Raising Legends in Roger’s Shadow

Chapter 308 308: One More Settled

"Do you see now?" Reid's voice drifted through the air, vague and elusive. "Anger makes people lose even the most basic judgment. Where is the real me? Where will your attack actually land? You cannot even confirm whether I am truly standing here. In that state, what makes you think you can challenge me?"

The space inside the Blood Prison Scroll began to twist and distort.

It had been a long time since Reid had used this ability. He could not allow himself to grow rusty.

Bullet suddenly found himself surrounded by a cascade of blurred yet overwhelming illusions.

He saw his younger self being effortlessly knocked into the wreckage of a battleship by Reid.

He saw countless memories from the Oro Jackson, where he challenged Reid again and again, only to be toyed with by the blood mist. Each time he was separated from his Fusion form by the Black Tide greatsword, then kicked straight into the sea.

Even deeper, buried in the darkest corner of his mind, was the thought he hated to admit.

When he first learned that Roger was terminally ill, his first reaction had not been concern for his captain. Instead, a despicable thought had flashed through his mind.

"So the man Reid acknowledged is not that special after all…"

That was also why, whenever people talked about the Roger Pirates again, Bullet was rarely mentioned.

Because Bullet himself had never truly considered himself one of them.

At least, that was Reid's guess.

"Shut up!" Bullet roared as his violent Haki exploded outward once again.

Bullet was about to explode. Completely explode.

But the illusions continued endlessly, and Reid's voice echoed again and again inside his head.

"You crave recognition, yet you do not even dare face yourself."

"You pursue power, yet you only understand the crudest form of destruction."

"Captain Roger acknowledged your potential. But I…"

Reid paused deliberately.

Then his voice returned, filled with undisguised contempt.

"I never truly acknowledged you."

"You were just trouble. A loud, annoying problem that needed a beating every now and then. Nothing more than a nuisance."

Each sentence was vicious, striking directly at the most sensitive corner of Bullet's heart.

Reid understood Bullet far too well.

But Douglas Bullet was still Douglas Bullet.

He was known as the Heir of the Demon.

He had crawled out of battlefields that resembled hell itself. Even the torture of Impel Down's Eternal Hell had not weakened his fighting spirit in the slightest.

Unlike Judge, Bullet was a true powerhouse of the sea.

Judge could be defeated with words alone. Bullet could not.

The world of pirates was, in many ways, an idealistic one. True powerhouses possessed unshakable willpower.

After the initial storm of rage passed, Bullet gradually stopped moving.

He panted heavily, his scarlet eyes staring at the constantly shifting illusions and the elusive figure of Reid.

The madness in his gaze slowly faded.

In its place came extreme calm and concentration.

"Hah… heh…"

He even began to laugh quietly.

"Illusions? Psychological tricks?" Bullet raised his head. "Reid… are you afraid?"

His gaze sharpened as he tried to find Reid's true form.

"If you truly looked down on me as much as you claim, why bother using such underhanded methods? You cannot destroy my will head on, so you try to crush me with words instead. Is that it?"

For a moment, the illusion of Reid fell silent.

Then he laughed.

This time, however, the laughter sounded slightly more complicated.

"Oh? It seems you are not completely stupid after all."

The blood mist surged.

Every illusion vanished instantly.

Reid's true body slowly emerged from the crimson haze, standing not far from Bullet.

The mockery and contempt had disappeared from his face.

In their place was calm seriousness.

Perhaps even a trace of evaluation.

"Bullet," Reid said quietly, his tone now solemn. "I will be leaving for a while."

Bullet frowned. "Leaving? Going where?"

"You do not need to know." Reid shook his head. "But after I leave, my kingdom, my family, my friends will lose their strongest protector. This world has never lacked fools or ambitious people."

He looked straight into Bullet's eyes.

"While I am gone, can you protect them for me?"

Bullet froze.

Then fury exploded across his face as if he had been insulted.

"You want me to be your guard dog, Reid? Are you looking for death?"

"No," Reid interrupted calmly. "You misunderstood."

He stepped forward.

Within his crimson eyes, a swirling abyss seemed to churn.

"As long as I stand here, everything remains peaceful. No one dares provoke this place. Because I am here. Because I am Reid, the Lord of Mist. That is all."

"But if I leave, and this base remains unshaken… if my family and friends remain safe…"

Reid's voice struck like a hammer against Bullet's chest.

"Then it proves only one thing."

"It proves the one who replaced me possesses authority and deterrence no less than my own."

"It proves that you, Douglas Bullet, are capable of replacing me."

Then Reid's tone suddenly shifted again, turning sharp and provocative.

"But if, during my absence, a few insignificant scum dare to appear and cause chaos… if they even manage to harm the people I care about…"

"Would that not prove that even without me, you still cannot hold up the sky?"

"That you are still… far inferior to me?"

"If you cannot even control the situation while I am gone, what makes you think you could challenge me at my peak?"

Bullet's pupils shrank violently. His chest heaved.

A perfectly transparent scheme.

Reid had equated protection with proof of strength.

And that struck directly at the deepest desire within Bullet's heart.

He wanted recognition.

Especially recognition from Reid.

For a brief moment, Reid almost sighed inwardly.

A few words were enough to deal with a top-tier powerhouse of the seas.

As he had said before, he understood Bullet extremely well.

Suddenly, Bullet raised his head.

"Stop provoking me, Reid!" he roared.

"I will guard this territory for you! I will let the entire sea know that even when you are gone, this place is not somewhere any scum can covet!"

"But!"

He thrust a finger forward, nearly poking Reid in the nose.

This time, Reid did not dodge.

"Listen carefully! When you return, I will prove with facts that my strength surpasses yours!"

"And when that time comes, I will defeat you completely! You will pay for every word you said today!"

"I will not only protect this land. I will replace you and become the one true emperor of this sea!"

Reid looked at Bullet silently.

For a brief instant, the corner of his mouth curled upward into a tiny smile that almost looked like it had only three pixels.

Then it vanished.

He nodded calmly.

"Very well. I will wait."

His figure slowly began to fade, dissolving into the surrounding blood mist.

"Do not disappoint me, Bullet."

"Now go. Go see our old comrades."

The final whisper faded.

The entire Blood Prison Scroll world gradually dissolved with it.

Bullet stood there alone.

Protect them.

Prove himself.

Hmph. Reid, just wait and see.

I will show you which of us is truly stronger.

Another one settled.