Port Nyanzaru entered a state of war readiness.
Large numbers of naval troops began gathering near Sand Fury Island, but this deployment caused some unrest in the barracks within Port Nyanzaru. When they learned that the army would be heading toward the Duchy of Rosado, many of Port Nyanzaru's officers rubbed their hands in eager anticipation. Unlike the veteran pirate forces, they had seen less combat and were more impatient to prove their worth. Yet, to their utter surprise, this battle was once again entrusted to units made up primarily of pirates, leaving some of them disappointed.
The most valuable thing in Port Nyanzaru was military merit.
Military merit could be exchanged for resources, money, land, houses, and authority. In theory, it could buy almost anything mortals needed. More importantly, it could also secure things unavailable through ordinary channels, such as giving their children a better chance of becoming a professional, a priest, a wizard, and so on. Port Nyanzaru's warriors craved military merit, but those stationed on Port Nyanzaru Island now had fewer ways to earn it. At last, a major operation had come along, only for the opportunity to go to the naval forces stationed elsewhere. Inevitably, many newly promoted officers felt disappointed.
The pirates, however, were delighted by the order. They believed that even though they were not stationed in Port Nyanzaru, they still held an important place in Lord Soren's heart.
The vast seas needed them to stand guard, and when a truly difficult battle arose, Lord Soren thought first of the pirate army that had followed him through countless campaigns, not the "greenhorns" inside Port Nyanzaru. The city's military was currently divided into two factions: the original pirate captains and the newly rising officer class. In the pirate captains' eyes, their value and standing were