The sword aura unleashed by Patrick Redfield just now was immensely powerful, and he had held nothing back when he struck.
If Bob hadn't appeared in time, the target of that sword aura—Kaido—would have had no choice but to take the blow head-on with his body.
The result would have been either death or severe injury.
Although Kaido had always harbored thoughts of replacing Bob, he wasn't someone who couldn't distinguish right from wrong.
Bob had missed the opportunity to kill Redfield in order to save him.
Expressing gratitude was only natural.
Hearing Kaido thanks, Bob was momentarily stunned, then smiled.
"Relax man, no one is allowed to bully my vice-commander like that!"
As soon as these words were spoken, Kaido felt a surge of warmth in his heart.
He understood that Bob had held back earlier to allow him to push his limits and grow stronger through the battle.
And indeed, the fight had proven effective. After clashing with Redfield, Kaido now felt as though he was on the verge of awakening his Observation Haki.
He was just a step away and needed to return to properly comprehend it.
...
Meanwhile.
The Marines, who had been observing the battlefield from afar, were now utterly shocked.
"Redfield just ran away like that?"
"Holy crap, Bob strength is monstrous! He nearly crippled Patrick Redfield with a single punch!"
"We must report this to Marine Headquarters immediately!"
"..."
The Marines were astounded to see Patrick Redfield nearly incapacitated by a single punch.
According to the information provided by Marine Headquarters, Patrick Redfield was a figure no weaker than Vice Admiral Zephyr.
Yet, under Bob fist, he seemed to have completely lost the ability to resist.
Not only had he been fleeing, but he was also left bloodied from a single punch.
They now realized a grave issue: Bob strength had skyrocketed.
The power he displayed now was on an entirely different level compared to when he had faced Zephyr.
"Let's go! Back to headquarters!"
The Marine branch commodore, his eyes filled with shock, barked at the remaining soldiers beside him.
However, In the next second, his expression turned to one of sheer terror.
Because he felt as though a primordial beast was now staring directly at him.
In the next moment.
Bob and Kaido appeared right in front of them.
"Yo! Enjoying the show, huh?"
Seeing Bob suddenly appear before them, the Marines felt as though they had plummeted into an abyss, in the face of this man, they were like helpless chicks, utterly powerless to fight back.
"B-Bob...!"
The Marine commodore stammered out the name, his body trembling slightly.
He had been relieved earlier, thinking he had hidden well and hadn't been discovered.
But now it was clear that he had been exposed all along—Bob just hadn't bothered with him until now, after handling more pressing matters.
"What should we do with them?"
Kaido looked at the pale-faced Marines and spoke slowly.
He couldn't decide their fate; it was up to Bob.
Hearing this, Bob raised his hand and pressed it downward, his meaning clear.
Although Bob didn't enjoy senseless killing, letting these Marines return would undoubtedly expose his true strength.
For the upcoming battle at the Valley of the Gods, revealing his power prematurely would be highly disadvantageous for Bob.
After all, only by learning to conceal one strength could one achieve the element of surprise.
Seeing Bob gesture, Kaido immediately understood.
Kill.
....
After dealing with the Marines, Bob left the area.
After using the extra money to purchase some food and clothing on the island, Bob didn't linger there for long.
Since several Marines had already contacted the Marine Headquarters, they were undoubtedly aware that he and Kaido were on the island.
Arriving at the edge of the island, the luxurious lifeboat was still there.
Bob and Kaido set sail.
After two days of navigating the seas, they finally caught sight of the Rocks Pirates' ship.
The first thing Bob did upon returning to the Rocks Pirates was to sleep, Having slept on the lifeboat for several days, Bob found the bed on the Rocks ship much more comfortable.
Lying in bed, Bob mind wandered back to the battle.
In the fight against Patrick Redfield, his Observation Haki had been his greatest reliance.
But when his Observation Haki also broke through, his advantage vanished, or rather, was significantly diminished, leading to his eventual defeat.
Apart from that, Bob felt that his strength had improved considerably.
This was evident in his physical fitness, strength, and speed.
As he pondered, a wave of exhaustion washed over him and bob fell into a deep sleep.
...
The next morning.
"Damn it!"
A sound of someone cursing echoed from one of the rooms on the Rocks ship.
It was Bob room.
At that moment, he was staring in shock at a clump of black hair on his pillow. He was losing hair! He didn't expected this day to come so suddenly without any warning or preparation.
In his imagination, hair loss should have been a gradual process, one strand at a time!
How could it happen like this? Still in shock, Bob hurried to the mirror, the reflection showed that the hair on his head had noticeably thinned.
However, Bob felt slightly relieved that there wasn't a bald patch.
Reaching for a glass on the table, Bob intended to take a sip of water to calm his nerves.
But as soon as he grasped the glass, a cracking sound came from his palm.
Snap!
Suddenly, the glass shattered, falling to the ground with a loud crash.
"What's going on?" Bob muttered to himself.
Without much thought, Bob assumed the glass must have had a crack he hadn't noticed before It just happened to break when he picked it up.
Turning around, Bob picked up another glass from the table.
Crack!
Just like the previous glass, another shattering sound followed.
This time Bob brow furrowed in concern, when he picked up the second glass, he had carefully inspected it.
It was intact, without a single crack.
Yet, it met the same fate as the first glass.
"This..."
Bob mind raced, searching for an explanation, Suddenly, Bob eyes lit up.
He connected the dots with the hair loss and thought of a possibility.
Could this be the result of a significant increase in his strength, to the point where his power had reached a terrifying level?
So much so that even the slightest movement could easily affect the objects around him.
The more he thought about it, the more Bob believed this to be the reason.
Excitement gleamed in his eyes.
Bob now deeply understood the saying: "I've gone bald, but I've also become stronger!"
Finally, after that battle, his Saitama template has truly awakened! Bob was now very curious about what level his strength had reached.
But on this ship, it seemed impossible to test it, this left Bob feeling somewhat disappointed.
"Sigh!"
He sighed and gently touched the table with his hand.
Boom!
The moment his palm made contact, the table instantly fell apart.
Seeing this, Bob was momentarily stunned.
"This is already affecting my normal life, isn't it?"
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