For a moment, Bullet did not answer.
His eyes remained fixed on Kai.
The boy he had treated as an insect had suddenly revealed himself as a Conqueror's Haki user. Not only that, the strength of that Haki had been enough to push back his own.
It was not an overwhelming defeat.
But Bullet had been suppressed.
That fact alone was enough to make his expression harden.
"What the hell is going on?"
"That brat…"
"Who is he?"
Bullet's voice was low.
A child with Conqueror's Haki was already something he had never seen before. But a child with Conqueror's Haki powerful enough to rival his own?
That was absurd.
He had awakened Conqueror's Haki long ago. He had tempered it through countless battles, through blood, madness, and an obsession with surpassing Roger. The Haki he possessed now was not something a child should be able to stand against.
Yet Kai had done more than stand against it.
He had pushed it back.
"My Conqueror's Haki was suppressed by a kid?"
Bullet's eyes sharpened.
"Is that even possible?"
He had followed Gol D. Roger across the seas. He had seen monsters, geniuses, legends, and kings. He had fought and defeated people whose names were feared across the world.
But he had never seen anything like Kai.
For years, Bullet had believed his own talent stood near the peak of the sea. He believed that as long as he continued to grow stronger, he would one day prove himself superior to everyone.
Then he met a five-year-old boy whose Haki already defied common sense.
A real monster.
Even Bullet had to admit that word fit.
"Even if he awakened it in the womb, it shouldn't be this strong at his age."
Bullet's thoughts churned.
"And yet…"
"He did it."
"He surpassed me in Conqueror's Haki."
For the first time in a long while, Bullet felt the thrill of discovering something truly unexpected.
Beside him, Crocodile slowly recovered from his shock.
His eyes were still fixed on Kai.
"Conqueror's Haki…"
"Has it become so common that even a child can use it now?"
His voice carried disbelief.
Crocodile had always wanted that power.
Conqueror's Haki represented the qualifications of a king. It was proof that a person was born to stand above others. No matter how strong Crocodile became, no matter how deep his schemes ran, that was one power he could not force into existence.
Yet a boy who looked barely five years old had it.
And not just a faint, newly awakened version.
Kai's Conqueror's Haki had been strong enough to suppress Bullet's.
Crocodile's pride took a blow.
"Why him?"
The thought flashed through his mind before he forced it down.
There was no point in envying something he did not possess.
Still, he could not ignore what he had just witnessed.
"That kid is dangerous."
"Very dangerous."
Bullet was dangerous because of his raw strength, his battle experience, and the terrifying madness that had followed Roger's death.
But Kai was different.
Kai was young.
Too young.
A monster who had reached this level at five years old could not be judged by normal logic.
"What kind of place produced a brat like that?"
Crocodile's mind raced.
He felt as though he had heard of someone like this recently, but the memory was not yet clear.
A five-year-old.
A Marine.
Powerful enough to possess Conqueror's Haki.
The pieces were close, but Crocodile had not put them together yet.
The wind slowly settled.
The remnants of crimson and blue pressure disappeared completely.
The desert was left damaged and silent.
Kai stood a thousand meters away, white cloak fluttering behind him. His expression was calm, almost relaxed, as if he had merely stretched his body after a long rest.
There was no fear in his eyes.
No panic.
No sense that he was facing Douglas Bullet and Sir Crocodile at the same time.
Only interest.
That composure made Crocodile's eyes narrow further.
A child who could remain that calm here was either ignorant or terrifyingly confident.
After what he had just seen, Crocodile no longer believed Kai was ignorant.
Bullet suddenly laughed.
The sound was low at first, then grew louder.
"So that's how it is."
"Interesting."
"Very interesting."
The shock in his eyes faded and was replaced by burning excitement.
He had come to Alabasta to settle his unfinished business with Crocodile. He had not expected to find another monster waiting nearby.
A brat who possessed Conqueror's Haki.
A brat whose Haki had pressed down his own.
That was enough to stir Bullet's battle instinct.
"Kid."
Bullet's voice carried across the desert.
"I take back what I said."
"You're no small fry."
Kai smiled faintly.
"Good. I was starting to wonder if your eyesight was bad."
Crocodile's brow twitched at the casual reply.
This brat was speaking to Bullet as if he were chatting with an ordinary pirate.
Bullet's grin widened.
"Who are you?"
Kai looked at him calmly.
"Kai."
The name reached Crocodile's ears.
His pupils suddenly shrank.
Kai.
A five-year-old Marine.
Conqueror's Haki.
A terrifying body and a presence far beyond his age.
The scattered clues finally connected.
Crocodile's expression changed.
"Wait…"
"You're Kai?"
"The Marine monster who captured Whitebeard Jr.?"
His voice was heavy.
Now he remembered.
Recently, the name had spread across the Grand Line like wildfire.
The youngest Marine major general in history.
The strongest genius the Marines had ever produced.
A five-year-old monster who had defeated and captured Edward Weevil, the man rumored to possess Whitebeard's youthful strength.
Fist Demon Kai.
Crocodile had paid attention to the news, but he had never expected that the boy himself would appear here in Alabasta.
Bullet's eyes also shifted.
"Fist Demon Kai?"
"So you're the Marine brat they've been talking about."
His grin became more ferocious.
"No wonder."
A boy who had defeated Whitebeard Jr. and possessed Conqueror's Haki strong enough to pressure his own.
That was no ordinary Marine.
That was a monster worthy of attention.
Crocodile's gaze darkened.
Kai had come to Alabasta.
And if a Marine of this level had come personally, it could not be coincidence.
"What are you doing here?" Crocodile asked.
Kai glanced at him.
"I came to find you."
Crocodile's eyes turned sharp.
Bullet laughed.
"Looks like this just got more interesting."
The desert fell into another strange silence.
A moment ago, Bullet and Crocodile had been ready to fight.
Now, with Kai's identity revealed, the battlefield had changed completely.
One was Douglas Bullet, the Demon Heir from the old era.
One was Sir Crocodile, the Sand Crocodile who had once challenged Whitebeard.
And the last was Kai, the Marine monster who had risen like a storm in the new era.
Three dangerous figures stood in the same desert.
The air grew heavy again.
Crocodile looked from Bullet to Kai, then gave a cold smile.
"Bullet, you called him small fry just now."
"Now tell me…"
"Are you still sure about that?"
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