Chapter 23: Logia-type: Mercury-Mercury Fruit!

Loya surveyed the boy standing before him.

His first impression was: why is he so tall? They were the same age, yet the boy was nearly one and a half times his height. He wore a ragged, ill-fitting military uniform, and his golden hair, unwashed for a long time, was matted with dried blood. He stood bolt upright like a javelin; despite the many wounds on his body, his spirit was remarkably vibrant.

At the same time, Bullet was also observing Loya. In the military, he had seen many children, but he had never seen one like this. Clean, adorable, dressed in exquisite clothing, with an innocent smile.

"Sir?"

Bullet looked toward his commanding officer, Douglas Gray, in confusion, not understanding what this child meant by saying he would be following him from now on.

"Cough, cough."

Douglas Gray, the commander of the youth soldier unit, wiped the sweat from his forehead. He stole a cautious glance at Loya before puffing out his chest once more in front of Bullet. "Bullet, I saw your performance! It was outstanding! Therefore, I have decided to award you this year's medal!"

"Really?"

Young Bullet’s eyes lit up instantly. His gaunt face was completely filled with surprise, and his voice stuttered, "Sir, I... can I really have it?"

"Of course! Bullet! Stand tall! You are the soldier I am most proud of!"

Bullet instinctively stood at attention. Gray stepped forward and pinned a medal to Bullet's chest. The craftsmanship of the medal was hardly refined—it was little more than a child's toy. Yet, Bullet’s eyes filled with tears of excitement. A young, peerless warrior who dominated on the battlefield, he finally showed a child’s side. He wanted to reach out and touch the medal but was afraid his filthy hands would soil it, so he simply sniffled, keeping his head bowed and staring at it intensely.

*Coming here was the right choice,* Loya thought, smiling even more broadly as he watched the boy’s moved expression.

Bullet would only succumb to madness after enduring three great setbacks. The first was at age eight, just as he was about to receive his long-coveted medal, when his comrades betrayed him, not only stealing the medal but trying to kill him. The second was at fourteen, when Gray promised him freedom if he destroyed an enemy nation, only to betray him after the deed was done. The third was on Roger’s ship, where he had finally begun to adapt to life with companions, only for Roger to fall terminally ill, leaving Bullet with no possibility of ever surpassing him. After Roger’s death, Bullet finally spiraled into total madness.

*Sigh, Roger, you fellow! You are a femme fatale! Repent!*

However, before experiencing these setbacks, Bullet was truly a model soldier.

"Bullet!" Gray suddenly barked.

"Yes, sir!" Bullet stood straight instinctively.

"Since you have received your medal, I am assigning you a mission that only you can execute!" Gray’s voice was stern, though he couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He knew better than anyone that his youth unit’s rising fame was entirely due to Bullet, a natural-born monster.

"Yes!" Bullet replied without hesitation, his face full of pride.

"Listen well, Bullet," Gray pointed at Loya. "From today on, you are the bodyguard of Lord Loya here! You are to obey his commands absolutely! Ignore the orders of everyone else, except his! That includes me! You must defend his safety with your life!"

Bullet’s eyes held a flicker of doubt, but he had been raised to obey orders.

"Yes!"

The boy’s response was crisp and clear, without a moment’s hesitation.

"Very good." Gray nodded, feigning satisfaction, then carefully looked at Loya. "Lord Loya, what do you think..."

*Why on earth did the remnants of the Rocks Pirates have to visit this godforsaken country?* When this boy was brought over by his superior, Gray had nearly died of fright. Although Loya was a child, he was still an officer of the Rocks Pirates—hardly someone he could afford to provoke. He had no choice but to hand Bullet over obediently.

"Bullet," Loya said with a smile, raising his hand to point at Gray. "Punch him with everything you've got."

Bullet hesitated for a second, instinctively looking at Gray. Although he followed orders, this command was...

Seeing the boy look at him, Gray broke into a cold sweat. "Bullet! Have you forgotten my teachings? Obey orders!"

Bullet nodded firmly, then stepped forward. He swung his right fist back, twisted his waist, and unleashed the punch. A seven-year-old boy’s fist slammed heavily into Gray’s stomach. Gray was instantly bent into the shape of a shrimp, eyes bulging, blood spraying from his mouth as he flew backward like a cannonball.

*Damn brat! Could you at least pull your punches a little?!*

"Very good, full of spirit!" Loya was satisfied. *That’s a good boy.*

Dylan, who had been standing quietly behind Loya, looked at Bullet with astonishment. Such power—this was no ordinary child. Just like Lord Loya, he was a gifted individual! As expected of Lord Loya, to know that such an unpolished gem existed in this backwater.

"From now on, just like you did just now, you only need to listen to my orders." Loya jumped up and patted Bullet on the shoulder. *There are just too many tall people in this world!*

"Yes, Lord Loya!" Bullet no longer had any hesitation. Just like before, he didn't need to think too much; he just needed to obey orders! Only now, he would be obeying Lord Loya’s commands!

"Good boy. As a reward," Loya reached into his pocket and pulled out the Devil Fruit he had snatched from God Valley, handing it to Bullet. "Eat it."

Although he didn't know the exact nature of this fruit's power, it had to be better than the Clank-Clank Fruit. While an awakened Clank-Clank Fruit looked impressive, it had too many limitations. It was too reliant on external objects, and if the fused material was destroyed, the user suffered damage. Finally, without Bullet's Haki, the monsters created were quite fragile. At the end of the day, Bullet was the strong one, while the fruit was a pure "free-ride" ability.

*So, let’s give him a different fruit.*

"Yes!" Bullet didn't hesitate; he opened his mouth and swallowed the fruit, which was slightly larger than his fist. Devil Fruits were notoriously foul-tasting, but the young soldier’s face didn't change—he had eaten far worse things than this.

"How do you feel?" Loya asked curiously. He couldn't help but wonder: what kind of power was held in a fruit that had been kept alongside the Azure Dragon and Paw-Paw fruits?

"Reporting! Nothing—" Bullet, in the middle of his report, suddenly narrowed his eyes. "I feel it!"

Almost instinctively, the power dormant within him was triggered. Loya watched as Bullet’s body faded, instantly transforming into a silver humanoid figure. His body was composed of a silver liquid that dripped onto the ground in large pools, turning into silver beads.

"Careful, Lord Loya!" Dylan immediately stepped in front of Loya, shielding him with his body. "This appearance... it must be mercury!"

"Huh? Mercury? A Logia type?" Loya sighed, quite disappointed. Before the era of Haki, Logia users were invincible, but after the power creep, Mythical Zoans were the stronger class. And mercury didn't seem as impressive as the top-tier Logia fruits.

"It seems... I can change it further," Bullet said.

His silver body shifted again; the liquid evaporated, turning into a hazy gas.

"It’s hot!" Loya felt the heat wave hitting him. He was astonished. "There’s a second elemental form? It turned into mercury vapor?"

Mercury vapor was incredibly hot. And it was highly toxic! This was getting interesting. Liquid mercury’s density was 1.7 times that of iron, which was perfect for martial arts—he could emulate Katakuri, creating giant, hundred-meter-wide, hundred-thousand-ton mercury fists powered by Bullet’s strength and Haki. Who wouldn't fear that? And gaseous mercury was even more intriguing, with high temperatures rivaling the Flame-Flame Fruit, plus its toxic properties. It was a vastly superior version of the Smoker’s Smoke-Smoke Fruit.

*Wait, highly toxic?*

"Bullet, change back, quickly," Loya said immediately. It didn't matter to him—he could just absorb the black mist and recover—but Dylan was an ordinary human.

"Yes!" Bullet returned to his original form immediately.

Loya admired the boy even more. When Luffy first became a Rubber Man, he couldn't even control his powers.

"Do you like it?" Loya asked with a smile.

"Reporting, Lord Loya! I love it!" Bullet’s face beamed. He didn't know what a Devil Fruit was, but he knew he now possessed a very powerful ability!

"Then, would you like to test your new power?"