One Piece: Starting in God Valley as a Slave

Borsalino slowly withdrew his hands from his pockets. His body dissolved into countless photons, ascending into the sky and reassembling into a blinding golden flash.

When the light subsided, Borsalino's figure hovered midair, arms crossed before his chest, each hand radiating a cross-shaped glow.

Seeing this, Rayleigh, who had faced him before, frowned and remarked,

"It's him again. It seems his target is here."

As he spoke, a wave of Conqueror's Haki emanated from Rayleigh, crackling like lightning. He unsheathed his sword, his sharp gaze locking onto the airborne Borsalino.

At that moment, Borsalino spread his arms wide, releasing a rain of light projectiles accompanied by the words:

"Yasakani no Magatama!"

(T/N: is an extremely devastating attack. Kizaru activates this technique by crossing his arms and using both hands to fire a torrent of deadly light particles.)

The golden projectiles descended like a storm upon the Oro Jackson. Rayleigh was about to intercept them, but Roger held him back. In that instant, Bullet, already in his monstrous Devil Fruit form, charged into the barrage.

Explosions rang out as Bullet plummeted from the sky, landing heavily on the icy ground below. His Haki-coated, pitch-black skin was speckled with golden burns, wisps of smoke rising from the marks.

Above, Borsalino dispersed into photons once more, only to reappear in front of Bullet.

Bullet cracked his thick, barrel-like neck with a sinister grin and growled,

"Attacking the Oro Jackson? You've got some guts!"

Borsalino smirked, his tone as lazy as ever.

"A monster's appeared, neh~?"

With a casual wave of his hand, he materialized a gleaming sword of light. Meanwhile, Bullet crouched, planting his hands on the ice. Activating the powers of his Clank-Clank Fruit, he absorbed massive chunks of ice, restructuring and compressing them into crystalline knuckles.

Haki surged around the icy weapons, their durability reinforced to an extraordinary degree. Borsalino's expression turned serious, his light sword growing more concentrated.

In the blink of an eye, Bullet launched himself like a cannonball. The ice beneath him shattered with every step, his momentum utterly overwhelming.

As Bullet closed the distance, he swung his fist down with destructive force.

Boom!

The light sword and the reinforced knuckles clashed, sending shockwaves rippling outward. Stray beams of golden light caused explosions across the ice.

Bullet and Borsalino emerged from the brilliant collision, now locked in close combat. For someone like Borsalino, whose strengths lay in ranged attacks, the confrontation was clearly disadvantageous.

Bullet relentlessly pursued him, leaving no opportunity for Borsalino to create distance. Without space to deploy techniques like Yata no Kagami, Borsalino was forced to continuously retreat.

As they fought, Borsalino recalled Zephyr's stern advice:

"Don't rely too much on your Devil Fruit powers! Focus on mastering your Haki and martial skills!"

It was a sentiment that annoyed Borsalino to no end. He considered his Haki and combat abilities respectable—admittedly weaker than Akainu's, and certainly nowhere near someone like Carl. But compared to most, he was leagues ahead.

However, facing a physical powerhouse like Bullet, he finally acknowledged his shortcomings. He made a mental note: Train harder in close combat when I return.

Their battle raged on, each exchange more intense than the last. After dozens of clashes, Borsalino's movements briefly faltered, allowing Bullet to land a devastating punch to his abdomen. The sheer force sent Borsalino flying backward.

Bullet prepared to pursue, but suddenly, the ice below erupted in a torrent of molten rock. A column of magma surged upward, blocking Bullet's path.

Borsalino quickly stabilized himself, landing gracefully on the ice with a wipe of the blood at his lips. He glanced at the molten pillar and muttered,

"Always so punctual, Sakazuki."

Emerging from the magma, Akainu strode forward with his usual grim expression. Upon hearing Borsalino's comment, a faint smile tugged at the corners of his mouth—a rare occurrence, almost imperceptible beneath his magma-smeared face.

Bullet, oblivious to Akainu's demeanor, grinned savagely and said,

"I've heard of you. Even Rayleigh and that flashy monkey hold your strength in high regard."

Akainu scoffed disdainfully.

"Being recognized by pirates is an insult."

Whoosh!

Borsalino flashed beside Akainu, standing shoulder-to-shoulder. Behind his tinted glasses, his eyes narrowed dangerously.

"That was rather rude…"

Bullet tilted his head, his smirk widening.

"Since when do pirates care about manners?"

"Fair point," Borsalino replied with a shrug.

Before the banter could continue, Akainu struck without warning. A massive magma fist surged forward, aiming squarely at Bullet's face.

Bullet barely had time to react before the molten attack landed, his face shielded by Haki. The impact left his skin blistered, the burns turning into grotesque, blackened scars under the Haki's reinforcement.

Borsalino blinked, momentarily reminded of Carl's unpredictability. Akainu's abrupt assault mirrored Carl's style—swift, decisive, and utterly merciless.

Yet, Akainu seemed dissatisfied.

"If I'd used Ryusei Kazan, I could've blasted his head clean off," he muttered under his breath.

But even Akainu had limits—such moves required time to charge.

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+210 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg