No reason!
There was no reason for this!
His Haki had grown far stronger than the last time they fought.
Especially his mastery of Conqueror's Haki Infusion—compared to when he had just grasped it, his current control was on an entirely different level.
With full power poured into his dual-color Haki defense, there shouldn't be many in this world capable of breaking through it!
So how could it be shattered so easily?
He couldn't understand. Bullet simply couldn't understand.
Haki was supposed to be the power that reigned above all!
With a casual swing, Ian's crimson blade carved a massive wound across the chest of the colossal monster. Yet, he frowned with regret.
"Almost forgot… I can't cause too much destruction."
If this giant were completely destroyed, then the fleet that had been gathered with so much effort would be ruined as well.
That was something Ian could never allow.
The scarlet sword in his hand twisted and reshaped itself into a spiral blade, glowing red as it spun like a massive drill.
In the next instant, Ian kicked off the air, lightning flashing around him as he hurled himself into the gaping wound he had just carved. The flaming drill pierced forward with unstoppable force.
"Bastard!!"
Bullet's face twisted in shock. It truly felt as though someone was drilling straight into his chest. The searing, bone-deep pain drained the blood from his face.
But what truly horrified him was not the pain—it was the realization.
Was his power… his Haki… really this fragile before Ian's flames?
He had no time to think further. A sudden flash of crimson blazed in front of him.
Bullet instinctively turned his head, just as the spiral blade of scarlet flame scraped past his ear.
Cold sweat broke across his forehead, but it evaporated instantly under the unbearable heat.
And yet, his heart felt colder than ice.
"Impossible!!"
His voice cracked with disbelief. "How can this be happening?!"
The awakening he had fought so hard to seize on the edge of life and death—how could it feel so powerless now?
Then what had all his efforts been for?
"Don't belittle yourself."
Ian pressed his left hand firmly against Bullet's face, slamming him back into the writhing mass of violet-black matter behind him.
With his right hand, he drew back the spiral blade and slowly aimed it toward Bullet's chest.
A calm smile spread across his face.
"At the very least, you forced me to use my ability."
It was only Surtur, the Soul Weapon!
"Ian!!"
Bullet roared as his head was forced down, struggling wildly before he simply canceled his fusion state. His arms turned pitch black as he swung them furiously toward Ian. "Come on!!"
Ian only smirked at the corner of his lips, not even bothering to block or dodge. The crimson sword had already pierced into Bullet's chest.
The Armament Haki hardening of his body was utterly useless—shattered as if it didn't exist.
"Waaahhh!!"
Bullet's frenzied punches suddenly stopped.
A hole more than ten centimeters wide gaped open in his chest, and even part of his organs had been erased into nothingness.
"You've got to be kidding me…"
The Demon Heir stared at Ian in disbelief. "How could the difference be this big?"
Even if he were to lose, it shouldn't have been in such a humiliating way!
Bullet had never imagined Ian's power had already reached such a terrifying level.
To think he could be left completely powerless before him!
Ian chuckled lightly. "You were too arrogant, Bullet. You knew about my ability—so why did you treat it as nothing?"
More than half a year had passed since their last clash. In that time, Ian's flames had grown even stronger.
A year ago, his Flame of Destruction was already powerful enough to pierce through the Haki of a Yonko. Now, his crimson fire had become even more unstoppable.
Bullet's Haki was formidable, but not stronger than Kaido's… nor Whitebeard's, who Ian had fought before.
Naturally, there was no way it could withstand the Flame of Destruction.
And if one couldn't resist that flame, then they had no right to face Ian head-on.
From the very beginning, Bullet had chosen the wrong strategy.
"Well then," Ian said with a faint smile, "I'd say this means I win, don't you think?"
If this didn't count as a victory, Ian truly didn't know what did.
And if Bullet dared deny it, then in the next instant, the crimson sword would pierce his chest again and erase him entirely.
Ian despised those who broke their promises.
Bullet's face stiffened.
He never expected the outcome to be like this.
He thought that after all his training, he had grown much stronger.
His Devil Fruit awakening, his mastery of Conqueror's Haki infusion, his internal destruction with Armament Haki, even his ability to glimpse the future with Observation Haki—all had reached incredible levels.
Yet, before Ian, he was still no better than he had been in their past encounters.
So strong!
Bullet stared blankly at Ian, who had his sword pointed straight at Bullet's chest. A sudden thought surfaced in his mind.
This guy… he's stronger than Roger!
Just like he claimed when he made that bet earlier—he had indeed grown stronger than Roger!
"I lost."
Bullet didn't even know how the words slipped from his mouth.
Yet strangely, it felt light.
As if the words carried no weight at all.
He spoke them casually, almost as though he had never truly resisted the idea in the first place.
"Good."
Ian dismissed the spiral sword in his hand and patted Bullet's shoulder with satisfaction. "Welcome aboard, Bullet. From today onward, you're my crewmate."
Bullet froze, his expression uncertain.
A crewmate?
Long ago… someone else had once said the same thing to him.
"Now then, Bullet," Ian continued, "your first task—restore all the ships back to their original state."
Bullet fell silent for a moment, but soon activated his ability. The massive monster he had created began to unravel, its parts breaking down and reforming into the ships they had once been.
All except for one vessel. That ship had already been reduced to rubble, destroyed earlier by Ian's own hands.
Stepping lightly on the air, Ian descended to the ground and nodded faintly.
One ship, in exchange for Bullet's allegiance—that was a trade worth making.
"Next, we'll tend to your injuries," Ian said calmly without looking back. "Then, you're coming with me to Wano."
"Wano?"
Bullet, pale-faced and landing with Moonwalk just like Ian, looked at him in surprise. "Why are we going there?"
Then, his eyes widened with sudden realization, excitement flashing across his face. "You've gathered forces—are you planning to fight Kaido?"
Ian gave a slight nod. "It's time to unify the entire Beasts Pirates."
"Interesting!"
Bullet's lips curved into a smirk. "A fight with Kaido? How about leaving that guy to me?"
**********
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