IW: Chapter 178 - Conqueror's Haki Luck Shows Its Might; Bullet Joins as a Challenger!
"You?"
Bai Ye looked at Bullet, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
However, upon reflection, it seemed plausible that Bullet had already left the Roger Pirates by this time.
He had joined the Roger Pirates as a challenger; only Roger could defeat him, while others, including the Vice-Captain Rayleigh, could only draw with him.
And after he learned that Roger had a terminal illness, he seemed to realize that he would no longer be able to defeat Roger.
After failing his final challenge against Roger, he withdrew from the Roger Pirates.
Was he a Super Rookie now?
"You know me?"
Excitement shimmered in Bullet's eyes.
He hadn't expected Bai Ye to remember him; he had been influenced by Bai Ye when he first set sail.
At that time, he was still fighting in his own kingdom, which he destroyed after being betrayed.
It was then that he happened to witness Bai Ye's battle at God Valley, which made Bullet realize that there were so many strong individuals on the high seas.
His original first challenge target was Bai Ye, but because he hadn't found Bai Ye for a long time, he encountered Roger while drifting on the sea and proposed a challenge to Roger first.
Before this, he had never lost, but the result caught him somewhat off guard; he not only failed once, but many times, and then joined as a challenger, secretly vowing to defeat Roger.
Originally, Bullet, who was confused about his life after learning of Roger's terminal illness, immediately began searching for Bai Ye everywhere after hearing about him again.
"Douglas Bullet, the Demon Heir of the Roger Pirates."
Of course, Bai Ye knew him, but it was indeed a surprise that this guy came looking for him.
"I want to challenge you!"
Bullet made no secret of his purpose in seeking out Bai Ye.
"Challenge me?"
At this time, Bullet seemed to be fighting more or less evenly with Crocodile, right?
No, that's not right.
Perhaps his information was outdated. In any case, it might not be this period; it should be when Bullet was nineteen, right?
Speaking of which, did Crocodile's strength really decline that much?
But the decline was too extreme.
According to the equation, Bullet drew with Rayleigh, and Crocodile drew with Bullet, which would mean Crocodile had Rayleigh's strength?
No!
After Bullet learned that Roger was going to die, his conviction seemed to collapse. According to the setting of the pirate world, once a person's conviction collapses, it affects their strength.
And after that, Bullet completely went insane on the high seas, with the breaking point being after Roger's execution. After that, he was captured by the Marine. It's highly probable that his conviction changed from challenging strong individuals to destroying the world, right?
"That's right, I want to see how strong you, who are called the God's Natural Enemy, truly are!"
Bullet looked at Bai Ye seriously. Roger was already terminally ill, and he might never be able to defeat him again. At the same time, his challenge target was gone. But Bai Ye in front of him was a better choice, and also his original choice.
"Lord Bai Ye."
Tengetsu Toki looked at Bai Ye with some worry. The powerful aura emanating from this guy worried her slightly for Bai Ye.
"Don't worry."
Bai Ye raised his hand and patted Tengetsu Toki's head, signaling her to rest assured. Then he turned his head, rubbed his chin for a moment, and sized up Bullet.
Should he accept the challenge or refuse?
Refusal would probably be useless. Since this guy had sought him out, he wouldn't give up unless they fought.
"We can fight, but if you lose, you'll join my pirate crew as a challenger."
Since he could join the Roger Pirates as a challenger, he could naturally join his pirate crew as a challenger as well.
Besides, he already had Kaido in his pirate crew.
Perfect.
He would gather Kaido and Bullet together, then let them fight first, and the winner would then challenge him. Anyway, a challenge was ultimately required.
And Bai Ye was actually very curious who would be stronger if Kaido and Bullet fought.
But he leaned more towards Kaido; after all, he was known as the strongest creature on land, sea, and air.
"Alright!"
Bullet smiled.
His life seemed to have gained another goal.
He had always believed in the principle that only by possessing great strength could one possess everything.
So he constantly challenged and constantly grew stronger.
If Bai Ye could truly defeat him, he would join Bai Ye's pirate crew without Bai Ye even needing to ask.
"You go into Kamui Space first."
Bai Ye turned his head and looked at Tengetsu Toki. Bai Ye would never do something so thoughtless as leaving her outside.
After all, he was a wanted criminal by the World Government, and his information was probably already known to the World Government, and Tengetsu Toki would certainly become their target for capture.
Knowing that the other party would go to any lengths to capture Tengetsu Toki, would he still leave her outside and fight Bullet? Wouldn't that be foolish?
"Mmm-hmm."
Tengetsu Toki nodded, and then Bai Ye placed his hand on Tengetsu Toki, absorbing her into Kamui.
On the other side, a hint of curiosity flashed in Bullet's eyes. Wasn't he a Rumble-Rumble Fruit user?
Speaking of which, that live broadcast back then seemed to have used many strange abilities!
"Let's fight somewhere else. People will be here soon. If you trust me, let me take you."
"Okay!"
Bullet clenched his fist. He was actually a bit unwilling; he had experienced too many betrayals, which made it impossible for him to trust others too much.
But he was unwilling to tarnish his inner idealized image of Bai Ye.
In his opinion, a strong person like Bai Ye would disdain to do something like sneak attacking him.
"Then let's go."
Bai Ye placed his hand directly on Bullet, then absorbed him into another part of Kamui Space.
Kamui Space was very large, and Bai Ye took him to a place where Tengetsu Toki would not be affected.
While curious about such magical means, Bullet was even more interested in the upcoming battle with Bai Ye.
"Bullet, bring out all your strength, otherwise the battle will end very quickly."
At this moment, he felt no fear facing Bullet.
During the time he was missing, he had been constantly training his physique.
In the world of pirates, Haki and physique are the most important; Devil Fruit abilities are ultimately just auxiliary.
And his Haki was already strong, and with Conqueror's Haki Luck, his Haki was boosted by ten percent. This ten percent, in front of a powerful Haki user like him, was truly not a small enhancement.
After their Conqueror's Haki collided, Tengetsu Toki, who was far away, had only one thought in her mind: Why did she still get knocked out even after hiding!
She couldn't remember how many times she had been knocked out.
She wanted to create a world without Conqueror's Haki!
This was her last thought before she fainted.
"Good Haki!"
Bai Ye's eyes lit up. This Haki was indeed a presence whose pressure could shake islands.
Although he hadn't reached the level of strength he had in the movie, he still genuinely gave Bai Ye enough surprise.
"Again!"
It had been a long time since he had encountered such a powerful enemy, and Bai Ye felt his blood boiling.
Others might hold back when fighting him, but Bullet wouldn't.
Facing such an enemy, Bullet would only use all his strength, and this was what Bai Ye needed.
He hadn't had such a satisfying battle in a long time.
The two exchanged blows, purely competing in physical combat, and Bai Ye disdained to use other abilities.
This was a contest between Haki and physique.
At first, the two fought back and forth, but as time passed, Bai Ye gradually began to suppress Bullet.
Bai Ye had the upper hand in the use of Haki.
"Bullet!!"
"Bai Ye!!"
Bai Ye descended from the air and directly struck Bullet with a punch.
The power...
The ground beneath Bullet's feet began to collapse continuously, and the force was so immense that Bullet almost knelt down, unable to bear it.
At this moment, he felt an unprecedented pressure.
This was pressure he hadn't even felt from Roger!
He was stronger than Roger!
Sure enough, how could the man who shone so brightly at God Valley, how could he...
Bullet's blood was boiling. He felt his own strength seemed to have risen to another level, and he seemed to have found a new purpose for his existence.
"Can you get any stronger, Bullet!"
Looking at Bullet, who was struggling to get up, Bai Ye's eyes were filled with excitement. Just a little stronger, just a little stronger!
He hadn't encountered an enemy like this in a long time!
During his days in Wano Country, he had been cultivating himself every day, originally planning to cultivate, eat, and fight Kaido daily.
But after that guy Kaido ran off, he didn't know where he went.
He still hadn't found him, so he hadn't encountered such an interesting opponent in a long time.
Old John from Wano Country wasn't his opponent and didn't dare to fight him. Kuma and the others were even more so. Faced with this situation, Bai Ye could only temporarily suppress his inner fighting instinct!
From this moment, Bai Ye's Haki fully erupted, and Bullet's strength, which he had painstakingly accumulated, seemed to be instantly crushed at that moment.
Bang... Boom!!!
Bullet instantly knelt on one knee, followed by a deep pit in the ground. As Bai Ye's strength continued to increase, this deep pit also began to expand outwards.
"What about your Combine-Combine Fruit?"
"Tch, if you haven't used your Devil Fruit, I won't either!"
Bullet gritted his teeth, his eyes fixed on Bai Ye. He was unwilling to use it if Bai Ye didn't use his Devil Fruit.
Moreover, there wasn't much he could absorb here anyway.
"Then forget it. Challenge me again when you're stronger!"
Saying that, Bai Ye increased the force in his hand by a few points, then punched him down to the ground.
Bullet wanted to get up and continue fighting Bai Ye, but he could clearly feel that the bones in his body seemed to be completely shattered.
"You lost."
Standing tall, Bai Ye looked down at him, while Bullet looked up at Bai Ye, then gazed at the sky of Kamui Space, feeling a little emotional in his heart.
He had lost again.
It seemed he still had a long way to go on this path!
"Bullet, this world isn't just about success and failure, nor is it entirely about betrayal. I've heard your story..."
Bai Ye sat on the edge of the deep pit and said calmly.
In fact, most of the people in the pirate world with twisted personalities had their own reasons.
Ultimately, after being betrayed so many times, it was indeed very difficult to trust others again.
"I only believe in my own strength. If one day I defeat you, I will leave your pirate crew!"
Bullet pouted, somewhat dismissive of Bai Ye's words. He would do what he had just promised Bai Ye: join Bai Ye's pirate crew as a challenger.
He also made it very clear that if Bai Ye were to be defeated by him one day, he might not only leave Bai Ye's pirate crew but even kill Bai Ye.
"Believing in your own strength is fine, but have you ever thought about what your strength is for? Is it purely for strength's sake? If so, you'll only become a slave to power."
Actually, Bai Ye had always been curious about Bullet's motivation.
Was it simply to pursue strength?
"In this world, only strength will not betray me!"
Bullet looked at Bai Ye, his tone calm.
"Then the Dawn Pirates welcome your joining. Stay in the pirate crew until you defeat me."
And by the way, I'll also teach you who to fight for!
Bai Ye thought silently. The current Bullet was still very young and highly malleable.
Moreover, Bullet was actually a very easy person to control. As long as he remained strong, he could always suppress the other party. Wasn't this just like Kaido?
Anyway, he already had one problematic youth in his pirate crew, so one more wouldn't hurt.
"I understand, Captain."
A loss was a loss.
Since he had agreed, he would do it. Bullet readily agreed to join Bai Ye's pirate crew, as it would make it easier for him to defeat him later.
[Ding! Changed Bullet's fate, rewarding one lottery chance!]
Use!
Bai Ye chanted silently in his heart.
[Ding! Used one lottery chance. Congratulations on obtaining: Pure Gold Locator.]
Eh!?
Pure Gold Locator?!
Could he even get something like this?
Bai Ye was originally wondering how he was going to find Pure Gold.
Pure Gold was swallowed by the Lantern Fish.
That Lantern Fish swallowed half an island along with it and went into the seabed. He really couldn't find it on his own.
But if he didn't look for it, should he wait for the plot to start?
But now with this locator...
All previous worries were gone!
It was simply getting what he lacked!
Conqueror's Haki Luck?
Even the lottery was affected by this?
Buggy, oh Buggy, if I meet you in the future, I'll let you off once!
Consider it a benefit of Conqueror's Haki Luck!
...
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