Leo is from New World. He knows better than any young soldier around him who has just been transferred from the headquarters what the five words "Phoenix" and Marco mean.
So he didn't dare to move.
The surrounding navy soldiers did not understand. They only saw a pirate landing arrogantly in front of them, with a desire for military glory in his eyes. As long as Leo gave the order, they would not hesitate to pounce on this legendary beast and bite this legendary beast with their flesh and blood.
But he can't give orders.
Leo knows very well that all the people here combined are not enough to fill the teeth of the man in front of him. As the supreme commander of the Sphinx, he cannot let these young lives be sacrificed in vain for military glory.
More importantly, once a war breaks out, this island, which has finally regained its vitality, will turn back into purgatory in an instant.
He has only one choice now, to temporarily stabilize Marco.
Leo silently took Den Den Mushi from the soldier beside him and was about to dial Marshal's number.
"You are not allowed to harm the Captain!"
A childish roar sounded.
Immediately afterwards, several small stones flew over from a short distance, and hit Marco's body with a few snaps without any pain.
Leo turned his head suddenly and saw several dirty children running over the field ridge. The two boys leading the way were holding stones in their hands and glaring at Marco with a protective attitude.
"Damn pirates! Get out of our home!"
"You are not welcome here!"
Marco didn't dodge, or even frown. He looked down at the stones rolling down at his feet, and then looked up at the children who were baring their teeth like small animals. A smile slowly appeared on those always sleepy-eyed faces.
A smile that comes from the heart and is somewhat gratifying.
This is dad's hometown.
Everyone living here has received more or less favor from Dad. In Dad's heart, although the people of the Sphinx are not family members, their weight is completely different from others.
And now, these fellow villagers of their father are throwing stones at him as a pirate.
What does this mean?
It shows that the navy's coming here is not just about maintaining order. They have won everyone's hearts with their actions. They have truly protected this land with the justice that the young Marshal said.
"Stop!"
Leo Seeing this, his heart almost jumped out of his throat. He was afraid that the children's actions would anger the other party, so he stood in front of the children with a quick step, and pulled out the saber from his waist with a clang.
The tip of the knife pointed obliquely at the ground, and Leo said in a deep voice, "I will inform Lord Marshal. But before that, Whitebeard Pirates cannot log into the Sphinx!"
The smile on Marco's face continued, "This is impossible."
He put his hands in his pockets and took two steps forward casually. "We will all land on the island. As for the people's reaction, you can rest assured. As long as they don't take the initiative to shoot, we will not step into the town and will only camp in the cherry blossom forest on the outskirts."
"No!" Leo refused without hesitation, "There are fifty thousand of you! So many people landing on the island will cause uncontrollable panic!"
Marco's eyes narrowed slightly, and the lazy temperament disappeared instantly, replaced by a suffocating sense of oppression.
"I'm not negotiating with you."
"Just letting you know."
He stared into Leo's eyes and said in a deep voice, "What you have to do is take care of the people in the town and keep them away from the cherry blossom forest and stop disturbing us."
After saying that, Marco simply turned around and left, and blue flames began to light up on his shoulders.
Just after taking a few steps, he seemed to remember something, and suddenly turned around, his face regained its lazy look. "By the way, remember to tell you Lord Marshal."
"Tell him that Dad is waiting for him at the Sphinx."
Before he finished speaking, he turned into a ray of blue fire, rose into the sky, and disappeared into the sky.
Meanwhile, Sphinx Harbor.
"It's a pirate! So... there are so many pirate ships!"
On the watchtower, a villager on guard saw the dense black spots on the sea level through his telescope, and was so frightened that his voice changed.
The port fell into a brief silence.
But the next second, the expected panic and crying did not appear.
A strong man who was repairing a fishing net at the dock threw away his work, picked up a sharpened wooden stick nearby, stood on a wooden box, raised his arms and shouted, "Don't panic! The Navy Master is right behind us!"
"The house we live in now and the food we eat are all provided by the navy! Now there are pirates who want to steal all of this, do we agree to it?!"
"No!"
"Fight them!"
"For our new home!"
The people at the port roared in unison, and the men picked up the harpoons, oars, and iron rods at hand, while the women quickly led the children and the elderly into the sturdy stone houses. They did not flinch, but spontaneously organized a simple but resolute defense line at the port.
On the streets of the town, several young people were running as fast as they could, shouting at the top of their lungs, "The pirates are coming! The pirates are coming to kill us!"
Hearing the shouts, doors were pushed open.
But those who ran out were not panicked refugees.
The women quickly organized and took the elderly and children to the newly built shelter. The men, on the other hand, took out kitchen knives, axes, and even hoes from home, and without saying a word, rushed towards the temporary naval base that was still under construction.
"Open the door! Let us in!"
"We will fight with the Navy Lord!"
"We also need to protect our home!"
Hundreds of men armed with a variety of "weapons" surrounded the base gate.
"Everyone be quiet!"
A Navy Sergeant who stayed behind at the base ran out. He looked at the excited people in front of him and shouted loudly, "Don't panic, everyone! What you have to do now is to go home and protect your wives and children! It is the duty of our navy to fight the pirates!"
Among the crowd, a half-grown boy with a childish face squeezed out. He held up a pitchfork taller than himself and shouted, "Sir Sergeant! I have grown up! I also want to fight with you!"
The young sergeant looked at him and was silent for a moment. Then he stepped forward, patted the boy's shoulder hard, and said with a smile, "Don't worry, wait until you put on the military uniform and come back to join us!"
After saying that, he turned around suddenly, facing the same young comrades in the base, and pulled out the long knife from his waist, pointing the blade directly in the direction of the port.
"Brothers!"
"The time has come to make great achievements!"
"Everyone has--"
"Follow me!"
--
Please use love to generate electricity, there is true love in the world, and a free gift is also love.
(¯¯).