Every time Larson knocks it down, he rises stronger than before. Facing the bear in front of him, his mind wandered inexplicably to an anime he had watched in his previous life—Dragon Ball, where Saiyans kept getting stronger after each fall.
"It's a shame this is a bear and not an orangutan," Larson thought. Otherwise, he might have mistaken his current reality for a different anime.
His focus snapped back as the bear's paw swiped toward him. One hit from that paw would crush a person's head like a watermelon.
Yet Larson remained calm. He'd never mentioned it before, but no matter how strange or strong this bear seemed, it was still just a bear.
Golden flames ignited around Larson, and in the next moment, a massive skeleton enveloped him.
Bang!
The bear's paw collided with Susanoo, Larson's shield. He studied the bear with a cold analysis.
Its reaction speed was a little faster than Marco's, but its strength was comparable to his.
Standing not far away, Marco was unaware that Larson had used him as a reference without permission.
The bear, undeterred by the sudden appearance of Susanoo, grew angrier. Its eyes turned blood red, and white smoke puffed from its nostrils, almost making it look like it had the Sharingan.
With a furious roar, the bear clapped its massive paws together and charged at Larson.
But Larson had seen enough. He had taken the earlier hit to gauge the bear's strength, but now that he knew, there was no reason to drag things out.
A huge skeleton arm extended from Susanoo and seized the bear's body. The bear's paws hovered just ten centimeters from Larson's head but couldn't move any closer.
Susanoo's grip tightened, and the bear's eyes filled with terror. It coughed up blood and slumped lifelessly to the ground.
As Larson released his hold, the bear collapsed.
Rayleigh, Gaban, and the others, who had been watching, remained silent, their eyes fixed on the fallen bear.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
After a minute had passed, just as Gaban was about to speak, the bear's fingers twitched ever so slightly.
Though the movement was faint, everyone saw it immediately.
Gaban frowned, and Rayleigh's expression darkened.
Even Whitebeard and Roger grew serious.
Larson pursed his lips in disbelief. He had shattered every bone in the bear's body. How could it still move?
Just moments ago, Larson was sure the bear had stopped breathing. But now, as it twitched, he heard a faint heartbeat growing stronger.
The bear was coming back to life.
"What now?" Gaban asked, impatience creeping into his voice. "This thing can't be killed. Are we supposed to keep fighting it forever?"
They had only just reached the outskirts of Yerug Island, yet this bear had them at a standstill. Until now, their journey had been smooth, lulling them into thinking the island might not be dangerous. But this beast was showing them how wrong they were.
"Larson?" Rayleigh drew his sword, ready for another attack. "Let's hit it together."
Rayleigh suspected the bear's ability to "resurrect" was linked to their weak attacks.
"Don't worry. Leave it to me," Larson replied calmly.
His words instilled a sense of assurance in everyone present. With Larson's promise, the problem seemed solvable.
He stared at the bear lying on the ground. Its heartbeat was now powerful, and its hind legs twitched, signaling it was about to rise once again.
If it managed to stand up, it would be even stronger than before—not just one Marco, but two, or even three times as strong.
However, Larson remained calm. Susanoo's skeleton arm grabbed the bear's body and lifted it high above his head. As everyone watched, wondering what Larson would do next, they saw the skeleton arm bend slightly backward as if preparing to throw. In the next moment, Larson hurled the bear into the distance, its body tracing a perfect arc through the air.
The scene fell into silence. No one had expected Larson to resolve the situation in such a manner.
Larson turned around, casually wiping his fingers. "Let's go."
"But... the bear..." Gaban finally spoke after holding it in for a while.
"It's fine," Larson reassured him with a calm look. "Let it go bother someone else."
Rayleigh took a deep breath. "I thought I understood your approach, Larson, but it seems I was being too naive."
"Larson! Why don't you join my crew?" Roger's eyes gleamed as he looked at Larson. His bold personality was a perfect match for Roger's tastes. Despite Whitebeard standing nearby, Roger couldn't resist trying to recruit Larson on the spot.
"Sure!" Larson responded immediately, without hesitation.
"Wait—really?" Roger's surprise was evident, as if he couldn't believe his ears.
"Of course," Larson replied with a smile and a nod. "But that would mean renaming the Roger Pirates to the Whitebeard Pirates."
"Hahaha!" Whitebeard's booming laughter echoed. He hadn't spoken during the entire exchange, not even when Larson agreed to Roger's offer. His silence spoke volumes about the trust between him and Larson.
Their bond went far beyond the typical captain and first mate relationship.
Roger chuckled and shook his head. "What? So you're just messing with me."
"I'm not kidding. I'm serious," Larson said with a playful grin.
Roger sighed, realizing he'd been outplayed. "Well, it seems I asked a pointless question."
"Hey, how long are you guys going to keep chatting?" Rayleigh interjected, looking slightly exasperated. "If we keep talking, that bear might come back!"