That guy… is he even human? How the hell did he take that hit?
Roger Pirates' head chef, Yao-ichi, stared in disbelief.
Barrett's shirt had been blown to shreds, blood trickled from his lips, and an arrow was still embedded in his chest—yet he had withstood Fang Yi's fully charged, point-blank attack with sheer brute force.
"You must be a Devil Fruit user too, right?"
The dust settled. Barrett, now steady on his feet, ripped out the arrow from his chest, blood gushing out. He raised his head and looked straight at Fang Yi—grinning.
A twisted, excited grin.
"No way… You tanked that?"
Fang Yi felt a chill. It had been a long time since he doubted his power.
The last time he had this feeling was back during the God Valley War—when facing monsters like Kaido or Big Mom (Charlotte Linlin). Back then, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't pierce their natural defenses.
Since then, he'd grown much stronger and hadn't met anyone whose body could resist his enhanced strikes—until now.
Well, not counting Garp, who chased them endlessly. But Garp was Captain Roger's headache, not Fang Yi's.
And now, Barrett—a boy about Fang Yi's age—was making him feel powerless again.
"Didn't expect to meet someone this strong here... You've got my blood boiling."
Barrett grinned wildly, eyes fixed on Fang Yi. He didn't move to attack, not because he didn't want to—but because his head was still reeling from Fang Yi's stun-inflicting Trident combo.
That last Charged Arrow had broken through his Armament Haki. If not for his monstrous physique, it might have been fatal.
Fang Yi could tell, thanks to his system's feedback, that the combo had triggered both Stun and Precision effects. But even so, the damage wasn't enough to bring Barrett down.
If the fight dragged on, Fang Yi might need to use his ultimate AoE skill.
Fortunately, before that became necessary, Rayleigh and a squad of crewmates arrived in response to the flare.
"Yi, what's going on here?"
Rayleigh's brows rose at the sight of the hulking teen squaring off with Fang Yi.
He knew how strong Fang Yi was. Only he and Roger could suppress him on the ship—Jaba and the others could barely keep up. Fang Yi's arrows were deceptive—you could dodge or block and still get hit somehow.
They once suspected he was a Devil Fruit user—but then saw him swimming in the sea with Wangzai. So, no. It was just him.
"He's Douglas Barrett, and he's tough. Took my fully charged shot like it was nothing. For some reason, he attacked us first. A bunch of the crew got hurt," Fang Yi explained quickly but cautiously, signaling that this guy was dangerous.
Barrett, on seeing more people arrive, wasn't intimidated.
If anything, he seemed even more eager to fight.
"Leave this to me. The captain found the treasure and is heading back." Rayleigh nodded to Fang Yi before stepping forward.
He turned to Barrett and asked politely, "Friend, why did you attack our crew?"
"No real reason," Barrett shrugged, pointing to Fang Yi. "I sensed a strong aura from him… and I wanted a fight."
"In that case…"
Rayleigh smiled. "Then fight me instead."
"Fine by me. Strong opponents are all the same. I'll beat every one of you," Barrett replied—and charged, now recovered from the status effects.
Though blood still stained his chest, he didn't care.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Their clash was ferocious. Unlike Fang Yi, Rayleigh was a swordsman, and a master of close-quarter combat.
Their battle was raw—fist against blade, blow for blow.
Everyone watching—Fang Yi included—had to admit it: Barrett was a monster.
His brute strength let him shrug off most attacks, while his counterattacks were so powerful that a clean hit might completely disable an opponent.
The brawl raged on even as Captain Roger returned with the rest of the crew. There was still no clear winner.
But Fang Yi could tell:
If Barrett went all out in a deathmatch with Rayleigh, the outcome might be Rayleigh critically injured and Barrett dead.
That is, assuming Barrett had no more tricks—he had already revealed his Fusion-Fusion Fruit powers, and Fang Yi doubted he had more in reserve.
"Wahaha! This is great! Rayleigh, where'd you find a kid like this?"
Roger burst out laughing after watching a few exchanges.
CRASH!
Rayleigh clashed once more with Barrett, then retreated from the fight.
"You'll have to ask Fang Yi," he said with a grin.
He'd already gauged Barrett's strength—no need to push the fight further.
"Another one?"
Barrett turned to Roger. This time, his instincts screamed danger.
Roger gave off pressure that neither Fang Yi nor Rayleigh had.
"Hey, kid. What's your name?" Roger smiled.
"Douglas Barrett. Future strongest man in the world. Who are you?" Barrett replied seriously.
Only now did he realize he hadn't figured out who was strongest among them—and had wasted strength fighting the wrong people.
"Captain of the Roger Pirates. Gol D. Roger."
"Captain? That means… you're the strongest one here?"
Barrett's eyes lit up with blazing excitement.
"Our captain isn't just the strongest on our ship—he's been sailing these seas for years… undefeated," Fang Yi said proudly.
Barrett's gaze sharpened.
"Perfect. Then accept my challenge!"
"You?"
Fang Yi stepped forward. "Try beating me first!"
Barrett shot him a glare but didn't speak.
The truth was, he hadn't beaten Fang Yi—and those arrows were creepy. Who knew what other tricks Fang Yi had?
"Well then… if you want to challenge me—bring it on!"
Roger chuckled. A talent like Barrett was rare, and Roger was curious to see what he could do.
Once Roger agreed, Fang Yi stepped aside. He had no objections—truthfully, he couldn't win against Barrett in a drawn-out fight either.
The duel began. And to Fang Yi's surprise, it didn't last long.
Barrett was completely overwhelmed.
Unlike his fierce clash with Rayleigh, his fight with Roger was one-sided.
Roger's presence alone seemed to suppress him. The difference in power was crushing.
By sundown, the Roger Pirates were holding a beach party.
Barrett sat alone in the shadows, silent and still.
He had lost. Utterly.
No excuses, no room for doubt.
Even if he hadn't fought Fang Yi and Rayleigh first, he still wouldn't have won.
Roger's momentum, his raw power—it broke Barrett's spirit.
"Hey… rough day, huh? Want some food?"
Fang Yi strolled over with a big hunk of roast meat, grinning.
Barrett glanced at him but didn't take the food.
"Don't tell me you're upset just because you lost to the captain?"
Fang Yi plopped down beside him with a smirk.
Barrett side-eyed him but didn't respond.
Fang Yi shrugged and started eating. "Our captain isn't normal, y'know. Ever heard of the Rocks Pirates?"
"They were once the strongest crew in the world, led by a man named Rocks—said to be the most powerful pirate alive. But even someone like him was defeated. Wanna know how?"
Barrett stirred slightly. Fang Yi could see the words "strongest" and "most powerful." They caught his attention.
But he said nothing, waiting.
Fang Yi grinned and stayed silent, chewing slowly.
Barrett finally looked like he wanted to ask—but couldn't bring himself to.
Smiling, Fang Yi offered him the roast again.
"Rocks, the so-called world's strongest, was brought down by Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp. Well—that's the official story. Truth is, Garp teamed up with our captain, and only then did they barely manage to defeat him."
This time, Barrett hesitated—but finally took the meat.
He didn't want Fang Yi to stop midway again.
As Barrett ate, Fang Yi lightly touched his shoulder—triggering his system's first scan and registration of Barrett.
"So... this Garp guy—is he really that strong?" Barrett asked.
"Strong? That guy's a total freak," Fang Yi said, shaking his head.
"He's a master of raw physical combat—just like you. And he's never eaten a Devil Fruit. No weaknesses."
"Weaknesses?" Barrett blinked in surprise.
He had eaten the Fusion-Fusion Fruit, and it had only made him stronger.
"You don't know?" Fang Yi raised an eyebrow.
Devil Fruit users can't swim. The sea rejects them. If we fought on open water, I could sink your ship and let the ocean take care of you—without lifting a finger.
Barrett was left speechless.