"Before that… didn't you once sail with the Roger Pirates? So why refuse to join any other crew now?"
Rain asked with a faint smile, testing his words carefully.
"Do you think… you can compare yourself to Roger?"
Douglas Bullet's voice was low, filled with scorn. His eyes burned with something that wasn't just anger, it was reverence for the man he once called captain.
"Roger is dead."
Rain's reply was calm and very casual.
"…Tch."
Bullet's fists clenched. This kid's bluntness grated on him, making him want to smash that smug face into the ground.
"Still not interested? Our organization offers more than you think."
Rain pressed, his tone neither mocking nor desperate, just steady.
"I'm not interested," Bullet snapped. "I'll never shackle myself to an organization again."
His gaze was sharp, ice-cold, his pride unshakable.
"The two of us… our strength should be about equal, right?"
Rain tilted his head, studying him.
"…Almost."
Bullet hated admitting it, but it was true. The brat was strong far stronger than someone his age had any right to be.
"Give me half a year. Once I hone my Armament and Conqueror's Haki, you won't stand a chance against me."
Rain's words rang with unshakable confidence.
"You've got guts, kid… daring to say that in front of me."
Bullet laughed softly, eyes flashing with dangerous light. Who did this brat think he was looking down on?
"What I said is the truth. So… want to try me?"
Rain's challenge carried no arrogance, just raw determination. A monster like Douglas Bullet would be the perfect sparring partner to push himself beyond his limits.
"And with me standing against you… you'll keep getting stronger too, won't you?"
Bullet's expression turned murderous. "Don't mistake me for some training dummy. If I get the chance, I'll kill you where you stand."
Rain only grinned wider. "Then if you've got the strength… try."
"Tch."
Douglas Bullet snorted, glancing at Rain's confident face. That arrogance rubbed him the wrong way yet in this world without Roger, things had become unbearably dull.
Perhaps facing someone with a spirit similar to Roger's wouldn't be so bad.
"This guy… he's so full of himself."
Mira stepped up to Rain's side, pouting. She had never met anyone more arrogant than her until now.
"Rain, why don't we team up and toss him into the sea?" she said eagerly, already rolling up her sleeves.
"…Eh?"
Rain's expression stiffened. Mira's enthusiasm was… not exactly helping.
"Hah. Weaklings like you? Try it."
Bullet gave her a cold, disdainful look. If it were Rain, maybe he'd take him seriously.
But Mira? To him, she was nothing more than a featherweight.
"Against a weak chicken like you, I can knock out ten with a single punch."
"…Weak… chicken?"
Mira froze for a second, then her face turned crimson with fury.
"You bastard!"
Her aura flared, fists trembling with the urge to strike.
"What? You wanna fight?" Bullet cracked his knuckles, the air around him tightening.
"Fine. I'll keep you company until you drop."
"Alright, Mira, don't."
Rain quickly stepped in, raising a hand. "Don't waste your time on him. The best answer is to get stronger then shut him up with your fists."
Mira huffed, but his words cut through her anger. Taking a deep breath, she gave Bullet one last glare, eyes burning with determination.
"…Fine. I'll remember this. One day, I'll beat that smug look off your face."
"Tch."
Bullet snorted again, unimpressed, and said nothing more.
In the end, he agreed to temporarily accompany Rain's crew.
Not long after, Rain explained his arrangement with Buggy.
"That red-nosed clown?"
At the mention of Buggy, Bullet's expression shifted strangely. For a moment, his eyes softened, as if remembering something from the old days with Roger's crew but almost instantly, his cold demeanor returned.
"So, all you need from me is to provide muscle, right?"
He finally asked, voice flat.
"Exactly."
Rain nodded, studying him. Bullet looked every bit the powerhouse he was but when it came to strategy or leadership? He was definitely not the intellectual type.
"Very good."
Douglas Bullet gave a short nod, satisfied. At least this arrangement wouldn't interfere with his own plan to grow stronger.
From that point on, Bullet officially began traveling with Rain and Mira. Surprisingly, the journey turned out to be enjoyable, even for him.
After all, there was no shortage of battles and most importantly, opponents who could push him.
But even Bullet found himself unsettled at times. Watching the way Rain and Mira grew stronger, he couldn't help but question reality.
Especially Rain. His growth was absurd, almost unnatural.
"It's like you're not training at all," Bullet muttered, eyes narrowing at Rain, "but simply reclaiming what was already yours."
There was something eerie about it. If he hadn't known Rain truly wasn't Roger, Bullet might have wondered was this brat Roger's reincarnation?
A clone? Some kind of leftover will?
And Mira… she wasn't far behind either. Her growth wasn't as outrageous as Rain's, but it was still terrifyingly fast.
A fitting trait, perhaps, for someone who naturally carried the presence of a Conqueror.
Maybe it was because she refused to back down after his earlier insults.
Maybe it was the constant friction between them.
Either way, Mira's strength climbed day by day, to the point where even Bullet had to admit, defeating her now would take real effort.
Against his own nature, he found himself respecting her. In Bullet's world, only the strong deserved acknowledgment. Mira was earning it.
One Year Later – Sea Circle Calendar 1499
"…It's already been a year?"
Mira gazed out at the endless blue horizon, her voice carrying a quiet sigh.
She hadn't realized how quickly time had passed since she'd been dragged into this world.
"Are you thinking about Lisanna and Elfman?"
Rain stepped beside her, gently pulling her into his arms as he asked in a soft voice.
"…A little." Mira admitted without hesitation.
"It's the first time the three of us have ever been apart for this long. For me, it feels like forever but for them, it's probably been less than a month, right?"
Her tone carried both longing and melancholy, the weight of a year pressing against memories that felt like yesterday.
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