In a small town within the New World, a man wrapped in a heavy cloak sat on a stone pier. He combed his hair back and smoked a cigar while reading the latest newspaper. Beside him stood his loyal, muscular bodyguard with a clean-shaven head.
Crocodile smiled as he handed a bounty poster to Mr. 1.
"Mr. 1, look at this. It is truly unbelievable that a good-for-nothing like Mr. 3 managed to defeat Cracker," Crocodile said.
Mr. 1 examined the bounty poster. He could not help but feel surprised by the 900,000,000 Berry price tag. He never expected that Mr. 3, who had once been a colleague, would become so fierce after joining the Straw Hat crew.
"The most outrageous thing is Miss Golden Week. She did not even eat a Devil Fruit. It is completely unreasonable for her to beat Smoothie," Crocodile remarked.
He held up Miss Golden Week's bounty poster, the 950,000,000 Berry value stinging his eyes. Both of these individuals had been cadres in his organization, the Baroque Works. He could not help but wonder why they had not been nearly as strong when they were under his command. Furthermore, there was Robin, his former partner, who was now a major pirate with a 700,000,000 Berry bounty.
It seemed that following him led to bad luck, while following Straw Hat Luffy guaranteed success. The irony was hard to swallow. His former subordinates had been gone for less than a year, yet they were already powerhouses in the New World. He felt a strange sense of embarrassment.
Mr. 1 remained expressionless, but he simply agreed, "It is outrageous."
"It really is the tragedy of leaving my organization," Crocodile muttered.
The two fell into a heavy silence, and the atmosphere became quite awkward. Local people nearby recognized Crocodile and quickly hid, fearing they might offend the cruel former Warlord of the Sea.
Crocodile broke the silence. "I heard that guy Bullet is looking for the Straw Hats. It seems they are in big trouble now. Let us go and join in the fun."
As he spoke, he stood up, and Mr. 1 followed him without a word.
"Boss, have you ever fought Bullet?" Mr. 1 asked curiously.
"Yes, it was a 50/50 fight," Crocodile admitted without hiding anything.
Mr. 1 blinked, surprised. "The boss is that strong? Is that really true?"
"Mr. 1, do not doubt your boss. I may not be able to beat Straw Hat Luffy, but I certainly would not lose to Bullet," Crocodile replied with confidence.
Mr. 1 fell silent, clearly still skeptical, but he knew better than to question his captain further. Crocodile was actually quite confused himself. He wondered how he had managed a 50/50 split with Bullet back in the day. Even if he considered himself capable, Bullet was known to be on par with Rayleigh. He wondered if he could actually be considered a match for the Dark King himself. However, he decided not to dwell on it; he just wanted to watch the battle unfold.
Elsewhere, on a winter island in the New World, the Red Hair Pirates were gathered. Mihawk had also arrived. He had been visiting the New World quite frequently lately, as the Straw Hats' performance was becoming impossible to ignore, which piqued his interest.
He was not just watching Zoro, but also Carl, a great swordsman he had yet to challenge. Mihawk was always looking for an excuse to fight, though he remained restrained, wanting to wait until Zoro had reached his full potential. This time, however, he had come to speak with Shanks about Bullet.
"Red-Haired, Bullet has found the person you chose. Are you not worried?" Mihawk asked coldly.
Shanks, who looked slightly drunk, waved a hand. "Mihawk, you are worrying about things that do not concern you. Luffy will not be easily defeated by Bullet. If you want to watch the fight, you can go yourself. I cannot take the initiative to see Luffy right now."
"Is that so? Then I will go," Mihawk said, standing up and leaving without hesitation.
Shanks watched him go, rubbing his temples as a headache set in.
"Captain, if you are truly worried, you could go and take a look," Ben Beckman said casually.
"Forget it. Luffy has a path he must walk, and I cannot interfere. Besides, we just finished fighting the Beast Pirates, and our brothers have not fully recovered their strength. We should not get involved," Shanks said, though he remained alert.
When he thought of Bullet, he felt a sharp pain in his teeth. Back when he was on Roger's ship, Bullet had been a monster who could dominate the entire crew, and even Rayleigh had struggled to hold him down. At the time, only the Captain had been able to subdue that devil. After all these years, Bullet's strength had likely grown even more twisted, and it was hard to say if Luffy could handle him.
"Forget it. Besides, there is still that man Carl there. They should not lose in a two-on-one match," Shanks reasoned.
With that thought, the red-haired captain turned his attention back to his drink.
Meanwhile, aboard the Moby Dick, Ace looked deeply concerned. "Dad, the Bullet you mentioned is incredibly powerful. Can Luffy really handle him?"
Whitebeard laughed heartily. "Gurarara! Ace, you are always worrying about that straw hat boy, but your own strength is not yet on his level. Do you still want to go and make more trouble?"
Ace's face darkened. "Dad, who said I am weaker than Luffy? I am his older brother!"
Marco immediately cut in. "Come on, Ace. Do you not know your own strength? You should spend these next few days practicing hard. If you go to Wano and meet your father-in-law's Thunder Bagua without learning advanced Haki, then you truly will be inferior to your younger brother."
Ace could not find a comeback. Was it not natural for an older brother to worry about his younger brother? But Whitebeard and Marco were right. Luffy was strong, and if Ace went there, he might just be a burden. He felt ashamed of his lack of progress.
Whitebeard eventually offered some comfort. "Ace, do not worry. The Straw Hats are a group of elites. Even if Straw Hat Luffy cannot beat Bullet alone, surely they can fight him together. I am not worried about my granddaughter. You should worry about your own training. If you do not learn advanced Haki as Marco suggested, I will kick your tail!"
Ace shrank his neck, immediately rushing to continue his training. Ever since he had parted ways with the Straw Hats, Marco and his father had been much stricter with his training.
Kaido, Big Mom, and Blackbeard had all received word of Bullet's actions. Even Kaido felt a flicker of fear, as Bullet was an old acquaintance. However, all three were currently in seclusion and did not intend to appear in public yet. They sent subordinates to observe the battle, eager to know the outcome as soon as possible.
The Marines had also received the news. Seeing Akainu eager to move, Kizaru suddenly felt like stepping back.
Akainu looked directly at him. "Borsalino, if we send men to watch the battle and wait for Bullet and Straw Hat Luffy to exhaust each other, would it be possible for us to take advantage of the situation?"
Kizaru immediately shook his head. "Sakazuki... Marshal, I do not think that would work."
"Oh? Tell me why not," Akainu demanded.
"The rest of the Straw Hat crew is also there. An attack on Straw Hat Luffy will certainly not succeed," Kizaru answered.
Akainu was not surprised by the response.
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