The others gathered around Teach, who was wrapped in fresh bandages.
After half a day of rest, he could finally move again. His recovery was remarkable but his injuries this time had been far worse than during his earlier clash.
If it weren't for his monstrous vitality and body tempered beyond human limits, he might have been bedridden for weeks. Even with Life Return, he couldn't heal recklessly; it devoured stamina at a terrifying rate, forcing him to eat continuously to replenish lost energy.
Still, the speed of his recovery stunned everyone.
Teach sat cross-legged on the ground, shoveling food into his mouth while white steam billowed from his body like an overheating engine. When his breathing steadied and the steam began to fade, he finally stopped.
Most of his wounds had already closed. The rest, his body would handle on its own.
As he stood and stretched, bones cracking in rhythm, the others stared at him in disbelief.
They had seen him earlier, bones shattered, chest caved in, skull fractured. And now, just half a day later, he stood before them, fully healed.
Monster. There was no other word for it.
Teach didn't bother explaining Life Return to them. At his level, mastering it was beyond ordinary possibility.
To recover, he had devoured half of a Sea King—a five-hundred-meter beast that Barrett himself had slain and sent over. Even so, his body still screamed for more energy; the life force he'd generated through Life Return had gone entirely into healing.
He was strong again, but his stamina reserves were dangerously low.
That was risky. Barrett's presence alone was dangerous enough but if the Marines came for him now, Teach knew he'd have no chance.
During Roger's execution period, the Marines wouldn't spare resources to chase Barrett, but caution was a habit Teach lived by.
When his body had recovered to battle readiness, Teach began refueling—devouring the rest of the Sea King in front of the crew.
To their horror, no matter how much he ate, his stomach didn't seem to expand in the slightest. It was as if the food vanished into a bottomless void.
After wiping the grease from his mouth, Teach stood and spoke. "You guys stay here for now. I have something to take care of."
Wallace frowned. "The captain's going to see that monster again, isn't he?"
When Teach had been defeated earlier, it was Wallace and the others who dragged his broken body back and they had come face to face with Barrett. The man's mere presence had been suffocating. Wallace still remembered how his legs had refused to move.
If Pito and Gar hadn't intervened, they would've been crushed by the pressure alone.
"Probably," Augur muttered, resting his sniper on his shoulder. "There's no one else on this island."
"Another fight?" Wallace asked helplessly, looking toward the horizon.
Gar shook his head. "Unlikely. Teach doesn't have that kind of bloodlust right now. And his body isn't fully recovered yet."
"Boring." Baccarat stretched lazily, then turned to leave. "I'm going to train instead."
Her words lit a spark in the others. Having witnessed the godlike clash between Teach and Barrett, they all felt an urgent pressure in their chests—a realization of how small they still were in the grand scheme of the world.
They followed her one by one, heading deeper into the island to train.
Teach, sensing their resolve through Observation Haki, couldn't help but smile. Pressure breeds growth, he thought. Even Baccarat, who usually preferred luxury to sweat, now burned with determination.
Following Barrett's overwhelming presence, Teach eventually found him on the other side of the island.
From afar, he saw the remains of the Sea King—a colossal skeleton stretching across the shore. Barrett sat upon one of its massive ribs, the image of solitude and strength.
He had already sensed Teach's approach but made no move.
Teach walked closer and sat down four meters away, grinning as if greeting an old friend.
"Barrett, you've heard the news about Roger's execution, haven't you?"
Barrett didn't look at him. "So what?" he said flatly.
But for an instant, his body froze.
Teach caught it. That single flicker of emotion.
The closer the date drew, the more restless Barrett's spirit became. Teach knew what was coming. When Roger died, Barrett would lose control—his goal gone, his purpose shattered. Without direction, he'd drown in chaos and rage.
"You want to surpass Roger, don't you?" Teach asked, his tone almost conversational.
Barrett didn't answer, but his clenched fists trembled slightly.
Teach chuckled. "How will you do it? In terms of strength? You're not there yet. There are still legends on the sea who could rival him, Whitebeard, Shiki, Garp, even Redfield, rotting away in Impel Down. Some of them might even surpass Roger in raw power. But with your talent, you could reach them."
Teach's smile deepened. "Defeat those monsters, and you could claim to have surpassed Roger in strength."
Barrett's jaw tightened, but he listened.
He didn't wonder how Teach knew his dream; anyone who had sailed with Roger's crew knew. Barrett had challenged Roger countless times. When he learned of Roger's illness, he had challenged him again—and lost. That was the last time they met.
He had refused to accept a victory over a dying man. It wasn't in his pride. And so, he left, his ambition unfulfilled.
Now, Teach's words stirred something dangerous and alive inside him.
But Teach wasn't finished.
"Influence," he continued. "Roger had his crew—the strongest in the world. To surpass him there, you'd have to build a force stronger than the Whitebeard Pirates or Shiki's Golden Lion fleet. And that's not something you can do alone."
Barrett's silence said everything.
He didn't believe in companions. He never had.
"Your nature won't allow it," Teach went on. "You and Redfield, very alike. Both monsters who walk alone."
He leaned back slightly, his voice lowering. "Do you know what Redfield did before his capture?"
Barrett's eyes narrowed.
Teach smiled faintly. "He fought Marine Fleet Admiral Kong for nine days and nine nights and won. Even Kong, with his Mythical Zoan Adamantine Fruit and monstrous vitality, couldn't withstand him. But Garp showed up. Redfield could've escaped… but pride wouldn't let him. He stayed and fought three more days. That's how the Marines finally took him down."
Barrett's expression shifted as the story unfolded.
A man like Redfield, undefeated until exhaustion—alone, unbound, and peerless.
The strongest solo fighter in the world.
Teach's tone grew quieter, thoughtful. "Roger had his crew. Redfield had only himself. You, Barrett, you're somewhere between them. Strong, but still searching for meaning."
Barrett's fists loosened slightly. He didn't argue.
"Roger's about to be executed," Teach said, his grin returning. "But do you really think he'll just die?"
Barrett's gaze sharpened.
Teach leaned forward. "He surrendered himself, Barrett. Why do you think that is? A man like Roger doesn't bow to anyone. There's a reason behind it and when he dies, it won't just be a death. It'll be a declaration that shakes the world."
Barrett didn't reply.
"Roger will become eternal," Teach said softly. "A legend no one can surpass."
Silence fell between them. The waves crashed in the distance.
Barrett stared into the horizon, the shadows of thought flickering across his face. Strength. Power. Influence. Was surpassing Roger even possible?
Teach's words dug deep, forcing him to confront what he had never admitted—that Roger's legend was insurmountable.
And yet, for the first time in years, Barrett's heart calmed.
He exhaled slowly, as if purging the storm within.
He didn't have the answers yet. But for now… at least he could see the path.
Because the truth Teach had reminded him of was simple—
It wasn't Roger that had trapped him.
It was his own obsession.