The Role of Reputation

Colonel Susa was ultimately disappointed.

His Majesty the King had not personally led the expedition; the one who disembarked from the ship was His Highness Crown Prince Aleus.

"Your Highness Aleus, the Northern Army, Whale Tail Island Branch, welcomes your arrival!" Suppressing the disappointment in his heart, Colonel Susa greeted Aleus with the utmost respect. After all, reinforcements were better than none, and upon further thought, the one who came was the Crown Prince himself—how could he lack powerful protectors by his side?

Thinking of this, the disappointment gradually faded, and the sprout of hope once again broke through the soil.

"Colonel Susa?"

Aleus studied the uniformed man standing at the forefront of the crowd.

The military system of the Ekmondo Kingdom was modeled after the World Government's Navy, but to avoid confusion with the World Government, some adjustments had been made. The army's base levels were still divided into first-, second-, and third-class soldiers, non-commissioned officers into upper, middle, and lower ranks, and commissioned officers into Second Lieutenant, First Lieutenant, and Captain.

At the field officer level, Major, Lieutenant Colonel, and Colonel were all standard, but an additional rank of Senior Colonel existed, placed above Colonel as the highest rank among field officers.

Above that, there were no distinctions between Brigadier General, Major General, Lieutenant General, General, or Admiral—only a single General Rank.

Yes, the highest was General Rank.

Currently, the Ekmondo Kingdom had only two Generals: the Minister of the Navy and the Imperial Guard Commander. Senior Colonel-level high-ranking officers numbered only about a dozen, including the Deputy Imperial Guard Commander, the commanders of the Four Great Armies, and the fleet commanders of the various fleets.

All told, Colonel was already the absolute backbone of the Ekmondo Kingdom's military strength.

Another point: military rank was not entirely determined by personal combat ability. Certainly, if one's personal strength was high enough, promotion would naturally follow, but even those without outstanding personal prowess could rise through solid achievements.

Colonel Susa was a powerhouse, and a direct-line officer trained by the Ekmondo Kingdom.

His personal combat ability was quite impressive—even in the Navy, with a bit of luck, he could easily become a Brigadier General. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been stationed at Whale Tail Island to guard the last of the three northern gateways.

Watching the troops behind Colonel Susa standing like pines in neat formation, silent without a single stray sound, a glint of appreciation flashed in Aleus's eyes.

This was a talent for training troops!

Such men were far rarer than officers who could simply fight.

"Colonel Susa, I've heard General Foy mention you—you're skilled at training soldiers. Five years ago, during the joint military exercises of the Four Great Armies, you represented the Northern Army and took first place. Seeing you today, your reputation is well-deserved; your men are excellent."

"You flatter me. It's my duty—all that I ought to do."

Susa was not dazzled by such light praise.

As a qualified soldier, his mind was still on how to deal with the approaching enemy. The corner of his eye kept roaming among Aleus's retinue, trying to spot the strong protectors guarding the Crown Prince.

"Colonel Susa, is there anyone familiar among my subordinates here?"

Susa's overly clumsy little movements did not escape Aleus's notice. He turned his head to glance at the Aide and other miscellaneous followers behind him.

"Ah? No... My apologies, Your Highness Aleus, please forgive my rudeness. I'm still thinking about how to fight the upcoming battle." Susa decided not to hide it anymore. Rather than subtlety and indirection, straightforwardness suited his nature better. He widened his eyes and swept his gaze over the retinue behind Aleus, speaking directly to him:

"I'm not good with words, but I have to say this—this enemy is coming with fierce momentum. Without true experts, guns, cannons, and fortresses alone absolutely won't hold them off."

These words were actually quite wounding to a soldier's pride.

But such was the way of this world. Not to mention the Four Emperors or the Three Admirals, even a Great Pirate with a bounty of over a hundred million could cut through thousands of troops like a hot knife through butter. No matter how many ordinary armed soldiers there were, it meant nothing.

The prominence of individual strength shaped different rules of war.

Soldier against soldier, general against general—that was the standard play in this world. Of course, if one side lacked strong fighters, they had to fill the gap with the lives of common soldiers.

And Susa did not see a single famous expert from the kingdom among Aleus's retinue.

They were all young people he had never seen before.

"I see."

Aleus nodded, indicating understanding.

He had thought there might be an acquaintance of Colonel Susa among his subordinates, but it turned out the man was looking for hidden big shots.

So, this was the power of reputation.

His Majesty the King and the ministers had witnessed the Crown Prince's abilities firsthand, so they trusted him with the war. But someone like Colonel Susa had no idea how formidable the hitherto obscure Crown Prince was—he only knew the kingdom's few renowned experts.

"I understand your concerns, but... Colonel Susa, don't worry. This war will end quickly." Aleus smiled, reached out, and patted the man's shoulder. Colonel Susa wasn't very tall—197 centimeters—so patting his shoulder was quite easy.

The Aides behind Aleus also broke into bright smiles, chuckling as they looked at Colonel Susa.

Colonel Susa frowned in confusion.

Could there be some mysterious expert among these people that he didn't know about?

Whale Tail Island lived up to its name.

The island was shaped exactly like a whale's tail, somewhat resembling an underdeveloped clover. The protruding tail stalk pointed north toward Whale Belly Island, while the forked tail fins formed a natural harbor facing south. Moreover, Whale Tail Island had only this one port. Whether coming from the south or the north, anyone wanting to land in large numbers had to go around to Whale Tail Port.

Thus, when war broke out, Whale Tail Port often became the main battlefield.

Aleus only disembarked to meet Colonel Susa and to boost the morale of the island's garrison.

In the end, he returned to his flagship.

He did not move his residence ashore. As Crown Prince, his flagship's interior was luxuriously appointed—far beyond any manor or hotel Whale Tail Island could offer. On that point, Aleus was confident. Living comfortably on the ship, there was no need to move back and forth and cause unnecessary trouble.

Thus they waited for the Amento Kingdom's fleet to deliver itself to their doorstep. After the battle, they would still need to sail north to reclaim Whale Belly Island and Whale Head Island, and depending on the situation, they might even push further beyond.

On the deck.

A large sunshade had been set up.

Aleus lounged in a deck chair, flipping through the documents his father had given him before departure.

"Ghost Sword, Venkura, bounty one hundred and five million Berries... I remember this guy's been pretty active in recent years. Never expected him to be one of Umit's men. Add in Skull Hunter, Magic Ball Sorcerer, Strangling Ghost, Black Beast... the King of Maritime Transport truly has formidable backing!"

Every name represented a Great Pirate with a bounty over a hundred million.

And none of these people had any visible connection to Umit. In other words, all these pirates were Umit's hidden cards, unknown to the public. If the Ekmondo Kingdom hadn't spent a fortune buying intelligence from the Queen of the Pleasure District, they might never have known the mastermind behind it all was Umit.

Just looking at these concealed assets, one had to admit the titans of the Dark World weren't bluffing—they were no paper tigers.

Umit dared to reach out toward the Ekmondo Kingdom, and he had the backbone to back it up.

"But stretching out your claws recklessly comes with risks."

Aleus tossed aside the documents, gazing at the setting sun sinking toward the horizon. The endless sea waves were dyed in a layer of dusky golden light.

Just then, A Den Den Mushi rang.