"Back then, you were just a weak brat. Now, though you've grown strong, you've lost the arm you used most. Such a pity... it makes me so angry!"
The stronger Shanks became, the more curious Bullet grew. If he had still kept his dominant left arm, what would today's battle have looked like?
From his expression alone, one might think it was Bullet, not Shanks, who had lost an arm.
"Roger was the same. If he'd just thrown away those burdens, he could have achieved so much more. But he insisted on looking after those trash.
You're no different. Losing an arm over something so inexplicable…"
Bullet was similar to Kaido, yet completely different.
They had both grown on the battlefield. But Kaido had been the strongest soldier of his kingdom, the mightiest warrior in its army. He grew up surrounded by praise, admired by his fellow soldiers.
And in the end, it wasn't those soldiers who betrayed him. It was the very kingdom he had fought for, which sought to trade him away in exchange for a seat at the Levely, forcibly handing him over to the Marines during the World Military Draft.
Bullet, on the other hand, had grown up among child soldiers treated as expendable cannon fodder. For the sake of so-called honor, the comrades at his side betrayed him.
For greater power and authority, even Douglas Gray who had adopted him betrayed him.
While Kaido dominated the seas—expanding his territory and recruiting forces through alliances—Bullet was confined in a small dark cell on Level Six, facing the wall, training his body, and occasionally dealing with the pirates in nearby cages.
That kind of environment made Bullet even more extreme. His views on certain things became utterly different. In some respects, his madness even surpassed Kaido's, and most dangerously of all, he possessed the strength to put his ideas into practice.
Even when Blackbeard invaded Impel Down, he chose to steer clear of Bullet. He was there to recruit crewmates, not to seek out thrills.
"Even with just one arm, it's enough to deal with you. Attacking the family I cherish isn't something I can simply forgive."
Hearing Shanks' words, Bullet instead burst into laughter.
"Good. But that's still not enough. Let me add a little more spice to today's festival."
Noticing that the live broadcast signal hadn't been cut, Bullet pulled out the treasure chest that had just been used as the prize. Inside wasn't a slip of paper with information, nor some priceless treasure, but an Eternal Pose.
On its outer casing was a single name: Laugh Tale.
Bullet even adjusted the angle so it would be perfectly visible to the broadcast.
"All you pirates still breathing, listen up! The reward for this competition is in my hands, the Eternal Pose to Laugh Tale, a shortcut straight to the final location of the One Piece!"
The moment those words left his mouth, even Shanks, standing directly opposite him, was stunned.
Back when they had nearly reached Laugh Tale, Buggy had suddenly come down with a mysterious high fever. As his sworn brother, Shanks had chosen to stay behind to care for him rather than follow Roger to see Laugh Tale with his own eyes.
He had never once heard Roger or Rayleigh mention such a thing. And even if something like that did exist, it certainly shouldn't have ended up in the hands of Bullet, who had long since left the crew.
"How do you have something like that?"
"Hmph. Who knows?"
Answering Shanks casually, Bullet continued to shout, "Want it? Want the One Piece? Then try and kill me, and take it for yourselves!"
Bullet himself didn't even know whether this so-called Eternal Pose to Laugh Tale was real or fake. He had never been to the location marked on the pointer and had never verified it.
Moreover, he hadn't found the Log Pose himself. It had been brought by Buena Festa as part of a cooperation agreement.
After Roger reached Laugh Tale, one of his crewmates had indeed used an Eternal Pose to record its location, but that had greatly displeased Roger.
[What kind of joke is this? You actually recorded the location on an Eternal Pose?]
[It's just in case. If we ever need it in the future…]
[In case? There is no "in case." Our adventure is already over. Anyone who needs to rely on something like that to reach this place could never obtain the treasure in the first place, right?]
After rejecting his crewmate's actions, Roger threw the Eternal Pose that recorded Laugh Tale's location into the deep sea.
Once it sank into the ocean depths, no one knew whether it settled on the seabed or ended up inside the belly of some fish.
Buena Festa had originally vanished from the seas due to a shipwreck caused by a Sea King. When he reappeared before the public eye, he already possessed such an Eternal Pose.
Whether this was Buena Festa's stroke of luck or a fabricated lie, only he himself knew. But to them, whether it was real or fake didn't really matter.
Neither Buena Festa nor Bullet currently aimed to find the One Piece. Their goal was to surpass Roger. As long as they could set the seas ablaze and draw enough attention, the authenticity of the Eternal Pose was irrelevant.
Roger's final words had ushered in the Great Pirate Era. Whitebeard's last bold declaration had convinced countless people that the One Piece truly existed.
Then Buena Festa, the renowned Master of Festivities from the old era and Warmonger, combined with the reputation of Bullet having once sailed with Roger, had already achieved their goal.
As Bullet's voice echoed across the island, some of the pirates who had been fleeing in panic suddenly stopped in their tracks.
"Get lost, don't block my way!"
Only a portion stopped. Most pirates continued to flee out of fear. But when someone suddenly slammed on the brakes in the middle of an escape, chaos was inevitable.
Slash!
"The one blocking the way is you."
A blade pierced straight through a man's body. The pirate who struck him turned back and shouted to his crew:
"Men! Why did we set out to sea in the first place? Have you forgotten already? The One Piece is right in front of us! Can we really give up an opportunity like this?"
He wasn't an exception. To pirates, the One Piece was a treasure of immeasurable value. No one knew its true worth, yet countless pirates had set sail in pursuit of it.
When the reward grew great enough, not even death could deter the greedy.
Quite a few of the fleeing pirates began turning back toward the center of the island. Of course, many still chose to run.
"Idiots. Whoever wants that deadly thing can go. I'm not throwing my life away for nothing."
Those pirates made their choice decisively. Others hesitated.
They coveted the One Piece, yet they didn't want to face such a powerful opponent.
"Boss, let's wait a bit. The one fighting that guy is Red Hair. If they both end up heavily injured, we might get our chance."
"Yeah, yeah. They'll definitely be fighting like crazy over that thing."
These opportunists lingered in relatively safer areas, intending to wait until the people at the front were finished. But standing still didn't mean safety. Others with the same idea launched surprise attacks against these would-be fishermen.
In their eyes, when powerful forces clashed, both sides would inevitably suffer. If that was the case, it was better to eliminate a few potential competitors first.
Under the influence of Bullet's declaration, a new wave of chaos erupted across the island.
Yet on the fragments of the Bubble Island near Bullet, the scene was entirely different. For example, when Buggy heard Bullet's words, not only did he show no trace of greed, he actually sped up his escape.
"Captain Buggy, such a great opportunity, aren't you going to make a move?"
"Are you kidding me?! Do you even know what kind of monsters those are?! Shut up, all of you! Before anyone notices us, get out of here!"
Between Shanks and Bullet, there wasn't a single one he could afford to provoke. He had no intention of getting dragged in and becoming cannon fodder.
"I get it, Captain Buggy, you're unwilling to raise your hand against your former crewmate, right?"
"That must be it. Captain Buggy isn't the kind of person who would take advantage of someone when they're down."
Habit had long since become second nature. Buggy ignored the wild imagination of his subordinates and continued moving quickly toward a safer area, with Mr. 3 closely following behind him.
Although Cross Guild had been formed, Crocodile hadn't taken this former subordinate back in, which ultimately left Mr. 3 still at Buggy's side.
This group never had much in the way of principles to begin with, and Buggy didn't particularly care about such things.
Besides, Mr. 3's ability was extremely useful. He can be considered one of the few reliable people around Buggy who understands his true capabilities, won't push him into doing absurd things, and is himself quite competent.
There were others whose actions surprised even their own companions.
Luffy's crew had been worried he might get fired up and jump into the fray. This wasn't some "movie-version world"—facing Emperors at the peak of their power, getting involved in this battle would bring them no benefit.
Law, who was traveling with them, was even more concerned. But just as he began to speak, Luffy made a choice that caught him completely off guard.
"Straw Hat-ya, this place—"
"Ah, I thought the treasure was endless meat. Why is it something so boring instead?"
With his little finger stuck in his nose, Luffy looked utterly uninterested in the treasure that countless pirates were scrambling over.
"Boring? Straw Hat-ya, do you even know what you're saying? That's the most direct way to reach Laugh Tale… And who in their right mind would consider endless meat a treasure?!"
Judging by Law's reaction, he had clearly been influenced by Straw Hat; otherwise, he wouldn't have shown such a delayed response.
"I know. But that wouldn't be any fun. How can someone become Pirate King without adventure? Besides, Shanks is over there. He probably has his own plans."
After wiping his finger on Usopp's clothes, Luffy suddenly remembered something and began walking toward the battlefield.
"Hey! What are you doing now?! I thought you said you weren't interested in the treasure!"
Seeing Luffy, who had finally acted sensible for once, now heading toward that extremely dangerous place, his companions grew even more confused.
"I'm going to see Shanks. We agreed that when we met again, I'd return the straw hat to him. This should count as our official reunion, right?"
"Don't go interrupting a clash between big shots at a time like this!"
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