In the early morning, just as the sun began to peek over the horizon, Crocodile opened his eyes, got out of bed, and opened the attic window. A refreshing breeze immediately greeted him as he quietly observed the otherworldly city known as Yatsushiro Station.
Yesterday, while he was eating grilled chicken, a man named Tian Jiang came to see him. Apparently, he was the city's chief administrator, a role similar to that of a mayor.
The man even had the audacity to invite Crocodile to become his chief warrior, which made him burst into his signature wheezing laughter on the spot.
Naturally, this caused dissatisfaction among Tian Jiang and the other warriors. However, when Crocodile flicked the wooden skewer he had just finished eating toward one of the warriors, snapping the blade they had just drawn, the group quickly calmed down.
This incident laid a solid foundation for friendly communication between both parties.
Look, now he was even allowed to stay in this cozy little attic. Crocodile thought the people here were quite decent.
So hospitable!
From his vantage point, he could clearly see the tall Shaft Tower and the massive crane in the distance. It seemed that Yatsushiro Station was a city built around the mining industry.
At its center was a vast, artificially excavated mining area with layers of mineral deposits. The crane was likely used to transport the mined materials. Additionally, there were two railway tracks running north-south, connecting the east and west gates of the city.
After gaining a basic understanding of the place, the first thing that came to Crocodile's mind was the Star Gate Base that the World Government had established in this world.
That's right. In his view, the World Government, with its usual tendencies, wouldn't bother with friendly cooperation. They would undoubtedly launch a large-scale conquest and occupation after assessing this world's combat capabilities.
With such a massive metal vein, Yatsushiro Station would undoubtedly become one of the World Government's primary targets!
But what did that have to do with him?
Crocodile's thoughts were still focused on himself. After observing for the past few days, he had confirmed that this was indeed the real New World.
Surprisingly, the World Government hadn't deceived him this time.
"The Army, huh?"
"What a choice with no room for alternatives. As domineering as ever, ha—ha—ha—"
For some reason, as he watched the rising sun outside the window, he began his classic wheezing laughter again, though he was really mocking himself.
"I actually felt tempted, so tempted that I almost agreed to their offer. But what if I don't? Am I really going to grow old and die in this boring world full of the Living Dead?"
Crocodile muttered to himself.
"How am I supposed to challenge that monster 'Whitebeard' in the future?"
"And that bastard Douglas Bullet—if I'm trapped in this crappy world, he'll definitely find a way to flaunt his superiority in front of me!"
In his mind, he could already picture Bullet's smug and condescending gaze after becoming a Marine Admiral. Just the thought of it made him grit his teeth in anger.
"Hmph!"
"So what if it's the Army? I remember the Marine Admirals have three positions. The Army probably has the same. In that case, I'll first become an Army Admiral, then rise to Army Marshal in the future. When that happens, I'll make that bastard my subordinate!"
What he didn't realize at the moment was that both the Marshal and the Admiral held the rank of General, being on the same level in terms of hierarchy, though their positions differed slightly in authority.
But even if he had known, he probably wouldn't have cared, as the title of Marshal simply sounded more prestigious than Admiral.
[Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!]
Suddenly.
Just as Crocodile was lost in thought, gazing at the crane that was several times larger and taller than an ordinary one, a series of intense artillery fire jolted him awake, and it also startled the entire Yatsushiro Station.
All the residents hurriedly stepped out of their homes or opened their windows to look toward the eastern gate, while the gate and drawbridge Crocodile had 'passed through' last night were on the western side.
At this moment, the eastern gate had already descended into complete chaos and panic.
Although the thunderous roar of the cannons was trying to boost the soldiers' morale, the massive entity outside the city, relentlessly advancing despite the artillery explosions, was utterly despair-inducing.
[Thud]
A soldier collapsed weakly by the city wall, his face pale as he let out a bitter smile. He had completely lost his courage, not even daring to look back.
"It's over, it's all over. We're all going to die..."
"'Black Mist,' that's 'Black Mist.' We can't stop it. Yatsushiro Station is about to fall!"
No one stepped forward to reprimand him for his demoralizing behavior and words because, aside from the soldiers frantically firing the cannons, everyone on the city wall felt much the same way.
Didn't you see? Even the Warriors, who usually held themselves in high regard, had abandoned their duties and spirit, desperately fleeing into the city. It was chaos, utter chaos!
At that moment, the young soldier trembling on the ground suddenly felt a gust of sand blowing around him, followed by a somewhat familiar voice whispering in his drooping ear.
"Kid, I remember you. Tell me, what is that thing?"
The young soldier slowly lifted his stiff neck, starting from the black leather boots, the brown trousers, the hem of the black coat, and finally the black shirt, until he saw the face of the person standing before him.
"Sir, it's you!"
Of course, he remembered Crocodile, who had given him an Oval Gold Coin yesterday. Last night, he had used it to buy two portions of meat to bring home for his parents and younger sister to taste.
In this city, which had lost its surrounding lands due to the Kabane, where even rice was scarcely grown, food itself was scarce, let alone meat.
"Enough chatter."
Crocodile gazed at the massive creature in the distance, which looked like a thick cloud of smoke with numerous flickering lights within, and felt a strong sense of intrigue.
This otherworldly place had finally brought him a pleasant surprise!
Those Living Dead had been somewhat novel at first, but they quickly became as annoying as a swarm of flies. Later, after collecting enough currency, he simply outran them with his speed, leaving them far behind.
"Ah, yes, yes!"
The young soldier hurriedly stood up, clutching the Steam Rifle in his arms. For some reason, standing beside this man gave him a sense of security, and his body regained some strength.
"That thing we call 'Black Smoke'—it's said that when enough Kabane gather in a small area, one of them becomes a 'core.' It then absorbs the other Kabane onto its body, forming a larger entity."
"Although it appears to be a loose aggregation, it actually functions as a single entity. Its strength is immense, and its speed is astonishing. With a height nearly equal to or even surpassing the city walls, it can easily cross the moat or defensive trenches and crash through the walls beneath our feet. When that happens..."
At this point, the young man's face was once again filled with despair and terror. It would be a true living hell.
At that moment, the towering 'Black Mist,' standing at a height of thirty to forty meters, had approached an open area about three hundred meters from the city walls. On either side stretched rolling, barren gray hills devoid of any vegetation.
"Oh~~"
"Interesting. A combined monster even taller than the giants?" Crocodile's face broke into a mischievous, eager smile.
"I also know a certain combined bastard."
[Whoosh————]
In the next moment, under the stunned gazes of countless soldiers and Warriors, he transformed into a swirling vortex of yellowish sand and flew out of the city walls, seemingly heading straight toward the terrifying 'Black Mist'!