Just as that thought formed, it was interrupted by a lewd yet calculating voice from the side.
"So that is the case…"
Air Force Marshal Galdino adjusted his glasses, a sharp glint flashing in his narrowed eyes.
"So the World Government has already reached some kind of agreement with the Blackbeard Pirates?"
A deal with the World Government?
Douglas Bullet was slightly surprised, but he did not doubt Galdino's deduction in the slightest.
Although the Marshal's personality was undeniably lewd, and even the application of his Wax-Wax Fruit leaned toward that nature, his intellect and composure fully justified his position.
Every member of the Air Force trusted his judgment.
Even Bullet was no exception.
The World Government had repeatedly attempted to undermine the Sky Island Alliance, sending agents to infiltrate and steal confidential research.
More than once, CP0 operatives had slipped into their territory, only to be exposed by Galdino just as they neared success.
Rather than raising alarms, he used them.
False blueprints and fabricated intelligence, prepared long in advance, were deliberately fed back to the World Government, wasting their resources and leaving them with nothing but silent losses.
Afterward, the captured agents were publicly exposed and executed as spies, a warning broadcast across the world.
Even the allied nations secretly planted by the World Government were purged.
For a long time, it was Galdino's cunning that kept the World Government's schemes in check.
A balance of manipulation against manipulation.
Because of this, Galdino had firmly secured a place on the World Government's assassination list, becoming one of their most despised enemies.
Assassination attempts were frequent, yet none succeeded.
The targets were always wax clones.
The assassins never even glimpsed his true body before being captured and eliminated.
A force that crushes enemies head on, paired with a mind that dismantles them from the shadows, it was a flawless combination.
Still, Bullet found Galdino's inherent lewdness deeply irritating.
More than once, he had nearly punched him to death.
Strictly speaking, he had already destroyed countless wax clones.
But with Galdino's cautious nature, his real body would never appear before someone like Bullet.
…
"I admit your deduction is correct, but…"
Bullet's eyelids twitched as he glared at Galdino, who was still clinging to Shirogai's leg.
"You are the Air Force Marshal. Can you at least act with some dignity?"
"What value does dignity hold compared to power?"
Galdino tightened his grip on Shirogai's leg, shot Bullet a disdainful look, then lifted his head with righteous pride, his eyes filled with admiration.
"The one I am holding is someone capable of overwhelming the entire World Government alone. Sky Demon, do you not understand Shirogai-sama's worth?"
"If you were not the Marshal, I would have crushed you already."
Bullet sneered, then turned toward the Air Force soldiers on the ship.
Seeing their excited gazes fixed on Shirogai, his expression darkened instantly.
"Bastards, what are you staring at? Have you forgotten who you are?"
A trace of Conqueror's Haki laced his voice.
"Do you want a one on one spar with me?"
The soldiers trembled, their hearts sinking into despair.
No.
Whether they were Shandia natives or warriors from the Blue Sea, one memory resurfaced in all of them.
Training under the Sky Demon General.
It was nothing short of hell.
A one on one, in Bullet's terms, meant him alone against thousands.
It sounded like a disadvantage, but in reality, it was thousands being overwhelmed by a single man.
"We are finished… We were just too excited seeing Shirogai-sama…"
An old veteran muttered bitterly, staring at the cruel smile forming on Bullet's face.
"We broke discipline, and Sky Demon General saw it. We are done for once we return…"
His expression was as bitter as poison.
As a veteran from the earliest days, he knew exactly what awaited them.
And yet, compared to the past, Bullet had already become far more restrained.
The first time they met him, it was pure terror.
The memory resurfaced vividly.
"Hmph. So you are the so called elites of the Air Force?"
Back then, Bullet had stood before them in a prisoner's uniform, mocking them without restraint.
That single remark ignited resentment among the ranks.
A pirate, once imprisoned by the Marines, standing above them as an Admiral?
Many could not accept it.
If not for strict discipline, they would have challenged him immediately.
"What, not convinced?"
Bullet's sneer widened as he scanned the crowd.
"I am not looking down on any one of you. I am saying all of you are worthless."
That statement ignited their fury completely.
Before they could respond, Bullet raised his hand toward the nearly two thousand soldiers present, his laughter filled with brutality.
"Come. If you are dissatisfied, fight me. All of you, against me."
He cracked his fists.
"I will not use Conqueror's Haki. That would be excessive."
"And I will not use the power of my Devil Fruit."
His grin turned savage.
"A bare handed fight will be enough. Let me see if any of you are worthy of standing under me. I do not tolerate weakness."
The next moment, chaos erupted.
Bodies were sent flying one after another, screams filling the air as Bullet tore through them using nothing but raw physical strength.
Fortunately, Galdino had anticipated the outcome.
The Sky Island medical team had already been stationed nearby, rushing in to treat broken limbs and revive those on the brink of death.
By the end of that day, the ground was stained red.
Nearly forty percent of the recruits withdrew.
And Bullet stood there, completely unscathed.
That battle cemented his reputation.
From that moment on, those who remained no longer questioned him.
They respected him.
They feared him.
They admired him.
And in every battle that followed, Bullet's relentless fighting style taught them a single truth.
The mercy he had shown that day was vast enough to rival the entire Blue Sea.