"I'm going hunting. No point in sitting around here."
Douglas Bullet glanced once more at the battlefield where Rain and Kaido clashed. The sky split with every strike, the land crumbling beneath their feet.
"With those two… this fight'll drag on for three days and three nights. Don't expect a winner anytime soon."
He waved casually to Mira. "I'll prepare lunch."
Then he turned and disappeared into the forest without another word.
Mira barely spared him a glance. Her eyes remained fixed on Rain's battle against Kaido.
She knew even if she threw herself in recklessly it wouldn't help. Against Kaido, her flight magic, her speed, none of it mattered.
Still… her hands clenched. If Rain falters, I'll rush in without hesitation. Even if I can't win, at least we'll face him together.
But as time passed, Mira's eyes widened.
Rain wasn't being overwhelmed. He was growing. His strikes grew sharper, his Haki stronger until little by little, he began to push Kaido back and even suppress him.
"The gap between us… it's growing wider."
Her teeth pressed into her lip. Not out of sadness but out of frustration.
Not because she envied him, but because she hated being unable to help.
"…Really," she whispered, pressing her hand to her chest.
"Sometimes I want to be the woman standing behind him. But more than that...I want to fight at his side."
The hunger for strength burned inside her.
When she first arrived in this world, Rain hadn't been stronger than her. But after inheriting Roger's soul, his growth skyrocketed.
He surpassed her, and now… the distance only grew.
So is that it? Is the Devil Satan I accepted weaker than Roger himself?
Compared to the Pirate King, Satan's power still felt lacking.
Her brow furrowed. "If I want to keep climbing, then I have to be smarter. My Haki...I'll need to grind that slowly. Which means… my only true shortcut is magic."
But even then, the path was unclear.
Rain's form magic was an option, yet she had already tried, and she wasn't suited for it.
"So if I want to grow, I have to keep accepting new creatures."
The thought lit a fire in her eyes. Somewhere in this world, there had to be hosts suited for her.
"My Devil Satan form is powerful, but I don't have enough magic power or stamina to bring out its full potential. Then the answer is simple."
Her eyes brightened with resolve.
"I need stronger physical bodies to fuse with. Partial receptions, stacking them onto Satan until I perfect the form. That's the path forward."
And in a world like this… she was sure the perfect candidates existed.
"When Bullet comes back, I'll ask him. A monster of this sea should know where to find such prey."
BOOOOM!
The ground trembled violently. Mira snapped her head around just as a massive shadow fell across the clearing.
Bullet trudged back into view, dragging something behind him.
It was a boar the size of a mountain, its massive body gouging a trail through the dirt.
If any citizen of Wano had been present, their jaws would've hit the ground. For this was no ordinary beast—it was the Mountain God of Wano, revered and feared alike.
But in Bullet's grip, the so-called divine beast was nothing more than… lunch.
"Such a big wild boar?"
Mira's eyes widened as Bullet dragged the colossal beast across the clearing. Its sheer size was enough to blot out the sun for a moment.
Sure enough, this world was full of strange, monstrous creatures.
"Big?" Bullet snorted, deadpan as ever. "I was worried it wouldn't be enough to eat."
He set to work without hesitation, building a fire, dressing the meat, and skewering chunks of the beast over the flames.
And then, something even stranger happened.
As the aroma of roasting meat filled the air… the battlefield went quiet.
Rain and Kaido who just moments ago had been splitting the heavens apart with their blows suddenly stopped fighting.
Without a word, they walked straight over to the fire and sat down, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
In the end, the boar was quartered evenly into four massive slabs.
Each of them claimed one, while the enormous pig's head was set aside as an "extra" for whoever still wasn't full.
Perfect balance.
"You two…" Bullet's eye twitched as he glared at the pair digging in. "This is my roast."
Rain waved him off with a smirk. "C'mon, Bullet. We're partners, aren't we? What's wrong with sharing a little barbecue?"
"Worororororo"
Kaido was even simpler. With a booming laugh, he plopped down beside them, producing a massive gourd of sake and several oversized bowls as if from thin air.
"I'll buy you a drink instead!"
"…"
Bullet stared at them in silence, caught between irritation and resignation. Finally, he sighed. Forget it. Just eat.
Meat and sake flowed freely. And just like that, the air shifted.
The bloodlust faded. Laughter replaced the sound of clashing Haki. For now, at least, the fight to the death was set aside.
After gnawing on a hunk of boar, Kaido slammed down his bowl and fixed them with a heavy gaze.
"So… do you have business here in Wano?"
His voice rumbled deep, but not hostile. If he could avoid provoking these kinds of monsters, he would. Both Rain and Bullet radiated strength that even he couldn't dismiss.
Bullet shrugged, speaking as casually as if he hadn't turned Wano upside down. "I heard there was someone here who later sailed with Roger. So I came to see."
Kaido's brows furrowed, a single name surfacing in his mind. "…Kozuki Oden?"
"Correct."
Bullet nodded without hesitation.
Kaido's hands froze mid-motion, sake bowl still raised.
The moment Bullet mentioned Kozuki Oden, Kaido's mind turned sharp. He remembered the name well, Oden had once sailed with Roger, the Pirate King.
And this man before him, Douglas Bullet, had also been part of Roger's crew.
Then… could they be allies?
If so, then they were his enemies. And enemies should be cut down before they had the chance to strike.
Kaido's instincts screamed. He's injured now. If I kill him here, that's one less monster to worry about later.
His grip tightened on the kanabō. His body tensed, ready to launch an attack in an instant.
But…
A strange hesitation passed through his mind. Something felt off. Like there was something he had forgotten. But the thought slipped away as quickly as it came.
Kill first. Think later.
Bullet's eyes flicked up, catching the subtle shift in Kaido's killing intent. His expression didn't change.
"Don't bother."
He set down the massive hunk of roasted boar in his hands and met Kaido's gaze head-on.
"We won't join forces to kill you."
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