〖The fierce battle had filled the area with endless dust and smoke.
Suddenly, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed as a tall figure emerged from the haze.
"Straw Hat, you're not bad."
The figure was none other than Douglas Bullet, who had stood up once again.
He looked at Luffy and laughed.
"To be honest, I don't dislike people with strength. But to realize my ambition, to become the strongest, I must kill you and all your subordinates."
Hearing Bullet's words, Luffy shouted, "Do whatever you want to me, but I won't allow you to lay a hand on my crewmates!"
"Such a nostalgic statement. Still as nauseating as ever."
Bullet smiled mockingly and slammed his right fist into the ground, causing the earth to split open.
"On this battlefield, only the strongest can dominate this ocean. Strength is everything."
As Bullet's words fell, to everyone's astonishment, a submarine suddenly burst forth, appearing before them.
"See this? This is my ship. And this ship is loaded with countless weapons and steel. Next, I'll let you witness what true hell and despair look like."
Barrett laughed, using the power of his Paramecia-type Merge-Merge Fruit. "Armed Union!"〗
[Pirate 1: What's going on? Why is the form of Bullet's submarine suddenly changing?]
[Pirate 2: That seems to be Bullet's Devil Fruit ability. If I remember correctly, his Devil Fruit power is also incredibly strong.]
[Pirate 3: He's already so powerful himself, and his Devil Fruit ability is also this strong? How can this be? With this, Bullet is simply unbeatable!]
[Pirate 4: But what exactly is this transformation? I've never seen anything like it.]
[Donquixote Doflamingo: Fufufufu... Awakening? Bullet, you are indeed interesting.]
[Civilian 1: What's Awakening? It sounds very powerful.]
[Pirate 5: Generally, Devil Fruit users only possess the basic abilities of their fruit. But very few can reach a higher realm: Awakening. An Awakened user can assimilate the world around them. Right now, Bullet intends to do just that.]
[Civilian 2: Is that true? But an Awakened ability that can assimilate the world... that's too terrifying!]
[Pirate 6: Indeed. If the Merge-Merge Fruit is Awakened, and he has enough material to merge with, then he's practically unstoppable. Straw Hat and the others are probably in danger.]
[Pirate 7: No way? Are the Supernovas really going to meet their end here?]
[Pirate 8: Very likely. Didn't you hear what the Roger Pirates said earlier? Barrett at his peak could only be completely suppressed by the Pirate King Roger himself. Straw Hat and the others are not on the same level as the Pirate King at all.]
[Pirate 9: I quite like Straw Hat. I'd hate to see him get taken out like this.]
[Pirate 10: Don't worry, that's just a future recording. Right now, Straw Hat and the others are alive and well. And now, with the sky screen, this future scenario definitely won't happen again.]
[Bartolomeo: Hmph! Even in the video, Senior Luffy will definitely win!]
[Pirate 11: You really are a fanboy of Luffy's. But looking at it now, Bullet's sinister plot in reality probably won't succeed, right? After seeing the sky screen, who would be foolish enough to attend some Pirate Festival?]
[Douglas Bullet: Are you sure? That treasure of the Pirate King... you really don't want to obtain it? I guarantee it's something everyone desires, hahahaha!]
[Big News Morgans: Just what is the Pirate King's treasure? Why is Douglas Bullet, even after his plot has been exposed, still so confident that we will attend the Pirate Festival? It's so intriguing. I'm sure this is big news!]
On the sky screen, Douglas Barrett's words made everyone even more curious about what the Pirate King's treasure was.
Meanwhile, in the video, Bullet's new form appeared before everyone.
〖Around Bullet, the entire submarine began to be covered by a dark purple substance.
Bullet himself stood atop the submarine, addressing the Supernovas.
"As a merger who has eaten the Merge-Merge Fruit, I can merge with anything and reshape it. I already possess immense strength myself. Now, combined with this powerful ability, the strongest me stands before you.
You should understand, right? The weak cannot survive on this ocean. Just like that long-nosed guy earlier. A subordinate who's useless... I suggest you discard him sooner rather than later, Straw Hat."
Hearing Bullet's words, Luffy immediately retorted loudly without hesitation.
"You idiot, what are you talking about? If you don't have crewmates, you can't throw a banquet!"
Bullet clearly didn't expect Luffy's reason for refuting him to be this. He fell silent for a moment before speaking again.
"You're the hopeless idiots here! Those so-called 'crewmates' are a weakness. Even the man known as the strongest, Whitebeard, died saving his subordinates.
And the one called the Pirate King, Roger, was the same. Those who died are all failures. People like them, who always have 'crewmates' on their lips, have their limits. But I'm different from them. My strength is solely for my own victory."
As Bullet spoke, he became more and more enraptured. But Luffy remained completely unmoved, instead interrupting him angrily.
"I will absolutely not lose to someone like you!"
Hearing Luffy's rebuttal, Bullet raised the treasure chest everyone had been fighting over and laughed uproariously.
"Ga-ha-ha-ha-ha! Since you're so eager to prove yourself, then try to take this thing back from me! Seeing as you're all about to die, I'll tell you the answer.
The thing inside this box is the true treasure of the Pirate King, Roger! Because what's inside... is the One Piece you all dream of!" 〗
[Everyone: !!!]
[Pirate 1: Wh-what did he say? Did I hear correctly? Barrett, what did he say?]
[Pirate 2: No way? That small chest contains... One Piece? How is that possible?]
[Pirate 3: That's the legendary great treasure! How could it possibly be contained in such a small chest? And One Piece should be on that final island!]
[Pirate 4: This is impossible! Bullet must be lying. After all, he wants to become the Pirate King too, right? Why would he just reveal One Piece like this?]