The Hat-Snatching Game

People had different constitutions. That saying wasn't merely a joke, but an undeniable fact.

The difference between the constitutions of people on Earth and those on Sea Ball was enormous. Vidal had known that even before he transmigrated.

But in this world he had named "Sea Ball," the difference between one person's constitution and another's was every bit as great as the difference between the people of the two worlds!

In this world, some people were perfectly ordinary and seemed no different from Earthlings, while others could play and fight with beasts three or four meters tall at the age of seven or eight.

And someone like Bullet, who could fight on a high-intensity battlefield for more than half a day in his early teens, counted as a monster among normal humans.

The reason for emphasizing normal humans was that all sorts of demi-human races also existed in this world, such as giants, Fish-Men, and dwarves.

Thus, this mere half hour or so of fierce fighting wasn't even as long as a warm-up for Bullet.

Lieutenant Vincent found it strenuous to use Soru continuously over that half hour, but for Bullet, the physical exertion was only equivalent to running at full speed.

So how long could he run at full speed?

Well. He hadn't tried, but at the very least, about three hours shouldn't be a problem!

That was the biggest difference between the two. Lieutenant Vincent was quite strong, and for a short time, he could fight Bullet using Iron Body Fist to a standstill.

But as time wore on, Vincent couldn't keep it up. Panting heavily, he felt his stamina draining away and estimated that he could last another ten minutes or so.

And that was with Ogden helping him!

In fact, given a fight of normal intensity, he had enough stamina to fight for over an hour without a problem.

The main reason was that Bullet had been attacking fiercely with Soru the whole time, forcing him to use Soru as well to dodge and parry!

At first, he had thought that Bullet was young and surely hadn't finished growing, so he would calm down before long.

Who could have imagined that the kid's endurance was like that of someone who had eaten a Zoan Devil Fruit, and an elephant or ox type known for stamina at that!

"Is that all you've got, Lieutenant?" Bullet taunted as he circled Ogden and Vincent at high speed.

"Come on, show me what you adults are made of and fight me!" As he spoke, he suddenly flashed into view in front of Ogden.

He hurled a heavy punch at Ogden, who was standing in front of Vincent. Startled, Ogden hastily crossed his arms over his chest to defend himself and used Tekkai once more to take the attack.

[Boom!!]

It was like a steel hammer crashing into an iron plate. The tremendous force numbed Ogden's arms.

After time and space seemed to freeze for a second, the sheer, unreasonable force swept him off his feet and sent him flying backward. He tumbled awkwardly across the ground more than a dozen times before coming to rest.

Several nearby marines hurried over to help him up, only to find Ogden clutching his right arm, his face contorted in pain.

"Quick! Get him to the infirmary!" The marines didn't stop to watch the fight any longer and picked Ogden up to carry him away.

"No need. Leave him to me."

But just as they were about to get up, a tall figure walked over. Vidal lowered himself into a half crouch beside Ogden.

"Sorry. That brat hit you too hard." He apologized softly as he treated Ogden's wounds with a palm emitting a green glow.

Bullet was the kind of idiot who was easily swept up in a fight. He was fine at first, but once he had been fighting for a while, he couldn't pull himself out of it.

Granted, a thirteen-year-old kid seriously injuring an adult headquarters captain sounded a little ridiculous.

But this world itself was ridiculous, and even the most incredible things happened frequently.

[Bang!]

Suddenly, just as Vidal finished healing Ogden, another pained grunt and a crash came from behind him. A moment later, Lieutenant Vincent flew backward as well and landed beside them.

"..."

Vidal was speechless. He slowly turned his head and looked grimly toward Bullet, who was staring at him from the middle of the field, eager to fight.

He could see it now: that brat needed another beating.

Apparently, mastering the Six Powers had made him think he was ready to take Vidal on again!

But that could wait. First he would heal Vincent. They would soon be comrades in the same battalion, and Vincent would become a rear admiral at the very least. Vidal could certainly cultivate him into a trusted subordinate.

Bullet didn't hurry him, because he believed Vidal had understood everything from the look in his eyes!

That was right. He wanted to challenge this man again.

He knew he couldn't win, even though his strength had improved greatly. The fierce battle among the three of them that day was still vivid in his mind.

But he still had to fight. This was how he would keep his desire to challenge others alive while feeling the gap between them steadily narrow.

Nothing could motivate him better!

This time, I have to force him to use his Fruit ability. Bullet's goal was clear this time. Ideally, he would manage to drive Vidal back at least once.

"Thank you, Instructor." Vincent instinctively held his chest, which no longer hurt, and stood up.

"Mm, your strength has improved quickly. I'm sure you'll become even stronger once you reach the special training camp."

Vidal offered a gentle word of encouragement, then looked at Ogden beside him and smiled. "There's nothing wrong with focusing on strength, but you can't lean too far in one direction. Try to give yourself more options."

"Yes, Instructor!" Ogden bowed his head and sincerely took his advice.

"All right, then. Next, I'll get even for you and teach that brat a proper lesson!" Vidal turned and walked step by step into the field.

"So you're finally here!" Bullet was both nervous and a little excited, and he felt every muscle in his body dancing with anticipation.

"Hmph, looks like I need to find this kid a master as soon as possible. Otherwise, he'll keep showing off in front of me. After all, the weather often clears up, and the rain often stops."

But when he thought of the master he intended to find for Bullet, Vidal's heart filled with delight and a mischievous impulse.

By then, he was standing ten meters in front of Bullet. He pointed to the marine cap on his head.

"Son, I'll give you one hour. If you can snatch this off my head, you win!"

He had only just thought of the idea. After all, simply fighting was too boring for him. As for the inspiration, it came from that continent in the ninja world.

Remember when Konoha Team 7 tried to snatch the bells from Kakashi Hatake?

How fun that was!

"You said it yourself!" A delighted look appeared on Bullet's face.

After all, he really couldn't beat Vidal right now, but if they did things differently, winning a round against him wouldn't be bad either.

"Mm-hmm, let's call it a game between parent and child." Vidal nodded.

Bullet's face fell when he heard that. He snorted. "In that case, if I win, you can't call me your son anymore, and you can't make me call you Father either!"

Vidal raised an eyebrow. Keep dreaming, he thought, but he agreed aloud.

"Sure, but if you don't get the cap, you'll have to call me 'Otōsan' right here and now."

Bullet pressed his lips together and hesitated for a while. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said, "Fine!"

Wasn't it just snatching a cap?

The contract status has changed!! The tipping feature everyone's been waiting for is finally active! Happy? (Laughs)

But I have some bad news to share with you all: this book is ranked 61st in the light novel category on the new authors' contracted new releases chart, and it's nowhere to be found on the overall chart. Sigh, it feels like I've been on a roller coaster, suddenly dropping from the top. How depressing!