Alliance Expeditionary Force of Hinomoto
A clean and tidy room, with bright sunlight streaming in through the window.
"This is."
When Bullet opened his eyes again, he was initially dazed by the light, then he could see the white ceiling clearly, but he was immediately awakened by a burning sensation all over his body.
Looking around and at my own situation, the thick white blanket covering me, the smell of disinfectant in the air, and the bandages Coating my upper body all seemed to indicate that I was in a hospital room.
Bullet sat up despite the pain, his thoughts drifting into memories. Soon, the image of a vast, Huoguang lava field came to mind.
"Did we still lose?"
A reluctant murmur echoed in the room. He still couldn't withstand the relentless attacks of the Magma Hound and Sakazuki's powerful Magma Fist.
"There are so many people in this world who are stronger than me."
Bullet had always believed that only monsters from Roger's era could defeat him, such as Garp and Whitebeard.
The one he encountered at Pangaea Castle was, in his eyes, merely an old monster from the previous generation.
But now, the emergence of Sakazuki, a former Navy Admiral Candidate and current Army General, has made him realize that he may have really been a frog in a well before.
Think about it carefully.
There are three candidates for Navy Admiral Candidate: Akainu, Kizaru, and Aokiji. This means there are two more people who could defeat him.
Who knows how many such powerful individuals exist within the World Government, and how many more overseas?
"Damn it, I'm not strong enough yet, but I will catch up. One day I will knock all these guys above me to the ground, one by one!"
[Knock knock knock]
Just as Bullet was swearing through gritted teeth, there was a sudden knock on the door from the outside.
Then, Senior Director Addison walked in and said with a smile, "It seems you've recovered well. Finally, we can send some good news to Fleet Admiral Raymond."
How long did I sleep?
Bullet asked in a deep voice, his face grim, his voice hoarse from the previous scorching heat that had damaged his throat.
"It'll only be three days."
Senior Director Addison sat down on the chair by the bed, casually picked up an apple and tossed it to Bullet, "Have one, it'll soothe your throat."
The latter took the apple and took a bite without any hesitation, biting off more than half of the fruit in one bite; his eating manners were truly appalling.
"Do you know that when Fleet Admiral Raymond heard that you were beaten to the point of near death, he was furious and cursed Admiral Akainu in front of all of us?"
Bullet asked, "And where is he?"
"He's gone, back to his homeland. He said he'll give him a piece of his mind when he gets back," Senior Director Addison chuckled.
"Oh--"
Bullet curled his lip in disdain. He had almost been beaten to death, and all he got in return was two beatings of Sakazuki. How perfunctory!
"Speak, what brings you here?"
Even he probably didn't realize that his temper was much more restrained than before; at least the arrogance on his face had diminished considerably.
Addison was naturally pleased with this change, as he had previously felt that Bullet's personality was too impulsive and arrogant.
"That's right, news has spread that the Shogunate has replaced its general with a Female General. Now, the governors-general of various regions in the country have issued an order for an alliance to attack Kongokaku in the name of restoring the legitimacy of the Amatori."
When the conversation turned to serious matters, Senior Director Addison's smile vanished, and he looked at Bullet with a very serious expression.
Although the latter doesn't look very good now that he's covered in bandages, he is, after all, a military commander representing the Army.
"Huh? A punitive order?"
Bullet was immediately amused by this remark, laughing so hard that he trembled all over, even aggravating the wound beneath the bandages, but this little bit of pain was nothing to him.
"Tell me, how powerful are they?"
Senior Director Addison, recalling the intelligence he had previously seen, solemnly explained it to Bullet.
"We've spoken with Ayame Yomogawa and Biba Amatori, and so far, the governors of twelve regions have joined this punitive alliance: Hitachi, Musashi, Musashi, Kozuke, Shinano, Echigo, Kaga, Mino, Mikawa, Kai, Dewa, Noto Hida."
"Biba Amatori specifically pointed out that the Torao Army Echigo and the Shinano Genro Army are the strongest, each with a force of five thousand."
"Among them, the Genro Army is even stronger because they possess a Defense Cannon called 'Narukami,' which is said to be the largest caliber cannon in all of Hinomoto. It was once used to clear out more Kabane in the Musashi region and is very famous!"
He paused for a moment before speaking again.
"In other words, we will face at least twelve Armored Train, more than 40,000 troops, hundreds of cannons, and a 'Narukami Cannon' that is said to be able to penetrate the walls of the 'post station' in one shot."
"The reason I say 'at least' is because more regional commanders may join later, and the final total force may exceed 50,000!"
However, Senior Director Addison was speechless to realize that he had spoken so solemnly and seriously.
But Bullet, sitting on the bed, had an even brighter smile on his face, and the excitement in his eyes was almost like fire, because the war he wanted had finally arrived!
"Isn't this a great thing!"
"These rabble have come to us willingly, so we might as well sweep them all up!"
As he spoke, he ripped the bandages binding his body, revealing his bare chest covered in burn marks. The moment these marks came into contact with the air, they caused an even more intense burning pain.
"From this perspective, it is indeed a good thing, but we only have 5,000 Army right now. I estimate that the Biba Amatori expeditionary force will arrive near Kongokaku within five days at the latest."
"It takes more than a day to get from the base to Kongokaku. Even if we immediately send more people from the mainland, the width of the Star Gate can only accommodate a few thousand more soldiers."
As a high-ranking official of the World Government, Addison's concern was not due to a lack of experience with local strongmen, but rather because he was well aware that the purpose of the Army was to train troops.
Barring unforeseen circumstances, we will not deploy excessively high-level combat forces, and even the number of officers and colonels will be limited.
Therefore, they basically have to rely on the lower-ranking soldiers to deal with this Alliance Expeditionary Force!
In this situation, the uncertainty is indeed very high for a force of less than 10,000 to fight against an army of more than 50,000.
Because it has been proven that even Army soldiers would be injured or killed if hit by Steam Gun, not to mention there were hundreds of artillery pieces and mortars on the other side.
The advantage in physical strength only becomes apparent during close-quarters combat; it seems almost useless in the preceding gunfights and artillery exchanges.
If they lose in the end, that would be a real disaster.
Good heavens, the World Government's first war against Otherworld has ended in defeat?
Even if Bullet were to wipe out the entire opposing team by then, it wouldn't make a difference; the face that's already been lost would be tarnished to some extent if tried to regain it.
"Hmph, war isn't a child's game; we have to wait for both sides to take their positions!"
Bullet, who had stood up again, put considerable pressure on the Senior Director Addison with his nearly four-meter-tall, muscular physique, forcing him to instinctively take a few steps back.
"By the way, where's Crocodile?"
Only then did he remember his defeated opponent.
"Vice Admiral Crocodile has returned to the mainland and is heading to CIPHER POL headquarters for training," Senior Director Addison said helplessly.
Bullet scoffed. "It's better that he's gone. What about that Biba Amatori? Did she go with him too?"
"No, that's not true. Vice Admiral Crocodile originally wanted to take him back to the mainland, but he chose to stay, saying he didn't want to miss this opportunity to earn military merit."
"Heh, what a clever little devil! I thought he was just another idiot who only knew how to use his clever tricks!"
It seems I only had time to write two chapters today. I'll see if I can write four more tomorrow to make up for it. Sorry!