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"Kojin!!"
A low, bestial roar burst from Bullet's throat, his eyes instantly flooding with blood-red fury.
Almost purely by instinct, his body, wrapped tightly in white bandages, lunged forward. In an instant, he appeared behind his opponent. At the same time, his left arm trembled and his left fist clenched and swung out with ferocious force.
Kojin sensed the gust of wind attacking from behind in a split second, causing a smile to appear at the corner of his mouth.
"Such an unyielding personality! I really do admire it! Bullet!"
As the words left his mouth, an invisible pressure surged outward. His aura spread across his body, hardening every inch of skin and muscle until it felt like forged steel.
Tekkai! + Busoshoku (Armament) Haki!
The combination of the two made Kojin's body incredibly tough and resilient at that moment.
"Bang!"
A dull impact echoed as a ring of airwaves spread across the entire battleship.
Bullet's punch landed squarely on Kojin's left cheek. However, he was shocked beyond belief to see that his opponent was completely uninjured.
"A loser should look like a loser!"
The cold words followed instantly.
At the same time, a crushing blow slammed into Bullet's abdomen. His body folded like a bent spear as blood sprayed from his mouth. He was sent flying backward, smashing violently into the battleship's mast before sliding down in a heap.
Only then did Kojin slowly turn around. His eyes locked onto the so-called heir of the devil, who had blood staining the corner of his own mouth.
"Douglas Bullet! I admire you. Work for me!"
Hearing this, Bullet burst into laughter. He raised his left hand to wipe the blood from his lips, enduring the violent pain churning through his abdomen as he snarled back:
"Who do you think you are?"
"Do you think you are Roger? With just you, a mere Marine, you're not enough to make me submit!" He sneered.
"Since I've fallen into your hands, either kill me or send me to Impel Down."
Kojin wasn't angry at all. He merely smiled faintly.
"I won't kill you. And I won't send you to Impel Down either."
After a brief pause, his smile sharpened into a cold sneer.
"And who do you think you are, Bullet? You're nothing more than a defeated subordinate of mine. In such a miserable state, what right do you have to boast in front of me?"
"If you refuse to accept defeat, then challenge me again whenever you like. I'll prove one thing to you with absolute certainty."
Kojin laughed.
"I will definitely defeat you!"
Those domineering, CEO-like words left Crocodile speechless and made Bullet freeze for a moment. The anger on his face faded somewhat and he actually laughed.
"I'm starting to find you interesting!"
He had to admit that this man's overwhelming strength, combined with his confidence, pride, and domineering attitude, suited his tastes strangely well.
In a daze, Bullet recalled challenging Roger all those years ago.
Like the young Marine before him, that man had been confident, powerful, and overflowing with personal charisma.
The only difference was that Roger had been a pirate, whereas the man before him was a Marine.
After that day, Bullet grew far quieter.
Yet Rosinante could tell that this terrifying man hadn't truly been broken. He was merely waiting... waiting for another chance to challenge their commanding officer.
And sure enough, that proved to be the case.
On the third day after waking up, Bullet challenged Kojin once more.
This time, he was defeated almost instantly, and suffered injuries even more severe than before.
After waking again, Bullet said nothing. He silently tended to his wounds, earnestly thinking about how to defeat Kojin next time and searching for more effective angles of attack.
This time, he stayed quiet for seven days.
Seven days later, he challenged Kojin again, only to be defeated once more.
Kojin showed no particular reaction to this. In fact, he was quite happy to accept these challenges because he realized that exchanging Rokushiki-based combat with Bullet was improving his own Rokushiki.
At the same time, he could clearly see that Bullet's mood sank lower and lower after every failed challenge.
Such repeated defeats were a fatal blow to someone like Bullet, who was proud and constantly sought the strongest path. Each loss left deep scars on his heart.
The more he was defeated, the taller Kojin's shadow grew in his mind until it became insurmountable, leading to total submission.
It was much like humans training a hawk through endurance, or like Whitebeard's future training of Ace.
Bullet's injuries gradually healed. Once he had fully recovered, he challenged Kojin again, but the disappointment only deepened his despair.
Kojin's strength seemed utterly impossible to surpass. In fact, this Marine had already begun to surpass even Roger in his heart.
Burdened by a terminal illness, Roger could no longer shoulder the crown of the strongest. Yet the Marine before him was still young, roughly the same age as Bullet himself.
Whenever Bullet thought about the other man's age during these days, an indescribable sense of frustration welled up inside him.
"He's the same age as me... So why is he so strong?'
"Is this what a monster among monsters is!"
This mindset only made his heart more conflicted and made him even more reverent towards Kojin. Just before the battleship reached Marineford, half a month after Bullet had boarded...
"So, Bullet," Crocodile asked with a faint smile, a cigar clenched between his lips. "Do you still believe you can surpass him?"
He had watched Bullet's repeated challenges from beginning to end, and one thing was clear to him: Kojin's strength was almost absolute.
Bullet's lips moved slightly. He glanced at Crocodile, then fell silent.
There was a kind of strength that felt impossible to overcome, no matter how hard you tried.
Whether it was Roger in the past or Kojin now, they both made him feel immense pressure, like an insurmountable mountain blocking his path.
"I know the main reason you've been unwilling to submit all this time," Crocodile said softly.
"Oh?" Bullet sneered.
"I'm going to tell you something," Crocodile said, exhaling a smoke ring. Unfazed by the sneer, he lowered his voice.
"What is it?" Bullet asked.
He was intrigued and also surprised that Crocodile had chosen to serve a Marine.
If there was a compelling enough reason, then what was wrong with following someone as strong as Roger, yet younger than him?
"The Celestial Dragon massacre."
Crocodile's voice was almost inaudible. After saying those words, he cast a subtle glance towards the figure standing ahead.
Bullet heard it. At first, he froze, then he immediately understood what Crocodile meant.
"He... did it?"
Shock and disbelief surged through his heart in an instant.
"He actually did something Roger never did!! And he did it… as a Marine!" Bullet muttered.
"Doesn't that make it even more interesting?" Crocodile chuckled softly.
Bullet suddenly turned around and stared at Crocodile's smiling face. After a long moment, he grinned and made his decision.
"You're right! This really is interesting!"
He stood up abruptly, took a deep breath, and strode over to Kojin.
"From today onward! I am yours. I will follow you forward! But if one day, You no longer have the strength to surpass me...'
Bullet grinned wider as he continued to speak.
"Then I'll turn it around and take you as my subordinate! Because I admire you, too!"
(End of Chapter)