"Boom—! Boom—! Boom—!"
The heavy detonations, like a death knell tolling from the depths of hell, echoed through Infinite Hell.
The fierce clash had already lasted a full three days.
"Demon's Heir" Douglas Bullet had long since unleashed his Demon Form.
His jet-black Haki fused perfectly with his body, turning his frame into a true machine of slaughter.
His speed and strength had both soared to their peak, like a primordial beast breaking free of its chains.
But even so...
The young Marine Rear Admiral standing across from him continued to meet every single one of his attacks head-on.
"..."
The spectators holding Hawke's Justice cloak had already changed out three times.
On the first day, it had been Zoro and Sanji.
After witnessing this clash of kings, their hearts were shaken like never before.
Realizing the gap between themselves and the world's true elites, they could not suppress the tremors and yearning in their hearts. They went of their own accord to Level 5, the Freezing Hell, to begin their own trials.
On the second day, it had been Hibari and Kujaku.
The two flowers of the Marines, after watching an entire day, gained a completely new understanding of power. They too quietly stepped back, dedicating themselves to sharpening their own abilities.
Now, the one watching at the side was Hannibal, face brimming with fervent worship.
He held Hawke's Justice cloak reverently in both hands. Atop the cloak sat a delicate box, where four golden Den Den Mushi, recalled earlier, lay quietly within.
Just then, "glug—glug—"
Magellan clutched his stomach and shuffled slowly over from the direction of the toilets, coming to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Hannibal.
"Hannibal, it's your turn?"
"Mm."
Hannibal nodded vigorously, then lowered his voice to ask,
"Magellan, my idol... just what level is his strength now?"
"This..."
Magellan's expression instantly grew solemn.
"On the first day, the strength that Rear Admiral Hawke displayed... it was but one step away from that of an Admiral."
"At that time, the two of them were still probing, not fighting with their full power."
"On the second day, Bullet unleashed his Demon Form. Rear Admiral Hawke's strength also advanced noticeably, firmly stepping into the level of an ordinary Admiral."
"Now..."
Magellan took a deep breath and looked toward the battlefield.
At the center, with every collision of flesh and bone between those two figures, the space itself trembled faintly.
Fists clad in pitch-black Armament Haki clashed again and again...
The clash of Observation Haki was constant...
Even their Kingly Conqueror's Haki had collided countless times already within Infinite Hell...
Magellan finally spoke, his tone certain.
"Rear Admiral Hawke's strength now..."
"...is already not far from those three—Marine Headquarters' current highest combat power."
"!!!"
"Marine Headquarters' current highest combat power..."
Hannibal sucked in a sharp breath, his voice trembling,
"Admiral Akainu and the others?!"
"Yes."
Magellan nodded.
"Surprising, isn't it..."
From the initial shock, to forcing himself to watch through crippling stomach pains, to now...
He was already numb, already used to it.
This young man's rate of growth defied all common sense.
Perhaps this was why the Fleet Admiral and the three Admirals were willing to go to any lengths to support him...
Such talent was beyond genius.
A true monster—one that could shift the balance of the world itself!!!
The Marines' leg, Impel Down was clinging to for support, was firmly secured!
...
At the center of the battlefield.
"Hah—"
Hawke's fists moved faster and faster, heavier and heavier.
He was utterly immersed in this clash of power. The blood within him boiled, and every cell in his body cheered for this unrestrained battle.
Through this fight, his Peak-level four-dimensional attributes had fully melded together.
Observation Haki no longer needed deliberate "prediction." Every contraction of Bullet's muscles, every rhythm of his breathing, projected clearly in his mind, transforming into pure combat instinct.
Armament Haki flowed with perfect ease, expanding and retracting freely, like an extension of his very body.
His fists had returned to simplicity—every strike and every withdrawal embodied the ultimate destructive essence of simplicity itself.
Observation was his eyes, Armament his armor, physique his foundation, and martial arts his skill.
They were no longer four separate abilities, but had perfectly fused into one whole—Rayne Hawke!
"!!!"
Across from him, Bullet fought on with mounting shock and growing unease.
His heart roared madly.
He had been called a monster by many before. Yet now, he felt this young man before him was the true monster!
On the first day, he had acknowledged this Marine Rear Admiral named Hawke as a genius—his physical strength astonishing, his Haki exceptionally pure—a decent opponent.
But he had absolute confidence that, should he grow serious, he could end this "warm-up" at any time.
On the second day, when he released his Demon Form and pushed his power to its limit, he thought the fight would end in an instant.
But the result...
The opponent's strength rose with him, fighting him to a standstill!
It left Bullet stunned—truly stunned in a way he hadn't felt in years.
And today, on the third day!
Stunned had turned to horrified. Even to..... a flicker of fear, one he himself loathed to admit.
Something was wrong!
Completely wrong!
This brat's punches—they were heavier than yesterday!
His defense—tighter and more impenetrable than yesterday!
His rhythm and skill in battle were growing at an incomprehensible pace.
He wasn't just fighting!
He was... learning!
He was using him—using him, Douglas Bullet, honed through twenty years of brutal self-tempering, strong enough to rival the Yonko themselves—as his whetstone!
Twenty years of lonely, relentless training... in his eyes, was it nothing more than three days of lessons?!
"BASTARD!!!"
Bullet roared in fury, shaking the heavens. He could not accept it!
He was destined to surpass Roger, destined to become the strongest man in the world!
How could he feel a crushing sense of despair from a Marine brat?!
These three days...
He too had noticed.
Though this Marine brat was strong, though he possessed Conqueror's Haki, it seemed... he had not yet mastered Advanced Conqueror's Infusing.
The rule was that without damaging Impel Down, he had to defeat him.
But seeing victory grow ever more hopeless, Bullet decided to break the rules.
The power of Advanced Conqueror's would inevitably damage the surrounding cages, but now, he no longer cared!
This was his only chance!
If he didn't go all out now—there would truly be no hope!
"BOOM—"
Bullet's eyes sharpened, his entire aura of Conqueror's Haki erupting without restraint, clashing violently with Hawke's sovereign presence and shaking the very space around them.
Next, that furious Conqueror's Haki began to coil madly around his right fist!
Pitch-black lightning crackled and snapped at his knuckles!
Then, Bullet hurled the all-or-nothing punch.
"Demon's—Cannon!!!"
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