124 Conversation
The other five surrounded Teach body was wrapped in bandages. After a period of rest, he was able to move again and his injuries had healed somewhat, but his injuries were more serious than those from the previous collision.
If it weren't for Teach's strong physique and powerful vitality, he wouldn't have been able to recover from Teach injuries so slowly. However, without sufficient stamina, he couldn't use his Life Return abilities carelessly, and he still needed to eat constantly to regain his strength.
Such a rapid response was enough to astonish everyone around. Teach sat on the ground, eating his food, with white steam rising from his body like vapor.
After recovering to a certain extent, Teach stopped. By now, most of his injuries have healed, and the rest can be recovered by his body's own healing abilities.
Teach stood up, stretched his limbs, and the others stared wide-eyed at Teach nearly unharmed state. They had witnessed Teach's horrific condition firsthand—his skull was even fractured. Yet, such severe injuries had healed to this extent in just half a day. Was this some kind of monster?
Teach didn't explain the purpose of Life Return to them, because achieving what he did was extremely difficult.
To recover from his injuries, Teach had to digest half a Sea King, a 500-meter-long Sea King sent by Sea King. Although Teach's injuries were almost healed, he was still extremely hungry because he had used the life force converted from Bullet Life Return to heal his wounds.
Therefore, Teach's body was somewhat depleted, and he didn't have much stamina. Once he got into a battle, he wouldn't be able to last long. Teach knew very well that Bullet was a key target of the Navy. What if he caught up with Barrett? If he encountered a top-tier fighter, Teach would be finished.
Of course, at this crucial time of Roger's execution, the Navy couldn't possibly have the resources to hunt down Bullet, but it's better to be safe than sorry.
Once his injuries had healed to a point where they wouldn't affect his combat ability, Teach began to recover his stamina.
The enormous Sea King was thus completely devoured by Teach in their eyes; Teach's belly seemed like a bottomless pit, and remained unchanged.
"You guys stay here for now, I have something to do." Feeling that he had recovered enough, Teach told them and walked off in one direction.
"Is the captain going to see that monster?" Wallace couldn't help but ask, his expression somewhat grave. After Teach was completely defeated, they brought Teach's body back, but when they encountered the monster at close range, their conditions were worlds apart. Teach only had a few minor injuries, while Teach was no longer able to resist.
Standing in front of that guy, he had no ability to resist at all, he couldn't even move. He wanted to move, but his legs wouldn't obey him. It was Pito and Gari who brought them and Teach back.
Fortunately, the monster didn't attack them; it probably didn't bother with them.
"I think so, there's no one else on this island." Kos nodded, holding his spear.
"Does that mean we'll have to fight another match?" Wallace looked up at the sky and exclaimed helplessly.
"Probably not. Teach doesn't seem to have any fighting spirit right now. He's probably not going to fight, and his body hasn't fully recovered yet," Gari said, shaking his head.
"How boring. I'd better go exercise." Baccarat smiled and turned to leave.
Upon hearing this, the others also left. Witnessing such a powerful battle made them feel a sense of urgency, and the ceiling of combat power in this world was raised considerably in their worldview.
They were still too weak and needed to improve their strength quickly. Teach, who was walking towards Bullet, sensed their thoughts with his Observation Haki and couldn't help but smile. Pressure is a driving force, and this was a good thing for them. Even Baccarat, who had never been very interested in training, started to take it seriously.
Bullet hadn't left yet; he was on the other side of the island, and from afar, Teach could see the enormous Sea King bones.
There was still some fresh flesh and blood on the bone; it was fresh, and Bullet was there.
Bullet sat atop a massive Sea King bone and sensed Teach's arrival, but unlike before, no battle ensued.
"Bullet, you know Roger is going to be executed, right?" Sitting four meters in front of Bullet, Teach seemed to know him well and said with a smile.
"So what?" Bullet said in a deep voice, but when he heard Roger's name, his body froze for a moment. Although it was only for a moment and he quickly recovered, Teach still noticed it. One can imagine that Bullet's heart was very unsettled.
The closer they got to Roger's death, the more this became true. Once Roger died, Bullet would completely lose control, lose his purpose, become disorderly and chaotic, only knowing how to destroy, and his temper would become even more volatile.
"You aim to surpass Roger, don't you, Bullet?" Teach chuckled. He knew Bullet's goal, and Bullet had the potential, but Teach also knew that it would be difficult for Bullet to surpass Roger.
Before Bullet could speak, Teach continued, "How do you surpass him? Surpass him in strength? You're not there yet. There are legendary pirates on the high seas who rival Roger: Whitebeard, Shiki, Garp, and even 'The Lone Red,' now imprisoned in Impel Down, Redfield. Some of them are even slightly stronger than Roger. But with your potential, you can absolutely do it. As long as you defeat these powerful figures, you can be considered to have surpassed Roger in strength."
Teach stared intently at Bullet, a smile on his face.
Bullet clenched his fists, which trembled slightly, seemingly excited. He didn't care why Teach knew his target, because many people knew it; everyone in Roger Pirates knew, and it was normal for Teach, as a member of Whitebeard Pirates, to know as well.
After learning that Roger had a terminal illness and was nearing the end of his life, Bullet challenged Roger one last time and failed, then left the Roger Pirates. Roger was dying, and his goal was neither achieved nor could it be achieved. Given his pride, he would never admit to defeating a seriously ill Roger, meaning that this goal would never be accomplished.
That's why he was once lost, but Teach's words gave him a goal, a way to surpass Roger, a direction.
However, Bullet felt that Teach hadn't finished speaking.
"How can you surpass Roger?" Teach asked again. "In terms of power, Roger had the entire Roger Pirates. Unless you build the strongest pirate crew or force in the world, surpassing the current New World rulers Golden Lion Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates, it's impossible. And building a force takes far longer than you can imagine. It's not just about fists; you also need powerful allies. And in the future, even stronger forces may rise. With your personality, that's something you'll find very difficult to do."
Bullet remained silent. He was a man who only believed in his own strength and not in his companions. His early experiences had instilled in him a belief in his own power, something he could never truly accept.
He is very similar to "The Lone Red" Redfield, both possessing formidable combat power. The two are more than an era apart in age, but the former does not trust his comrades, while the latter does not need comrades.
Patrick Redfield, an absolutely powerful man, doesn't need the strength of his companions. With his own strength, he can stand shoulder to shoulder with Roger and Whitebeard. In this era, he is undoubtedly the "strongest one-on-one fighter in the world".
Whether it's swordsmanship, the Three Types of Haki, or physical skills, he has reached the pinnacle of the world. Furthermore, his Observation Haki grants him a mysterious ability that the world fears: mind reading, even the ability to read memories. In his presence, there are no secrets.
The news of Patrick Redfield's arrest a year ago shocked the world. Although the Navy tried to cover it up, such a big thing could not be kept secret, and the whole inside story was revealed.
Fleet Admiral Kong was defeated. On an island in the Grand Line, Fleet Admiral Kong fought an earth-shattering battle with Redfield. The battle lasted for nine days and nine nights, and in the end, the eighty-year-old Fleet Marshal Kong was defeated by Redfield.
Although Kong is quite old, he is still at his peak in terms of combat power. In addition, he is a user of the Mythical Zoan, Kongo Fruit, and possesses terrifying vitality.
Although his physical strength may have declined somewhat, he was still a monster powerhouse at the pinnacle of the world. At this level, his abilities had naturally reached the Awakening. However, despite this, Redfield, who was not Devil Fruit User.
Just as Kong was about to be killed by Redfield, the Marine Garp the Hero arrived at the crucial moment. Redfield could have run away, but the arrogant man did not. The battle with Kong had left him with many injuries, and he fought the Marine Garp the Hero for three days and three nights. Finally, due to exhaustion, he was defeated by Garp, captured, and imprisoned in Impel Down.
Bullet joined the Roger Pirates solely to gain power surpassing Roger's and the opportunity to challenge Roger at any time. He made no friends with anyone other than Roger, nor did he integrate into the Roger Pirates. In an era where high-level combat power was scarce, the Roger Pirates also needed his strength.
Moreover, he was well aware of the strength of the Roger Pirates. It would be extremely difficult to deal with Roger alone, not to mention that the Roger Pirates were full of powerful members. It was simply impossible for him to do it with his own strength alone.
"How can you surpass Roger in terms of influence?" Teach couldn't help but ask. "Roger is already the Pirate King, the first man to conquer the Grand Line. And now, although Roger is about to be executed, he won't die so easily."
Teach smiled. Bullet's gaze fell on him. "Won't die easily?" What did that mean?
"Roger may be dying, but wouldn't it be better to enjoy his final days in peace? Why was he captured by the Navy? As far as I know, Roger surrendered himself. There must be a big secret behind it. On the day of his execution, he will announce a world-shaking announcement, a message that will influence the world's trends. At that time, the whole world will be marked with Roger's name, and Roger will become an eternal legend, unsurpassable." Teach said excitedly, thinking of that moment.
"Bullet, how are you going to surpass him?" Teach asked Bullet with a smile, repeating the same question.
Bullet fell silent, unsure how to answer. Strength, power, influence—his goal had always been to surpass Roger in strength, but was that truly surpassing Roger?
It may be harsh, but we must state a fact: all things considered, Roger is unsurpassable, insurmountable. He could never surpass him in terms of power, influence, or prestige. Roger became the Pirate King, reaching an unprecedented peak. How could he possibly surpass him?
More importantly, he had no doubts about the information about Roger that he heard from Teach. Knowing Roger's strength, even when he was seriously ill, he still possessed great power. In addition, with the Roger Pirates crew members around, how could they possibly be captured by the Navy? The only possibility was that he would surrender.
He is unaware that the Roger Pirates, which have now disappeared from the seas, have disbanded, and he hasn't paid attention to any news about Roger Pirates for a long time.
A sudden curiosity arose in his mind: what exactly would Roger do? He knew Roger's character; he wouldn't do anything meaningless. Since he had surrendered himself, there must have been some premeditation. He didn't know Roger's thoughts, but Roger's execution was being broadcast live worldwide, which would definitely be news that shocked the world.
Thinking this through his battle with Teach and Teach's words, Bullet's mind cleared up considerably. He exhaled a breath of stale air and felt a sense of relief throughout his body.
Although the road ahead was unclear, he had some ideas of his own. He was determined to surpass Roger. It wasn't terrible if he couldn't surpass him; he would work hard in other ways. What was more important was that he couldn't see himself clearly, just like he had been before.
That's why Bullet went berserk after Roger's death, completely losing control and venting his anger through destruction, turning the sea upside down. Otherwise, even facing Garp and Sengoku, the entire Buster Call, and all the pirates he defeated, he had many ways to escape with his Combine-Combine Fruit powers.
He used his ability to burrow directly into the ground, where the inorganic soil and rocks could not stop him. He escaped underground, approached the sea, and then used his ability to transform the surrounding rocks and soil into a submarine, allowing him to escape directly through the sea.