Note: The second-in-command is Carlo. He was already introduced at the end of chapter 6, its just he didn't have a name at the time. I've changed that part.
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Aboard the warship, Carlo observed as the pirates scrambled toward the shore, their retreat a chaotic mess. He turned to Sakazuki, his eyes carrying an unspoken question.
At Sakazuki's slight nod, he raised his hand and issued the command.
"All hands, cease fire, prepare for close combat!"
"Yes!" the marines responded.
This was the norm aboard Sakazuki's ship—once the pirates' escape route was cut off, every battle was settled in close combat. It wasn't just about eliminating the enemy; it was training. Soldiers raised in comfort would never survive the brutal reality of war.
"Get ready and wait for my—"
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Hiding behind a massive boulder, the pirate captain gripped his sword in his right hand and raised his left, preparing to give the order to fire. But before he could act, the approaching marines anticipated his move.
A line of riflemen appeared along the railing of the warship. Their muzzles flashed. Bullets rained down, cutting off the pirates before they could react. Gunfire echoed across the shore, pinning them behind cover.
"Damn it! Grab your weapons and wait for them to land, then kill them all!"
Frustrated by the marines countering his every move, the pirate captain shouted furiously.
Moments later, as the warship reached the shore, the gunfire ceased. One by one, marine soldiers leaped from the deck, blades drawn, charging straight for the pirates.
The pirate captain peeked out from behind the boulder, his expression darkening.
"They're coming! Get them!" Roaring, he hefted a massive blade—nearly half his size—and led the charge.
His crew followed, shouting as they surged forward.
"Kill the marine dogs!"
"Follow the captain!"
"Yeahhh!"
Unlike the frenzied pirates, the marines moved in perfect coordination; their faces were cold and grips steady. They met the charge head-on, steel clashing against steel.
Blood sprayed as blades pierced flesh, and the sounds of war filled the battlefield. Within moments, nearly half the pirates had fallen.
Clang!
A massive blade slammed into a marine's sword, forcing him back. The pirate captain's face twisted with rage as he surveyed his dwindling crew, bodies piling up around him.
"Useless trash! Fight like your lives depend on it! These marines aren't going to spare us anyway! Kill them all!!!"
His desperate roar reignited some of the pirates' morale. Eyes burning with madness, they screamed in response.
"Yeah, they won't let us live anyway!"
"Kill!"
"Charge!"
Watching the pirates descend into a frenzy, a marine officer calmly cut down an oncoming enemy. Raising his blade, he commanded.
"Speed it up. End this battle now."
Without hesitation, the marines shouted in unison. "Yes, sir!"
Their voices carried an unshakable resolve. Under the marines' overwhelming momentum, pirates fell one after another—some slain outright, others losing limbs before being left to writhe in the sand.
The cries of battle gradually faded, replaced by pitiful wails.
"Help! I don't want to die!"
"I was wrong!"
"Please, spare me, sir!"
"Sob... My child is still so young! Let me go, please!"
"I swear I'll never do this again!"
Desperate pleas filled the blood-soaked shore.
"Damn it! I haven't even become a great pirate yet! I refuse to die here! Get out of my way!"
As he watched his crew fall, their screams ringing in his ears, fear began to consume the pirate captain. Gritting his teeth, he roared to steel himself and swung his sword again, forcing back another marine.
Then, suddenly, his eyes locked onto something. Hope flashed across his face. Without delay, he turned and ran toward the side of the beach.
"Quick, hurry! Bring them to me now!" his voice trembled with excitement as he sprinted toward a group of pirates holding four young children.
Thud!
He viciously kicked aside one of his subordinates, who had frozen in terror at the carnage around them.
"Out of my way!"
Snatching one of the children, he hoisted him up. With a crazed grin, he pressed his massive blade against the child's shoulder.
"Aahahahaha! All of you, stop right now! Give me a ship! Hurry! I need a ship! I want a ship!!!" The pirate captain's bloodshot eyes bulged as he shouted incoherently, desperation twisting his voice.
He clung to the child like a drowning man grasping at the last straw, as if this was his only chance to escape certain doom.
But luck was not on his side.
The marines had already finished dealing with the other pirates and now surrounded him in a tight formation, leaving him nowhere to run. They remained unfazed by his demands.
"Don't move! Aren't you marines supposed to be just?! Are you really going to ignore the kid in my hands?! Get me a ship! Now!!!"
He shouted at the surrounding marines, but they only stared back at him like he was already dead. The fear gripping his heart grew stronger, pushing him to the edge of panic.
"You want a ship?"
A deep, commanding voice rang out. A towering figure, nearly three meters tall, stepped forward. The marines silently parted to make way.
"Y-Yes." The pirate captain swallowed hard, barely keeping himself together as he met Sakazuki's gaze.
"Give me a ship!"
Sakazuki slowly raised his arm, extending a single finger. The pirate captain, unaware of what was coming, took this as a sign of negotiation and shouted even louder.
"Hurry up and—!"
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Two sharp sounds cut through the air. In the next instant, both of the pirate captain's arms exploded into a mist of blood.
"Aaahhhhhh!!!!"
His agonized screams pierced the battlefield. But it didn't end there. The moment his arms were blown apart:
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Three marine officers vanished from their positions, using Soru to reappear around him.
One knelt in front of the captain, catching the child securely in his arms. The other two appeared at his sides, each grabbing one of his shoulders.
The next moment, they drove their boots into his knees.
Crack!
Both of the pirate captain's legs snapped at the knees, bending forward at a grotesque ninety-degree angle.
"Aaaaaahhh!!!—Cough... Cough!!!"
The marine who had caught the child picked up a handful of rocks from the ground. As the pirate captain writhed in agony, the soldier shoved the stones straight into his mouth.
"Report! Rear Admiral Sakazuki, all pirates have been eliminated or captured. The battle is over, awaiting your orders!" The marine then turned and saluted.
Sakazuki calmly commanded, "Send a group to inventory the supplies. Once that's done, transport both the pirates and the supplies to town. The rest of you, put out the fires."
"Yes, sir!" The response was crisp, voices echoing through the battlefield.
As his men moved swiftly to carry out his orders, Sakazuki turned his gaze toward the distant town, where thick black smoke billowed into the sky. He took the lead, marching toward the burning settlement with his subordinates to aid the civilians.
...
The town was an inferno.
Flames raged everywhere, consuming what little remained. Crumbling ruins, shattered homes, charred bodies—there was no sign of life.
But as the marines arrived, the fire was swiftly brought under control.
Hidden survivors, watching from their shelters, hesitated. Then, as they saw the flames dying down, one of them finally dared to whisper, "T-The… the Marine…the Marines are here!"
And then—sobs. Wails of relief and despair.
"Finally…!"
More survivors began to emerge, stepping out from their hiding places, their faces streaked with soot and tears. As if they had found something to hold onto at last, they wept openly, letting out all the fear and grief they had held inside.
Sakazuki had seen this scene too many times. He exhaled quietly, though his face remained cold and stern as he issued orders for the rescue operations.
Most of the marines had been through this before. Even so, as they worked, the raw emotion in the air made many of their eyes redden.
Once the civilians had cried themselves dry, Sakazuki ordered the supplies to be distributed among the survivors.
Life had to go on.
As for the captured pirates, they were escorted to a large open area for processing.
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