Bell-mère slowly walked forward from behind.
"Destroying a country and causing countless disasters and tragedies... In your eyes, is it just 'fun'?"
An increasingly powerful aura erupted. The disaster of the Oykot Kingdom was still vivid in her mind.
Those colleagues and subordinates who died in the battle, those people who groaned and howled in the flames of war.
The sad memories and anger that had been buried in her heart for decades completely exploded.
Bell-mère's hair flew in the air waves.
"The Celestial Dragons are certainly hateful... but you pirates... deserve death!!"
The bald man's expression turned cold, as these words seemed to touch a painful spot in him.
"Women... don't think that having Conqueror's Haki is great..."
"You're still... far from it!!!"
Boom!!
The air waves on the throne rose instantly, suppressing the air waves below.
Bell-mère groaned and immediately stepped forward. "I know, but... facing pirates... I have no reason to retreat!"
The momentum increased again, and the surrounding furniture and windows began to shatter under the collision of their air waves.
"A hot-blooded person... not afraid of death... a place like East Blue..."
"It's really full of monsters...but... that's the end of it!"
As the bald man slowly walked forward, blood began to flow from the corners of Bell-mère's mouth.
"Haha..."
Although it was unclear whether the blood came from her internal organs or her teeth, Bell-mère still gritted her teeth and did not take a step back.
When Bell-mère's consciousness was almost blurred, she seemed to hear a familiar voice.
"Since you know that East Blue is full of 'monsters', why don't you just put your tail between your legs and become a human being after escaping from East Blue?"
Dylan...
After confirming the voice, Bell-mère's nerves relaxed and her body slowly sank down.
After handing Bell-mère to Ain, Dylan turned and looked at the bald man. "A strong person may be bald, but a bald person may not be a strong person."
Hiss!
With a flash of lightning, Dylan appeared in front of the bald man.
Then his pupils shrank, and a burst of Conqueror's Haki mixed with thunder and lightning and scarlet aura erupted instantly.
Puff!!
The bald man's throat tightened, and a large mouthful of blood spurted out.
"Your Conqueror's Haki... just plain!"
Then the bald man saw a figure hanging upside down in the air.
At the critical moment of life and death, the bald man raised his arms.
The moment the black heels came into contact with his crossed arms, there was a shattering sound.
Click!
The bald man took a breath.
The same moves as that woman...but the strength and skill...
Boom!!
The bald body sank into the ground, and the huge stone floor of the entire hall cracked instantly like a dried-up pond.
The bald man, whose arms had lost consciousness, lay in a depression under the ground, coughing up blood and looking at Dylan.
"What is this move..."
"Move?" Dylan walked up to him and looked down at his shiny head.
"Do I need any moves to beat someone like you?"
In shock and unwillingness, the bald man's breath of life disappeared.
······
On the G5 warship.
Law, who had a bandage on his head, and Ain, who was weak, sat by the bed.
Dylan sat on the other side with his feet up.
Lying on the hospital bed, Bell-mère took a breath and looked at the roof. "Dylan...I lost again..."
"Um, so what?"
"Don't you blame me?"
Dylan crossed his arms and looked at Bell-mère, then at Law and Ain beside him.
"Did you do something wrong? We are Marines, not pirates. There's no such thing as never losing."
"Am I never going to lose? If I really can't, I'll fly to Totto Land now to get myself killed, then fly to Wano Country to kill myself happily, and finally fly to..."
"Didn't the world's strongest Whitebeard lose to time and the Marines in the end?"
Dylan frowned and looked at the three with gloomy expressions. "Everyone will lose. As long as they don't lose their lives or fighting spirit, even if they lose a thousand or ten thousand times, those who can stand up and continue fighting are not losers!"
"Don't listen to that nonsense about never losing. Who in this world has never lost? Even 'gods' have changed a few times!"
In the astonished eyes of the three, Dylan waved his hand. "Just pretend you didn't hear that."
Seeing their confused expressions, Dylan glanced at them. "You're not strong enough now. Knowing this isn't a good thing for you."
After a moment of silence, Dylan looked at them again. "Remember, experiencing failure is not terrible or shameful. It is valuable to find the direction of breakthrough from pain. You each have opportunities and potential. After you go back, you don't have to go on missions for a while. Think about your direction seriously."
Don't play a good hand with bad cards... Right... Smoker!
······
After Law and Ain left, Dylan looked at Bell-mère, who was still a little distracted.
"I was the first subordinate you selected, but I feel more and more the gap between myself and Tom, Shiryu, and Tahir. Even Ain and Law... I'm afraid I can't keep up. How long will it take for you to surpass me..."
"Dylan...am I...going to be a burden to you?"
Dylan opened the window, took out a cigarette, threw one to Bell-mère, and lit one for himself.
"When you really start to think that way, your power will begin to decline or even disappear."
After taking a deep drag on the cigarette, Dylan stared at the confused Bell-mère. "The world is vast, and there is no shortage of talented people, but very few can make it to the end. Why is this?"
"Because no one is immune to failure, but most people lose themselves in strength or power. After experiencing one or two failures, they begin to doubt themselves and even abandon their hearts. From that moment on, they lose their qualifications as a strong person."
"Crying, sadness, helplessness, and anger are inevitable for anyone... After experiencing these, the most rare thing is to regain confidence!"
Bell-mère, lying on the bed, smiled.
"What about you? Dylan, have you ever?"
"Me..."
Looking out the window at the calm sea and soaring seabirds, Dylan smiled.
"Of course I have..."
"When I was a teenager, I longed for blood and adventure, and hated the restraint and nagging of my family. But when I really 'came' to this world, I realized how cruel and ruthless it is."
"My family's merchant ship was sunk by pirate cannons. I barely survived by holding onto a piece of wood, relying on rainwater and wild fruits to satisfy my hunger."
"My young body was not strong enough for me to live alone. I worked everywhere for others, and was deceived, trafficked, and enslaved. When 'I' woke up, I was almost no longer human."
"I began to realize that this world is not so beautiful. No one is waiting for me ahead, and no one will be infected by my smile and help me unconditionally."
"On the way to wandering, I had to think about how to survive, compete with monkeys for wild fruits, and avoid slave traders. After joining the Marines, no matter how hard or arduous the task was, I couldn't show a trace of cowardice outside. I could only hide. Get up and wipe my tears secretly. Because..."
"I am the only one in this world..."
"It's been more than twenty years... I really want to see them again..."
"Mom and Dad..."
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