Up until now, those fragments he had devoured had only affected the level of energy.
Now, it seemed they had started to seep much deeper.
"Is there a way to fix it?"
He asked quietly.
"Two ways."
Rayleigh held up two fingers.
"First, stop devouring, or at least cut the frequency way down."
"Give your body enough time to digest all those foreign fragments."
"And the second?"
"Speed it up."
Rayleigh's answer was unexpected.
"But not by swallowing everything you see. You only devour higher quality energy and traits."
"You use power of a higher level to assimilate the lower level impurities."
He paused.
"But it is risky."
"If your target is too strong, you could be the one who gets devoured."
"If their will is too firm, you could end up polluted."
Bullet sank into thought.
The first path was safe, but far too slow.
Half his growth so far had come from devouring. If he stopped or slowed down, his three year plan to challenge Whitebeard would be a joke.
The second path was efficient, and deadly.
Like walking a tightrope. One wrong step, and there was no coming back.
"I will take the second one."
He did not hesitate for long.
Roger and Rayleigh exchanged a look, unsurprised.
"Knew you would."
Roger slapped him on the back with a booming laugh.
"That is the road a monster should walk!"
"But..."
His laughter faded. He looked straight at Bullet, serious now.
"Since you chose that path, you carry the consequences."
"If one day you lose control, go berserk, turn into a beast that only knows how to devour..."
"I will be the one to stop you myself."
"Not as your captain, but as the first man who acknowledged you."
The words were heavy.
Bullet met Roger's eyes and saw the resolve there.
It was not a joke. It was a true promise.
If one day he really lost himself, Roger would end him with his own hands.
"I understand."
Bullet nodded.
"If I get that far, and you come to kill me, I will have no complaints."
"Let us hope that day never comes."
Roger grinned again, but there was something complicated in that smile.
...
Morning mist began to thin. Crew members rose one after another, and the deck slowly filled with noise and movement.
People bustled about, getting ready to make port.
Roger and Rayleigh went off to plan their next route. Shanks stuck to Bullet's side, peppering him with questions. Buggy, on the other hand, was already calculating how much of his money he could get back.
Bullet watched it all, and the intention to leave in his heart grew clearer and clearer.
It was not because he hated this ship.
Nor because he hated these people.
On the contrary, it was precisely because he cherished them that he wanted to go.
He was growing too fast.
If he stayed, either he would have to slow himself down, or his presence would draw danger down on everyone around him.
He needed higher quality "food."
If he wanted to get stronger quickly, he had to hunt for real monsters himself.
These fights were not ones he should drag an entire crew into.
More importantly, he could feel the devouring urge inside him getting stronger and stronger.
When Rayleigh had talked about the risk of "pollution" earlier, Bullet's first reaction had not been fear.
It had been... curiosity.
Curiosity about what kind of evolution he would gain from devouring a legendary, top class pirate.
Curiosity about what would happen if he devoured a Devil Fruit itself.
Curiosity about whether, if he swallowed enough "divinity," he could truly become a god.
These thoughts were dangerous, but impossible to suppress.
Bullet touched the silver coin at his chest.
Roger had seen this coming long ago. That was why he had given him the coin ahead of time and said those words.
"When you feel this ship can no longer hold you, go to sea on your own."
Now, that time was close.
He would set sail alone, to devour, to evolve, to challenge the peak of this world.
"Hey, Mr. Bullet!"
Shanks's shout snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Look over there!"
Bullet followed the direction of his finger.
The harbor of Jaya Island was already clearly visible.
Hundreds of ships of every kind were moored at the docks, from shabby fishing boats to luxurious passenger vessels, from pirate flags with skulls to clean crests of merchant guilds.
The buildings were even more eye catching.
They were a patchwork of every material you could imagine. Bars built from shipwreck hulls, a market framed by the bones of a whale, even half a sunken ship set upright and turned into a watchtower.
And at the highest point above the port, a giant flag snapped in the wind.
On it were crossed swords and a set of scales.
The emblem of Jaya Island, symbol of its rules.
As long as you did not break the island's laws, anyone could trade, fight, and survive here.
"Jaya Island..."
Bullet murmured.
Here, he would have his last stage as a member of the Roger Pirates.
Here, he would also take his first steps as "Black Dragon Bullet," standing on his own.
The ship slowly moved into dock.
Roger stood at the bow and shouted to the crew.
"Listen up, all hands!"
"Five days of rest on Jaya Island!"
"Resupply, repair the ship, and sort out the spoils!"
Cheers broke out at once. The mood went bright and noisy.
Bullet stood on the edge of the crowd and watched, scarlet slitted eyes flickering with tangled emotions.
He treasured this. He was reluctant to let it go.
But his resolve was already set.
He had taken on the name of a monster.
And the path of a monster could only be walked alone.
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