Trouble

"Naruto Village?"

A Marine warship sailed across the sea. Kurume put down the Den Den Mushi receiver. He had just received a call saying that Naruto Village had been attacked by pirates and asking him to lead the Marines there in support.

Kurume was naturally no stranger to Naruto Village. The sea fish that had killed Lieutenant Colonel Berio had been near the island where Naruto Village was located.

If not for Naruto Village's request, Berio would not have died.

Berio's death had allowed Kurume to rise to Lieutenant Commander, making him a commissioned officer. At the Branch 19 base, he was already considered a high-ranking official.

Afterward, following Colonel Lido's orders, Kurume had gone near Naruto Village and used the warship to search for the sea fish, only to find that it had vanished.

Kurume still held a trace of goodwill toward Naruto Village.

"Someone, turn the ship around. Head for Naruto Village."

Kurume called over a Marine and gave the order.

The warship sailed at full speed toward Naruto Village. After traveling for a while, a ship appeared in the distance, moving sideways away from them.

"Lieutenant Commander, there's a pirate ship."

A Marine hurriedly reported to Kurume.

Kurume quickly stepped out of the cabin, picked up his telescope, and looked into the distance. "There's a pig head on the Jolly Roger. Is this the pirate crew that attacked Naruto Village? To think we'd run into them here. I remember the leader of the Porcupine Pirates, Muir, is also on the wanted list. His bounty is five million Belly. With a warship, dealing with them won't be difficult."

Kurume's eyes lit up, and he immediately ordered, "Prepare to engage the pirates."

"Yes."

All the Marines sprang into action.

But just as they drew near, the pirate ship in the distance raised its sails and continued onward.

"Trying to run? Pursue them!"

Kurume shouted coldly as the warship gave chase.

The warship was faster and rapidly closed the distance. Once they were close enough, Kurume gave the order to fire.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Porcupine Pirates' ship was struck. Its hull was pierced through, planks shattered, and three or four people died in an instant.

"We surrender! We surrender!"

After taking only a few cannon shots, the Porcupine Pirates raised their Jolly Roger and waved it in the air.

"So quickly? They don't even dare fight back."

Kurume frowned, narrowed his eyes in thought, then shouted, "Continue the attack. Riflemen, get ready."

"Yes."

The Marines relayed the order. The cannons continued firing and smashed the pirate ship's mast.

Once they were closer, the riflemen stepped forward, raised their guns at the pirate ship, and pulled the triggers.

Bullets flew out, killing several more pirates. The rest hid inside the cabin.

"Ram them. Prepare to board."

Kurume pulled out a Fencing Sword from his waist, spun it in his hand, and jumped onto the rail.

Bang!

The Marine warship missed its position and slammed sideways into the pirate ship.

"Attack!"

Kurume shouted, "Don't let a single pirate escape. If you encounter their leader, don't attack blindly. Surround him without engaging. Leave him to me and the lieutenant. Try not to get yourselves hurt."

"Yes."

The Marines charged onto the pirate ship, and the battle began.

"Lieutenant, come with me. We'll find the pirate leader and the crew's stronger fighters."

Kurume looked at the man holding short guns and said coldly, "Only we can handle them."

Beside him stood another man in a Marine uniform, holding two short guns, his expression full of excitement.

"Yes, Lieutenant Commander Kurume."

The lieutenant admired Kurume's actions. He handled the strong enemies himself and led from the front. He was an outstanding officer.

But for Kurume, those few words had bought him time and kept him from having to charge in at the very front.

The Marines outnumbered the pirates by two or three times. With three against one, they had a great chance of winning.

Even if the enemy leader appeared, once he was surrounded by Marine soldiers, Kurume could attack afterward. With Marines supporting him from the side, his odds of victory would rise greatly.

Kurume gripped his Fencing Sword, leaped onto the pirate ship, and rushed forward, stabbing a pirate to death with one strike.

"Lieutenant Commander, we found a pirate leader!"

A Marine shouted in the distance. Kurume looked over and saw four or five Marines surrounding a man. At the man's feet, two Marines lay on the ground clutching their chests.

"Not Muir?" Kurume saw that the man looked different from the wanted poster and instantly determined that he was not the pirate leader.

"Leave him to me."

Kurume immediately shouted and charged forward with his Fencing Sword.

Thud.

After only three or four exchanges, Kurume pierced the pirate's throat. He was dead beyond doubt.

"A little weak."

Kurume shook his head and continued waiting for the pirate leader to appear.

But even after every pirate had been killed, not a single strong opponent emerged.

"What's going on?"

Kurume was deeply puzzled, but he kept the question to himself. Defeating a pirate crew was a major accomplishment.

Kurume waved his hand and shouted, "Clean up the battlefield. Send people to take control of the pirate ship. We'll head to Naruto Village first, then come back and tow it away."

After some repairs, this ship could look as good as new and would be more than suitable as a merchant vessel.

Selling it would bring in a large sum of money, though most of it would end up in the Branch base and Colonel Lido's hands.

Still, Kurume would receive a reward. And by helping the Branch base solve its salary problem, he would surely earn their appreciation.

Kurume felt that he had taken another step toward his dream.

With that thought, Lieutenant Commander Kurume left some men behind and sailed toward Naruto Village aboard the warship.

"These were seized from the pirate ship."

Upon arriving at Naruto Village, Kurume handed some of the goods taken from the pirate ship to the village chief.

"Too much, this is too much."

The chief looked at the items before him—Belly and treasures. It was far more than the protection money he had handed over.

"Too much? Consider it compensation."

Kurume said with a smile.

"Thank you, sir."

The chief hurriedly thanked him. He had not expected to give away some money only to receive even more in return.

He really is better than Lieutenant Colonel Berio.

The chief looked at Kurume and sighed inwardly.

Although Kurume had also been the one dealing with the village before, Berio had been the true person in charge, and Kurume had always invoked Berio's name.

Now that Kurume had done this, the chief felt deeply grateful.

The chief looked at Kurume, took out part of the money, and said, "Lieutenant Commander, only this much was taken from our village. You should keep the rest."

"I see."

Kurume nodded, unable to stop a smile from forming at the corner of his lips.

How could you dare accept extra money? In the end, won't it still come back to me? And now I have a reason to take it.

"Then we'll be leaving."

Kurume collected the money, stood up, and prepared to leave.

"Please wait, Lieutenant Commander."

The chief called out behind him. "There's one more matter we'd like to trouble you with."

"What is it?"

Kurume turned around and looked at the chief.

The chief pushed all the remaining treasures toward him, then said, "The pirates who came to raid us were attacked by a Black Fish while returning. Most of them died."

"Most of them died?"

Kurume raised his eyebrows. No wonder there had been no strong fighters on the Porcupine Pirates' ship.

Wait. A Black Fish.

Kurume could not help asking, "Are you talking about the Black Fish that killed Lieutenant Colonel Berio?"

"I believe so. It looked the same." The chief said fearfully, "It has already grown to fifteen meters."

"So big?"

Kurume narrowed his eyes. In only a month and a half, it had grown from seven meters to fifteen. That was far too fast, comparable to sea beasts and Sea Kings.

That fish was very intelligent. Setting a trap to catch it would likely be useless.

And in an underwater battle, Kurume was not even Berio's match, let alone capable of killing the now-grown Black Fish.

Only the colonel could handle this personally.

Kurume looked at the chief and said, "I will report this matter to the Branch base, raise the alert level, classify it as a sea beast, and request Marine support."

There were also sea beasts and Sea Kings in the East China Sea. At times, they threatened the safety of merchant ships, fishing boats, and residents.

In this world, sea travel was the primary means of transportation. Once it was threatened, islands could no longer receive supplies, and serious problems could arise.

Therefore, the Marines dealt with creatures that harmed humans and classified them under two threat levels.

Sea beasts and Sea Kings.

As long as they affected the residents' daily lives, once an application was filed, the Marines would lure, capture, or eliminate them. If they could not be eliminated, they would be driven away.

Since I can't do it, I'll leave it to Colonel Lido.

Kurume made arrangements, then left Naruto Village aboard the warship.

Meanwhile, in the distant sea, Xia Qiu lay hidden in an ocean trench as several small fish picked food scraps from between his teeth.

The Reinforcement Energy brought by powerful humans was immense.

If he wanted to grow stronger rather than merely larger, he needed powerful humans.

But where could he find them?

Xia Qiu fell into deep trouble.