"Could it be that he has reached Roger's level?"
"No, that's not right."
"I have reached the level of Armament Haki, even surpassing Roger, but as for Conqueror's Haki, I am still not on par with Roger."
Douglas Bullet subconsciously assumed that Rosen had reached Roger's level, but immediately denied it.
It was because he remembered very clearly that if Rosen's Conqueror's Haki truly reached the peak of Gol D. Roger's lifetime, then it would be difficult for him to use the power of the Clank-Clank Fruit now, and even harder to display the "medium bullet" form.
When he was on the Roger Pirates' ship, every time he challenged Gol D. Roger, he would be suppressed by the opponent's overwhelming Conqueror's Haki to the point where his Clank-Clank Fruit was nearly impossible to use.
Although Rosen's Conqueror's Haki has also reached a higher level — just like Doflamingo and Kaido, both of whom possess advanced Conqueror's Haki — there is still a huge difference in strength.
There are also variations in power among those with advanced Haki.
"Although his Conqueror's Haki is slightly inferior to Roger's, his Armament Haki surpasses Roger's — and his Devil Fruit ability, which he has yet to use... Once this man releases all his combat power, it will truly be..."
As this thought crossed Douglas Bullet's mind, a wave of horror surged within him, and he dared not be careless.
Especially when he saw the Susanoo created by Rosen, after drawing its sword, grip the hilt with both hands, raise the massive Haki blade high above its head, and take the stance of a downward slash. Bullet twisted his entire body with all his strength, and an immense aura burst from his body as he tried to tear through the rock and soil that buried him deep underground, attempting to break free before Susanoo's sword descended.
Click.
Boom.
In an instant, Douglas Bullet's pair of mechanical arms tore through the dense rock layers.
They emerged from the earth, pressed against the ground, and forcibly pulled his heavy body up from beneath the surface.
However—
Just as he broke out from underground, Rosen took a single step forward, and Susanoo mirrored the move.
Boom.
Suddenly, deafening thunder erupted above the sea of clouds in the sky, as if the god of thunder were pounding the war drums without pause.
After each earth-shaking roar, the sundered clouds formed two enormous vortexes, and from the center of each descended a massive bolt of black-and-red lightning.
It was like two black dragons descending from the heavens, stirring the seas in all directions.
When the black-and-red lightning fell from the sky, it did not strike the earth or Douglas Bullet, but instead crashed into the Haki long sword held high above Susanoo's head — as if it sought to pierce the very sky.
Zzzzztt.
The violent black lightning coiled around the colossal blade like living dragons, writhing and roaring in mid-air.
Then—
Rosen lightly waved his hands.
At the same moment, Susanoo followed his will and brought down the towering, Haki blade — over a hundred meters long, wrapped in an intense Armament aura — from the sky in a devastating slash.
Boom.
With one strike—
The sea of clouds split apart, as if the sky itself had been cleaved in two.
The boundless white expanse was divided like slices of a cake.
With one strike—
The ground beneath them collapsed and tore open into deep valleys.
The once-solid earth was carved into a canyon.
As Susanoo's Armament-wrapped sword cleaved downward, the oppressive sword pressure tore through the heavens and earth, engulfing Douglas Bullet just as he emerged and sending him flying.
The steel giant, tens of meters tall and weighing as much as a mountain, was flung into the air by the overwhelming force, surrounded by spiraling dust columns and an avalanche of shattered rock.
Crack—!
Even with Armament Haki reinforcing it, the supposedly indestructible steel surface of Bullet's mechanical form began to emit a grating screech as metal fractured under the strain.
And then—
The steel body, hardened by Haki, shattered entirely.
His form exploded into fragments as he reverted back to his human body.
The ultimate fusion of Armament Haki and the Clank-Clank Fruit—
Before Rosen's complete Susanoo, it was destroyed with a single swing.
Bang!
With a thunderous impact, Douglas Bullet was hurled a thousand meters away like a cannonball, smashing through countless towering ancient trees, splintering massive boulders, and finally embedding himself into the side of a mountain, sending up a storm of dust and debris.
"Whether it's the Demon's Heir or the Clank-Clank Fruit, all of it is meaningless."
"Just my complete Susanoo alone."
Rosen stood atop Susanoo's head, gazing down at Douglas Bullet lodged deep in the distant mountains.
Huff—
When Douglas Bullet heard these words, unwillingness flared within him — as if he wanted to deny Rosen's declaration.
His chest heaved as he tried to push himself free from the mountain with his arms and legs. But the moment he exerted force, a heavy pressure crushed down on his chest, and his mouth involuntarily opened to spit out a mist of scarlet blood.
The spray of blood seemed to drain away his last reserves of will and strength. His body went limp, slumping into the mountain, unable to break free as he had done before — unable to rise again for another clash.
"Am I defeated?"
"Not only did I lose to Roger... I lost to this man."
"I couldn't even make him use his Devil Fruit ability."
Douglas Bullet stared into the distance at Rosen, who stood between Susanoo's brows — like a Sovereign atop the very heavens.
He looked upon the armored god of war, towering like a mountain, whose earth-shaking steps made the island tremble again and again as it advanced toward him. For the first time in over a decade, a suffocating mix of powerlessness and unwillingness welled up inside him.
He had not felt this way since those days—
Back then, aboard the Roger Pirates' ship, this sensation came every time he challenged Gol D. Roger.
He had thought that after countless battles and endless training — and with Roger's surrender and execution — he would never again taste defeat, especially not in a one-on-one fight.
But the result—
He tasted it once more.
Bitterness.
Unwillingness.
Helplessness.
All of these emotions churned within his chest.
"Roger..."
"He's dead."
"The only reason I live is to chase the strongest."
Douglas Bullet's eyes grew unfocused, as if he were watching the moment Gol D. Roger was executed, and reliving the countless defeats he had suffered within Roger's crew.
With the start of the Great Pirate Era, he had lost both his home and his purpose.
Now, more than ten years later, he had returned to the seas — only to be defeated again, stripped of the right to even pursue the title of the strongest.
"I..."
"I won't lose again."
"Apart from victory — apart from being the strongest — I have nothing left."
Douglas Bullet glanced down at the military uniform he had always worn — a uniform he had never removed, not when he shattered the War Without End, not when he joined the Roger Pirates, not even during his imprisonment in Impel Down.
He had lost the title of national hero.
He had lost the only opponent he acknowledged.
If he were to lose the strength and victories he had dedicated his life to, then in this vast ocean, he would truly become nothing but a failure.
"Hm?"
"Is that why you wear that uniform all the time?"
"I see... no wonder."
Rosen's eyes glimmered with a faint crimson light.
He had noticed Bullet's gaze toward his uniform, and at the same time, through his Observation Haki, sensed the tangled emotions surging within the Demon's Heir — uncovering a secret of the man unknown to anyone else.
"Rosen!"
...
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