Efficiency! Efficiency! And More Efficiency!

"A treasure worth 100 million Beli!"

In a short time, information about Captain Kuro's treasure spread throughout Orange Town and, at an astonishing pace, beyond it.

With the former first mate of the Black Cat Pirates and the Marines putting on a joint act, no one doubted the treasure's authenticity.

Pirates, bounty hunters, and several underground forces all began making their moves.

Even nearby kingdoms, upon receiving the news, dispatched soldiers to the island where the treasure was said to be, afraid of falling behind.

On an uninhabited island.

"What? A treasure worth 100 million Beli?!"

Buggy stood there, stunned speechless, snot even running from his nose.

His greatest dream in life was to gather every treasure into his possession. After hearing his subordinate's report, only one thought remained in his mind.

The treasure was his!

"Men, set sail immediately!"

Buggy did not doubt the information.

Kuro was a famous Great Pirate who had roamed the East Blue for years, plundering countless riches. It was only natural that he had left behind a treasure.

Now that Kuro had just been defeated by the Marines, it was the best time to search for Kuro's Treasure. Besides, even the Marines were looking for it.

The information had to be real!

Moon Island.

The island was shaped like a crescent moon, hence its name. It had once been one of the Black Cat Pirates' bases.

In the island's interior, the warship sailed along the river into the island. Under Jango's guidance, it docked at a concealed base. Dense trees hid it from view, leaving no trace of anything unusual from the outside.

After getting off the warship, Jango immediately clamored to look for the treasure. If Fullbody had not forcibly held him back, he might have slipped away.

After hearing Fullbody's explanation, Jango finally understood that Kuro's Treasure was merely a lie, his face full of shock.

"Huh? The treasure is fake?"

"What are you so shocked about?!"

The Marines all complained in unison.

Luo Ya was utterly speechless.

This guy's hypnosis was extremely useful. However, regardless of whether the hypnosis worked well or poorly, he would always be the first one affected.

To deceive others, he first had to deceive himself.

That was probably how it worked.

It was precisely because of that that his acting had no flaws, even though he himself had no idea he was acting.

In addition, Luo Ya discovered that Jango's hypnosis only worked on people who were unguarded or simple-minded.

When he was on guard, even staring at the ring would not affect him. As for the other Marines on the warship...

Sigh.

In short, the hypnosis was quite useful.

Inside the crude base.

Luo Ya discussed the next battle plan with the Lieutenant Officers, especially the arrangement of traps and ambush positions.

When fighting pirates, the best method was naval combat, using the warship's superior performance to crush the enemy.

But this time, their target was more than one pirate crew. If they exposed themselves too early, they might scare off the pirates who came later.

Moreover, their warship was not one of the large warships from Headquarters. Its advantage over pirate ships was not particularly great, so the main battlefield for this operation to lure in the enemy would be on land.

Half an hour later.

A sentry on the western coast relayed a message through a Den Den Mushi. "Second Lieutenant Luo Ya, a pirate ship has been spotted approaching from the western side of the island!"

"Received!"

Luo Ya picked up his long sword, his gaze sharp.

"Prepare for battle!"

"Once the pirates enter the ambush zone, wipe them out in one stroke!"

"Understood!"

The Marines moved quickly, hiding in their assigned positions. The vines, leaves, and other camouflage tied to their bodies allowed them to blend perfectly into the surroundings. Even if the enemy came close, they would have difficulty noticing them.

Moon Island rose out of the water, with cliffs lining most of its edges. There were very few coasts suitable for landing.

The river in the middle was the most suitable way to enter the island, and both riverbanks were relatively convenient for landing.

Time passed bit by bit, and the pirate ship soon discovered the river. Without the slightest hesitation, it sailed in.

"Men, find Kuro's Treasure!"

"OOOH!"

Generally speaking, treasure was most likely hidden in the central region of an island, especially in places suitable for concealment, like caves.

This was practically a consensus among all pirates.

There was only one mountain at the center of Moon Island. After more than a dozen pirates came ashore, they headed straight for it without a second thought.

"They're here!"

From the dense bushes on both sides of the path, dark gun barrels silently extended, aiming at the approaching pirates.

Once the group of pirates entered the encirclement, Luo Ya, standing atop a tree trunk over ten meters high, made a swift decision and slashed through the rope beside him.

"Snap!"

The sound of the severed rope snapping back alerted the pirates. When they saw a massive boulder falling from above, they scattered in terror.

"Move!"

"BOOM!!!"

The ground shook violently. Three pirates who failed to escape in time were crushed into bloody pulp, blood flowing out from beneath the boulder!

"Fire!"

With Luo Ya's shout, the Marines lying in wait within the surrounding bushes perked up and immediately pulled their triggers.

"Bang bang bang bang bang!"

"AAARGH!!!"

Dozens of bullets took down another six or seven pirates.

In the blink of an eye, half the pirates were dead or wounded.

"Charge!!!"

Luo Ya roared as he descended from above, swinging his blade and cutting a pirate in half.

Almost at the same time, Isca led the Marines charging out of the bushes from all directions, rushing at the panicked pirates.

"For justice!"

"Don't come any closer, aaah!"

In less than a minute, the battle was over.

More than a dozen pirates had all been killed.

It was unbelievably fast.

"It's over?"

The Marines stared blankly, unable to believe the battle had ended so quickly. Whenever they faced pirates in the past, hadn't they always gone through a hard-fought battle?

This had been far too easy!

Isca was also somewhat dazed. The way she looked at Luo Ya was as though she had seen some strange creature.

Lure the pirates in, use traps to disrupt their formation, use firepower to reduce their numbers, then finish them off with an all-out assault.

Before the pirates could even react, the battle was already over. This was completely different from the Navy combat methods she remembered.

Safe and efficient.

And underhanded, too!

But as righteous Marines, shouldn't they defeat their enemies fair and square?

Isca's expression was complicated. She felt that this kind of battle did not suit the Navy's image, but if they could defeat pirates so easily, being a little "underhanded" seemed quite good too.

Not long afterward, Fullbody and Jango, who had been assigned to cut off the retreat route, returned to the battlefield.

"Second Lieutenant Luo Ya, the enemy ship has been sunk!"

"Good!"

Luo Ya nodded slightly and took out a Photo Den Den Mushi to photograph the pirates' corpses. He gave the ones suspected of being captains close-ups of their faces in particular.

"Click, click-click!"

No survivors meant the photos had to be preserved.

Otherwise, what would he use to claim credit when he returned?

After taking the photos, Luo Ya looked at his dazed subordinates and could not help frowning. "What are you all standing around for? Clean up the battlefield, now. The next wave of pirates will be here soon!"

Did they not understand efficiency?

His target was not just one or two small pirate crews!

"Ah, yes!"

The Marines came to their senses and hurriedly cleared away the traces left by the battle. They could not suppress the excitement in their hearts, along with a sense of relief.

For people like them, who lacked strength, earning merit was secondary. Being able to survive a battle against pirates was the greatest blessing of all!

Second Lieutenant Luo Ya was far too reliable!