The One-Slash Superman of the One Piece World

A crimson blade wreathed in blazing flames sliced toward Bullet's neck with deadly speed.

Seeing Kokushibo Yoriichi suddenly appear beside Bullet, Aokiji couldn't help letting out a muttered complaint. He and Yoriichi had agreed to attack together. Aokiji would enter the field first to draw attention and use his powers to clear out the small fry among the Roger Pirates.

Yoriichi was supposed to arrive afterward, using his long sword to finish off any pirates who had been frozen.

Yet things hadn't gone as planned. Aokiji had only just managed to freeze two pirates when someone intervened to stop him. And Yoriichi hadn't shown up until Bullet had already shattered the ice and launched his counterattack. This made Aokiji inwardly curse him as completely unreliable.

At that moment, though, Yoriichi had no interest in responding to Aokiji's grumbling. Every ounce of his attention was fixed on Bullet. Until he took off his opponent's head, Yoriichi would not allow even the slightest lapse in focus.

From the instant he laid eyes on Bullet, Yoriichi had recognized him. He knew full well that taking Bullet's head would not be an easy feat.

"A brat?!"

"That slash is no ordinary strike!"

Just as the blade was about to connect, Bullet turned his eyes coolly toward Yoriichi. He abruptly pulled back the hand he'd been using to grab at Aokiji, and instead reached out to seize Yoriichi's sword.

Sensing the shift in Bullet's movements, Yoriichi's pupils shrank. Was his opponent really trying to grab his sword with his bare hand?

Yoriichi had witnessed this very same move before — both Zephyr and Garp had tried it.

Could this man, Bullet, also possess Haki so powerful that he could withstand Yoriichi's sword strikes with his bare hands?

"I can't risk betting everything on hitting an opening!"

In an instant, Yoriichi made his decision. The blade, which had been aimed horizontally at Bullet's neck, suddenly shifted direction and swept sideways toward Bullet's waist.

"Hm?!"

Bullet's hand grasped only empty air. The next moment, searing pain stabbed through his abdomen, drawing a low grunt from his throat.

As he glanced toward Yoriichi, the swordsman had already withdrawn several meters, now standing alongside Aokiji. Both of them watched Bullet with wary eyes.

Despite Bullet's youth, his strength was utterly monstrous. Even though Aokiji and Yoriichi had worked together seamlessly, they still hadn't managed to take him down in their first assault.

Scattered across the icy surface, other members of the Roger Pirates were still recovering from the shock. Sensing the situation, Yoriichi and Aokiji exchanged a silent understanding and decided to temporarily withdraw rather than get tangled up in a prolonged fight with Bullet.

"That cut was too shallow. This guy's Haki is unbelievably strong. His defenses are terrifying."

Yoriichi shot a distant glance at Bullet's wound and felt his heart sink. The slash he'd just delivered had been a full-strength attack, yet it had only left a superficial wound. The injury wasn't even severe enough to hamper Bullet's ability to fight.

Bullet's Haki was unbelievably formidable.

"That little punk… actually managed to cut me?!"

Bullet felt the burning pain in his abdomen and looked down to see a gash several centimeters long carved into his side. The skin around the wound was charred black, while the surrounding flesh was red and blistered, as though it had been scorched by flames.

The cut wasn't deep. It had merely sliced through muscle, and the bleeding wasn't significant enough to pose any real threat to Bullet's combat capabilities.

Despite the wound being relatively minor, Bullet's gaze toward Yoriichi and Aokiji was blazing with fury.

And alongside that fury was a powerful fighting spirit.

He'd been wounded!

Since boarding the Oro Jackson, no one other than Captain Roger had ever managed to injure him. And now the person who'd wounded him turned out to be nothing more than a kid.

Judging by his age, he seemed no older than Shanks and the other young rookies on the crew — practically a greenhorn!

"Bullet! Are you alright?!"

"You're hurt! Is it serious?!"

At that moment, the other members of the Roger Pirates finally snapped out of their shock. Aokiji and Yoriichi's attack had come so swiftly and unexpectedly that only those with exceptionally strong Observation Haki had reacted in time. The majority of the crew were just now catching up to what had happened.

Shanks noticed the blood seeping from Bullet's wound and spoke up in concern. Despite Bullet's sometimes abrasive personality, he was still their crewmate, and the bonds among the crew ran deep.

"I'm fine."

"A wound like this is nothing."

Then, with a strangely casual air, Bullet glanced at Shanks and said:

"Speaking of which, Shanks, that kid looks to be about your age."

"He's got crazy strength for someone so young. Reminds me of how strong I was back in my youth!"

Despite being barely under twenty himself, Bullet spoke like a grizzled veteran. Incredibly, he even managed to offer a compliment to Yoriichi, despite the latter being their enemy.

At the same time, his tone was light, clearly showing he didn't consider Aokiji and Yoriichi any serious threat.

While Bullet spoke, the other members of the Roger Pirates were also turning their attention toward Yoriichi, who now stood beside Aokiji.

As for Aokiji, though this was their first time meeting him in person, the crew had at least heard his name. He was one of the Navy's rising stars — a Logia-type Devil Fruit user, and the youngest person in Navy history to attain the rank of Captain.

But the red-haired youth standing beside Aokiji, long sword in hand, was completely unfamiliar.

So young, flaming red hair, wielding such overwhelming power, and clearly a marine from Garp's ship… He stood out starkly, and yet none of the Roger Pirates had ever heard his name.

"Who the hell is that kid? He's the one who just cut Bullet!"

"He's ridiculously strong. Is he some new recruit on Garp's ship?"

"Eh? Wasn't his sword glowing red a second ago? Why's it black now?"

The crew members voiced their questions in varying tones as they sized up Yoriichi. Despite the situation, there was a casual, almost relaxed note in their discussions.

Meanwhile, the two frozen crewmates, Ellio and Yamon, were hauled over and placed in front of Bullet. Bullet activated his Devil Fruit powers, absorbing the ice from their bodies into himself and then expelling it harmlessly.

The Merge-Merge Fruit could be surprisingly convenient at times.

Ellio and Yamon hadn't been frozen for long. Once Bullet removed the ice, they were merely left a little stiff but otherwise unharmed. As they recovered, they rejoined the other crewmates, all of whom were now glaring menacingly toward Aokiji and Yoriichi in the distance.

At that moment, marines from the dog-headed warship were converging behind Aokiji and Yoriichi.

Any marine capable of withstanding the shockwaves from Garp and Roger's Conqueror's Haki clash was undoubtedly among the Navy's elite. Under Bogart's command, they gathered around Aokiji and Yoriichi, matching the Roger Pirates in presence and fighting spirit.

"Hoho?"

"Since when did Garp have so many young marines on his ship?"

"Looks like the Navy's doing a pretty good job raising the next generation!"

At that moment, Rayleigh's voice drifted over from behind the Roger Pirates, drawing a wave of delighted shouts from the crew as they turned and saw Rayleigh approaching with Oden and the others.

Oden had successfully been rescued by Rayleigh. After coughing up several mouthfuls of seawater, he had quickly recovered. Now, aside from a slightly crooked jaw, he looked none the worse for wear — as though nothing had happened at all.

To think that after taking a punch from Garp, the samurai from Wano could remain conscious and upright… It was a testament to Oden's unbelievable durability.

This was, after all, the man who had once taken Whitebeard's punches with his face and endured Roger's Divine Departure with his body.

"Vice-Captain!"

"Rayleigh-san! And Oden-san!"

The crew cried out joyfully as Rayleigh and Oden rejoined their ranks.

Rayleigh stepped forward, smiling at the gathered pirates. His eyes flicked to the wound on Bullet's side, a brief glint of surprise in his gaze. Then he drew his long sword and spoke to the marines:

"Alright, Navy!"

"Get ready!"

"Since you've picked a fight with the Roger Pirates, don't think you're leaving here unscathed!"

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