Snow peaks stretched and stood tall, with jagged rocks, like a pack of wolves raising their heads, and the biting cold wind blew incessantly.
On the northern ridge of the training ground, craftsmen chiseled mountains and pierced rocks, building stone platforms and pavilions.
They wore thick cotton coats, drilled holes in the hard stone with their tools, their faces slightly red from frostbite, and their eyebrows covered in white frost.
They looked worriedly at the towering, majestic giant peak.
That giant peak soared into the clouds, like an ancient dragon overlooking the earth.
High above, snow mist swirled, and the bitter cold howled, as if mocking the small and powerless humans below.
They dared not delay the construction period and continued to excavate the mountain.
On the training ground, Bullet, as usual, persisted in his daily training.
He was bare-chested, not afraid of the severe cold at all, his muscles, which had gained some size and definition, were taut, like a natural armor.
As long as he had no external missions, Bullet always woke up at five o'clock every day, a habit he had maintained since his time in the youth military camp.
He ran 100 kilometers within an hour daily, swam around Winter Island for an hour daily, and spent the rest of his time, except for meals, practicing Six Styles against stones.
After a year, Bullet could already run 100 kilometers in half an hour, without his face turning red or his breath becoming ragged.
He had progressed from swimming around Winter Island to freely cruising while pulling a ten-meter-long small boat.
The objects for his Six Styles practice had also changed from stones to iron plates.
Bullet worked extremely hard because a nameless fire had always been simmering in his heart—the God's Knights!!
In front of these mysterious organizations, Bullet realized that he was no different from the other children!
This world was full of powerhouses!!
Just two members of the God's Knights alone had the ability to almost wipe them out.
If he continued to be content with the status quo and not seek change, how could he stand side by side with Kaido in future battles?
He would always remember the look Kaido gave him then... Kaido truly wanted to treat him as a powerful asset for the future!!
Bang!!
Bullet punched an iron plate, one meter thick and five meters high, sending it flying, scattering a patch of accumulated snow.
The iron plate was covered with punch marks of varying depths, one of which was nearly a foot deep.
Bullet breathed slightly, his eyes determined and strong.
"So amazing!"
Lola, biting a meat pie, looked surprised, her yellow and black ears on her head flapping.
"Lola..."
Bullet suddenly thought of something, a smile playing on his lips, and he clashed his fists together: "Let's spar."
Bullet knew that the girl in front of him had good talent, and was also an extremely rare mixed-blood Mink Tribe, a natural hunter whose strength would double after transforming into Sulong.
Coupled with that strange summoning ability... "Okay."
Lola obediently stuffed the meat pie whole into her mouth, her cheeks bulging, chewed a few times, and swallowed with a gulp.
When Lola looked up again, her eyes were no longer clear and calm!
Lola's eyes burned with fervor, and she let out a soft cry: "Rise, spirits!"
A dense black mist spread out from beneath her feet like ink, instantly engulfing half of the training ground.
Urgent rustling sounds came from all directions, and eerie, grotesque roars grew from distant to near, gradually becoming clear!
One by one, pitch-black undead skeletons stretched out their pale white hand bones from underground, their eyes glowing with an eerie blue flame, and with an ethereal grab, the dense black mist on the ground rose, transforming into the weapons the skeletons most commonly used in life.
Unlike the undead skeletons Lola had summoned before, these summoned skeletons mostly did not use farming tools, but rather deadly swords, knives, and firearms.
Lola's heart stirred, and several skeletons with a noticeably stronger aura were swept by the black mist, as if consumed by flames, and the black mist immediately transformed into crude armor!
Sweat beaded on Lola's forehead, but her face was filled with uncontrollable excitement: "Right now, I can only summon fifty undead skeletons."
At the same time, Lola held two short blades, each about a foot long, in her hands, their cold light shimmering, making them very sharp.
She was also a skilled warrior in both physical combat and swordsmanship.
"Well then, I'm coming for you, Bullet!"
"Bring it on, Lola!"
Bullet showed no fear, charging straight towards the fifty undead skeletons wielding crude weapons!
He dodged left and right, agile in his movements, weaving through the undead skeletons, his large fists like giant hammers, Domineeringly smashing the skeletons.
Lola's face paled slightly; these undead skeletons were summoned by her, and the moment they were destroyed, it also placed a certain burden on Lola's spirit.
Lola suddenly charged forward with a whoosh, moving incredibly fast like a swift tiger, her short blades crossed in front of her, unleashing a newly learned technique—Cross Slash!
For a time, sword light flashed on the training ground, and the roar of cannon fire was incessant, kicking up large waves of snow and skeleton soldiers.
Meanwhile, inside the Winter Island palace, Hanafuda walked with strong, powerful steps into the palace.
Kaido sat on the stone throne, and two tables were placed below the stone steps; Wald and Binjack sat at one table, and the other table was empty.
"Boss Kaido."
Hanafuda smiled slightly, his tone respectful.
Kaido, sitting on the stone throne, turned sideways, resting his chin on his hand: "Hanafuda, I called you here this time because I want you to take over our pirate crew's Underworld arms business, and at the same time, seize the opportunity to collect Zoan Devil Fruit."
The Underworld arms business?
Hanafuda's heart trembled; it was well known that the Beasts Pirates could thrive on the sea not only due to the formidable strength of Kaido and his various cadres, but most importantly, the Beasts Pirates made their fortune by selling arms, now earning at least one billion Berries every month.
Of course, the pirate crew's expenses for food and drink, facility wear and tear, and battlefield construction and maintenance were also considerable, but even so, the Beasts Pirates had accumulated substantial wealth.
Now Kaido was entrusting him with the arms business, which was crucial to the entire pirate crew's lifeline; this could no longer be described merely as trust, so how could Hanafuda not be shocked?
For a moment, Hanafuda even worried that he could not complete this significant entrustment: "Boss Kaido, my abilities are limited, I'm afraid I cannot manage such a large business well..."
"Hanafuda, I trust you."
Kaido looked deeply at Hanafuda, then grinned and said: "With your ability, I believe you will only make our business bigger and better."
Hanafuda saw Kaido's solemnity and trust, and an inexplicable emotion surged in his heart, his voice trembling as he said: "I will definitely not let down your trust!"
"Hmm, sit down. You should complete the handover of the arms business with Binjack as soon as possible, and Binjack... I want you to form an intelligence team, responsible for monitoring and gathering news from the sea, at least so that we won't be so passive in future wars."
Information is a weapon. In his previous life, Kaido had underestimated intelligence too much, always being on the defensive.
Binjack coughed twice: "Don't worry, Kaido, this is my area of expertise, and I will not disappoint you."
Kaido nodded: "I trust you to handle things. Next is... the matter concerning the Peace Research Institute."