Chapter 188: I Can Stop You from Becoming the Pirate King
Nereus wasn't particularly interested in what Roger actually wanted to do. In fact, whether or not Roger could reach the final island had no real impact on Nereus.
Reaching the final island was something accomplished entirely by the Roger Pirates, but making this fact known to the whole world still required the pushing hands of others.
If he merely wanted to usher in an era of chaos, Nereus could push out a new "Pirate King" all on his own.
He had his own methods of translating the Poneglyphs, and Nereus was also perfectly clear on the locations of the four Road Poneglyphs.
In the Mokomo Dukedom, one was hidden within the Whale Forest on the back of the giant elephant, Zunesha.
Within the towering borders of Wano Country, another lay buried beneath its inland sea.
Charlotte Linlin's treasure room held one as well. Although she wasn't quite sure what it was used for yet, as a compulsive hoarder, she had naturally collected this special Poneglyph.
And finally, the last one sat right at his own doorstep. Although in the original timeline, it was unknown where this stone had been sent, right now, it was firmly in Nereus's grasp.
It was just that the things on that island were like a time capsule; even if one arrived early, it would be of no use.
Aside from that, landing on the island early would only draw the World Government's extra attention without bringing any benefits. That was why he hadn't made any moves.
Nereus didn't stop Roger. After chatting casually for a while, the Roger Pirates safely left Fish-man Island, sailing toward the New World.
It wasn't until the ship neared the sea's surface that Bullet finally woke up. He instinctively swung his fist to the side, only for it to be effortlessly caught by an already-prepared Roger.
"Bullet, we haven't reached the surface yet. Don't go breaking the coating bubble."
"How are we here...? Wasn't I fighting in the arena...?"
"You lost, and we left. It's that simple."
Clenching his fists, Bullet recalled what had just happened. He had indeed lost, and he was completely crushed head-on in a frontal clash.
That sense of powerlessness... he had previously only felt it against Roger.
It was during their very first encounter. Just like this time, he had been defeated with a single strike, completely devoid of any ability to resist.
"Compared to that person... is Nereus stronger?"
"Nereus, of course. The one you fought was his daughter. Although she's a chip off the old block, she still needs quite a bit more tempering if she wants to surpass him."
While Roger and Bullet were talking, a short distance away, two heads slowly poked out from the cabin.
Most of the crew on Roger's ship got along quite well. At this stage, Shanks and Buggy were, at most, bickering frenemies. If either truly encountered danger, both were willing to lay down their lives for the other.
But if asked to evaluate who was the most annoying person on the ship, they would both choose Bullet.
"Cocky bastard."
"Unsocial loner."
These were Buggy and Shanks's assessments of Bullet. They wanted to see what Bullet would look like after losing to someone other than Roger.
"Shanks, what do you think will happen to that guy? After all, he got knocked out cold in one punch. Who knows, maybe he'll drop to his knees and cry."
If he could really see Bullet eat dirt, Buggy would be more than happy to watch. After all, Bullet was the only person on the ship who gave him absolutely no sense of camaraderie.
"How is that possible? When he lost to Captain Roger for the first time, all he did was continuously challenge the Captain."
"It's different! Captain Roger is a world-renowned great pirate. But this time, it was just some little girl from the deep sea."
Buggy had clearly forgotten her true age, only remembering her deceptive appearance. However, the facts proved that Buggy didn't understand Bullet at all.
Bullet hated losing, but he wasn't incapable of accepting defeat. Losing to a true powerhouse wasn't something completely unacceptable to him.
Showing no negative emotions whatsoever, Bullet immediately resumed his physical training on the ship. It seemed he was planning to find an opportunity to fight his way back.
Failing to see Nereus was certainly disappointing, but discovering that there were other absolute monsters on the sea was something worth getting excited over.
Meanwhile, on Fish-man Island.
Due to the appearance of someone entirely outside the bounds of conventional military strength like Bullet, the arena matches on Fish-man Island temporarily came to a close.
Repairing it wasn't actually all that troublesome. Though called an arena, it was essentially just a massive empty clearing.
If this place were intricately decorated, Fish-man Island's construction teams would have secured lifelong government jobs just from the endless repairs. Even battles between ordinary Fish-men were capable of turning the place into a cratered mess.
Therefore, all that needed to be done was to level the ground and put up a few signs.
Moreover, Bullet wasn't the only one undergoing extra training. So was Alber.
"I apologize, Lord Nereus. That man... my abilities were ill-suited to handle him."
"There's no need to be discouraged. In terms of hard work and talent, that guy ranks among the very best on this sea."
Even after being locked up in Impel Down, he trained every single day, becoming even stronger after breaking out. Whether it was his state of mind or his talent, Bullet was considered top-tier on the sea.
If it weren't for his racial talents giving Alber a higher starting point, dealing with Bullet wouldn't have been easy at all.
"How is your Armament Haki training progressing?"
"It's going well. I've already touched the threshold for Internal Destruction."
Armament Haki provided not just an invisible shield, but also the human body's sharpest blade.
The number of people who could proficiently wield Advanced Conqueror's Haki could be counted on one hand. Beyond that, Armament Haki was the mainstream method of attack.
Developing and mastering a Devil Fruit takes time. Aside from the Lunarian race's inherent fire damage, Armament Haki was already the most effective method for him to cover up the weaknesses in his attack power.
As for Conqueror's Haki...
If someone had already awakened their Conqueror's Haki, Nereus could teach them how to use it. But for someone who hadn't awakened it, Nereus was powerless to help.
Awakening Conqueror's Haki wasn't something that could be achieved on a training ground. Aside from those born with it readily accessible, the rest almost exclusively awakened it on the battlefield during life-and-death struggles, when their emotions peaked at the absolute limit.
"The Kirin's abilities are connected to dreams. Don't neglect the development of your Devil Fruit either. This realm of dreams might prove incredibly useful in the future."
The birth of dreams is inherently linked to a person's spirit. Although one couldn't simply strengthen their physical body by taking a nap, it was still possible to temper their mental fortitude.
And the initial awakening of Conqueror's Haki was essentially a deterrence born from spirit and willpower. Overall, there was a connection.
When dreams became more controllable, it would serve as an excellent method of training.
"Regarding your Devil Fruit abilities, you can only rely on yourself. Although you can draw inspiration from others, every fruit is completely unique.
"If there's anything you don't understand regarding Haki, come ask me. Understood?"
"Understood, Lord Nereus. I will not disappoint your expectations."
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