"My God!"
"A miracle..."
The ever-expanding sand tornado, swirling with countless Kabane, had already surpassed the height of the city walls. More and more citizens within the city could see it, and even the distant Governor's Mansion could clearly witness its presence. They watched as it moved further away, gradually disappearing from sight.
At the same time, Crocodile, holding a blue-glowing Kabane, transformed into a whirlwind of sand and returned to the top of the city wall. The soldiers and Warriors kneeling on the ground were both excited and awestruck, lowering their heads even deeper.
Only their mouths trembled uncontrollably, repeatedly muttering the words "Divine Lord."
"Divine?"
Crocodile glanced in surprise at these people from another world, who were already short and now appeared even shorter kneeling on the ground. He suddenly realized, "It seems this world doesn't have special abilities similar to Devil Fruits."
However, he didn't bother to declare that he wasn't a god. In fact, he found it more convenient to communicate with them this way. Of course, he wouldn't admit to being a god either.
After all, he was about to join the Army under the World Government, so he needed to be mindful of such matters.
"Remember, my name is Crocodile. Next time I come, make sure to open the gates obediently!"
Crocodile then headed to the Governor's Mansion to obtain two maps: one was a large map of the country, and the other was a route map marking important stations.
He had originally wanted a world map, but to his surprise, it wasn't available here. However, according to Governor Tian Jiang, the Shogun's capital, Kongoukaku, had such a map.
Seeing how obedient Tian Jiang was, Crocodile took the opportunity to ask a few more questions.
"Where did those Living Dead you call Kabane come from?"
"Well... it's said they came from the European continent, but no one knows what caused them to form."
"What kind of minerals are produced here?"
"Mainly iron ore, and some other metals."
As the questions continued, Crocodile felt that this could go on forever. Under the terrified gazes of the Warriors, he grabbed the back of the Governor's clothes with his free right hand and lifted him up.
"Ah! Divine Lord! Please spare me, spare me!!" The Governor immediately screamed, tears and snot streaming down his face.
He thought Crocodile was seeking revenge for his rudeness the previous night.
"Don't worry, I won't harm you, but you need to come with me!" Without waiting for a response, Crocodile unleashed a torrent of sand.
The surrounding Warriors were blown off their feet, and when they opened their eyes again, the sandstorm had dissipated, but Crocodile and Governor Tian Jiang had vanished without a trace.
The Warriors looked at each other in shock. As Warriors, their duty was to protect their lord, but now their lord had been taken by a god... How were they supposed to explain this to Kongoukaku?
Meanwhile.
On the plains outside the 'Fallen Dead City' discovered by Laskey and Marta the previous night, a larger black-clad army, with different equipment and uniforms from the armed forces of that night, was moving swiftly through countless Kabane.
Under the loud commands of a golden-haired general over five meters tall, they rode heavy military motorcycles and wielded automatic rifles.
At the same time, intense gunfire targeted their legs, causing them to fall one after another, letting out meaningless cries of pain and roars.
[Ratatatatat————]
For a moment, the vast plain was completely engulfed by the deafening sound of rapid gunfire and the rumbling of motorcycles.
These people were naturally the Army Heavy Armored Motorcycle Mobile Unit led by Douglas Bullet. When they first arrived here, the morning sun had just peeked halfway over the horizon.
It was also around the same time when Crocodile pushed open the window at Yatsushiro Station to breathe in the fresh air.
Despite having traveled through the night under the stars and moon, Bullet did not order a rest. Instead, he had his soldiers make minor adjustments and inspect their weapons and equipment before dividing them into groups of ten, forming two hundred squads. These squads were then further divided into two larger units of one hundred squads each, with orders to take turns carrying out the clearing mission.
With a single command.
The first unit of one hundred squads spread out to both sides, leveraging the high mobility of their motorcycles to quickly cover the area, systematically clearing towards the city.
Since they didn't need to kill, only to disable by shooting the legs, the efficiency was remarkably high.
However, such a large commotion completely alerted the Kabane in the city. Dense hordes of Living Dead poured out from the drawbridge, looking like a flowing black river.
Seeing this.
Bullet issued another command.
Soon, the first unit of one hundred squads, which had already approached the city walls, turned their motorcycles to move left and right, causing the 'black river' behind them to split as well.
Immediately after, the second unit of one hundred squads fully entered the scene, coordinating with the first unit that was attracting the 'black river'. They continuously fired from the sides, occasionally throwing a Grenade to bombard the horde.
The mobility of the motorcycles and the range of the automatic rifles were utilized to the fullest. Under Bullet's loud commands, they weaved in and out, circling around, never giving the slow-moving Living Dead a chance to get close. They rapidly diminished the 'black river' with bullets, gasoline, and Grenades.
Fortunately, the motorcycles they rode were military-grade heavy armored vehicles, not only with large fuel tanks but also with reserve tanks that could be switched to at any time.
However, judging by the number of Kabane, the fuel for the return trip would definitely not be enough.
But this was no big deal. There was a complete Star Gate Base in the rear. Although the efficiency was negatively affected because large vehicles couldn't get through, they could still manage to transport a batch of gasoline.
"Roar!!!"
Suddenly, just as everything seemed to be going smoothly, chaos erupted when a Kabane, half a meter taller than its peers, roared and threw one of its kind like a sandbag, successfully knocking a soldier off his motorcycle.
The soldiers around it quickly aimed their guns and opened fire, sending a barrage of pointed bullets into the flames.
But this Kabane did something astonishing. It grabbed two of its peers, one in each hand, and swung them around, actually blocking most of the bullets.
Not only that, but a Kabane was also attached to its chest and back, acting as a meat shield. From time to time, it would hurl the Kabane in its hands toward the rapidly moving motorcycle, then casually grab another of its kind.
Its arm strength seemed extraordinary, as the Kabane it threw moved at an incredible speed. While it couldn't be compared to a cannonball, it was indeed fast enough to catch up to the motorcycle.
What was most astonishing was that, with each of its roars, the nearby Kabane seemed to be hypnotized, slowly gathering around it.
"Hmm?"
At this moment, Douglas Bullet, seated on his specially designed heavy-duty motorcycle, also noticed this peculiar Kabane with his fierce tiger-like eyes.
"Interesting. Let's see what you're made of!"
[Whoosh!]
In the next instant, his massive body moved at an incongruously high speed, instantly transforming into a black blur as he vanished from the motorcycle seat. In the blink of an eye, he appeared above the head of the special Kabane, which stood over 1.8 meters tall.
Bullet's black Justice Coat fluttered wildly in the wind, with the rising sun gradually ascending in the background. A massive shadow immediately enveloped the Kabane below.
With a single palm strike, he pressed down!