Give It to Them—Let None Escape

Half a month later.

West Blue, Unnamed Island.

Linus stood in the lookout atop the warship's mast, observing the island through a telescope. He quickly located the Pirate stronghold; their Pirate ship was moored within a narrow bay.

Linus immediately shouted down to the deck.

"Second Lieutenant Luo Ya, a Pirate stronghold has been spotted on the island ahead. Judging by their Pirate flag, they should be the Lamus Pirates!"

"Lamus."

Luo Ya flipped through the Bounty Posters and quickly found the corresponding target.

"Skinner" Lamus, with a bounty of 5.5 million Belly, was a Pirate notorious for his cruelty. He especially enjoyed skinning his enemies alive.

Now that they had found them, they could not let them go.

Luo Ya raised his telescope and studied the terrain around the Pirate stronghold, quickly reaching a decision.

"Isca!"

"Here!"

"Lead two squads and land from the side of the island. Within half an hour, you must reach the rear of the Pirate stronghold and cut off their escape route!"

"Yes!"

Isca accepted the order in a deep voice.

Landing operations were the hardest assignments. Uninhabited islands all had harsh environments, and simply moving through the rugged terrain was difficult, let alone circling around to the rear of a Pirate stronghold.

But she did not complain.

When Pirates were attacked inside their stronghold, they generally had two options. One was to fight head-on; the other was to hide deep within the island and use the terrain to evade their enemies.

Luo Ya looked at the others.

"Fullbody! Jango!"

"Here!"

"Prepare for battle. Begin the bombardment in half an hour!"

"Understood!"

The Marines moved quickly. Isca also led two squads, twenty men in total, ashore in small boats.

Half an hour later.

The warship surged into the bay and turned broadside toward the Pirate stronghold. Twelve side cannons and two heavy bow cannons stood ready to fire.

Luo Ya drew his sword and roared.

"Fire!!!"

"Blow up the Pirate ship first!"

"Hit them hard! Don't let a single Pirate escape!"

In an instant, the warship's cannons thundered in unison.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!!!"

Bursts of fire exploded across the bay. Unable to move, the moored Pirate ship became an easy target for the warship and was engulfed by cannon fire in moments.

"Enemy attack!"

The alarm bells rang throughout the stronghold.

But faced with the sudden bombardment, the poorly trained Pirates fell into complete disarray and could not organize any meaningful counterattack.

Captain Lamus, who had been enjoying himself, stumbled out of his room half-dressed. The moment he saw the warship in the bay, he panicked completely.

"Damn it, it's the Navy!"

They stood no chance against regular military forces!

Yet he did not flee at once. Instead, he rushed back inside, frantically stuffed treasure into a chest, then hugged it tightly as he fled deeper into the island.

As a Pirate, even if he died, he could not abandon his treasure!

By the time he ran out of the stronghold, the beautiful female Marine had already blocked his path. Her icy gaze seemed capable of piercing straight through him.

The battle ended quickly.

Without their captain, the Pirates fought separately and were no match for the Marines. Apart from a few lucky ones who escaped into the island, nearly half were killed, and all the rest surrendered.

The Marines cleaned up the battlefield.

Before long, Fullbody came to Luo Ya's side and said quietly, "Second Lieutenant Luo Ya, you should come take a look yourself."

"Mm."

Luo Ya followed Fullbody to the rear of the Pirate stronghold. When he saw the scene before him, he took a deep breath.

More than a dozen women were imprisoned in crude wooden huts resembling cages. Every one of them was naked and emaciated beyond recognition.

Several sheets of human skin hung outside the huts.

When the women saw Luo Ya and Fullbody, they huddled together in terror, seemingly afraid that Luo Ya would pick one of them.

"Take them back."

"Yes!"

Luo Ya turned and returned to the coast.

The Pirates were lined up on their knees. Captain Lamus had also been captured and brought back by Isca. His scab-covered face was revolting to look at.

By convention, these Pirates were to be escorted back to the branch, then sent to a court in East Blue for trial and sentencing.

Luo Ya swept his gaze over them coldly.

"Jango."

"Sir!"

Luo Ya pointed at Lamus and spoke calmly. "Skin him alive for me. Can you do it?"

"No problem!"

Jango adjusted the brim of his hat.

Having once been a seasoned Pirate himself, he had long grown accustomed to similar tragic scenes. The more incompetent and low-ranking the Pirates were, the more they enjoyed tormenting civilians.

Pirates came in different classes too.

"All the other Pirates are sentenced to hanging!"

"Yes!"

Luo Ya turned and headed back to the warship. Isca caught up with him. "Second Lieutenant Luo Ya, this violates procedure. Criminals must be handed over to the court for trial!"

"Listen, Lieutenant Isca."

Luo Ya faced Isca, his smile exceptionally dangerous. "On my warship, what I say is procedure. Understood?"

"..."

Isca's breath caught in her throat.

She strongly suspected that if she objected, she might very well be thrown into the sea to feed the fish. That was the dangerous signal hidden in the man's eyes.

Fortunately, Luo Ya gave her a way out.

"We are an emergency Patrol Team, charged with protecting civilians. Wasting time escorting Pirates will only allow more innocent people to suffer harm!"

"Therefore, when it comes to evil Pirates whose crimes are beyond forgiveness, I have determined that immediate execution is the most reasonable way to deal with them!"

Luo Ya stared at the girl.

"Do you understand, Lieutenant Isca!"

"Understood!"

"Louder. I can't hear you!"

"Understood!!!"

Isca shouted back at the top of her lungs, her cheeks flushed red from holding herself back.

"Aaaahhh~~~"

A Pirate's scream came from behind them.

Isca hesitated for a moment. Gone was her earlier questioning as she lowered her voice and asked, "Second Lieutenant Luo Ya, what is the point of using private punishment on Pirates?"

"I like it."

"Huh?"

"I said I like it."

Luo Ya patted the girl on the shoulder, leaving her with a meaningful look.

As a commanding officer, who did not have a little personal temper? Anyone who made him unhappy would pay it back tenfold, a hundredfold.

As for procedures, who made those procedures? He was so eager to rise through the ranks precisely so he would not have to follow them—and could even become the one who made them!

Half an hour later, the warship set sail.

In the bay behind them, dozens of Pirate corpses hung suspended. Lamus, their captain, was not quite dead yet; his eyeballs rolled around in the face that had been stripped of its skin.

Warship, combat briefing room.

An X had been marked over the location of Unnamed Island.

This operation was not a purposeless voyage. They were following a fixed route, searching for traces of Pirates.

There were countless islands scattered across the sea, most of them uninhabitable and deserted. Pirate strongholds were generally hidden on such uninhabited islands.

Searching along the uninhabited islands while receiving nearby distress signals, along with Pirate intelligence provided by two branches, was enough to keep Luo Ya endlessly busy.

However, the efficiency was very low.

Intelligence had a limited shelf life. By the time they reached an island that had been raided, the Pirates had most likely already fled.

After keeping at it for over half a month, they had only wiped out three Pirate crews. Their combined bounties did not even exceed 20 million Beli.

They needed to find a way to improve efficiency!

"Second Lieutenant Luo Ya, our supplies are nearly exhausted."

"Mm."

Luo Ya thought for a while, then pointed at the Organ Islands, only half a day's sailing from the warship. An idea formed in his mind.

"Head to Orange Town for supplies!"

"Yes!"