I Am a Soft-Hearted Person

"Isn't it only natural for the Marines to collect the corpses of pirates!"

Mouse fiddled with the safety, his voice chilling, "You brat, you've been uncooperative, sneaky, and have a terrible attitude. Now I suspect you're not clean either. Who knows what unspeakable crimes you're hiding. Guards! Confiscate these people and the entire ship! Take them all back for a thorough inspection and interrogation!"

"Captain!"

His adjutant couldn't help but speak up, "Is... is doing this really appropriate..."

"Shut up! Am I the superior officer or are you?"

Mouse flew into a rage and slapped the adjutant across the face. The adjutant took the blow squarely and lowered his head, not daring to speak again.

Turning back, he saw Xianuo looking at him like an idiot, "Is there something wrong with your brain?"

"Huh?" Mouse froze, then became furious, "You dare insult a Marine officer again? I think you're really tired of living!"

"See, you still haven't figured it out. You're so afraid of the Arlong Pirates that you never dared to provoke them. You only came out to pick up the scraps after they were dead."

Xianuo sighed lightly and stretched his right hand slightly, "So the question is, where did you get the nerve to provoke the stronger me?"

"Don't tell me you think I'm just a commoner who won't resist and will obediently surrender?"

On the shore, there was a giant rock about four to five meters high, with the words "Cocoyasi Village This Way" written on it.

Xianuo casually grabbed it, and the giant rock rumbled as it was uprooted. He weighed it in his hand and, to Mouse's disbelief, hurled it fiercely towards the warship!

Whoosh--Boom!!

Just as the giant rock was about to hit the top of the mast, Xianuo casually raised his fingertip and fired a Shigan. The rock instantly exploded in the air above the warship, turning into countless fine stone powder that sprinkled down.

"This..."

The Marines still on deck all remained looking up, stunned.

Mouse's jaw dropped so wide he could have fit half a Chopper in it.

"I forgot to tell you, the entire Arlong Pirates didn't last twenty minutes in my hands."

Xianuo smiled, "I wonder how many minutes your Marine branch captain, along with all the Marines on this warship, can last?"

Mouse shivered and finally came to his senses.

At this moment, he finally realized.

--The person standing before him was not some honest and sturdy villager, but a ruthless and ferocious man several times more terrifying than Arlong!

"Misunderstanding!"

Mouse's face was trembling, and he managed to force out a smile uglier than a cry, "Misunderstanding, it's a misunderstanding. Go wherever you want, we wouldn't dare stop you. We're leaving, we're leaving now!"

With that, he hurriedly turned and ran towards the warship. He stumbled and almost lost his shoes, but he didn't care, staggering all the way into the ship's cabin in a flash.

Like an ostrich, he only felt at ease when he could no longer see Xianuo. His shrill roar came from behind the door:

"What are you all standing around for! Hurry up and set sail back to base!"

Hahaha! The villagers watching from afar burst into hearty laughter.

The Marines all lowered their heads, unable to hide their shame as they lined up on deck. The young lieutenant adjutant sighed and quietly pulled up his collar to cover half his face.

"With a superior like that, I bet he feels inferior when he meets colleagues from other bases," Scarred muttered, leaning on the railing.

Then he looked at Xianuo, who had walked onto the deck, "Boss, shall we set sail too?"

"No, you guys go first," Xianuo shook his head slightly and glanced in the direction the warship was sailing away, "I still have something to take care of."

Is he planning to?

Scarred's eyes widened, and then he saw Xianuo wave them over, "When you get to the Branch 77 base, do this, then this, and then wait for me to come back, understand?"

"Yes, Boss!"

Scarred shivered. As expected of the boss, this was too ruthless, but it was indeed the right thing to do. He supported it from the bottom of his heart.

As night deepened.

The sea under the moonlight shimmered with dappled light. The warship with white sails cut through the waves, sailing at full speed towards Branch 16 base.

They didn't notice that, outside their field of vision, a small boat had quietly followed them at some point.

On the small boat.

Xianuo took a sip of wine, his expression indifferent as he gazed at the blurry black dot in the distance.

He was a person who could easily be soft-hearted, but once he hardened his resolve, if he truly felt someone deserved to die, it wasn't that simple to let them live.

Mouse was among them.

Even though the guy was so scared he almost wet himself with just one threat from him today.

But once he returned to the base, sat at his desk, and got used to the feeling of being in a high position and giving orders again, his resentment towards Xianuo would quickly surge.

What's more, this guy was the base commander of the closest Marine branch to Cocoyasi Village, so he could be considered a local guardian.

In this position, there were countless insidious ways to cause trouble. And when he officially set sail from his hometown in the future, who knew how the other party would retaliate against Cocoyasi Village.

It's better to strike first.

There are always a thousand days to catch a thief, but never a thousand days to guard against one.

After confirming the wind direction and ocean currents, Xianuo ignored the warship ahead. He sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes, meditating quietly.

The warship's speed was no match for his small, dilapidated boat. If they continued like this, the distance would only grow, and he wouldn't be able to catch up, so he couldn't make a move yet.

However, the monk might run, but the temple wouldn't. After sunset tomorrow, both ships would arrive at the Branch 16 Marines base.

By then, it would be a dark and windy night, and there would be plenty of time.

More than twenty hours passed in the blink of an eye.

In front of the entrance to East Blue Branch 77.

The large ship, formerly belonging to the Arlong Pirates and now renamed "Orange Garden" by Xianuo, was docked at the naval port.

Scarred led Nami, Nojiko, and the others, who were looking around curiously, off the ship. Before they could even set foot on shore, they were met with warm applause and a welcoming escort.

"You're here quite early, everyone! Several hours ahead of the time you mentioned on the phone!"

A female Captain with a mohawk, smoking a cigarette, strode forward with a hearty laugh. "I'm Sophia, the base commander of Branch 77. Welcome!"

"You're too kind," Scarred said, eagerly extending his hand. "Does that mean you've also been waiting here for several hours?"

"No, I just received the news and rushed over," Sophia replied truthfully, laughing. "But it's true that we should have come earlier. We can never be too polite to the heroes who defeated the Arlong Pirates!"

"To be honest, ever since I got the intelligence that the Arlong Pirates were in this area, I've been so worried I couldn't sleep. I originally planned to join forces with Branch 16 and our colleagues at Branch 24 to the north, and catch them off guard while they weren't prepared."

Sophia rubbed her temples with a troubled expression.

"But who knew what that newly appointed guy at Branch 16 was thinking? He kept making excuses and delaying, and in the process, we missed the best opportunity to strike."