Crocodile's Anticipation!

[Waaaaah----]

A loud whistle rang out in front of the tightly closed city gates of Kongokaku. It was a huge white Armored Train, which was at least ten meters high from the wheels to the top.

It is worth mentioning that Kongokaku, the capital of the Shogunate, did not have drawbridge-style gates like other 'post stations', but rather steel gates that could be raised and lowered.

The roofs of the various pavilions above the city gates were all covered with blue tiles, creating a verdant landscape that exuded a rustic luxury.

"Report! 'Iron Fortress' has arrived from Line 4!"

Inside the city, in the most prominent blue-tiled palace, a Samurai knelt on one knee, bowed his head, and loudly reported to the general on the platform.

"Have we finally arrived? Let them in."

After a moment's thought Keisuke Amatori issued the order.

At this moment, standing on either side of him were the Samurai Superintendent and the Senior Councilor, for one was the Minister of War and the other the Minister of State Affairs.

"General, I have a feeling something is amiss," the Samurai Superintendent said in a low voice.

Makino Michito then suggested, "How about this, I'll go pick her up and see if it really is my little niece."

"Good!"

Keisuke Amatori nodded, and after the 'Senior Councilor' stepped out of the main hall, he instructed the Samurai Superintendent: "Send two squads of Samurai and four squads of soldiers over."

"Yes!"

[Click click click]

As the city gate slowly rose, the 'Iron Fortress' entered the city along the tracks. By the time it came to a stop in the station, it was already being aimed at by Steam Gun from all directions.

"I am Ayame, the steward of the Yomogawa!"

In this tense atmosphere, a beautiful girl in a pink dress walked out of the engine compartment and shouted to the soldiers around her.

"I have specially escorted Biba Amatori here!"

Beside her was Biba Amatori, whose arms and wrists were bound with thick ropes. He was wearing a thin white shirt and had his head slightly lowered, looking disheveled and dejected.

Besides the Samurai Kurusu, the only guards protecting the two were Sharyo, a former executive of the Hunters, who was also disguised as an ordinary soldier.

"Ayame Highness, it really is you! You've grown up! Where is your father?"

As soon as everyone stepped off the train, Makino Michito, who had been waiting, came over with several Samurai and asked in surprise.

"Uncle, it's been a long time!"

Ayame Yomogawa looked at the other person with some surprise, but upon hearing the question, a sad expression appeared on her face, and she softly replied, "By Kabane."

"Really? That's a shame. But you said you caught Biba Amatori. How did you do that?" Makino Michito looked at Biba Amatori with great surprise.

"It was only through the combined efforts and sacrifices of everyone in 'Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress' that we managed to achieve this. At the time, most of the Hunters soldiers were either luring the Kabane or intercepting fleeing civilians. We bypassed them and directly occupied the sparsely defended 'Kokujo,' capturing Biba Amatori!"

Ayame Yomogawa calmly recounted each point.

"I see, then you're really lucky."

Makino Michito Satori what was going on; there was nothing they could do, since they didn't know that Biba Amatori was a Kabaneri.

"Uncle, we have all lost our homeland and are exhausted from traveling so far. We hope that Kongokaku can take us in," said Ayame Yomogawa earnestly.

"That's fine, but regardless of whether Kongokaku has any injuries, he has to be locked up in a cell for three days first. Can you accept that?" Makino Michito asked.

"Understood, we are willing to accept!"

"Then you and Biba Amatori will come with me to see the General. The rest of you may go for inspection." Makino Michito glanced at Biba Amatori, who had her head bowed, and turned to leave.

Thirty minutes later, in the main hall of the Shogunate meeting.

"Long time no see, Mima."

Keisuke Amatori sat in the main seat on the two-tiered platform, looking down at Biba Amatori kneeling below. The two were father and son, yet they were like enemies.

"Yes, Father."

Meanwhile, the Samurai and soldiers leading the people down from the 'Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress' to the reviewing hall discovered something strange along the way.

"What's going on? How come all these people are so tall? I looked around and they're all around 1.8 meters tall!"

"That's probably why they were able to capture Biba Amatori. How could they have done that without some skill?"

"The problem is that there seem to be few women, children, and elderly people."

The high-ranking Samurai leading the way twitched his ears, clearly having overheard the murmurs of the surrounding soldiers.

This made him hesitate and stop, then turn around to look at the survivors and soldiers who were said to be from Aragane Station and Iwato Station.

Suddenly, I realized that everyone was indeed the same height as me, and their muscles looked quite bulging under their thin clothes.

"That look in his eyes"

When he saw that each of these people dared to look him in the eye as an equal, he felt a sense of foreboding. Suddenly, he saw the person closest to him slowly reveal a mocking, sinister smile.

"Not good!!"

[Bang----]

Sudden.

Just as the high-ranking Samurai made the motion to draw his sword, a hand suddenly covered and grabbed his face, plunging his vision into darkness.

The next second.

With a muffled thud, the grinning man drew his knife and severed his massive head.

A stream of foul-smelling, hot blood gushed out from the severed neck, then turned into droplets of blood in the air, falling onto the nearby Samurai and soldiers.

"Aaaaaaah!"

"Murder!"

Amidst the screams and gasps, the Army Headquarters colonel craned his neck and shouted.

"Do it!!!"

This crisp, deafening roar instantly drowned out all other noises, but it also ignited a fierce battle. Upon receiving the order, the Army soldiers quickly pulled out a pistol from under their clothes and opened fire on the panicked Kongokaku soldiers around them.

[Bang bang bang bang bang bang]

The soldiers of Kongokaku had never seen such small firearms before; they had thought that disarming these men of their Steam Gun would solve everything.

In that Setsuna, a dozen soldiers were shot through the chest, neck, shoulder, and even face, only managing a final scream before collapsing to their deaths.

But at this moment, all the Kongokaku soldiers realized that they occupied all the advantageous terrain and were significantly more numerous.

Therefore, he quickly calmed down and began to fight back with the Steam Gun he had taken to deal with the Kabane.

Although they dared not engage the Kabane direct combat, they were not intimidated by their fellow human opponents. In other words, as soldiers of the Shogunate's capital, they inherently possessed a sense of superiority over soldiers from outside the capital.

[Swish swish swish swish!]

However, all these advantages and mindset vanished instantly in the flames and shockwaves of the explosions after the Army soldiers threw out their grenades.

They'd never seen a hand grenade before.

Not to mention the Army officers who were moving at high speed through the field, constantly killing the soldiers who were shooting down from higher ground.

Wherever they went, it was a one-sided massacre. Soldiers and Samurai alike were treated as equals; there were no opponents for whom a second strike was necessary.

"Take down the city gate!!"

Meanwhile, outside the city of Kongokaku, a jet-black Armored Train, with a clattering sound, charged towards the open steel gates like a giant beast along the tracks.

"Ha ha ha ha--"

Standing at 2.5 meters tall, Crocodile, with a lit cigar dangling from his lips, stood atop the hood of the 'Kokujo' vehicle, facing the oncoming Tornado, and laughed wildly and arrogantly as he listened to the dense gunfire emanating from within the city.

Especially his black Coat of Justice, which was fluttering in the wind.

At this moment, he actually began to enjoy the feeling of leading an army to conquer a country's capital, even though his opponent was truly despicable.

But he believes that he will inevitably encounter opponents and wars that will give him a satisfying experience in the future.

"Whitebeard, I will catch up with you, surpass you, and defeat you sooner or later, all thanks to the Power of Ten Thousand Worlds!"