"Another world... The Sea Star World Government has 174 member nations?!" Amatori Biba's hands trembled slightly as he held the documents, overwhelmed by shock.
At this moment, he felt as though an invisible wind of information was rushing toward him, making it hard to breathe. His pupils contracted violently.
"Over 170 nations... each comparable to the Land of the Rising Sun?"
"Heh."
Senior Manager Addison chuckled noncommittally, as he himself was unaware of such details—neither the exact size of the Land of the Rising Sun nor the land area of each member nation in their world.
However, while the islands of the Sea Star World were indeed islands, their size was far from the small depictions in the comics Imu remembered from his past life.
For example, the only available data regarding the size of member nations was the width of Alabasta's Sandora River—fifty kilometers wide!
Yes.
Fifty. Kilometers!
From this, it could be deduced that Alabasta's diameter from north to south was approximately 1,300 kilometers—equivalent to the full length of Honshu Island in the Land of the Rising Sun—while its east-west diameter exceeded 1,600 kilometers.
Doing the math, the total area of the Alabasta Kingdom was around 2.08 million square kilometers. In contrast, the combined land area of all the islands in the Land of the Rising Sun was only about 380,000 square kilometers!
To put this into perspective, Alabasta was larger than the Xinjiang Province (1.66 million square kilometers) by an entire Japan.
And when considering other member nations like the Drum Kingdom or Dressrosa based on Alabasta's scale, it became clear that none of them were small either!
Expanding the view further to encompass the entire Grand Line and the Red Line Continent, one could truly grasp the vastness of the pirate world.
"Whew—"
It took Amatori Biba a long time to regain his composure. He sighed, "No wonder I'd never heard of you before... So this is how it is."
"What are your thoughts now?"
"That's what I wanted to ask you. Showing me all this means I still have value to you—or that you're willing to accept me?"
"Smart!" Senior Manager Addison praised. "The higher-ups admire you—your military prowess and your methods. So, are you willing to join?"
"Join?"
Amatori Biba raised an eyebrow. "In what capacity? What would I have to do? And I have no intention of abandoning my vengeance."
"You don't have to."
"In fact, with our power, you can achieve your revenge. After capturing the Diamond Citadel, we'll hand Amatori Kokyo over to you. You understand what I mean, don't you?"
Senior Manager Addison gave him a meaningful look. Though the other man remained silent, he grasped the deeper implication—he would be allowed to kill Amatori Kokyo with his own hands, but he must also be the one to do it.
"And afterward?"
"Didn't you just mention it? There will be retaliation from regional forces. When that time comes, we'd like you to guide our Army, given your familiarity with this country's terrain. As for your position..."
Senior Manager Addison pondered for a moment before pulling another document from his drawer.
"This is an appointment letter from the Intelligence Department of the First Division under the General Staff Headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief of the World Government—a Staff Officer position in the Army Intelligence Division."
"When you and Army have mostly resolved matters here, you can take this and report to the Army headquarters at Landfoss."
"Though this position isn't particularly high-ranking, it's the most suitable for you at present."
Amatori Biba gazed at the single appointment letter, his eyes flickering with excitement. Truth be told, he was moved—and surprised that the World Government would value him so highly.
"Someone as dangerous as me... and you're willing to employ me?"
"..."
Senior Director Addison wore an expression of speechlessness. Seeing this, Amatori Biba gave a self-deprecating smile. "Right, what little ability I have means nothing to you all."
"Good that you understand. But what you know now is merely the tip of the iceberg. You'll come to understand more with time. By the way, would you like to return to being a normal human?"
Amatori Biba chuckled. "You're referring to the 'White Plasma' developed by Dr. Shoei, aren't you? Actually, I became a Kabaneri voluntarily."
"To grow stronger?"
"Yes. I've always believed only the strong have the right to survive—the weak don't deserve to live. But now..." He looked down at the red glow emanating from his chest beneath his clothes and smiled bitterly.
Senior Director Addison simply smiled in response.
"Tell me, once I become an Army staff officer, can I undergo training to attain the same strength as those who call themselves Cipher Pol?" Amatori Biba didn't bother hiding the longing in his eyes.
"Training won't be an issue, but whether you can become as strong as them isn't guaranteed."
"According to biochemical research institute studies, the innate physical constitution of people from your world is far weaker than ours. Those individuals you've seen before? Even in our world, they've surpassed human limits—elites who could be called 'superhuman.' You need to understand the difficulty here."
Clearly, Senior Director Addison didn't believe Amatori Biba could become particularly strong. He then comforted, "Your value to the World Government doesn't lie in combat prowess, which is why you're being assigned to the staff department. You shouldn't concern yourself with strength matters going forward."
Yet one thought remained unspoken: even within the staff department, most personnel were stronger than Amatori Biba. The only reason it wasn't "everyone" was due to his foundation as a Kabaneri.
"My advice is this: once White Plasma can be mass-produced, revert to being an ordinary human as soon as possible. If you're not needed for combat, why remain neither man nor monster?"
But Amatori Biba couldn't accept this. He refused to become ordinary—to him, true strength combined combat power, influence, and intellect into one being.
"I still want to try. If after my efforts I still can't become strong enough..."
"Very well. But once you witness the true powerhouses of our world, you'll understand what true despair feels like. The physical disparity is simply too vast—your world's adults only match our children in constitution."
With that, Senior Director Addison shook his head and dropped the subject.
"Enough. I've arranged for someone to escort you back to Iwahato Station."
"You shall temporarily remain by Vice Admiral Crocodile's side and witness the fall of Diamond Citadel with your own eyes, watching as Amatori Kokyo is brought before you. Perhaps this will make you abandon your impossible notions sooner."
Amatori Biba nodded and stood up, then asked, "May I inquire who you intend to appoint as the new Shogun?"
"Yomogawa Ayame. You must have met her before."
"So it's her..."
Amatori Biba sighed deeply, remarking, "No wonder you had her remain at Iwahato Station to manage the civilians. The decision had already been made long ago."
"What about Mumei? The little girl who was imprisoned with me." He still preferred calling her Mumei, since Hozumi belonged to Ikoma.
"Oh? Does she possess some special talent?" Senior Director Addison asked curiously.
"Talent? Among all the Kabaneri I've encountered, she's the strongest—myself included. Does that count?"
"Hahaha..."
Addison was amused and couldn't help but laugh out loud. Waving his hand, he said, "Alright, go attend to your own affairs. We won't harm her—she's merely being detained for now."