Naruto Online: Hyuga Branch Family? Let's go all out!

Chapter 328 Wind and Thunder

The navy is, after all, a military force, and its operations are swift and decisive.

Smoker's suggestion was quickly reviewed and then unanimously approved.

So when the Buster Call fleet set off again, it was followed by three supply ships.

The ammunition carried by these three supply ships can sustain the Buster Call fleet for another five rounds of combat!

In other words, the artillery fire that could originally only last for two hours can now last for ten hours!

Two days later, the Buster Call fleet docked.

Steelbone and five lieutenant generals held a meeting to discuss the details of the bombing, and the bombing officially began at five o'clock the next morning.

Steelbone still chose Dragon Port as his landing site, since it was undoubtedly the most suitable place to land. And with the help of the Buster Call fleet, the landing should be easy, right?

At six o'clock in the morning, the first wave of landing ships approached the Lai Long Wharf. This time, Steelbone was smarter and only two thousand soldiers disembarked in neat rows.

Even if we lose this quantity, it won't hurt.

Then we saw these two thousand soldiers walk smoothly for two kilometers on land without being attacked.

"Reporting to the Marshal, the docks have been captured. I repeat, the docks have been captured!"

"Is it really that easy this time?" Cyborg felt a little dazed, as if the news he had heard was false, but the flags on the dock that he saw through his binoculars told him that it was not false, and that they had indeed landed!

"Artillery fire is really effective!" Cyborg nodded in satisfaction, then ordered, "First wave, hold your ground! Second wave, third wave, continue the landing!"

The second batch of 4,000 people, the third batch of 8,000 people, and soon the fourth batch of 16,000 people also successfully landed!

Steel Bone was overjoyed and simply joined the fifth wave of landing soldiers. By this time, the anti-bandit army had landed 62,000 men!

Upon landing on the dock, Cyborg immediately began to study how the Revolutionary Army had defended against the Buster Call's artillery fire. He then discovered the entire dock riddled with trenches and reverse-sloping earthen ramps.

"So that's how it is!" Cyborg simulated the trajectory of the shell in his mind. So digging a trench in the ground could dodge the shell. It really is a simple and practical method!

Even if you can dodge, you can't stand up and withstand the raging fire. Didn't that allow us to get ashore?

Throughout history, no rebel army has ever gained any real power. Do you know why?

Even if our soldiers are weak in combat and have low morale, we still have a large number of people and good equipment. How can you fight against us?

"Order all soldiers to be on alert, and archers to build barracks and fortifications on the spot!" Although further ahead would still be within the range of the Buster Call's artillery fire, the Buster Call fleet would have to move forward as well, which would put them within the range of the Revolutionary Army's artillery fire.

The Buster Call's attack range is only a little over 26 kilometers, while the Revolutionary Army's artillery range is around 15 kilometers. This means that the Buster Call fleet can only fire from 15 kilometers offshore and control a distance of 11 kilometers on land.

Scratching his head, Steelbone also felt it was a bit outrageous. When did he start to think that 26 kilometers was too short?

Sixty thousand people is no small number. Despite the constant urging from their superiors, the overall landing speed was still quite fast. By the time everyone was ashore, it was already past four in the afternoon.

After setting up cooking pots and building temporary shelters, night fell quickly.

Cyborg had no idea what he was about to experience. He and a group of officers selected the newly built barracks, held a meeting for a while, discussed tomorrow's attack, and then ordered everyone to rest.

After all, there might be another big battle tomorrow!

A group of soldiers were busy landing during the day, and after landing, they worked all day. They were not only physically exhausted, but also mentally exhausted because they had to be on guard against the revolutionary army's attack at all times.

Upon hearing Cyborg's command, they immediately collapsed to the ground and fell fast asleep.

Of course, there were also people on night watch, but these people also stood crookedly, their heads bobbing up and down like chicks pecking at rice.

Eight o'clock, nine o'clock, ten o'clock, eleven o'clock at night!

Seeing that no one was coming to attack, the sentries completely relaxed their vigilance and simply fell asleep on duty.

These days, there aren't many superiors who would stand guard, and you'd never wake up to find a military overcoat draped over your shoulders. Those superiors are all busy sleeping; they wouldn't be patrolling.

So by 3 a.m., the entire barracks had fallen into complete silence.

Beneath this boundless silence, movement broke out in the trenches that had been ignored by everyone during the day, and even Steelbone had only glanced at them briefly before turning his back on them.

Steelbone only looked at the trenches, but he didn't know that every so often, a hole just big enough for one person to fit through would be dug out of the trenches.

This hole is called the cat ear hole; you can hide inside it to avoid artillery shells!

However, the Revolutionary Army went even further, digging the cat-ear hole extremely deep, turning it directly into a tunnel that connected to the interior of Dong Island.

There are over a thousand such tunnels underground!

With thousands of tunnels and a slow march of several thousand people, if a navy officer were using Observation Haki, they might even be able to hear it.

But the weather wasn't good that night. A storm started around midnight, and thunder began around 3 a.m.

Observation Haki is the ultimate evolution of the five senses, but now that there are sounds of thunder, wind, and rain, the sounds of human activity are naturally masked.

At three o'clock in the morning, the soil used to cover the foxholes was pushed away, and revolutionary soldiers carrying rifles, hand cannons, and grenades rushed out of the trenches.

While they were on their way, the sea was not at rest either. A dozen small boats, fully loaded with gunpowder, took advantage of the strong winds and left the coast, heading straight for the Buster Call fleet.

Steel Bone is getting old and his health has never been very good. For example, he seems to have problems with his digestive tract. He always needs to spend a long time in the toilet every day, and he can't defecate even when he does, and when he does, it's always loose.

Sometimes he would joke that he was going to be in the same boat as Magellan of Impelton.

He was an elderly man and a light sleeper; in fact, he woke up when the wind and rain were raging.

After all, in the world of One Piece, wind and rain are not necessarily natural phenomena; they may also be man-made.

Steelbone finally breathed a sigh of relief after the heavy rain lasted for more than two hours.

Even if Dragon is incredibly powerful, he shouldn't have the stamina to activate his Devil Fruit at full power for two hours.

Even if he has the stamina, he can't waste it like this, because if you use all your stamina to activate your Devil Fruit ability, how will you fight later?

Without Dragon, who would stand against him, Cyborg?

You don't really think I'm weak, do you?

but. . .

Standing at the doorway, wearing a military overcoat and looking at the thunder in the sky, Steelbone felt that something was wrong.

Perhaps the clouds were too dense and too low, making him feel somewhat depressed.

"Never mind, you're already awake, let's have a cup of tea!" Cyborg didn't call his marine guards, but made himself a cup of tea and then went to the conference room.

He had assumed he would be the only person in the meeting room, but he was surprised to find that there was another person there.

With white hair and a cigar in his mouth, he was examining the map on the table, occasionally scribbling and drawing with a pen.

"Smoker?" Cyborg was delighted to see the young man. What could be more gratifying than a young man he had high hopes for who was more hardworking and diligent?

Why aren't you asleep?

"I landed very late during the day and slept on the ship!" Smoker said. "This weather is dangerous. If the Revolutionary Army attacks at night, I'm afraid something will go wrong!"

"Don't worry, this weather hardly looks like a fighting place," Cyborg waved his hand dismissively. "The gunpowder would be damp in this weather and wouldn't light at all. They're not going to fight us with big swords, are they?"

"But I've heard that gunpowder that's impervious to heavy rain is now popular on the black market!" Smoker frowned. "What if the Revolutionary Army also had such guns!"

Steelbone fell silent.

When it comes to technology, the world government is undoubtedly the most advanced. They not only have the largest caliber and longest-range cannons, but also the most advanced warships.

But the most advanced guns may not be in the hands of world governments.

Because the World Government's territory is too large and its soldiers too numerous, a complete re-equipment would require a considerable sum.

Of course, everyone knows that soldiers need more advanced weapons to protect their country, but the Celestial Dragons have their own way of calculating.

Since a navy officer's life isn't worth much anyway, instead of spending a lot of money on better weapons, why not let the navy risk their lives?

Even though the navy doesn't have better firearms now, it still maintains peace at sea.

So there's absolutely no need for it!

At this point, we can see a strange scene.

The weapons that come out of the black market are often of higher quality than those in the navy's possession.

It's not obvious now, but two years later, pirates in the New World are already using automatic rifles, while the Navy is still using flintlock muskets.

"Alright, let's not talk about these unpleasant things!" Cyborg patted Smoker on the shoulder and said, "Come for a walk with this old man!"

Smoker nodded, then took a lantern in one hand and an umbrella in the other to open for Steelbone, and the two of them, the old man and the young man, stepped into the raging wind and rain.

"I've been asking Zhan Guo about you these past couple of days!" Steelbone said as they walked along the still somewhat muddy path. "He said you like to talk back to your superiors, refuse many unreasonable requests, and are unwilling to compromise your principles with many people?"

Smoker nodded: "I think that as members of the Navy, we should be more focused on our duties. What kind of business is it for a soldier to go into business and collect protection money from pirates?"

"Sigh!" Steelbone nodded, and said earnestly, "When I was young, I was just like you, sharp-tongued and critical of many things! But I quickly realized that being too clean and virtuous isn't good; you can't climb the ladder that way!"

"I don't want to climb the ladder using these methods!" Smoker said irritably.

Steelbone shook his head: "It's precisely because this industry is so dark that you need to climb even higher. If you don't climb, how can you change them?"

Smoker fell silent.

"You're just a colonel now, who cares what you say?" Cyborg said. "But what if you were a rear admiral? Wouldn't your voice be louder? And a vice admiral? Would it be even louder?"

"Even more so, what if you were an admiral, or even a fleet admiral?"

"But didn't you already serve as Fleet Admiral? Has the Navy improved?" Smoker asked.

Cyborg chuckled, "Looks like I've been away from the Navy for too long. Have the new recruits already forgotten my achievements?"

"You know, there's never been a civilian serving as Fleet Admiral before me!"

Smoker raised an eyebrow: "Is that so?"

"Of course!" Steel Bone nodded. "In the past, the Fleet Admiral was either a Celestial Dragon or a World Noble. It was precisely because of their incompetence that pirates became increasingly rampant, to the point that they had no choice but to use us!"

"And during my tenure, I selected a group of newcomers, including Zephyr, Garp, Sengoku, and Tsuru, who in turn selected your generation of elite Marines!"

"While there are dark aspects to the Navy, it's also gradually improving, isn't it!"

Smoker nodded; Ning Yuan had actually discussed this point with him before.

An organization full of flaws cannot attract so many people to join.

After all, if you say Garp lost his mind, then did Fujitora lose his mind too?

The navy must have its merits.

His merit lies in the fact that, although the navy's top brass is still in a dark state, things are changing, and over the decades, they are getting better and better.

Those who have experienced it know this, and because of this, they are all loyal to the Navy. No matter how dark the situation they have witnessed, they have never thought of betraying the Navy and seeking other opportunities.

However, this does not conflict with revolution. On the contrary, revolution and war will prompt more radical reforms within the navy. Those who are incompetent and lazy will be quickly eliminated, while capable and strategic naval personnel will rise to power.

Why is a country most powerful in its early years?

Because the generals during the founding of the nation were all those who earned their titles through real battles!

Before they knew it, the two had already patrolled to the edge of the camp.

Seeing the sleeping soldier, Smoker was exasperated and was about to teach him a lesson when Cyborg stopped him.

"It's pointless!" Cyborg shook his head. "Even if you wake him up now, he'll just fall asleep again. I don't think the Revolutionary Army is going to attack anyway!"

He looked at the boundless darkness ahead, where shadowy figures seemed to hide countless people, but in reality, there was not a single one.

Although his Observation Haki has begun to decline with age, he still has no problem exploring four or five kilometers.

There's no problem ahead, but why are there so many people moving around behind us?

It's 3 a.m., the cooks haven't gotten up yet, have they?

As Steelbone was thinking, he suddenly realized something was wrong!

Wait a minute, as a marshal, how come I don't know about the massive operation involving tens of thousands of people in the rear?

and so!

"Smoker, fire the signal flare!"

"Yes!" Smoker quickly took out a signal pistol from his person. As a frontline commander, he was naturally equipped with a signal pistol.

But as he said earlier, the wind and rain are strong today, and the gunpowder will get damp!

So naturally, his flare gun failed to fire!

Left with no other option, Cyborg had to forcefully activate Conqueror's Haki.

In a battle between two armies, it's definitely not a good thing for the leader to make the first move. After all, if your side's strength is depleted by the minions, how can you face the big boss?

But now Steelbone is helpless; if he doesn't stop these revolutionary soldiers, more than 60,000 people will die!

But just as he activated his Conqueror's Haki, an attack of Conqueror's Haki that was no less powerful than, and even surpassed, his own was launched from the opposite side, completely blocking his Haki out!

Although there was darkness behind him, Zephyr suddenly saw a person dressed in a green robe, hidden in a hood, in the boundless darkness.

He was unaware that Dorag no longer wore a hat.

All he knew was that the navy, the army, and the landing force of over 60,000 men were finished!

"Smoker!"

"marshal?"

"Run!"

"what?"

"Go and take control of all the high-ranking naval officers. I'll cover you as you escape this way!" Cyborg pointed in a direction.

(End of this chapter)