In the sky of the Grand Line, the dense clouds and dark gray cloud clusters were mixed with rampaging air currents and scattered lightning.
A blinding flash of lightning pierced through the heavy clouds like a sharp sword, streaking straight toward the direction of the Country of Endless War.
The howling wind whipped up the air currents, lifting Rector’s long silver-white hair.
Linlin had already left Skypiea three months ago.
Having already become a core executive of the Rocks Pirates, nearly a day had passed since Rector set off from Skypiea.
This year was also the year of Bullet’s birth, and the newborn Bullet was abandoned in the wilderness by his parents.
He was subsequently picked up by soldiers from a certain kingdom in the Country of Endless War and brought back to the military camp to be trained as a child soldier.
At nineteen years old, Bullet’s strength was already able to fight Rayleigh in his youth to a standstill.
At twenty-three, Roger was executed, and Bullet lost his goal in mind and began to run amok.
He was ultimately arrested by the Double-Row Kings Garp and Sengoku.
The last legendary pirate arrested by the Double-Row Kings was none other than the Golden Lion Shiki.
This standard Emperor-level combat power—might as well take it since it’s free.
Loyal subordinates are either raised from childhood, or you are the one who pulled them out of the abyss.
Both situations are more reassuring than recruited sons-in-law, especially since failed cases are right before one’s eyes.
Recruiting Sanji as a son-in-law indirectly led to the Big Mom Pirates being removed from the ranks of the Four Emperors.
Capone Bege was even more of a traitor; after marrying Chiffon and even having a child, he turned around and betrayed the Big Mom Pirates.
“Bang!”
A muffled explosion came from afar, and Rector looked toward the island in the distance billowing with thick black smoke.
The air was filled with the choking smell of burning gunpowder mixed with the scent of the burning earth.
This was a place where multiple kingdoms fought a chaotic war.
Because the war had lasted for over a century, everyone had forgotten the original names of these kingdoms.
Therefore, people gave the constantly warring kingdoms on this island a name—the Country of Endless War.
But how could a single battle be fought for over a century?
Weapons, personnel, and food were all costs, and each battle required an investment of at least hundreds of millions of Berries.
Even a kingdom on a large island would find it difficult to sustain such a long-term battle.
For a battle to be fought for two years would already be a miracle.
This was not some minor scuffle by an insurgent army, but a massive melee where every king exhausted all their wealth, personnel, and resources.
Anyone with half a brain could figure out that the World Government must have been involved.
The Berries consumed in training a single child soldier were enough to buy several slaves.
These kings were greedy people; how could they possibly spend so much money to train child soldiers!
Moreover, as the strongest combat force of one of the kingdoms, Bullet’s formidable strength gave him hope of ending this war and ruling the entire island.
Just as the war was about to be won, the kingdom betrayed Bullet, sending heavy troops to encircle and suppress him in an attempt to make him die on the battlefield.
A furious Bullet destroyed the kingdom that betrayed him and began making his way across the vast seas.
The rulers of the kingdom were not fools; the chance to rule the island was wasted just like that, and being afraid of Bullet’s strength—that was complete nonsense.
Only someone whose brain was bashed in would encircle and suppress their own strongest combat force before the war was even won.
Someone definitely didn’t want this chaotic war to end, and that person was most likely the World Government.
CP agencies were all orphans, and child soldiers were also orphans.
The Country of Endless War was probably a testing ground for the World Government’s CP agencies to select orphans with potential.
Looking at the battlefield beneath his feet, which was covered in craters and scorched earth, Rector spread out his Observation Haki combined with the electromagnetic field of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, instantly covering the entire island.
Strong individuals would display traits different from ordinary children from a very young age; newborn infants had very weak life auras.
But children with potential would have their life auras become intense following emotional fluctuations after birth.
When Katakuri was born, he had specifically perceived and summarized this using his Observation Haki.
Bullet possessed country-destroying combat power at the age of fifteen, so his life aura would be even more intense than Katakuri’s.
Finding a faint yet very intense life aura on this chaotic island was still quite easy.
“Found it!”
Rector transformed into a streak of lightning, speeding away toward the southwest direction.
Bullet was abandoned in the wilderness, and there were other life auras around; these life auras should have come from the kingdom soldiers who picked up Bullet.
…
“Captain!
Are you sure there is the cry of an infant here?” The speaker was a tall, thin man holding a long flintlock rifle in his hand.
Standing beside him was a stalwart man wearing a grayish-brown military uniform, with a silver star adorned on his shoulder.
“I’m sure!
This batch of child soldiers is almost depleted!
Who knows when the next batch will arrive!”
A ferocious smile appeared on the stalwart man’s face, and his eyes were filled with greed.
“Take this child back!
If he performs well, we can get promoted and make a fortune!”
“And have you forgotten?
The General said that as long as we bring back one child, we’ll be rewarded with one hundred thousand Berries!
That’s enough for us to live in luxury for a long time!”
He rubbed his hands together, the anticipation in his eyes growing stronger and stronger.
The tall, thin man beside him also grew expectant; one hundred thousand Berries was enough for them to live in luxury for half a month.
On this chaotic island, no one knew if they would die on the battlefield during the next mission; seizing the day and enjoying oneself was what truly mattered.
“Crack!!!”
A bolt of lightning suddenly struck the scorched earth not far away, startling them, and the scattered electric arcs swept across the blackened ground.
Instantly shocking both of their hairs on end, turning their sleek hair into afros.
But they didn’t pay much mind to it; lightning strikes were a common occurrence on the battlefield.
The war had lasted for centuries, and the dense smoke rising from the continuously burning wreckage of war blocked the sky, making it impossible to see the sun anywhere on the island.
The terrible environment led to extremely unstable weather, and there were even precedents of soldiers staying inside military camps being struck to death by lightning.
“Waahhh!!!”
A loud, ringing infant cry attracted their attention.
The two pricked up their ears to listen to where the sound was coming from, and after confirming the direction, quickly ran toward it.
…
“He’s as sturdy as a little calf!” Rector looked at Bullet in his arms.
Bullet looked like he had just been born not long ago, with wet blood still hanging on his face, yet his physique was much larger than that of an average infant.
A length close to one meter made it obvious at a glance that he was prime material to become a top-tier powerhouse.
No wonder he could survive in such a cruel environment; infants in war zones were the most vulnerable to death.
The mixed, filthy environment, coarse diet, and lingering odors in the air could all cause newborns to fall ill or even die.
“Hey!
Brat, put down that infant!” An arrogant and commanding voice sounded from behind.
Rector turned his head to look at the two men.
One was tall and thin, looking like an ordinary grunt, while the other wore military rank insignia, clearly an officer.
Rector didn’t take the two of them to heart, but noticed that they had already secretly pressed their Den Den Mushi communication device, transmitting the conversation here in real-time to the command post in the rear.
Seeing that Rector’s attire was as gorgeous as a kingdom noble’s, the two guessed that he was most likely royalty from a hostile country.
Capturing him would allow them to negotiate with the enemy country, making them major heroes.
Even if he wasn’t royalty from a hostile country, he definitely came from a wealthy family; extorting a sum of Berries would also be pretty good!
“What nonsense?
I thought you guys were Celestial Dragons!” Rector’s tone was unceremonious, instantly infuriating the two.
“Brat!
You…”
“Crack!!!”
A violent bolt of lightning struck straight down upon their heads, directly piercing through their bodies and slicing them into two charred halves in the blink of an eye, even reducing that Den Den Mushi communication device to ashes along with them!
“What annoying things.” Rector didn’t even spare them a glance; mere underlings daring to command him was simply asking to be struck by lightning.
Rector didn’t notice that Bullet in his arms was blinking his bright, sparkling eyes, staring unblinkingly at him with a look of ignorant adoration in his eyes.
“Buru buru…”
Rector pulled out a Den Den Mushi from his arms, and the face on it was unmistakably Perospero.
“Click!”
“What is it?”