Chapter 183: Kirin's Nightmare
"Instructor Alber!"
Seeing Alber step forward, the Fish-men nearby who had wanted to give it a try immediately cleared a path.
Today's Fish-man Island harbored no racial prejudice. No matter the race, as long as one was willing to live here, the vast majority of people treated everyone equally.
Although Alber belonged to a minority race, his talent and strength were universally recognized by the others.
Furthermore, after his life of wandering ended and he settled into a stable life on Fish-man Island, Alber had entered a new growth spurt. Recently, his height had reached six meters, towering a good head and shoulders above Bullet.
Although size did not equate to combat prowess on this sea, height and wingspan were directly linked. A longer reach often yielded unique advantages in combat.
"Are you an instructor of this kingdom? So, if I beat you... will that force your King to show himself? The strongest man Roger spoke of—I want to see him for myself. Fighting these weaklings... is truly boring."
Being called an instructor by the soldiers of a nation implied a certain level of status, so Bullet directly voiced his intentions.
"Arrogant fool. Do you think Lord Nereus is someone you can just demand to see? His Majesty's time is precious; he has no time to waste on the likes of you. You'd better worry about how you're going to survive me first."
"Hmph. If you're ready, then make your move. You'd better be a little different from those pieces of trash."
Bullet beckoned to Alber, his gestures and expression dripping with provocation. But the only response he received was Alber's cold, detached tone.
"What makes you think... the battle hasn't already begun?"
In an instant, Bullet realized something was terribly wrong. Originally located deep under the sea, he suddenly found himself standing on a battlefield thick with smoke and gunpowder.
The surrounding noise was no longer the clamor of Fish-man Island, but the roaring thunder of artillery fire.
"Bullet! What are you doing?! Follow your orders!!"
The ruins and trenches around him felt incredibly familiar. This wasn't the Ryugu Kingdom; this was his birthplace, a land known across the sea as the Country of Endless War.
Likewise entwined in the affairs of member nations, the flames of war had never ceased on this land for what felt like an eternity.
Many years ago, Bullet was born on this war-ravaged earth.
As an orphan of war, Bullet's father had long perished on the front lines, and his mother had abandoned him among the rubble shortly after his birth.
Bullet's fate was forever altered at that moment. His life did not end there; instead, he was taken in by the military forces of one of the participating nations.
The army adopting these orphans was certainly not doing charity; they were cultivating their own war machines.
War is a battle of economy and population. In a prolonged conflict, experienced veterans are precious strategic assets that cannot be casually sacrificed.
Therefore, they would gather orphans and train them into child soldiers.
After basic brainwashing and training, they would be thrown onto the battlefield as cannon fodder, executing suicide missions like clearing minefields or drawing enemy fire.
Within the military, these child soldiers were collectively referred to as "bullets," and this code name was exactly where Bullet got his name.
"Bullet! What are you standing around for?! Don't you want your medal?!"
That voice echoed in his ears once more. It was the supreme commander of the child soldier unit—Douglas Gray, the man who gave Bullet his surname.
"No... This all ended a long time ago... All of this... is fake!"
Gray's voice did not faze Bullet. Without a shred of hesitation, Bullet threw a vicious punch straight at Gray's head.
There were no agonized screams, nor any splattering of blood. Gray's figure dispersed like a cloud of smoke, only to reform nearby.
But the environment around Bullet had shifted again. He was back in the martial arts arena on Fish-man Island.
"A dream, huh? You winged bastard... you've made me recall some very unpleasant memories..."
"Your consciousness is quite sharp. But this isn't the end; it's merely the beginning. Kirin's Nightmare!"
As Alber's voice dropped, countless creatures woven from nightmares seemed to manifest into reality around Bullet.
Their attire was identical to Bullet's—the same military uniforms. One of the figures even wore a general's cape, directing these soldiers to launch an assault on Bullet.
Alber had no interest in warning his opponents before striking. All he sought was victory; all he cared about was the result, regardless of the methods.
Therefore, the moment he stepped into the ring and prepared to fight Bullet, Alber had already activated his Devil Fruit ability.
Completely ignorant of the opponent's powers, Bullet fell prey to Alber's hypnosis.
Even if he managed to snap out of the dream in time, those dream-born creatures had already crossed over into reality to surround Bullet, courtesy of Alber's Devil Fruit power.
Although he worshiped the creed of "strength in solitude," deep down, Bullet had his own vulnerabilities. Through the Kirin's hypnotic power, the hypnotized subject would always project the most fragile or suppressed elements of their heart.
The expressions on those nightmare monsters were twisted and their faces entirely blurred, yet in Bullet's eyes, these entities were his former comrades-in-arms.
Toward those people...
Bullet showed absolutely no mercy, swinging his fists without hesitation.
But those nightmare monsters raised uniquely shaped shields.
Although the shields were similarly shattered by Bullet, as these medal-shaped shields broke apart, Bullet's expression turned exceedingly grim.
Those medals held a profound significance for Bullet. Back then, many of those child soldiers were willing to throw their lives away just for one of those cold, metallic medals.
That was the result of the military's conditioning. For Bullet, who had grown up amidst gunpowder and smoke with only firearms and ammunition as his companions, that medal represented his deepest yearning for validation and glory.
And it was precisely because of a medal that Bullet had been betrayed by the comrades closest to him.
Even though Bullet ultimately killed them in retaliation and reclaimed the medal that rightfully belonged to him, from that moment on, he completely lost all trust in the word "companion."
As the nightmare monsters were continuously smashed and reformed, Bullet ceased this meaningless fighting and locked his gaze onto Alber.
Killing countless grunts was never as direct as taking out the enemy general. That was a truth he had learned on the battlefield.
Without a doubt, Alber was the general of these nightmare soldiers.
"Disgusting tricks. You'll regret using this kind of power against me... Explosive Bullet!"
Haki condensed at the tip of his fist. Under a continuous, swirling flow, the invisible Haki practically took the shape of a specialized warhead.
BOOM!
With a deafening explosion, Bullet vanished from his spot. His fist, wrapped in an aura of pure hatred, swung viciously toward Alber.
And welcoming Bullet... was nothing but the roaring, raging flames burning upon Alber's back.
☆☆☆
-> 30 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Inkshaper
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you