Chapter 205: The Armament Haki in Marvel

The guy who had shot Frank Castle stood there, stunned, as the Punisher emerged unscathed, the bullet having left nothing but a faint bruise. The man stammered, "What the... how...!"

Before he could finish his words, Frank moved with a speed that defied logic—his body nothing but a black blur. He appeared in front of the guy in an instant, grabbing his throat with a vice-like grip and lifting him effortlessly off the ground. The man gasped, his legs flailing wildly in panic.

Frank's arm, as if fueled by some otherworldly power, turned a deep, glossy black. The man's fingers grasped at Frank's transformed arm, but he felt only a surface as hard and cold as steel.

"Scumbag," Frank snarled.

In an instant, with a sickening crunch, the man's head was reduced to a bloody pulp, the body dropping limp in Frank's grasp. Frank looked down at the gory scene, expressionless.

Suddenly, Frank heard movement behind him. Turning, he saw three black SUVs approaching slowly. He didn't need to guess—it was obvious these were reinforcements. Without hesitation, Frank drew his gun and fired a single shot.

The bang of the shot echoed, but what stood out was that the bullet was black—just like his arm had turned. The bullet streaked forward, piercing through the first vehicle. Within seconds, the car erupted in flames, exploding violently.

But it didn't stop there. The same black bullet continued its deadly path, slamming into the second SUV, which also burst into a fireball, and finally drilling through the third, leaving all three cars in smoldering ruins—all with one single shot.

Looking at the burning wreckage, Frank allowed a small smile to curve his lips. He held out his hand, which turned into the same ominous black hue as before. He whispered, "Quite the gift you've given me, Jon."

The following day, Frank called Jon to tell him about his newfound abilities. They met again at their usual meeting spot.

"So, from what you described, it sounds like you can turn parts of your body into some kind of black metal. Plus, you can imbue other objects—like bullets—with the same power," Jon mused, pacing thoughtfully. "Hmm... This really reminds me of something. Damn... isn't this basically Armament Haki? And you can even imbue it like Haki~!"

"What the hell is Haki?" Frank asked, frowning. He'd never heard the term before.

"Uh, nothing, nothing," Jon said quickly, shaking his head. "Anyway, show me how it works."

Frank nodded, pulling out a gun. His arm and the weapon immediately turned black—gleaming with a dark metallic sheen.

"Damn, it really does look like it," Jon muttered under his breath, more to himself than to Frank.

Ignoring Jon's muttering, Frank said, "You've seen the power now. No issues, right? If you're satisfied, I'm gonna head out."

"Wait," Jon called out, stopping Frank before he could leave. After a moment's thought, he said, "You're way stronger now than you used to be. Guys like Kingpin and Red Hood are out of the picture, and what's left of the underworld is just small-time crooks—they're no threat to you. So, have you thought about stepping up your game?"

"What do you mean?" Frank asked, genuinely curious.

"You've seen the kind of powers Red Hood had, right?" Jon replied.

"More than familiar," Frank said curtly. After all, Red Hood had been his greatest nemesis.

Jon continued, "His powers came from a dimensional demon named Dormammu—an entity beyond Earth that's had its eye on this place for a long time. Thankfully, there's a Sorcerer Supreme protecting Earth from him."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Frank wasn't doubting the truth of Jon's story. With the kinds of supernatural powers he'd already encountered, nothing seemed impossible anymore. There were things that, a year ago, would have sounded absurd—but with Jon standing before him, a literal spirit of vengeance, it was hard to dismiss anything.

"With my current powers, even after using Compound V, I'm still just a stronger human. I can't fight beings like Dormammu. You're talking about a level I can't reach," Frank added with brutal honesty.

Jon was a bit surprised at Frank's self-assessment, but he quickly said, "Don't lump me in with Dormammu just yet. I can't touch him either—not now, anyway. Maybe someday. But I brought this up to tell you something: Dormammu isn't the only threat to Earth. There are many extraterrestrial forces that see our planet as a target. And I don't mean gods or demons—just alien civilizations wanting to conquer."

"You mean like sci-fi aliens? Green men, big heads, bug eyes?" Frank asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Exactly, like something out of a sci-fi movie—though they don't quite look like that," Jon replied, slightly amused at Frank's stereotypical image of aliens.

Frank shook his head, chuckling. "Alien invasion sounds like something far off. Criminal gangs kill innocent people right now—they're a more immediate threat."

"True, and I'm not asking you to abandon that fight," Jon clarified. "But soon, New York will face a large-scale invasion. A group called the Chitauri will attack Earth, and only a few of us will have the power to resist them. When that time comes, I hope you'll step up."

"The Chitauri are mindless soldiers that follow a truly terrifying being. They'll bring death and chaos. But if you stand up, fewer people will die," Jon said earnestly.

Frank took a deep breath, processing Jon's words. It was a lot to take in. After a long moment, he finally said, "We'll see."

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