The sea breeze swept past, dispelling the summer heat and bringing a trace of coolness.
At that moment, a black-haired young man was lying in a hammock beneath a coconut tree, leisurely enjoying the afternoon.
The young man had a smooth, fair face with sharply defined, coldly handsome features. His deep, jet-black eyes gleamed with an alluring light. His thick brows, tall nose, and exquisitely shaped lips all proclaimed nobility and elegance.
Four girls in bikinis were waving feather fans to cool him.
If not for the Justice Cape he wore and the Marines in uniform standing around him, the young man's appearance and bearing would have been no different from a prince in a fairy tale.
The young man was named Victor. He was the base commander of Marine Branch 191 in the South Blue, holding the rank of colonel.
Buru buru...
Buru buru...
At that moment, the Den Den Mushi in the hands of a Marine beside him began to ring.
"Lord Victor." The Marine immediately brought the Den Den Mushi over to Victor.
Victor reached out and casually picked up the receiver.
The Den Den Mushi mimicked the face and voice of Hagen Dick, the commander of Branch 6 in the South Blue.
Major General Hagen ordered, "Colonel Victor, William Port has come under attack by pirates. Go there immediately and provide support."
"Understood."
Victor put down the receiver and then said lazily, "Assemble the troops, then wait for my orders."
Although he had ordered the troops to assemble, Victor did not look anxious in the slightest.
"Yes."
The Marine officers around him remained expressionless. They were already used to this.
That was because their commander would not lift a finger without something to gain.
Moreover, William Port was not within Branch 191's jurisdiction. Going there to provide assistance would simply be doing someone a favor.
Unless there was some benefit to be gained.
William Port was an extremely prosperous port city.
However, thick smoke could now be seen everywhere.
The streets that were usually bustling were filled with screams and wails, while the clean walls had been blackened by flames.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The pirate ships at sea were bombarding William Port. Every time a cannonball landed in the city, it started a raging fire.
During the bombardment, some civilians fled buildings with their heads covered, while others hugged the bodies of their family members and wailed bitterly by the roadside.
The pirates attacking William Port were a group known as the Heide Pirates. They possessed thirty pirate ships and numbered more than five thousand.
The Heide Pirates were notorious for burning, killing, and looting. In recent years, throughout many regions of the South Blue, men and women, old and young alike, trembled in fear whenever they heard the name of the Heide Pirates.
Marine Branch 189 was stationed in William Port, with nearly three thousand Marines.
Colonel Malone, the base commander, organized the Marines to resist the pirate attack while urging his superiors to dispatch reinforcements.
The Heide Pirates were not only numerous; they were also extremely powerful.
Although the Marines defended the port desperately and temporarily prevented the pirates from landing, the number of Marine casualties continued to rise.
At that moment, Captain Adjutant Grady came to Malone and reported, "The report is in. Major General Hagen has dispatched Branch 191 to reinforce us."
"I hope they can get here a little faster!"
After learning that Major General Hagen had sent reinforcements, Malone breathed a sigh of relief.
However, six hours later...
The pirates had already broken through the blockade of the port.
Yet the reinforcements from Branch 191 were still nowhere to be seen.
Fewer than two thousand Marines remained to defend William Port.
Moreover, the two sides had already begun fighting at close quarters.
The enemy vastly outnumbered them!
If reinforcements did not arrive soon, they really would not be able to hold the port!
Malone ordered Grady to urge the reinforcements again and ask where they were.
Inside the base of Branch 191.
The Marines were all busy with their own tasks. Some wiped the blades in their hands, while others oiled and maintained their rifles.
They were making preparations before battle.
However, base commander Victor was still not anxious in the slightest.
Even though Lieutenant General Hagen had urged him again and again, Victor still had not issued the order to depart.
Buru buru...
Buru buru...
The Den Den Mushi began ringing again.
Victor reached out and picked up the receiver.
The Den Den Mushi mimicked Lieutenant General Hagen's expression and voice, speaking anxiously: "Haven't you reached William Port yet?"
Victor replied, "We'll arrive soon."
Lieutenant General Hagen had heard similar words many times already.
His patience was on the verge of being exhausted. Suppressing his anger, he said coldly, "Colonel Victor, I know you have connections in Headquarters, but this is the South Blue. Branch 191 is under my command, and you need to obey my orders."
Victor was Marine Admiral Zephyr's disciple. After graduating from the military academy, he had remained in Headquarters. Rumor had it that he was transferred to the South Blue because he had violated military discipline.
Although his rank had not changed, a colonel in Headquarters possessed far greater authority than a branch colonel!
Victor replied, "Sir, I understand what you mean. I will hurry to provide support as quickly as possible."
After hanging up, Victor said to the officers around him, "We'll depart in five hours."
"Yes!" the officers answered in unison.
The battle continued throughout the night.
The Heide Pirates had not expected Branch 189 to be so difficult to overcome.
Only after suffering nearly two thousand casualties did they finally enter the city.
However, almost none of the Marines inside the city remained.
At that moment, Colonel Malone had already lost all his comrades. He was surrounded on every side by a group of pirates.
They were like a pack of hungry wolves surrounding an injured tiger.
The white Marine uniform on Malone's body was stained with blood. There were seven blade wounds across his chest, while his arms and thighs bore more than eleven bullet holes.
Blood kept pouring from his wounds, and his Justice Cape was tattered.
Even when outnumbered, he had never retreated.
This was his justice!
"Get out of the way."
At that moment, a deep voice rang out.
Malone panted heavily, gripping his battle blade as he stared ahead.
A tall man wearing a suit of heavy black armor appeared in Malone's field of vision.
The man walked toward Malone step by step, each footfall bringing him a greater sense of pressure.
The man's name was Heide. He was the captain of the Heide Pirates, and the Marines had placed a bounty of forty-five million Beli on his head.
Heide's weapon was a huge, dark iron hammer.
The iron hammer weighed five hundred kilograms!
Anyone struck by it would have their bones smashed to pieces!
Yet in Heide's hand, the hammer seemed weightless.
Heide stood five meters tall. Holding an iron hammer more than three meters long, he looked capable of crushing everything in his path.
"Ho ho ho ho~~~"
"Die, Marine!"
Heide gripped the hammer and charged straight at Malone.
Burdened by his heavy armor, Heide ran like a heavy tank, yet he was not slow.
With his leg wounded by a bullet, Malone could not rely on agile footwork to leap aside and dodge. He could only roll awkwardly across the ground.
The iron hammer struck the muddy ground, sending a large spray of gravel and black mud into the air.
Malone looked even more disheveled, and gravel had cut his cheek.
The iron hammer in Heide's hands swung up again.
The hammer came crashing down.
An entire building was smashed to pieces!
Malone had already used all his strength to dodge, and he was panting heavily.
"You won't be able to dodge this blow."
A savage smile spread across Heide's face as he swung the iron hammer up again.
Sure enough, Malone could not dodge this time. He could only grip his blade and block.
However, the battle blade in his hands was smashed to pieces beneath the giant hammer's assault.
Malone was slammed hard into the ground. His entire chest was crushed flat, and his breastbone shattered.
He was dead!
"Hmph." Heide lifted the hammer and gave it a light shake, flinging off the flesh and blood. Then he ordered, "Move faster. Don't leave behind even a single coin."
"Understood, boss!"
"We're rich this time!"
The pirates were all excited. With no troublesome Marines left, they could plunder William Port to their hearts' content.
As pirates, they were all highly skilled at their profession.
The pirates quickly looted vast amounts of gold, silver, and money, and abducted many people.
Women and children in particular fetched much higher prices than men at the slave market!
Before you continue