The Sea King howled in pain, its massive body thrashing wildly as it tried to break free.
But the black dragon's claws were locked tight around its bones.
Bullet could feel it.
Through the tips of his talons, he sensed the torrent of life force raging inside the Sea King.
It was crude and primal, but immense in quantity, spilling out along with the blood from the wounds.
The devouring instinct fully awakened.
The black dragon opened its jaws and began to drink.
The blood pouring from the Sea King's torn flesh did not disperse into the water. Instead, it was pulled by an unseen force, drawn into fine streams that flowed straight into the dragon's mouth.
The flesh around the wounds began to wither and shrivel, as if all of its essence were being sucked out.
In Bullet's sea of consciousness, the black core was spinning like mad.
He realized that as he devoured that condensed life essence, a wave of strengthening spread through his body.
The most obvious change was his adaptation to the underwater environment.
Where there had been slight resistance and a faint sense of disorientation before, now it was almost completely gone.
His tail movements became smoother, his body turning through the water with perfect coordination. He could even feel the subtle shifts of the currents.
"So that is how it is..."
A crimson light flashed in the dragon's slit pupils.
"Partial devouring during battle can strengthen me on the spot."
The Sea King clearly felt its life force slipping away.
It went utterly berserk, coiling its thick body around Bullet and trying to crush him with sheer constriction.
But it was already too late.
Bullet's left claw swung out, this time aiming at the base of the Sea King's skull, where the spine connected.
Rip.
Scales tore. Bones shattered.
The Sea King's movement froze for an instant, then its entire body started to convulse.
Its life energy was draining at a terrifying pace, while the black dragon's devouring grew even more efficient.
No longer content with just feeding from the wounds, Bullet clamped his jaws around the Sea King's neck.
The true feast began.
A flood of rich life essence poured into him. The black core devoured everything without a hint of rejection.
Bullet could clearly feel his muscle fibers trembling, tightening, becoming more compact.
The dermis beneath his scales was thickening.
Even his bones itched faintly... the feeling of their density increasing.
The process lasted for about three minutes.
When Bullet finally released his bite, the Sea King wrapped around him had withered into a husk, skin sagging loosely over its skeleton.
The last glimmer of red faded from its eyes. All life left its body.
The black dragon floated in the deep blue, closing his eyes slowly.
The devouring was complete.
His body had grown stronger.
Bullet opened his eyes again.
His crimson pupils swept through the water. His field of vision had clearly expanded.
Where he had only been able to see about thirty meters before, now he could make out schools of fish sixty meters away with ease.
His hearing had sharpened as well. He could pick up the faint churn of a distant ship's propellers.
With a flick of his tail, his body glided upward, light and effortless.
When the black dragon's head broke through the surface, the Oro Jackson fell utterly silent.
Everyone stared at him, their faces a mix of emotions.
Shock.
Fear.
Curiosity.
And a thin edge of excitement.
Bullet dropped the beast form.
The black scales receded like a tide. The massive dragon body shrank and twisted, folding back into human shape.
He emerged bare chested, skin unbroken, only streaked here and there with dark green stains from the Sea King's blood.
He swam to the ship, grabbed the hanging rope ladder, and climbed aboard in a few easy motions.
You could have heard a pin drop on the deck.
Bullet wrung the water from his hair and glanced toward Rayleigh.
"It is done."
"There should be other Sea Kings in this area. Should we keep going?"
Rayleigh was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha!"
"Good! Roger really did pick the right one!"
Shanks was the first to rush over, eyes shining.
"What was that just now?"
"How were you breathing underwater?"
"How did the fight feel?"
Buggy had retreated even farther away, muttering under his breath.
"Monster... absolutely a monster..."
Bullet did not answer Shanks right away.
He lowered his gaze to his own hands and felt the power surging inside him.
His body had been strengthened, a step further than before. It did not sound like much.
But at his current level, even a tiny improvement in physical power would normally demand months of grinding training.
And a single battle and devouring had just accomplished the same.
"Devouring evolution..."
He murmured.
"This is Nidhogg's true power."
He raised his head to the distant horizon. A fiercer flame burned in his eyes.
This was only the beginning.
In the sea lurked Sea Kings.
On land walked strange Devil Fruit users.
In Impel Down, monsters of men rotted in chains...
The entire world was his food.
"Mr. Rayleigh."
Bullet spoke up suddenly.
"Hmm?"
"I want to learn advanced underwater combat techniques."
"And if possible, I would like you to tell me which seas have Sea King clusters."
"I need more real fights."
Rayleigh held his gaze for a long moment, then a meaningful smile curved his lips.
"As you wish."
"But before that, you should put on some clothes."
"Running around half naked is hardly decent."
Laughter finally broke out around the deck, and the tension shattered.
Bullet glanced down at his bare torso and, for once, showed a hint of embarrassment.
He strode quickly toward the cabins.
Behind him, Shanks' shout rang out.
"Mister Bullet!"
"Next time we spar, I want to see the full beast form!"
Bullet raised a hand in a small wave without turning back.
But at the corner of his mouth, a barely noticeable smile had already appeared.