At that moment, Bullet finally understood why Ortoren had once called him a "frog in a well."
This Vice Admiral was nothing like that G-5 guy, Wolf.
His super-alloy defense—something that had even blocked Rayleigh's slash—had just been smashed apart in such a crude and direct way. Bullet hadn't expected that at all.
Could this man be even stronger than Rayleigh?
That was his first thought, but then the truth hit him—damn it, Rayleigh had held back back then!
That old man tricked me!
Because Rayleigh had gone easy on him, Bullet had made a false judgment of his own strength. And since then, he hadn't actually fought top-tier masters like Shiki, the Red Count, or Whitebeard.
The strongest opponent he'd clashed with was someone like Crocodile, which meant he never got a true sense of the gap between himself and the real elite.
Only now, facing Ortoren, did Bullet realize just how foolish he'd been.
Still, as a veteran forged in countless battles, his mindset adjusted quickly. He didn't let that realization shake his composure.
He steadied himself and slowly rose from the rubble of the reef.
By now, he clearly understood the insurmountable difference in physical prowess between himself and Ortoren. Victory wouldn't come from martial arts alone.
He was a Devil Fruit user, after all.
"The fight's only just starting. Don't get ahead of yourself, bastard..." Bullet muttered, his eyes shadowed as he glared at Ortoren.
The moment he spoke, an unknown energy rippled out from beneath his feet. The island itself seemed to come alive, trembling, twisting, and changing.
Ortoren sensed it immediately. He turned his eyes toward the distant port town at the edge of the beach. The buildings there were already collapsing under Bullet's power, crumbling in an instant. The ruins then surged forward in a massive torrent, rushing toward Bullet.
Through his Observation Haki, Ortoren saw the truth—it wasn't just the port town. The entire island was changing. Buildings fell, mountains collapsed, underground hot springs erupted wildly.
The whole island of Frania had become Bullet's domain.
That torrent of wreckage swallowed Bullet hundreds of meters away. Rubble and debris reassembled at blinding speed, forming materials so alien that even Ortoren couldn't make sense of them.
But he made no move to stop him. Instead, Ortoren calmly pulled a cigarette from his pocket, clenched it between his lips, and chose not to light it with his powers. Instead, he flipped open an ornate flint lighter, igniting it with a steady flame.
After taking a drag, he snapped the lighter shut, slipping it back into his pocket. It was a gift from Gion when he'd left headquarters.
Exhaling smoke, Ortoren clicked his tongue. "So you're finally showing off that fusion ability? Good. I'm looking forward to it."
From what he remembered, Bullet could merge with everything on an island, evolving into a monstrous form like some kind of "Godzilla."
That form was terrifying. A single blow could shatter the island. With Bullet's mastery of Haki, he could even coat that enormous body in Armament Haki, making the combination nearly unstoppable.
Ortoren was genuinely interested. More than anything, he wanted to see just how massive this thing could become.
...
Meanwhile, not far from Frania Island, the White Whale Moby Dick had appeared on the sea.
On the deck, Newgate stood with a flask in hand, drinking as he watched the island changing on the horizon.
"Roger's ship only ever churned out monsters..." Newgate arched a brow, giving his verdict.
Yet the casual tone on his face made it clear—Bullet's transformation was nothing more than "a show" in his eyes. To the world's strongest man, even an island-sized giant was just something that could be shattered with a single punch.
And if one punch wasn't enough, two or three would certainly do the job.
"Oyaji, the real monster should be that Marine named Benn, don't you think?" Marco said, lowering his binoculars with a sigh.
They had watched the entire fight between Ortoren and Bullet. At first, Marco thought it might be evenly matched. But the longer he watched, the clearer it became—Benn Ortoren had completely crushed Bullet.
From the rhythm of the fight to his very demeanor, Ortoren had never once taken Bullet seriously. Instead, it was as if he were toying with him.
When Newgate mentioned Bullet, he called him a monster, but his eyes showed nothing but disdain. Yet when Marco brought up Ortoren, Newgate froze mid-drink. His eyes grew sharp as he muttered, "You're right. That guy... he's a troublesome one."
Though he had never crossed fists with Ortoren—or even met him—Newgate's instincts as one of the world's top fighters told him enough. Just from observing the battle and weighing things in his mind, he could already sense how dangerous Ortoren was.
With extraordinary physical strength paired with the Goro Goro no Mi, Newgate had mulled it over long and hard, only to arrive at a grim conclusion.
Benn Ortoren wasn't just powerful—he was balanced. Perfectly balanced. At least, Newgate couldn't spot a single obvious weakness.
That made him all the more dangerous.
Right now, Ortoren might not have reached the absolute summit of the world. But if a fighter this complete, this hexagonal, ever grew to his full potential, he'd be a real threat—even to Whitebeard himself.
...
On the island, the monster Bullet had fused into was reaching its peak.
Its massive body had shifted its weight from the beach to the island's center, planting itself in the mountain range that once brimmed with hot springs.
Now it loomed taller than those very mountains, even larger than Marineford's Justice Fortress itself.
In terms of sheer presence, this creature was the most intimidating foe Ortoren had ever laid eyes on.
Even the slightest swing of its arm sent tremors through the entire island, as if the ground itself was straining under the beast's crushing weight.
Back on the beach, Ortoren clenched his cigarette between his teeth. After exhaling the final puff of smoke, he flicked the butt to the ground and ground it out with his boot.
"A cigarette's time... not too slow," he said with a faint smile tugging at his lips.
The beast glared at him with crimson eyes. Ortoren wasn't entirely sure whether Bullet's body had completely merged with the monster, or if he was just forcing the form together and piloting it from within like some giant mech.
"But it doesn't matter. The reason I let you take the time to reach this form was simple—I wanted to see for myself if my Bull of Heaven is as strong as I believe it to be," Ortoren said with a grin.
With those words, his body erupted into lightning, soaring a hundred meters into the sky. His eyes gleamed with dazzling thunderlight, and arcs of electricity poured from him in waves.
In that instant, Ortoren seemed to become the very incarnation of thunder, reshaping the heavens above the island—and the sea beyond.
Endless lightning surged from his body, spearing into the sky in radiant columns. The once-white clouds began to churn and darken.
In only a few breaths, the clouds spread to cover the entire island, soaking in shadow. Silver serpents of lightning slithered across the heavy black canopy overhead.
Though it was broad daylight, the island had been plunged into darkness, as if swallowed by night.
Now, the towering beast on the ground and the raging storm above had become the twin protagonists of the world.
The monster sensed danger, bellowing in fury at Ortoren high above. His cloak, emblazoned with the word "Justice," whipped violently in the storm winds.
"I'll wield the power of thunder to enforce justice, to shatter the darkness—feel the wrath of the clouds themselves..." A wild grin split Ortoren's face as his gaze locked onto the beast. After a brief pause, he roared, "Bull of Heaven!!!"
The moment his voice fell, a deep, thunderous bellow echoed from the sky, the roar of a colossal bull. Lightning erupted in blinding fury.
Across the sea, everyone who looked skyward could see it—a thunder-forged bull the size of an island, raging within the dark clouds.
"Gurararara..." On the deck of the Moby Dick, Newgate burst into booming laughter. "What an unbelievable guy!"