The strength of the West Blue (continued)

Marineford, at the Inner Bay harbor.

Tense figures, sweat beading on their foreheads, stared fixedly at the dense fleet ahead. The sight of Bullet in particular made them tremble all over.

To the Marines at headquarters, Bullet, the supreme commander of the West Blue, was an utterly ruthless figure.

Over the past ten years, his occasional exchanges with headquarters officers had left those officers suffering terribly.

In the eyes of many Headquarters Vice Admirals, although Bullet wore a Marine Uniform and bore a Vice Admiral's rank on his shoulders, his defiant nature, his formidable strength that was almost impossible to control, and his disregard for orders from headquarters all made it clear that they were not on the same path.

Bullet obeyed only one man's orders! Even when Fleet Admiral Sengoku, the Marines' supreme commander, personally issued instructions, he would pretend not to hear them.

As a result, countless Marines had come to fear him in recent years.

Even harder to overlook were the vast numbers of elite Marines produced by the brutal training methods he had imposed on the West Blue Branch after Xia Le's departure.

They had also heard that Bullet commanded a powerful scientific research force.

"That brat Xia Le's right-hand men are finally all here!"

While they were still lost in thought, a figure with short purple hair appeared at the harbor without anyone noticing.

"Instructor Zephyr!"

A middle-aged Marine bearing a Rear Admiral's rank on his shoulders cried out in surprise.

The figure standing before them was none other than Zephyr, a Marine Admiral of the previous generation, now retired and occasionally teaching students.

Zephyr stood straight with his arms folded. Although his face showed signs of age, he remained in excellent spirits.

His eyes were solemn as he studied the enormous fleet ahead.

"The