In Kai's memory, Demon Heir Douglas Bullet had once had some connection with Crocodile.
Several years ago, after Pirate King Roger was executed, Bullet fell into a violent rampage. He began challenging powerful pirates across the sea, desperate to prove that he would one day surpass Roger.
That had become his greatest obsession.
In his entire life, he had lost only to Roger.
Because of that, he desperately wanted to prove he was stronger than Roger.
But Roger was dead.
His only target had vanished forever.
He would never have the chance to defeat Roger again.
For a proud and stubborn man like Bullet, that truth was enough to drive him mad.
In the past, the reason he joined the Roger Pirates was because he wanted to find a way to defeat Roger. Day after day, he trained, fought, and searched for a path to victory.
His reason for becoming stronger had always been simple.
Defeat Roger.
But no matter how hard he tried, he lost every time.
After Roger died, Bullet began challenging countless strong people across the sea.
Crocodile happened to be one of the top fighters he encountered.
The two had clashed before.
There had been no result.
No clear winner.
Of course, that did not mean Crocodile had truly withstood Bullet in a full-powered fight.
It was only because Bullet had not taken the battle too seriously at the time. Their clash had been more of a probing exchange than a real fight.
In the end, Bullet left.
Now, seeing Bullet appear in Alabasta, Kai could roughly guess why.
He was most likely here to continue that unfinished battle.
The fight from years ago had ended without a result, and a battle maniac like Bullet would not forget something like that.
Today, he had returned.
He wanted to defeat Crocodile.
He wanted to finish what had been left unresolved.
"Douglas Bullet really is terrifying."
"Even Silvers Rayleigh, the Pirate King's right hand, supposedly failed to defeat him when Bullet was young."
"Still, whether that rumor is completely true is hard to say."
"Personally, I'm more inclined to believe Rayleigh wasn't serious."
Kai thought quietly.
Prime Rayleigh was a legendary pirate.
It was unlikely that a young Bullet could truly stand equal to him in raw strength.
In Kai's view, that so-called draw was probably similar to his own match with Zephyr after graduating from the training camp.
It was a draw in form, not a true equal contest at full strength.
However, many years had passed since then.
Kai could not judge exactly how strong Bullet had become now.
But he did want to test him personally.
For now, though, he forced down that urge.
His current objective was still Crocodile.
"This is a good opponent."
Kai silently marked Bullet as someone worth fighting.
A monster stronger than Doflamingo naturally deserved his attention.
And throughout Bullet's life, aside from losing to Roger, he had almost never suffered defeat.
Kai was looking forward to it.
One day, he would personally give Bullet the second defeat of his life.
He had a faint feeling that Bullet, now in his prime, might already be close to the level of the Four Emperors.
Perhaps compared with a Marine Admiral, the gap was not large either.
Even if he was weaker, it would only be by a small margin.
If a fighter like this entered the New World, he would be like a depth charge thrown into the ocean. The entire sea would be shaken.
Even monsters like Kaido and Charlotte Linlin might not be able to guarantee victory against him.
After all, Bullet had already shown the makings of an overwhelming monster when he was young.
He had only ever lost to Roger of the old era.
Of course, that did not mean no one else could beat him.
For example, Whitebeard in his prime, the man called the strongest in the world, would certainly qualify.
On the Marine side, there were also fighters of that level.
Kai's grandfather, Monkey D. Garp.
The Hero of the Marines.
The ceiling of Marine combat power.
Recognized as one of the strongest men the Marines had ever produced.
And alongside Garp was his old comrade Sengoku, another man fully capable of defeating Bullet.
In short, Bullet was strong, but not invincible.
He had simply not yet chosen to challenge certain monsters directly.
"If nothing unexpected happens…"
"In half a year at most, Bullet will probably enter a true rampage."
"Then he will start hunting powerful Marines and pirates alike, trying to prove himself by toppling the strongest people on the sea."
"And in the end…"
"He'll dig his own grave."
"His rampage will force Marine Headquarters to treat him as a major threat, and the Buster Call will be launched to capture him."
Kai's thoughts moved calmly.
At that time, even monsters like Garp and Sengoku might personally take action.
The thought made Kai's blood stir.
Maybe when that day came, he would have a chance to take part in the operation.
Perhaps he might even lead the capture personally.
"Within half a year…"
"I'll probably meet Bullet again."
"So there's no need to rush into fighting him now."
"There will be plenty of chances."
"For now, Crocodile comes first."
Kai settled his thoughts.
If Roger were still alive, Bullet might not have gone berserk so soon.
Unfortunately, Roger was dead.
With his target gone, Bullet had no choice but to prove himself against the remaining strong people of the sea.
That was why he would hunt powerful pirates and Marines.
And once that began, the sea would be thrown into chaos again.
The day was not far off.
With Bullet's personality, there was no way he would remain quiet forever.
Most likely, he would choose to drag the curtain down in the middle of the brightest, most violent stage he could create.
"I'm really looking forward to fighting a monster like him."
"Half a year from now…"
"How strong will I be by then?"
Kai narrowed his eyes, excitement rising in him.
Even he could not accurately judge how strong he would be in half a year.
But there was one thing he could be sure of.
By then, dealing with Bullet would not be impossible.
That was Kai's absolute confidence in his own speed of growth.
Douglas Bullet was faintly regarded as the greatest genius of the old era.
And Kai…
Was publicly known as the greatest genius of the new era.
The most terrifying monster of the sea.
"The old era's number one genius…"
"And the new era's number one genius…"
"Which one is stronger?"
"Who stands above the other?"
Kai smiled.
A collision between the old era's greatest genius and the new era's greatest genius was inevitable.
And that day would not be too far away.
Kai was certain.
Within half a year, that battle would happen.
While his thoughts wandered, Kai followed Bullet all the way to his destination.
Alubarna.
The capital of the Kingdom of Alabasta.
Kai pushed aside the thoughts in his mind and looked ahead.
Then he saw it clearly.
Douglas Bullet had entered the royal palace of Alubarna alone.
He was forcing his way straight in.
His goal was obvious.
He wanted to reach the heart of the palace and find Crocodile in the simplest, most direct way possible.
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