Bullet raised his massive fist and charged at Wayne like lightning.
He didn't care why Wayne was looking for him; he only knew that he was the most heinous criminal in history, daring to attack the Holy Land and slaughter the Creators.
If he could defeat such a man, wouldn't that be enough to prove his strength?
"Die!!!"
Wayne sighed lightly at the sight; this guy was truly berserk and completely uncommunicative.
Seeing the fist about to land on him, Wayne could only retaliate.
Clang!
As he dodged Bullet's fist, the Supreme Grade Sword "Ace" was already unsheathed, with black and red Haoshoku Haki coiling around the blade, exuding a terrifying pressure that made hearts palpitate.
In Bullet's astonished gaze, Wayne used the move he once knew best.
"Divine Departure!"
Wayne twisted his wrist, and "Ace" in his hand swung out like a baseball bat, a dark red slash heading straight for Bullet's unprotected midsection, exposed by his punch.
The moment the blade touched Bullet's chest, the Haoshoku Haki coiling around "Ace" erupted, and a dark red energy shockwave crashed onto Bullet with an unstoppable force.
Bang!!!
Bullet's colossal body flew backward uncontrollably like a kite with a broken string!
He crashed directly into a mountain a hundred meters away, and with a thunderous roar, the mountain shattered, dust billowed, and Bullet was buried under rubble, his whereabouts unknown.
Wayne slowly sheathed his sword, waiting quietly for Bullet to come. He knew very well that this single blow was not enough to kill him.
Bullet lay in the ruins, agonizing pain tearing at his nerves, but his thoughts uncontrollably began to rewind.
'My name is Douglas Bullet, and I have been betrayed three times.
The first time was my mother. The moment I first opened my eyes to this world, she abandoned me, abandoning her own flesh and blood.
The second time was my comrades. I fought with my life on the battlefield to earn a medal of honor, but just as I was about to get it, my comrades, my companions, betrayed me. They severely wounded me and stole my medal.
The third time was my superior. My guide, the man who gave me my surname, he promised me true freedom once I defeated the enemy nation. I believed him, but just as I annihilated the enemy forces, he ordered his men to fire cannons at me... From then on, I finally understood that promises, comrades... they were all jokes. Only power is the eternal truth.
For this, I boarded a ship, solely to one day surpass the man who had defeated me time and again, and become the strongest in the world.
However, ever since that man contracted a fatal illness, I began to feel anxious, lost, and even developed a desire to protect my comrades... I knew I had grown weaker; relying on others was inherently a sign of weakness.
So, after my last failed challenge against Roger, I left the Roger Pirates.
Staying there would only make me weaker. Only by leaving that place could I defeat Roger in my strongest form.
I fought! I won! I could feel myself getting stronger! Just as I was sharpening my claws, preparing to challenge Roger again, he died. I never had the chance to defeat him.
If life loses its goal, what's the point of living?
I began aimlessly destroying towns and attacking Marine bases until I met a man named Wade.
He wielded Roger's sword and used Roger's techniques, knocking me flying once again.
At that moment, I finally understood that if Roger were still alive, I might still be unable to defeat him.'
Crash... Rubble tumbled.
Bullet staggered, step by step, from the ruins to stand before Wayne.
"Why do you have Roger's blade?"
Although he didn't know why Bullet suddenly calmed down, Wayne was too lazy to think that much; being able to communicate was a good thing.
"Roger's wife gave it to me because I took her to see Roger one last time."
Bullet was silent for a long while, then looked intently at Wayne: "You are very strong. I see Roger's shadow in you. Now I no longer have the chance to surpass Roger."
"So, you are my new goal."
"Come! Let's settle this! I will defeat you! I will step over your corpse and become the strongest in the world!"
Wayne picked his ear and waved his hand dismissively: "Hold on, hold on! No need for all that trouble. I concede; you're the strongest in the world now, alright?"
Bullet paused, then exploded in rage: "As a strong man! Do you not dare to face another's challenge?! Coward!"
"Tsk, it's not a matter of whether I dare or not. What would you prove even if you surpassed me, surpassed Roger?"
Bullet frowned: "What do you mean by that?"
"The meaning is simple." Wayne's voice grew louder. "Is Roger strong? Of course, he's strong! But he's only stronger than you!"
"He needed to team up with Garp to defeat Rocks!"
"He was once pushed to a corner by Golden Lion in the Battle of Edd War! He only narrowly escaped thanks to that storm!"
"Why do you think that by defeating him, you automatically become the strongest?"
"You wouldn't be naive enough to think Roger became the Pirate King because he was the strongest in the world, would you?"
Facing Bullet's silence, Wayne continued: "So, from the very beginning, your logic that surpassing Roger would make you the strongest in the world was a false premise!"
"Your goal was never truly the strongest in the world! You were just obsessed with defeating Roger, who had beaten you countless times!"
Bullet stood frozen, his eyes unfocused. After a long while, he finally looked up at Wayne: "Then tell me, how can one become truly the strongest in the world?"
"Only when you have trained your body, skills, and Haki to their absolute limits do you have the qualification to pursue the strongest."
"As for you now? You're still far from it! If you don't believe me, you can try."
"Don't look down on me! If you have the guts, fight me! I'll let you know…"
"No, no, no!" Wayne immediately waved his hand. Wayne didn't want to waste time on this stubborn guy. "I meant the Buster Call."
"The Buster Call?"
"Exactly! As long as you cause enough commotion to attract a Buster Call, the Marines will come out in full force."
"They will spare no expense, use their highest destructive power, just to completely eradicate you!"
"If a person can face a Buster Call head-on and completely crush it, their strength is self-evident, but you can't do that yet."
"Hmph! It's just a Buster Call! If you can't do it, that doesn't mean I can't!"
"Oh? Is that so?" Wayne smiled, his plan succeeding, and pulled out a scroll of parchment from his embrace, tossing it to Bullet.
"Catch!"
Bullet instinctively caught it, looking at Wayne in confusion: "What is this?"
"The blueprints for the Ancient Weapon pluton."
"Once the World Government knows it's in your hands, hehe, they will stop at nothing to get it. At that time…"
Bullet unrolled the parchment, and upon seeing its contents, his breathing grew heavier.
"They will launch a Buster Call, right!"