peak condition.
As he fought, Teach's microscopic Observation Haki analyzed Bullet's Armament structure—his emission, his density, his flow. Every punch, every impact, refined his understanding.
He could feel his own Haki evolving—becoming denser, more controlled, closer to true Ryuo.
Bullet noticed too. His brows furrowed as he threw another punch, only to smirk when he realized Teach's counterblow hit harder than before.
Teach's claws crackled with lightning and flame. His fighting rhythm grew sharper, more instinctive.
"Hah! You're improving mid-fight?!" Bullet laughed. "Keep going but don't die on me!"
To Teach, this battle was exhilarating, like fighting Rayleigh again, but this time dead serious.
Bullet hadn't even used his Devil Fruit yet. Once he did, Teach knew he'd stand no chance. But for now, that didn't matter.
Each punch from Bullet sent waves of pain through his body, sharpening his focus even further. He was growing stronger with every hit.
Bullet's attacks adapted too, gradually syncing to Teach's movements, anticipating even his future-sight-based reactions.
A thunderous blow landed squarely on Teach's head. He had seen it coming, but Bullet's follow-up punch had been perfectly timed to break his rhythm.
Teach flew through the forest, trees splintering in his wake. He rolled, spat blood, then wiped his mouth and laughed softly.
"Zehahahaha… this is what I live for."
He charged back in.
The battle raged from day into night, the island itself shattering under their might.
Beasts fled in panic, a massive wave of animals escaping into the sea.
From their vantage point, Gar and the others watched the flashes of light and thunder erupting from the island's core.
"This is insane… they're still fighting," Wallace muttered, awe and fear mixing in his voice.
Even Gar was speechless. The ground quaked with every impact.
Only Pito remained calm. "This will last another day," she said quietly. "You all should rest. It's too early for you to watch something like this. Get too close, and you'll die from the shockwaves alone."
Her words were harsh but they were true.
None of them could approach that battlefield.