Chapter 15: The True Strongest in the World!
"Wh- what?!"
Bullet, who had just quickly flipped over and stood up, heard Garp's words.
He instinctively froze, his pupils trembling.
"You were betrayed by adults when you were young, betrayed by friends when you grew up, and now even Roger, the first person who truly accepted you and the first person who defeated you, is gone. You've lost your fighting goal, you've lost your direction in life..."
"You must be very lonely, very lost."
Garp made no move to pursue, instead standing there, pitying the child before him who was walking down a path of no return.
The Bullet of the past clearly yearned for honor, valued his companions, and even found a goal in life after meeting Roger. Yet, time and again, he was mercilessly ravaged by reality, pushing him step by step into the person he is today.
A person who only believes in himself, lives only for himself, and is only willing to face everything alone.
The current Bullet is a bewildered monster!
"Cough, you... you..."
Bullet trembled all over, completely stunned. He didn't even bother to wipe away the blood coughing from his mouth.
He felt that every word Garp spoke was harsher, heavier, and more painful than the punch just now. Almost every sentence was a fierce blow to his heart.
This was the feeling of something buried deep within being brutally dug out and exposed to the sun right before his eyes.
"SHUT UP!!!"
Bullet roared hysterically at Garp.
At the same time, he went berserk once more. All the Strength within him surged like a tsunami, desperately charging forward.
"You know, child, this old man sincerely hopes you can meet someone who can accept you positively again."
"But right now, you need to calm down first!"
Following Garp's heartfelt words.
One large and one small, but equally dark and hard fists, each wrapped in Haki and Strength compressed to the extreme, collided head-on in mid-air.
[Boom——————]
Blue-black Air Currents and pure black Air Currents squeezed against each other in the arena. But the moment the pure black Air Current pressed over the other like a towering mountain, a dazzling light exploded instantly.
This time, the ground beneath their feet could no longer hold on.
The entire surface of the earth was completely lifted up like Sea Waves under the high-pressure thrust.
Buildings, corpses...
Even tree roots were pulled out of the ground by the wind and waves, falling heavily into the distant vast Sea.
Two days later.
The sound of a Transponder Snail rang out in the Room of Authority, deep within Pangaea Castle in Mary Geoise.
"Lord Imu, Douglas Bullet has been personally defeated by Garp and is being held in Impel Down's 'Infinite Hell'."
Im listened, unsurprised, and calmly replied, "Good. Then proceed as previously instructed."
"Yes, I obey your will!"
Putting the Handset back on the Transponder Snail's back.
Im connected the Visual Den Den Mushi on the other side to Impel Down's surveillance system.
Soon, a high-definition virtual image appeared in the empty space before him.
The scene within was Bullet, lying on the cold ground with his hands and feet locked.
He was wearing a black and white striped prisoner's uniform, but his face was bruised and swollen, completely lacking any dignity.
"This guy is a good prospect."
Im's eyes were also filled with regret for the waste of talent.
But he also knew that the other party's personality was too extreme. Without proper guidance, it would be very difficult to use him well.
One careless mistake and he could hurt himself.
However, luckily, he was a Transmigrator and had some understanding of what was on Bullet's mind.
Coupled with his own Strength and influence, it wouldn't hurt to try using this peerless Double-Edged Sword.
It was just like Golden Lion Shiki; he definitely couldn't be used directly right now.
He needed to be locked up for at least two years to temper his nature. No matter how good a sword is, it needs to be obedient.
Just then, Bullet in the high-definition projection suddenly spoke.
"Who?"
Although he was lying on the ground and couldn't see the person outside the cell.
The presence of Observation Haki still allowed him to sense the other party's aura.
And it was very strong.
"I represent the Celestial Dragons and the World Government. As for my name, you don't need to know."
"Hmph, Celestial Dragons? Subordinates of those pieces of trash? Truly pathetic fellows." Bullet sneered, looking at the dark ceiling.
But the shadow outside the cell showed no sign of refuting or scolding, which surprised him a little.
"The higher-ups want me to ask you, are you willing?"
Bullet frowned, not speaking, answering the other party with silence. The shadow didn't mind his attitude and continued.
"You were defeated by Roger, Roger died, and there's no longer any possibility of surpassing him. This time you were defeated by Garp, but he is still alive. Are you willing to waste your time in this lightless depth of the Sea, wasting your talent every moment?"
Anger appeared on Bullet's face. How could he be willing? How could he possibly be willing!
"What? From what you're saying, the Celestial Dragons want to let me out and have me be their dog?"
"Do you still remember your Ambition?" the shadow asked.
The Strongest in the World!
These four big words appeared in Bullet's mind instantly.
"The World Government is the controller of the highest authority on this planet."
"This place has the best training resources and the most top-tier powerhouses. Don't you want to personally challenge a Marine Admiral, or perhaps fight Garp again in the future?"
"This place can even give you the biggest wars, ensuring you'll never lack combat. Most importantly, all of this is legitimate."
"Isn't this the best shortcut to becoming the Strongest in the World for you?"
Every word the shadow spoke echoed in the cell, and Bullet's pupils unconsciously flickered.
Because he felt that it sounded quite reasonable.
However, having developed the habit of no longer trusting anyone and only being willing to fight alone, it was difficult for him to convince himself to join the World Government and obey the Celestial Dragons' orders.
"You're hesitating."
"And the point you're struggling with is having to obey the Celestial Dragons whom you look down upon, right?"
Bullet remained silent, or rather, he was tacitly agreeing.
"Then what if I told you that you only need to obey one person, a man who can be called the truly Strongest in the World? How about that?"
"What, the truly Strongest in the World!" Bullet was shocked.
"Don't joke around! How could the World Government have such a person? Since Roger died, the only man on the Sea qualified to contend for the title of Strongest in the World is Whitebeard, who possesses Monstrous Strength!"
"Heh, then let me tell you, neither Whitebeard, whom you mentioned, nor Garp, who just defeated you, nor even Roger before, were opponents for that person. And they are far inferior. How about it, interested in seeing for yourself?"
The shadow chuckled.
"That's impossible!" Bullet, lying on the ground, gritted his teeth and said.
"Whether it's possible or not, you can see for yourself, but the premise is that you have to get out of here."
"Alright!"
"I agree. Let me out. If such a person truly exists, I am willing to join the World Government!"
"That's very good. However, you cannot come out yet, because you don't understand the preciousness of freedom right now, nor will you cherish any of this. Experience the feeling of time crawling by like years. I will come back in about one or two years..."
Silence returned to the cell, but Bullet's heavy breathing lingered for a long time, his bloodshot eyes filled with unwillingness and anger.
Outside, just as the shadow turned around, a person in a black suit walked up beside him, respectfully lowering his head and asking.
"Sir, can the 'Soundproof Domain' be removed?"
"Mm."
Looking around.
A faint purple halo could be seen covering Bullet's cell and the space a few meters outside the door.
(End of this chapter)