Dressed in clothing characteristic of the Shinobi World, the hundred-strong expert team immediately ignored existing officials upon entering the capital of the Land of Wind. Splitting into specialized teams, they quickly began their respective tasks:
Those tasked with auditing finances audited finances; those responsible for census-taking promptly started counting the population.
The administrative and social officials quickly acted to calm the anxious populace, immediately opening the granaries to distribute food and water to the entire city.
This naturally displeased the local officials.
But before they could react, they were swiftly arrested by Umigakure shinobi. Most civilians were busy focusing on the distribution of supplies and paid little attention to the fate of these officials, aside from their immediate family members.
However, a group of samurai loyalists drew their swords to defend the arrested officials—only to be swiftly cut down by the Umigakure shinobi like vegetables.
To avoid alarming the civilians outside, the shinobi deliberately refrained from using their newly-issued automatic rifles.
These shinobi had already tasted the sweetness of firearms.
Meanwhile—
The citizens, now supplied with plentiful food and fresh water, immediately felt reassured. They obediently followed all subsequent instructions, no longer discussing matters related to the daimyo.
When officials came to inquire about their household circumstances, they responded politely and happily allowed doctors to examine them.
Within less than a week, it seemed everyone had completely forgotten about the daimyo and the officials.
In their free time, the people gathered at the city gates to watch the steady flow of carts loaded with grains, vegetables, fruits, water, and meat coming from outside the city.
Some citizens of the Land of Wind's capital even became tearful watching this.
Having long endured harsh sandstorms, droughts, extreme heat, hunger, and thirst, they now felt an unprecedented sense of peace, satisfaction, and gratitude.
They still vividly remembered how their families had wept around tables filled with roast meat and large cups of clear water, alongside bottles of various medicines neatly placed on the kang.
Life had always been bitter for the people of the Land of Wind!
All of this made the citizens unconditionally support and revere Crocodile's rule, and people began openly shouting "Long live His Majesty!" in the streets.
Whenever such cheers erupted, more voices inevitably joined, making these spontaneous chants occur two or three times daily throughout the city.
Crocodile had thoroughly become the hero and wise ruler in the hearts of the nation's people.
Moreover, this influence extended outward, radiating toward cities in other oasis settlements, as the World Government delivered carts filled with food and water there as well.
At the same time, locals were honestly informed that a new ruler had taken over. The Umigakure shinobi secretly dealt with stubborn elements unwilling to accept the new order.
In short—
The World Government openly leveraged their practically limitless resources, essentially 'buying' the loyalty of the Land of Wind's population with money and supplies.
Meanwhile—
Sunagakure naturally was not neglected either, receiving cart after cart filled with food, fresh water, meat, fruits, vegetables, medicines, and even clothing.
As for the source of these supplies—
Crocodile explicitly explained they were taken from his hidden treasury beneath Rōran, where he had sealed vast quantities of resources long ago, prior to his battle against the Sage of Six Paths.
He implied he had foreseen his own defeat back then, making the entire explanation sound even more reasonable.
Rasa, Chiyo, and the others were naturally delighted.
Though some considered verifying this claim, Crocodile had already declared Rōran as his exclusive territory, and they didn't dare risk offending him by acting recklessly.
At that very moment, inside the underground palace of Rōran—
An imposing figure nearly three meters tall, muscular, with unruly long black curly hair, stepped out of the shimmering Dimensional Gate, draped in a black justice coat.
"Finally, I received approval. Seriously, why should that guy Crocodile be the only one allowed to earn merit?"
"When it comes to loyalty to the Celestial Dragons, I'm clearly number one! The position of Army Headquarters General rightfully belongs to me, Rawawa!"
...
His vision was somewhat blurry.
As his eyes fluttered open, he vaguely saw a clean, smooth, white ceiling.
After his vision awakened, his sense of smell followed; a sharp, antiseptic odor flooded his nose, causing him to frown in discomfort. Gradually, his sight became clearer.
He quickly realized he was lying on a bed, a white blanket draped over his body.
[Swish!]
Once his mind regained clarity, the muscular elderly man with waist-length blond hair and a long beard sprang from the bed in an instant, standing upright in a defensive stance.
"Where am I?"
The Third Raikage warily surveyed the unfamiliar hospital room, simultaneously glancing down at his slightly itchy chest.
Immediately, he noticed that the wound on his chest had healed, leaving only a faint, X-shaped scar—promptly bringing back memories of recent events.
It seemed he had fainted after his defeat and had been brought here for treatment.
Was this Rōran, then?
That thought quickly vanished when he observed the brilliant sunshine streaming through the window, revealing a perfectly clear blue sky without a trace of yellow sand.
Moreover, the distinctly styled white buildings visible through the window were entirely unlike the architecture of Rōran. Clearly, this was somewhere else entirely!
[Click.]
Suddenly, the sound of the door opening made every muscle in the Third Raikage's body tense. His eyes sharpened fiercely, and his rough hands twitched in readiness.
Although he understood that whoever saved him meant no harm, displaying a strong aura was crucial at a time like this.
"It seems you've mostly recovered, Mr. A."
The speaker, who entered the room, was a young man approximately his own height, dressed in a white coat paired with teal-green cropped pants. However, the young man's hairstyle immediately drew his attention.
"Pineapple?"
The Third Raikage subconsciously blurted out.
Instantly, the young doctor's smile froze, and he halted mid-step. The two nurses behind him paused momentarily, their faces flushing red as they tried to suppress their laughter.
"Hehehe, how humorous. Quite unexpected from someone with your appearance."
Shaking his head helplessly, the young doctor appeared mild-mannered as he smiled again. "My name is Marco, the director of this World Hospital. I'm the one who healed your injuries, you know."
"Ah… My apologies."
The Third Raikage also realized he'd been rude just now. Although his appearance was rugged and his temper fierce, he was actually a kind-hearted old man—at least toward the younger generation in Kumogakure.
Of course, under the present unclear circumstances, and given Marco's seemingly harmless attitude, he wouldn't recklessly lash out at others.
"Still, can you tell this old man exactly where we are?"
The Third Raikage silently puzzled over the concept of 'World Hospital'. He had never heard of such a thing.
"Certainly."
Marco had always been respectful toward elders and understood the confusion the man was experiencing. With a gentle gesture, he signaled the nurses to tidy up while inviting the Third Raikage to sit on the sofa for further discussion.
"This place is the World of the Titans Canberra Continent branch of the World Hospital affiliated with the World Government Medical Institute. You were sent here for treatment after your defeat by Lieutenant General Crocodile."
"..."
The Third Raikage's eyes lost focus momentarily, his mind reeling from the flood of unfamiliar information. What in the world…? It was too much to process at once.
"Could you repeat what you just said?" he asked.
"This place...," Marco patiently repeated, word-for-word.
"Director, we've finished tidying up."
Just then, a nurse approached quietly. Noticing that the Third Raikage was still struggling to digest the information, Marco smiled warmly at the nurses. "Alright, thank you for your hard work. You can go now."
"Understood."
The two nurses curiously glanced at the Third Raikage before stepping out of this special single-patient room, softly closing the door behind them.
"This old man is starting to understand a bit now."
The Third Raikage spoke with a thoughtful expression. "In any case, this is a hospital, so the key question is—what exactly is the World Government? And what is this 'World of the Titans'?"
"Well, it's a long story," Marco replied, "but fortunately, I came prepared. Or rather, they came prepared."
He reached into the pocket of his white coat and pulled out a Star Den-Den Mushi.
Although these devices—capable of connecting to the Star Ocean Network System—were still rare, his status granted him priority access to one.
Moments later—
A holographic projection appeared above the coffee table: a vivid, lifelike virtual display of an informational video meticulously crafted by the Public Relations Department, introducing the World Government.
The sight startled the Third Raikage slightly, but he kept his composure and didn't react with any obvious surprise.
The entire video lasted exactly ten minutes.
Within that span, it showcased a three-dimensional view of several key locations under the World Government's control—Starfish World's mainland and various conquered otherworldly territories.
It even included scenes from past wars.
Through the narration's expert commentary—
The Third Raikage came to understand the basic concepts of terms like the World Government, otherworldly conquests, and Dimensional Gates, and he learned that Crocodile was a Lieutenant General of the World Government Army Headquarters.
Just a Lieutenant General?!
According to the presentation, the World Government had more than just the Army Headquarters—they also commanded the Navy, the Air Force, and countless auxiliary corps.
And not just one or two generals like Crocodile—there were more than a dozen Lieutenant Generals as powerful as him!
Above the Lieutenant Generals were the Generals, who represented the highest level of combat power.
And damn it, even those weren't limited to one per branch—each military branch had three Generals, and above them stood three Marshals, and above the Marshals—a Supreme Commander!
The Third Raikage's mind felt like it had just been struck by divine lightning. The amount of information crashing into his brain was utterly overwhelming.
Silence.
The room sank into a deathly stillness.
Across from him, Marco waited patiently. He was starting to understand why the Other Worlds Strategic Committee had specially assigned him to greet this man.
After all, given how cautious and guarded the Third Raikage was—
If he had been approached by a bunch of cold-faced agents in black suits or stern military officers, it would've only made him more defensive and resistant.
But he was a doctor.
A doctor who had personally treated the man. Add the symbolic comfort of a white coat, and it became the perfect psychological buffer. The Raikage would naturally lower his guard.
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