Chapter 130: A Sit-Rep
Nothing ever went as planned in war, and that included the planning phase. While Snake had hoped All Might would be ready for the front in just a day, that just didn't happen. And it was no fault of his. Nagant had been held back in Outer Heaven for another day. Some FOXHOUND personnel had found more stragglers hiding in Mtim, and Nagant was ensuring the last of Operation Hammerhead's mercs were accounted for.
That meant most of Operation Quick Strike was being launched without All Might. A shame, but the hero didn't seem disappointed. Not from what Snake could see.
"Had fun?" Snake inquired, the man watching as All Might finally walked into the briefing room. His question held a somewhat smug grin, mainly because of what Snake saw. At the same time, Snake's eye darted to the doorway, and he saw that no one else was coming. It would seem that Nagant would be a little late to this meeting.
"What gave it away?" All Might asked, before sitting down in an empty chair. And the answer to his question was, of course, all the souvenirs he brought with him. Currently, All Might wore a large gold and black Outer Heaven Angels baseball jersey, a large beer hat that somehow kept his hair down, and his face was painted in a gold and black camo pattern. He also had with him a balloon tank, a jokingly purchased stuffed Big Boss plush, a new holotable he somehow dragged with him, and an oddly brown smoothie.
Even as a hero, All Might was a goofball at heart. Rather quietly, All Might then sipped from his smoothie, the weird drink making Snake raise a brow. Yet somehow All Might seemed to like it.
"I am surprised by how good this tastes," All Might commented aloud, while smacking his lips in satisfaction.
"What is it?" Snake asked, All Might soon shaking the smoothie a little.
"Smoothie burger," All Might replied, causing Snake to gag.
"Eugh, what?" Snake questioned, shocked.
"Hey, I don't understand it either, but it tastes great. I blame somebody's quirk," All Might reasoned, before taking another quick sip and adding, "Mmm, haven't had a burger in years, but damn it if this isn't close."
Snake considered that a fair point. This was the closest All Might would likely get to eating solidish food. He couldn't help but pity All Might for that reason; after all, it was unlikely the hero had ever even tried King Cobra before. That said, it made Snake think for a moment.
"You know, we could probably help you with that," Snake told him, while crossing his arms together.
"With what?" All Might asked, the hero busily sipping his smoothie again.
"With your injury," Snake offered. When he said the proposition, he honestly expected a bit more shock from All Might. But instead, All Might just raised a brow and looked at Snake curiously.
"You sure?" All Might inquired, "I had some of the best doctors at my disposal helping me out. This was the best they could do."
He motioned to himself after the last statement. Snake was at first sure that All Might wasn't realizing the gravity of his words. But then he realized that wasn't true. All Might did know. He was just tapering his expectations. As All Might said, he had the best doctors available, and even they couldn't help him.
"That was five years ago. A lot can change in that time," Snake reasoned calmly, "Besides, I'm sure R has something that can help you."
"Unless it's a new stomach, I doubt it," All Might pointed out, making Snake snort.
"Well, they were working on cloning organs," Snake replied, All Might then chuckling.
"And of course I spoke too soon," All Might muttered, before bringing a hand to his brow.
"I'm not entirely sure how it works. The best way Soul was able to describe it to me was that they effectively grow the organs with DNA samples. Point is, we could probably get you a new stomach and a new lung to go with it," Snake decided to explain.
"Two for one deal then," All Might commented, now sounding more interested than before. Hearing his interest, Snake carefully leaned back against the wall behind him.
"You think it could bring you back to full strength?" Snake asked. If his injury was the cause of his loss in power, then patching it up would return All Might to full strength. That was Snake's line of logic, at least. So color him surprised, as he watched All Might shake his head.
"Not likely," All Might replied, calmly, "My quirks… kinda like a balloon. I'm losing air by the day, and you can't exactly add more until the hole's patched. Even then, it takes time to fill the balloon back up."
It was a rather simple explanation, but Snake got the picture. It did make him curious, though. Just what was All Might's quirk? Considering he'd built up enough strength to punch away a hurricane, it had to be something powerful. It was a curious thought, but not one that fully interested Snake. Yet at the mention of his quirk, All Might soon snapped his fingers together.
"Oh, that reminds me. I had an idea for Midoriya and Uraraka's punishment," All Might abruptly stated. Snake, in turn, raised a brow. Within seconds, All Might had set his smoothie aside, and his skeletal hands began digging into his pockets for the Idroid Snake had given him. Pulling it out, All Might had the device display a document labelled "The Go Beyond: American Dream Plan". It was a shockingly long and extremely detailed workout plan.
"How did talking about your injury remind you of a workout plan?" Snake questioned, confused, his eye going over the plan's guideline, "What even is this?"
"Before Midoriya did what he did, he asked me for help building his strength," All Might cautiously explained, earning a small suspicious gaze from Snake, "So I was going to give him the training plan that I was going to make for my successor. It's a bit of roundabout logic."
Odd, but roundabout, yeah. Still somewhat suspicious, Snake decided to read a little more of the plan. Nothing stood out to him as out of the ordinary; it just looked like a regular workout regimen. If anything, it was exactly what Snake was looking for.
"This does not look easy. It's perfect," Snake commented with an evil glint in his eye. The plan only detailed what Midoriya would need to do, as All Might hadn't made a regimen for Uraraka yet. However, from what Snake could see, Midoriya would be doing painfully difficult exercises that would give him a run for his money—a good punishment to go alongside the others. What's better was just how detailed the plan was. It had the needed caloric intake, amount of sleep needed, how much water was needed, and even a listed goal. A goal All Might had placed at… that couldn't be right…
"I think you made a typo," Snake noted, All Might swiftly becoming confused.
"Where?" All Might asked, the hero soon scratching his head as he searched. At the same time, Snake looked back at him with a raised brow. How was he struggling to find it?
"Here. Projected goal of three tons," Snake told him, his finger passing through the hologram when he pointed at the line. It was a rather blatant typo, a very difficult one to miss. Yet All Might just shook his head.
"No, that's right," All Might replied calmly, his tone rather casual. He didn't seem to see the issue that Snake was seeing. The rather obvious and blatant issue.
"...Three tons? You expect Midoriya to lift three tons?" Snake questioned, dumbstruck, now fully believing All Might had lost his mind. This, of course, made All Might confused.
"You sound surprised," All Might commented, with Snake grumbling and bringing his hand to his brow.
"All Might, in what world is he going to lift three tons? He doesn't have a strength quirk," Snake argued tiredly. There was no physical way that boy was going to lift three tons, especially not without a quirk.
"Well, I mean, that's not that different from you," All Might reasoned, as he gestured toward Snake. This made Snake mentally pause, the man having been caught by a mental flashbang. Pulling his hand away from his brow, Snake eyed All Might more confused than ever.
"Not that different, how?" Snake asked slowly, disbelief clear in his tone. Clearly, All Might was forgetting one key detail. It was only here that All Might began to realize something was wrong.
"Well, I heard your men talking about some of your fights in the past. How one time you lifted a robot the size of a building off of you," All Might cautiously explained, while nervously rubbing the back of his head. And for a second, all Snake did was blink before loudly groaning.
"Not those damn rumors again," he tiredly muttered, to All Might's shock.
"Rumors?" All Might asked, making Snake nod in response.
"What you heard was a myth. A facet of the legend of Big Boss," Snake replied tiredly, "Don't get me wrong, I'm certainly stronger than the average guy, but I'm not that strong."
Maybe stronger than the above-average guy, Snake thought to himself, but he was not lifting multi-ton war machines. No, these stories were all just rumors and myths. Myths that first started happening when he was still working with Zero. His story was being used as propaganda, and naturally, small parts were blemished over time. Both due to general missteps or mistakes, and also because of exaggerations or outright lying.
It was… how did Izuku put it once… Ah, right, the rule of cool, Snake thought to himself. They added on to the myths because they found it cool. When Snake stopped working with Zero, the rumors, myths, and legends only ever grew larger. And the Peace Walker incident didn't help things at all. When he entered this world, Snake more or less hoped the rumors would die off. Only the original three hundred members of the MSF were here, and they all more or less knew the truth.
But then ten years in this world of superpowers had grown his legend all over again, only with the assumption of him having a quirk. And these new legends would combine with the older ones. Meaning the story of him somehow lifting Cocoon or Peacewalker, or ZEKE, for some reason, would always come back. So what would occur would then be a cycle of Snake having to squash rumors of his supposed supernatural abilities, the rumors then going underground, only for them to come back months later.
He could go live on TV in front of the world and say he didn't have a quirk, and there would still be people who don't believe him. Because "of course he'd say he doesn't have powers, he's Big Boss! He wouldn't want people knowing what his quirk is." All the impossible things he'd achieved didn't help matters either.
"Huh, that's on me then," All Might conceded with an embarrassed chuckle, "Just figured you knew the training I had planned for Midoriya."
Snake merely shook his head in response before noticing the choice of words All Might had. Nowhere in his sentence did he change his mind on Midoriya somehow being able to lift three tons.
"...You still believe he can lift three tons?" Snake questioned, surprised, and a little confused by All Might's logic.
"With some training," All Might calmly replied. Again, Snake was left dumbstruck, his mouth partly agape as he stared at All Might.
"Clearly, you know something I don't," Snake commented with a grumble. Calmly, All Might nodded back with an embarrassed smile.
"Would you believe me if I told you I wasn't always this strong?" All Might asked, and Snake shook his head.
"Not really, no," Snake replied quickly, making All Might chuckle.
"Well, I wasn't. My quirk didn't come in until much later in life, so most of my strength was built up by hard work," All Might explained, the man slowly taking off his beer hat, "And it's all thanks to my mentor."
"Your mentor?" Snake inquired cautiously. He remembered All Might talking about her before, but he never said all that much about her. Though Snake could understand why.
"Shimura Nana. She was a hero from decades ago. Her quirk wasn't all that powerful; it mainly just let her float around, but she didn't let that stop her," All Might replied, making Snake somewhat puzzled. The power of flight was indeed not that powerful. And considering what All Might had said about All for One… how exactly had Shimura survived with just flight? All Might had the answer to his question, though.
"Have you ever heard of the phenomenon of hysterical strength?" All Might asked, causing Snake to quirk a brow.
"You mean those stories of people suddenly becoming strong enough to lift a car?" Snake asked in return, the concept popping into his mind.
"The very same," All Might confirmed, "Even with the advent of quirks, the phenomenon is still largely a mystery. It's a bit hard to study a life or death situation after all."
Snake simply nodded at that statement. He doubted anyone would volunteer for such an experiment.
"But that said, the regular human body is capable of lifting far more than we realize," All Might continued to explain, "My mentor was looking to improve her strength greatly, so she delved deep into her training. She hit the usual limit the human body has, and began to plateau. Up until she began to experiment. With the help of another teacher of mine, the two discovered that the brain could be tricked into unlocking the mental blockers keeping the human body from lifting weights it can't handle."
All Might took a quick breath, then, and sipped from his burger smoothie.
"It was mainly with a mix of placebos, mental deception, and a lot of physical exertion," All Might added, before taking a few more sips from his smoothie.
"And that worked?" Snake asked, shocked, with All Might smiling widely.
"It did!" All Might excitedly replied, leaving Snake stunned. It… it worked? At first, Snake couldn't fully believe it, but then he thought it over. Was this really the strangest thing he's heard of? Volgin came to his mind instantly, the bastard and his strange lightning powers. Hysterical strength wasn't that far off to believe. But there was one small issue Snake found.
"If this is true, then why haven't other people done this?" Snake inquired thoughtfully, while bringing a hand to his chin.
"Who's to say they haven't?" All Might replied, shrugging, "I don't doubt that some people have done the same thing as Nana, and that they just claimed their strength was a part of their quirk."
Not bad reasoning, Snake thought to himself. Yet All Might wasn't finished with his reasoning.
"But at the same time, the brain has those mental blockers in place for a reason. The moment Nana broke them, she… well, she broke a lot of bones that day," All Might added cautiously, before a shiver seemed to go down his spine, "The body didn't exactly handle the new weight it found itself lifting."
Snake got the mental image almost immediately. Needless to say, it wasn't pretty, but it did explain things. This was strength training that anyone could do, but it was extremely dangerous. You'd be more likely to kill yourself than actually get stronger.
"This training is excruciatingly difficult when done wrong, as we're quite literally breaking the human body and forcing it to adapt," All Might stated, adding on to Snake's worries. You were forcing the body to adapt or die, breaking it down to its barest of limits, and hoping you don't break too much.
"I don't feel like Izuku should go through with this," Snake stated, worried.
"I mean, I went through it, and I'm fine," All Might reasoned, making Snake shake his head.
"Fine's not the word I'd use," Snake commented snarkily, and All Might then sputtered in surprise.
"What's that supposed to mean!?" All Might asked, shocked, while coughing up blood. Snake merely chuckled and smirked. You know exactly what it means, Snake thought to himself.
"You're sure this is safe, though?" Snake questioned as All Might wiped the blood from his mouth.
"Assuming they're both monitored, yes. They should be safe," All Might confirmed, before nodding carefully. Snake wasn't fully sure if that was a good enough confirmation, but it would have to do. Besides, he doubted All Might would put in all this effort to just sit back and do nothing.
"Alright, we can factor it into their punishment," Snake calmly decided, much to All Might's pleasure, "Surprised it's not being regularly taught at UA, though."
"As I said, it's not a very well-studied phenomenon, and it's not an easy thing to achieve," All Might told him, with Snake merely nodding back. Not to mention, quirks may be a difficult factor to gauge. Someone with super strength could likely lift three tons already. To achieve the same results as Midoriya, they'd have to go through something far more difficult. They'd have to find their base limits, assuming they weren't at it already, and then somehow break through those.
It was awakening an inner strength of sorts. With that thought, Snake looked back at the still-lit Idroid. Again, he went over the info on display, ensuring everything was in order.
"Do you really expect him to lift three tons?" Snake asked, still a bit unsure of the end results. Three tons felt like an oddly specific number. This was only confirmed by All Might shrugging.
"I don't know. I only put three tons because that's what I was lifting before my quirk came in," All Might replied, while Snake slowly nodded in understanding. At the same time, both he and All Might soon heard footsteps rapidly sounding off in the halls outside. Nagant, after taking longer than Snake expected, soon rushed into the room gaping for air.
"Ok, I'm here," Nagant commented quickly, while walking forward and standing next to Snake, "Sorry for the wait."
"No apologies needed," Snake replied calmly. Now that she was here, things could finally be underway. Moving both he and Nagant quickly began setting up a large screen on the wall behind them. Once it was on, Snake pulled up a presentation while All Might leaned back into his chair.
"Before you go out in the field, we believe it's best to give you a current rundown of the situation in Sub-Saharan Africa," Snake explained, his good eye looking over the presentation's first slide. A simple title page with a picture of the continent. It was nothing all too complex, and only had the words "Sub-Saharan Basics" on it. Of course, this didn't matter to All Might. Instead, the hero looked excited, already gunning to get out into the field.
"Lay it on me. How many villains are we dealing with here?" All Might inquired before punching his left hand with his right. Switching over to the next slide, Snake saw All Might's excitement disappear instantly.
"At least thirty million. Most likely more," Snake replied bluntly, seeing the hero now go wide-eyed. Before him sat a page utterly covered in numbers. There were troop numbers, vehicle numbers, artillery numbers, just numbers galore. Now, Snake said thirty million, simply because that was the bare minimum number of people they expected. It was a bit hard to conduct a continent-wide census after all. Most of their population numbers for the enemy were based mainly on guesswork and whatever info they could scrounge up.
"...I uh… I have my work cut out for me then," All Might tried to joke. He may have been aware of Africa's situation for a month now, but that didn't mean he was ready for the scale of everything. That said, numbers weren't everything.
"You should. It's a big number, but it doesn't mean a whole lot in the grand scheme of things," Snake added, before again changing to the next slide. This one now displayed a new map of Africa, a map All Might hadn't seen before.
"Oftentimes, when we discuss the warlord conflict, we tend to lump them all together as the warlords. But they're not just one congruent group. They are a thousand fiefdoms all bickering and fighting each other," Snake explained calmly, his hands moving about as he spoke. Looking back at the map, Snake spotted every detail the Intel Team had put onto it. There were ten distinctly large blocks on the continent, with hundreds of minuscule blocks scattered around.
Each block represented a warlord faction, and in total, there were four hundred and seventy-five factions. Now with so many groups, political systems, and warbands, it was a little hard to differentiate them all. Thankfully, the MSF had an answer for that issue.
"With there being so many warlords, we have developed what amounts to a tier system for classifying them all," Snake added, allowing All Might to look at the map for a little longer before switching to the next page. As he did so, Nagant took her turn and stepped forward.
"Each tier is based on a combination of industrial prowess, economic strength, political coordination, and military capabilities. To start, we have Tier 0s," Nagant explained, while pointing at the screen with a small pointer. It traced over the small table the MSF had set up, filled with boxes describing each tier in a few short words. As said, they were divided into the categories of Industrial, Economic, Political, and Military strengths.
"They have none of the listed categories. They hold no territory, they can build nothing, and whatever they do have is looted or bought on the black market. They are little more than roaming gangs of thieves, bands of mercenaries, minor terrorist groups, or a wandering warband. They have at most an AK to their name and nothing else. This tier is the most common one across the continent," Nagant stated, her pointer tracing over each box. Seeing each category, All Might slowly nodded and snapped his fingers.
"I deal with their types all the time. I believe I can handle them," All Might commented, with Snake quietly agreeing. Tier 0s were effectively just regular villain groups; any well-trained hero could handle them.
"Above them are Tier 1s. They obviously possess greater strengths in some or all categories. They may control a small town or city. When it comes to industry, they have the capability to build basic firearms. Even the most incompetent militant can build an AK-47 with bits of scrap metal and a dream," Snake told him, taking the reins from Nagant temporarily, "Politically, they're more organized, but lack any centralized structure. The same can be said for an economy. Expect more bartering than currency."
Obviously, the Tier 1s were the second largest in numbers. These were the guys most MSF forces ran into on the front, if only because Tier 1s were more often press-ganged into fighting larger tiers' wars. Shaking his head, Snake moved on.
"Tier 2s are yet another step upwards. Greater industrial, economic, political, and military strength. Not all too much to talk about," Snake explained somewhat quickly, "The real moment things begin to change is when we reach Tier 3s."
With the press of a button, Snake pulled up a few pictures on the slide. They covered the top half of the table, allowing All Might to still see the rest of the tiers. The pictures themselves were a bit odd, though, mainly detailing weapons that looked like they were from the Second World War.
"Tier 3s are when the warlords start resembling modern states, and not disorganized strongmen with guns," Snake began to say, "They're organized enough to collect taxes, build up schooling, and set up an actual bureaucracy. And their industry reflects this."
Snake motioned to the pictures present, Nagant's pointer landing on a photo of an M4 Sherman tank at the same time. It then moved over to a Supermarine Spitfire, with several MSF soldiers standing next to the captured plane.
"While they may not have access to the most cutting-edge tech, they have a large enough industrial base to begin construction of planes, armored vehicles, artillery, and technology from the Second World War to the early Cold War," Snake stated, leaving All Might confused.
"Wait, you're saying I should be expecting to fight old prop planes?" All Might asked, shocked, Snake soon nodding in response, "It's 2284. Why are the warlords using aircraft from the 1940s?"
"Because often it's the best they can get. This war is fought with what they can build, or what they can steal," Nagant replied calmly. Taking the reins again, she stepped forward and held her pointer behind her back.
"For example, let's say you are the leader of a Tier 3 faction. Now your neighbor, who is also a Tier 3, has been a major threat to you for years. Industrially, neither of you can manufacture a modern airframe. You don't have the needed materials, the precision equipment, or the training required for them. So to beat your neighbor, you do the next best thing, and try to purchase some on the black market," Nagant said, while All Might quietly followed along.
"However, you run into a problem. Because you're not the only one trying to buy a jet. All four hundred and seventy-five other warlords are also trying to buy a jet. Some have vastly more money than you and your neighbor, so they outbid every offer you could make. And this is already a hassle, as with nearly five hundred other powers all trying to buy the same thing, the price of black market arms skyrockets. Assuming one of your bids does succeed, you then have to hope your gear reaches you fully intact," Nagant continued to explain, as she walked around the room slowly.
"You have to then maintain that aircraft, with an industry incapable of building it in the first place. Which means you need to buy parts to fix it, which are expensive as hell. And that is assuming the parts, just like the aircraft, reach you in the first place, and that no other warlord sinks or steals them. Case in point, it is massively difficult for you to get an aircraft," Nagant finally stated, allowing Snake to step forward.
"But at the same time, it's just as difficult for your neighbor," Snake added, while carefully clasping his hands together, "And if he's dead set on spending everything he has on a fighter he can't fix, then you have an opportunity."
"Sure, you can't build a modern jet. But you can build an older plane," Nagant said, piping up quickly, "And if you have a plane, and your enemy doesn't, then you have an overwhelming advantage."
It was a simple fact. Air power dominated war. And in a war where your enemy has no aircraft, then any old frame will do. You could strap fifty cals to a crop duster and effectively control your enemy's skies unimpeded.
"What about MANPADs?" All Might inquired, confused, with Snake snapping his fingers.
"Same issue as the fighter jet. You have four hundred and seventy-five people all trying to buy equipment, remember? Along with the corruption of the world," Snake explained, before remembering Ocelot's report on the JSDF's armories.
"You're either spending half of your economy to buy a weapon that won't work, won't arrive, or can't be maintained," Snake added, "Even if your neighbor does buy said MANPAD, there is no guarantee he will have enough money to buy another. In which case, you've already built another ten P-51 Mustangs."
The same case could be made for combat drones, main battle tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, anti-air missiles, howitzers, mortars, support trucks, demining vehicles, combat construction vehicles, and much more. It was all a giant game of cost analysis. A game focused on what you can buy or what you can build. If you could get a Leopard 2A7, you could field it, maintain it, and protect it, then obviously you get the Leopard. But if you can't, the T-55 looks equally appealing.
"This tends to cause a domino effect. Once your neighbor realizes you have aircraft and he doesn't, he scrambles to start building some of his own," Nagant soon stated, once Snake finished up, "So don't be surprised to find BF 109s and P-51 Mustangs fighting like it's 1944 again."
The very statement still had All Might shocked, and the hero took a few deep breaths while he took in everything.
"Ok… ok," All Might muttered in surprise, looking back up at the board. Seeing he was ready, Snake and Nagant continued.
"Anyway, Tier 4s are up next, and they are the same as Tier 3s, but again with more industry, a larger economy, more political organization, and a stronger military. They'll normally be fielding mid-Cold War equipment they've built. Including limited quantities of older missiles. Think the MIM-23 Hawk, the 2K12 Kub, etcetera," Nagant explained, leaving only one group left. The Tier that had caused the MSF so much trouble.
"Which brings us to the last group, Tier 5. There are only two Tier 5s on the continent. They are the ones that most closely resemble centralized states, more so than Tier 3s and Tier 4s. Their industrial capacity, while not modern, allows them to be among the few warlords capable of building modern missiles. They're not churning them out like hotcakes, but they can build them. When it comes to mass production, though, expect arms from the late Cold War," Snake explained quickly, the only two Tier 5s coming to his mind.
Of course, he'd be getting into them later. Because as important as the South African Confederacy and the Malagasy-Mosambican Empire were, they weren't the only large factions on the continent. There were ten large blocks on the previous map. One represented the MSF, the other two were the MME and SAC.
"Now it would take forever to break down every warlord faction, so instead we will only delve into what we dub as the Nine," Snake calmly stated, again switching the presentation to the next slide. This one displayed a new map, one that zoomed in on the continent. As one could tell, the Nine were the largest warlord groups littering the continent, and each one was more different than the others.
This first group was located in Sudan and Chad, bordering Outer Heaven itself.
"This is the Saukin Caliphate, led by Caliph Ali Ebrahim. It is the youngest of the Nine, having been formed a few weeks after we established Outer Heaven. Having been only recently conquered by the Tyrant, the previous warlord's supporters were able to quickly reorganize and reestablish themselves. Before his death, the Tyrant had sponsored several major infrastructure programs. Once he was gone, they used what he left behind to mount a rapid conquest of the region, taking the rest of Sudan and the majority of Chad," Snake calmly explained, displaying a few more photos of the Caliphate's forces.
"Seeing their rapid conquest as a sign they were destined for greatness by Allah, they declared themselves the next Caliphate, and named their new government after their capital," Snake stated, making All Might pause.
"I.. don't know much about Islam, but that seems a bit… brash," All Might commented with a click of his tongue.
"The rest of the Islamic world would agree. They call themselves a Caliphate, and their leader a Caliph, but the majority of modern Islamic scholars do not recognize them as such," Snake replied, while mentally agreeing with All Might. A lot of the Caliphate's leaders were honestly pretty full of themselves, which gave the MSF a lot of opportunities to exploit.
"That said, they supposedly established secret relations with some members of the Saudi Arabian and Turkish government," Nagant said, deciding to pipe up now, "Whenever they can import equipment, their primary source tends to be from Turkey. So don't be surprised to see a couple of Altays. When it comes to industry, however, they're weaker than other similar powers. They are a Tier 4 due to oil money and political organization."
Everything else was a disorganized mess. Politically, they were united under the singular goal of conquering stuff, and they had enough money to fund that goal. Industrially, they were more or less at square one, only being around Tier 3. This, in turn, affected military strength.
"Next up is the second closest warlord, the self-proclaimed Litoral Federation, led by President Biko Nkosi Madia. They're another Tier 4, one that is effectively run like Russia. Lots of corruption, a massive oligarchy, and very few actual freedoms. Not to mention no actual elections. They hold fake ones and just appoint whoever they like in charge. Territory-wise, they hold Equatorial Guinea, and the Woleu-Ntem and Estuaire provinces of Gabon," Nagant then announced, switching over to the next slide. This one actually caught Snake off guard for a moment.
He could have sworn a different group was supposed to come up. No matter.
"When it comes to our categories, they are a mix of all four, except for economic power. They are one of the strongest economies on the continent, thanks in part to oil money like the Caliphate, along with a whole suite of foreign companies operating on their soil. So, they've got the money to buy some real mean hardware," Nagant swiftly explained, before Snake again stepped forward.
"In this case, Korean arms. For whatever reason, the Federation took a liking to them," Snake stated, the presentation displaying a captured K2 Black Panther, alongside several hundred K2C1s.
"Now in a similar boat is the Federal Republic of São Tomé and Principe, ruled by Hector Santo. São Tomé and the Federation are carbon copies of each other, the only differences being preferred equipment and territory. As Sao Tome controls the parts of Gabon that the federation doesn't, and prefers a lot of Russian gear," Nagant said, quickly moving on through the next group. Snake wasn't all too surprised. São Tomé and Principe had been an annoying, but ultimately unimportant threat for years.
"Next on the list is the Kraterocratic Leagues of Lagunes," Snake stated, before All Might raised a brow.
"Kraterocratic… they're a strength-based society, aren't they?" All Might inquired, his tone sounding rather tired. Snake simply nodded as he again switched slides.
"They are. Standing as a Tier 4 power, their political structure is built around quirks. The strongest rule, the weak do what they're told. Much of their economy is structured the same way. There isn't so much a market as there are those at the top demanding those at the bottom build things or die," Snake replied, "They hold the Ivory Coast and Ghana. Expect them to use Chinese weaponry often."
"Bordering the KLL is the Meritocratic State of Fouta Djallion, or the MSFD," Nagant then said, quickly moving the conversation along.
"They're a Tier 4 like the others, but they're something of a larger threat," Snake added calmly, earning another brow raise from All Might.
"How so?" All Might asked, while Snake clasped his hands together.
"For one, they stand as one of the few states the people actually like," Snake explained, realizing the sheer bombshell he'd dropped on All Might. The hero's eyes had gone wide instantly, with Snake nodding back.
"They're an oligarchy, but one controlled by a series of government-run tests to determine who is the most qualified for certain positions," Snake told him, causing All Might to squint suspiciously.
"That… doesn't sound so bad," All Might muttered, still unsure of Snake's reasoning.
"It doesn't. And for now, their system has worked. They hold one of the highest standards of living on the continent, bearing a life similar to the 1960s US.," Snake calmly revealed. Fouta Djallion was a meritocracy, plain and simple. They were, in a sense, the Singapore of Africa.
"The MSFD is also a rather isolationist bunch. They support the warlords attacking us, providing them with material and bases, but as of yet, they haven't sent in troops to fight us. Overall, they don't exactly want to be involved with anyone," Nagant soon added, making All Might even more surprised. The MSFD more or less just wanted to be alone, and they saw the MSF's continuance advances as something of a threat. Ignoring that issue, the Meritocratic State was quite possibly the best faction on the continent.
Their people were fed, had schools, plenty of civilian goods, and a decent chunk of freedom. There were no slave raids like the MME and no 1984 child factories like SAC. Were they good? No. But they were leagues better than everyone else.
"Now this is where their flaws start to show up, as merit does not equal moral. They've periodically gone through cycles of cruel, benevolent, or neutral councils, with this most recent cycle seeming to be benevolent. However, none of them were elected by the people. Furthermore, while their system has worked for now, it has the possibility of rotting away in the future. As again, the next council is chosen not by the people, but by the government," Snake began to say, while All Might picked up on his logic quickly.
"Meaning if someone messes with the tests, they mess with who is put in charge. Yeah, I can see it," All Might commented, before nodding slowly.
"Their borders are closed to all outsiders, free trade is heavily restricted, free speech is limited, and practically all government decisions are run through the council, including legislative, judicial, and executive functions," Nagant then added, flipping through some slides with more images present.
"Being majorly isolationist, they tend to avoid fighting other warlords when they can. As such, they don't spend much money on foreign arms and focus more on building domestic copies of older American gear from the 1960s," Snake calmly finished, finding nothing else to say about the MSFD. The only thing that came to mind was the odd familiarity the state held. It felt odd to see something akin to the 1960s again. It felt like an eternity ago. Quietly, though he shook the thought away.
Flipping to the next slide, he found the faction he'd been expecting for a while now.
"To the East, we have the Emirate of Baanadir, ruled by Emir Deeqa Aden Darood. They are a majority Sunni region under the control of a strict and theocratic Shia state. As such, they are not that politically stable. Their territories include Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Eritrea, and Kenya. Now, politically, the Emirate holds close ties to Iran, receiving large contributions in funding and arms. In exchange, Iran gets a suitable ally in the region. Logically, when dealing with them, expect mainly Iranian-made gear on the field," Snake explained, his eyes tracing over the slide carefully.
The Emirate was supposed to show up after the Caliphate, for one specific reason.
"When they're not fighting us, the Emirate is most often bickering with their neighbor, the Caliphate," Nagant told All Might, "Oftentimes we've managed to sic them onto each other."
"Not the most unified bunch then," All Might noted, with Snake chuckling. Half of the MSF's solutions for fighting the warlords boiled down to pitting them against each other. Sometimes it was the larger groups, other times it was minor powers. But it was very easy to get them to fight each other, even if it was only for a day.
"That leaves us with the final three, the most powerful of the bunch," Nagant noted, causing All Might to sit up in his seat. Flipping to the next slide, Snake saw a look of recognition strike All Might almost immediately.
"Up first, we have Claymore Security Incorporated, led by CEO and President Joseph Silverman," Snake introduced, All Might bringing a hand to his chin at the same time.
"Claymore… I think I remember these guys," All Might said, surprised. Surprised, Snake raised a brow and crossed his arms.
"Oh?" Snake asked, and All Might soon nodded back slowly.
"Yeah. The Japanese government was considering hiring them over you. It was by the HPSC's insistence," All Might replied, Snake then groaning seconds after.
"Not surprising," Snake muttered, before bringing a hand to his brow.
"Anyway," Nagant began, trying to keep things moving, "When it comes to territory, Claymore has taken control of Angola, the majority of Zambia, along with the Haut-Lomami, Lualaba, and Haut-Katanga provinces of the DRC. Militarily, they are the most dangerous force on the continent. Their contractors are well trained, and unlike the rest of the continent, all are equipped with modern arms."
"I assume that's due to them being a security company," All Might noted calmly, "They can afford to throw copious amounts of money."
"More than that. As it stands, they are currently being backed by over a dozen multinational conglomerates. They've got investors from every corner of the globe helping them maintain power over the region," Nagant replied. All Might could only grumble when he heard her words. And it didn't help when Snake spoke up again.
"All because Claymore is on the African continent for one reason and one reason only," Snake stated angrily, "Resource extraction."
"They are here to extract as much wealth as they can from the region, and to provide their corporate backers a safe spot for them to operate," Nagant confirmed, causing All Might to quietly fume. In a sense, Africa was Claymore's personal colony, treated as an imperialistic prize.
"...I am glad we didn't hire them," All Might grumbled angrily, "Is there any good news when it comes to Claymore?"
"In a sense. Their only strengths are in their sheer amount of money and in their military. Politically, they have no centralized state. There is no government holding its territory together. Instead, what we have is a system of corporate feudalism," Snake explained, "Claymore controls the rail lines, the major port cities, the largest mines, and other key logistical nodes. Everything else is ruled by tier three warlords, who act as dukes, lords, and what have you.
Snake's explanation did give All Might a small sense of relief. Any advantage was a good one. And there was no better advantage than being able to break an enemy apart from the inside.
"Now, as Claymore does not have total control of their territory, their subservient warlords tend to fall to infighting. And as such, Claymore is more often beating its vassals into submission than they are fighting us," Snake added, "And when it comes to industry, they have nothing."
At first, All Might looked confused at the final statement. A multi-billion-dollar PMC with no industry didn't make sense. Up until All Might remembered, Claymore wasn't here for nation-building. Their only goal was to extract as much as they could from the region. They didn't invest in building up anything that doesn't help them extract more wealth.
"Equipment-wise, they were originally the largest buyer of US arms before we showed up on the market. Ever since, they've been purchasing a mix of German and Israeli arms," Snake then added, before remembering an odd quirk of Claymore contractors, "And to make things easier, all their operators, and all their vehicles, have this… odd red, white, black, and grey digital camo pattern."
It was weird, but all of their personnel wore it. They had no regular camouflage, only this odd, mostly red pattern.
"We're… not entirely sure why they use it. It's not the most practical thing," Nagant told All Might.
"I'm pretty sure it's for branding," All Might reasoned, earning a shocked look from Snake.
"Branding?" Snake inquired.
"Yeah," All Might replied, "You know how I said the Japanese government was considering hiring them? Well, that's because Claymore offers their services to hero agencies. They hire themselves out as extra muscle or sidekicks for heroes. And that tends to require more appealing uniforms for the public. So they went with the red digital camo. It made them stick out and pop more. Now their operators look more sidekick-like."
"But then why keep using the same uniform here?" Nagant asked, only for Snake to grumble. There were only two true reasons in his mind. Number one: Claymore was an army run by a corporation. Meaning this red camo was due to-
"Cost-cutting," Snake stated tiredly, "They'd rather have their operators wearing red camo than spend an extra dollar making two different sets."
They'd buy all the nice tanks because the CEO likes to see big flashy tanks, but then they'd skimp out on basic uniforms, MREs, and other necessary luxuries. Then there was reason number two, or why Claymore thought they could skimp out on these items.
"What's more, you said they're mainly fighting their own vassals. So more often than not, Claymore's operators are running peacekeeping missions, and not open war. In that kind of situation, they more than likely rationalized the red uniforms as being good enough for the job," Snake added, annoyed.
"Like the blue helmets of a UN peacekeeper," Nagant noted, while Snake nodded. So long as they were just beating vassals into submission, the red uniforms worked. Then the MSF showed up, and Claymore never adapted. Shaking his head in disbelief, Snake quickly moved on. Only two powers remained, and Snake glossed over the first one rather fast. Needless to say, All Might was horrified by the fascist nightmare that was the South African Confederacy.
Were it not for Nagant's intervention, All Might would have crushed his chair with his hands in anger. All that was left was one.
"And finally, we have the Malagasy-Mozambican Empire, ruled by Emperor Razak Langa, and Empress Mirana Langa-" Snake began to announce, switching to the final slide. Before he could finish speaking, All Might coughed up blood in shock. The hero went wide-eyed as he stared up at the board, his hands motioning for Snake to stop.
"Wait, wait, wait!" All Might exclaimed, while Nagant and Snake looked at him, shocked. Quieting back down, All Might pointed up at the board with wide eyes.
"That's Mirana Rakoto," All Might stated, surprising Snake instantly.
"You know her?" Snake asked, his eye looking up at the woman on the screen. She stood dressed in a royal gown alongside Razak.
"It's impossible not to," All Might replied, the man laughing in disbelief. Looking back at him, Snake couldn't help but be surprised.
"Mirana Rakoto, the infamous queen of the pirates. A nightmare of the Indian Ocean for at least five years," All Might began to explain, after he saw Snake's reaction, "From 2259 to 2264, she and her band raided ships from all over the globe, taking whatever and whoever they wanted. Dozens of heroes tried to capture her, but none ever succeeded."
That's what MSF intel confirmed, Snake thought to himself. But how did All Might know of her? And how did he know so much?
"Eventually, she just disappeared," All Might told him, while shaking his head, "I thought she was dead."
"You seem to know a lot about her," Snake noted, still shocked. All Might simply shrugged before slumping back into his chair.
"Well, she and I had a run-in years ago, long before I got my injury," All Might replied, instantly earning Snake's interest.
"No kidding?" Snake asked, becoming ever more intrigued.
"It was back when I was still making a name for myself. I… think I was about twenty-nine, no thirty, when we met," All Might replied, before bringing a hand to his chin. Thirty years old… he'd have likely still been a well-known hero, Snake mentally reasoned, just not as big as he was now.
"How'd it happen?" Nagant asked, while All Might thought it over. It took him a minute, mainly due to how long ago the memory had been. But All Might seemed to remember it well enough.
"Well, back then, I was still taking down parts of All for One's operation, breaking down his support structure. And… I may have been pushing myself a… little far," All Might said, making Snake shake his head.
"Seems some things remain constant with time," Snake noted, All Might chuckling nervously in response, before continuing.
"Nighteye, my sidekick at the time, Gran Torino, my other mentor, and Recovery Girl all started pressuring me to take a break from hero work," All Might explained, before reaching for the smoothie he set on the floor. Feeling a bit parched, he took a quick sip and soon continued speaking.
"I didn't exactly want to, in my mind, a vacation was the last thing I needed. However, they would not let up. So I agreed to go on a cruise," All Might told them, with Snake seeing where this was going.
"But you had hidden intentions," Snake noted, while All Might nodded slowly.
"Yeah. I went on a cruise because I heard stories of pirates that regular heroes were having difficulty capturing. Entire ships would just disappear, and I wasn't going to sit by and do nothing," All Might proclaimed proudly, a large, confident smile present on his face.
"I figured I could go on a vacation and be a hero at the same time," All Might reasoned. It was easy to understand the rest of what happened. As expected, All Might's ship got raided, just as All Might hoped it would. He leapt into action, subdued the majority of the pirates, except for two. An eighteen-year-old Mirana and a twenty-year-old Razak. It was here that All Might remembered something and began to fiddle with his Idroid.
"I think I have a photo detailing the event. It's from an old news story I've got saved." All Might explained, before pulling the story up on the device. Sure enough, Snake found the photo on the front page. It was an action shot of All Might punching Mirana square in the face, literally knocking her off her feet and into the air. Behind them stood Razak, the man looking on in pure shock.
"Mirana tried to kill me," All Might said, in a shockingly casual tone, "I'm not entirely sure what her quirk is, but she was pretty strong. Punched a hole clean through the ship. Not to mention she cut through solid steel with a sword made of water."
"Was it a tough fight?" Snake asked, with All Might giving a so-so gesture.
"Eh, not really," All Might replied, "I mainly just tanked whatever she threw at me, and punched her once."
This made Snake realize the difficulty of the fight was due to All Might holding back. All Might didn't want to blow a hole in the ship by accident, so he mostly just let Mirana waste her energy attacking him. There was one issue, though.
"How is she still free then?" Snake asked, confused. If she and All Might had fought before, and Mirana had been beaten easily, then how was she still free? How was she not in a prison cell? Did the HPSC release her? It was here that Snake noticed the embarrassed look on All Might's face.
"That… may be my doing," All Might replied with a chuckle, "That single punch I hit her with… launched her off the ship."
"You didn't hold back?" Snake inquired wide-eyed.
"More so, I wasn't holding back enough," All Might explained, while rubbing the back of his head, "After the fight was over, I saw Razak jumping off the ship and diving after her. And that was the last I saw of them."
It certainly sounded like an eventful time. Part of Snake wished All Might had captured Razak and Mirana, but at the same time, he knew it probably wouldn't have mattered. The MME would be down two rulers, and bring about another hundred warlords the MSF would have to fight. This was likely better in the long run.
"Anything else you can tell us?" Nagant asked, causing All Might to shake his head.
"Not really. That fight was twenty-five years ago. Even then, Mirana was still active after our fight. She only started to disappear years after it," All Might explained, before he looked up at the board, and back at his Idroid. Snake thought nothing of it until All Might's gaze continued to flicker between the two images of Mirana.
"Although… she does look… bigger than I remember," All Might noted, causing Snake to raise a brow. He looked at the board and examined the present Mirana carefully. The Empress was a living brick wall in the simplest of terms. Looking down at past Mirana, though… The difference was like night and day. Her past self appeared fit, but was by no means built. She looked more like the average person, and less like someone with the guts to punch All Might. Which could mean only one thing.
"Clearly she's been training," Snake noted, worried.
"Think I had anything to do with it?" All Might asked, with Snake shrugging back.
"Who can say?" Snake asked in return, "Whatever the case, she may be stronger than when you last fought her."
"The question being, how much stronger?" All Might inquired. That was the million-dollar question, wasn't it? But, knowing that was an issue for later, Snake quickly moved on. The extent of the MME was quickly revealed to All Might, and the hero, if anything, seemed more relieved knowing about them. It apparently explained quite a few things that All Might had issues with. The biggest one being how pirates could so easily disappear from the authorities.
With that done, though, there was only one final topic.
"Now then, where to send you?" Snake questioned allowed, while switching up the board, "Nagant?"
Swiftly, the Sniper pulled up a new map, while All Might stood up and walked forward. All eyes fell on the map quickly, as Snake began to plan.
"Considering All Might's importance, I've taken the liberty of marking key targets only. Things he could take out by himself," Nagant explained as she walked up next to him. Looking up at the map, Snake spotted a few airfields the MSF had yet to strike. However, they were a bit far off, so All Might would be without support… hmm…
"I could deal with the Caliphate problem, seeing as they are so close," All Might offered, only for Snake to shake his head.
"No… the South may be a better front. I'd rather the Federation lose some of their nice toys," Snake noted calmly.
"West is also a good choice. Might put enough pressure on the MSFD-" Nagant began to say, only for someone to charge into the room. Whipping around, all three spotted a lone soldier stumbling in and out of breath. Coming to a stop, the man rapidly saluted.
"Apologies, Boss!" the soldier exclaimed tiredly, sweat dripping down his brow. Before Snake could even ask what was happening, the soldier yelled, "The warlords have broken through the front!"