The sun hung high in the sky, releasing endless light and heat upon the world, dispelling the cold darkness, and scattering its radiance and energy upon the earth.
Everything was reviving.
Jaltsburg Kingdom.
The city streets were dilapidated, and soldiers were clearing rubble and tidying up broken walls and ruins.
Bullet slowly regained consciousness from his coma, opening his bleary eyes as a few rays of light streamed through the checkered window and fell upon him.
Immediately, his expression turned serious, and he cautiously surveyed his surroundings.
It was a lavishly decorated bedroom, spacious inside, with silken drapes connecting the beams.
"You're awake, kid. Kaido wants to see you."
Wald appeared at the doorway, looking at Bullet with a half-smile.
Bullet collected himself, remembering the fierce battle of the previous night where he had defeated all his comrades.
He climbed out of bed and put on a brand new, Black uniform hanging on the clothes rack, adorned with a sword medal.
Bullet followed Wald to the Kingdom's training ground, where a towering figure stood in the center.
Kaido stood on the ground, his five fingers slightly splayed, and crimson Haki lightning-like flickered at his fingertips, emitting crackling sounds that were incredibly intimidating.
Seeing Wald lead Bullet over, Kaido's eyes lit up, and he burst into laughter, "How's your recovery, Bullet?"
"Almost there..."
Bullet looked at Kaido with a hint of probing, "Are you going to rule Jaltsburg?"
"Rule?"
Kaido chuckled mockingly, saying, "Jaltsburg has a large labor force. Why should I step in when there's a perfectly good king? I'll let the king continue to enslave this country and make money for me."
After this battle, Jaltsburg's national strength was severely damaged.
"What should I call you?"
Bullet asked, his gaze sharp, like a fierce tiger running through the forest.
"My name is Kaido. From now on, you can just call me Boss Kaido, Bullet. What I told you last night wasn't a whim. Keep getting stronger. As the strongest Bullet, you will conquer this world with me in the future!"
"Conquer the world?"
Light flickered in Bullet's eyes as he looked at the tall, arrogant figure standing opposite him under the scorching sun, as if a light had suddenly shone into his life.
Bullet's lips curved into a smile: "That's interesting, Boss Kaido!"
"But I hate betrayal the most. If you ever betray this dream, I will absolutely attack you without hesitation!"
"Hahaha, same here, Bullet!"
As the year 1486 arrived, Bullet officially joined Kaido's forces.
The neighboring War Without End Kingdom, however, had not expected that the Jaltsburg Kingdom, which had been coveting them, would be attacked by Kaido overnight, resulting in heavy casualties among its soldiers.
The War Without End Kingdom, which had been fully prepared for an unavoidable major war, breathed a sigh of relief but also couldn't help but worry: after attacking Jaltsburg, would their kingdom be Kaido's next target?
The King immediately ordered his ministers to contact Binjack, expressing his willingness for long-term cooperation and to regularly purchase Kaido's weapons annually.
Binjack, who was discussing matters related to entering the Underworld with representatives from the Dorag Family and the Ibis Family, was stunned for two seconds when he received the call, then ecstatic, and readily agreed.
Marineford, Marine Headquarters.
In recent days, Kaido's series of terrifying actions had caused immense headaches for the Marines.
Kaido was expanding his territory and influence at an almost unstoppable rate, and now he was reaching into the Underworld.
"I never thought the Underworld families would compromise with him and make concessions."
Staff Officer Tsuru, with her waterfall of black hair and picturesque features, was currently rubbing her temples in frustration.
Zephyr's face was grim: "The Azure Dragon Fruit has the ability to fly, so even if his whereabouts are discovered, he's very difficult to track."
"Is it power obtained from the God Valley Incident?"
Sengoku, with his explosive hairstyle, had spectacles gleaming with white light.
"So, are we going to take him on or not?"
Garp said directly, munching on rice crackers with a crunching sound.
The conference room suddenly fell silent.
Kong pondered for a moment, a cold glint appearing in the corner of his eye: "First, we'll subdue Silver Axe... to intimidate the remnants of the Rocks Pirates!"
...Winter Island, training ground.
Bang!
Bullet moved like a startled rabbit, rapidly diving and charging towards Roya, who stood at the far end.
"Kid, I won't go easy on you!"
Roya sneered, his expression full of disdain, and swung his black scythe at Bullet.
Bullet suddenly leaped, deftly stepping on the scythe blade, and using the blade to jump again, flipping over Roya's head, and fiercely bringing down a powerful punch.
Roya scoffed, also throwing a punch upwards. The two fists collided, creating a transparent air blast several meters wide.
Bullet suddenly vanished from above with a whoosh, reappearing in front of Roya, and delivered a jab to Roya's abdomen.
Bang!!
Roya slid back several meters, his eyes wide with a hint of surprise, and his lips curved into a smile: "Good power, but it's not enough yet, Bullet!"
Unbeknownst to him, Roya's address for Bullet had quietly changed, from 'kid' to 'Bullet,' which was a sign of his recognition.
Of course, Roya had not yet exerted his full strength, but one must remember that Bullet was only nine years old at this time!
Bullet's fighting spirit was intense. Kaido had many strong subordinates, and this place was perfect for a battle maniac like him.
A few days prior, Wald had explained and demonstrated the Six Styles' Moonwalk and Soru techniques to Bullet.
Bullet, surprisingly, grasped the knack after only one viewing.
This was mainly due to the excellent physical foundation he had built during his time in the barracks and serving as a young soldier.
Roya grinned, gripping his black scythe with both hands and swinging it fiercely. A massive crescent-shaped slash whistled out, tearing through the air!
Bullet froze for a moment, then sharply bent backward, and the massive crescent slash flew past almost touching his forehead.
In Bullet's line of sight, that crescent slash embedded itself into the high wall of the training ground. With a loud bang, a diagonal line appeared on the high wall. The line rapidly expanded, and more than half of the high wall was cleanly cut away!
The nearly hundred-meter-long high wall crashed onto the training ground, kicking up a huge cloud of dust.
"Roya is so strong, and Bullet is amazing too!!"
In the long corridor pavilion of the training ground, Lola sat on the railing, her two little legs swinging back and forth.
Wald, who was sitting in the pavilion drinking with Kaido, burst into laughter: "You're not bad either, Lola, hahaha!"
"Woro-roro-roro, keep getting stronger, Bullet!!" Kaido laughed heartily, his eyes burning with fire.
On the training ground, heavy snow fell in flakes.
Bullet was shocked, but soon this shock transformed into surging fighting spirit!
"That was a slash, wasn't it, Roya!"
Bullet stood tall, his posture erect, his eyes gleaming with barely suppressed excitement: "I'll show you that the strongest thing in this world is these two fists!"
"A good ideal!"
Roya laughed heartily: "But that ideal is still too far away for you right now, Bullet!"
"Come on, attack me, let me see your full strength!"