"What do you mean, 'no wonder'... 'Dark King' Rayleigh was the First Mate of the Roger Pirates! His strength stood at the very peak of this sea! What's wrong with Rayleigh-san being my teacher?"
Bullet roared furiously, grinding his teeth, clearly dissatisfied with Daren's reaction.
"Daren, if you've got the guts, just kill me! But if you dare insult the Roger Pirates, I'll never forgive you!"
Even though he had eventually parted ways with the Roger Pirates, Bullet still held deep respect for them.
It wasn't just Roger's unparalleled strength that had earned his admiration; the other crew members had also treated him, a newcomer, with genuine warmth. They hadn't blamed him for constantly challenging Roger, nor had they excluded him—they treated him like true comrades.
Was it when Gaban-san tossed him a cigar after he failed a challenge? Or when Rayleigh smiled and said, "Keep at it, we all believe you'll grow stronger"?
Was it when the noisy brats Shanks and Buggy insisted on throwing him a birthday party? Or when everyone egged on the fishman Sunbell to arm wrestle him?
Was it when they were too broke to buy alcohol and ended up brewing their own, only to all get poisoned? Or the times they partied together, laughing and joking in the cold wind and snow?
Those countless, ordinary moments had long since melted the ice in Bullet's heart, making him forget the pain of betrayal he once suffered in the army, and accept—truly accept—being a part of the Roger Pirates.
That was why he could never allow anyone to insult them.
"Don't get so worked up... I didn't mean to insult the Roger Pirates," Daren said, exhaling a puff of smoke with a helpless look. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on novel~fire~net
"Even though our stances are different, I absolutely recognize their strength. After all, I couldn't beat Roger either."
"What I meant is... aren't you curious how I managed to improve so fast?"
The secret to rapid growth?
How could there be any secret to getting stronger?
Wasn't it just relentless training, day and night, pushing yourself to the very limits?
But looking at Daren's half-smiling face, Bullet found himself unable to retort.
He had spent an entire year developing his devil form, yet this infuriating guy had mastered it in five seconds!
Just thinking about it made Bullet so frustrated he felt like coughing up blood. He wanted to slap himself hard.
It was all his fault for showing off!
If he hadn't exposed the secret behind his devil form, Daren would never have picked it up so quickly!
At least... it would've taken him twenty seconds!
...Damn it, what difference does that even make!?
Bullet's spirit suddenly sank, and even the light in his eyes dimmed.
As if seeing right through him, Daren chuckled softly.
"You don't need to get so discouraged. I mastered the devil form so quickly not because of what you revealed."
"Then what was it?" Bullet asked weakly.
"...Just because I'm simply strong enough," Daren said with a laugh.
Are you seriously trying to comfort me?
You would've been better off saying nothing!
"What I mean is, because I've already pushed my body to its absolute limit, I could master the devil form so quickly... If it were anyone else, even if they understood the theory, they still wouldn't be able to pull it off," Daren said with a smile.
"So you really don't need to feel so discouraged."
"So what?" Bullet said, clearly not in the mood to talk.
A glint of interest flashed in Daren's eyes.
"Bullet, I know your lifelong dream is to become the 'strongest in the world.' But you need to understand—if I throw you into Impel Down, that dream of yours will never come true."
Bullet fell silent, his lone fist clenching so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
He had never set foot in Impel Down, but he knew exactly what kind of hell it was—gloom, starvation, disease, endless torture... In the hundreds of years since it was built, no one had ever escaped from the world's most notorious prison.
In a place like that, no matter how strong his will was, no matter how hard he trained, his strength would stagnate.
Meanwhile, Daren—the rival he considered a lifelong enemy—would still be free, growing even stronger.
Even when they were both free, Bullet hadn't been able to catch up to him.
If he got locked up, the gap would only grow wider, and chasing after Daren would become nothing but a joke.
"Starting to see it now?"
Seeing that Bullet's thoughts were gradually falling into line, Daren smiled faintly and continued, coaxing him further.
"Bullet, a man like you shouldn't spend his life rotting away in a place like Impel Down. You were born to fight for something greater, not to fade into obscurity."
"Just as you see me as your greatest opponent, I feel the same way about you... Without someone like you out here, the seas would be unbearably boring."
"Hmph! Save it, Daren. You won't fool me," Bullet snorted coldly, mocking,
"There's no shortage of strong people on this sea. Kaidou, Charlotte Linlin, Ochoku, Captain John, Whitebeard... and let's not even start on Captain Roger, the man who was invincible. You think you're the only one?"
"I'll never agree to become one of those so-called Shichibukai!"
He clearly saw through Daren's ploy and called him out without hesitation.
"No, Bullet. You still don't get it," Daren said, shaking his head with a calm smile.
"There might be plenty of strong ones out there, but in my eyes, they're nothing more than empty names."
"Kaidou, hailed as 'the strongest creature on land, sea, and air,' hides away in Wano Country, clinging to his dreams of endless war."
"Charlotte Linlin? She's crippled by her food obsession, obsessed with having children. She's a mess, not a worthy opponent."
"Ochoku, Captain John? They're just relics from a bygone era, long since faded into obscurity."
"And Whitebeard, the 'strongest man in the world'? Sure, his strength and spirit are immense, but he has no ambition to fight for dominance. All he does is guard his territory, playing childish games of pretend."
"As for Roger... I won't say anything bad about him. I respect him. But he was never truly a pirate in the purest sense."
At that, Daren let out a quiet, lonely sigh.
"I'm not singling them out to insult them. What I'm saying is—they're all trash."
"In this entire world, only you..."
He stared straight at Bullet, eyes blazing with intensity.
"Only you, Douglas Bullet, are worthy of being my opponent—Rogers Daren!"
"In this vast ocean, only you and I are true heroes!"
As his words fell, Bullet's expression shifted dramatically.
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