Eyes That Saw Through Everything

"Shelling? Not boarding combat?"

Luomen blurted out, seemingly surprised by Morito's decision.

Not just Luomen, but everyone else was also very surprised by Morito's decision.

Shelling was indeed the most important part of naval warfare. If they could sink the enemy ship, letting them drown in the sea would certainly be convenient.

But there was one point to consider!

Their naval combat training wasn't just training; more importantly, it was for earning military merits! With Zephyr, who had the strength of an Admiral, backing them, they could earn merits.

When encountering pirates in such a situation, they would usually roll up their sleeves and go at them!

If a few cannonballs destroyed the ship, and everything sank into the sea.

Where would they earn military merits?

"What, do you really want to board and fight?" Morito asked.

"Under normal circumstances, when encountering pirates, we should indeed use our artillery advantage to attack the enemy ship and reduce casualties,"

Kazan explained for Luomen.

After a pause, he added, "But the purpose of our voyage this time is not to test the power of the warship's artillery."

They were here for practical combat training, and to earn military merits!

Hearing this, Morito understood.

He didn't care about military merits, but that didn't mean others didn't.

Clearly, Kazan, Momonga, and Ulysses's goal was to earn military merits. They had boarded his ship because they believed their leader was too weak and that they could earn more merits through their own strength.

"You all share this opinion?"

Morito surveyed the group. Without a doubt, everyone was more inclined towards boarding combat.

Although he didn't want the trouble, since it was everyone's opinion, he couldn't go against it alone.

As he had said at the beginning, Morito didn't expect to have a great relationship with these people; maintaining superficial harmony was enough.

"Alright, then steer the ship over."

With Morito's command, the warship turned its bow and charged straight towards the pirate ship.

A fleeting joy appeared on the faces of the Luomen brothers.

They exchanged glances, and Vice Admiral Tarantula hadn't lied to them. They had barely left the waters near Marine Headquarters when they were given an opportunity!

The chance had been given; whether they could seize it depended on themselves.

The warship cut through the waves, sailing straight towards the pirate ship.

The few people on deck each had their own thoughts.

The air suddenly fell silent.

About five to six nautical miles from the warship, a pirate ship was fleeing frantically.

The hull bore many traces of damage from cannonballs.

Clearly, they had just gone through a fierce battle, and they had only briefly disengaged. The other group they were fighting was still in hot pursuit.

"Captain, the Marines have found us! That warship is heading this way!"

"The group behind us is still chasing us, what should we do now!"

A pirate grunt asked anxiously. They were in a dangerous situation, caught between a wolf in front and a tiger behind, the worst battle since they set sail!

Marines showed no mercy to pirates, and pirates were even more brutal to each other.

Captain Gāogǔ stood at the bow of the ship with a solemn expression, his hand gripping the railing, his hidden strength leaving five finger imprints on the railing.

The pursuers behind them were the Vulture Pirates, under the grand fleet of the great pirate Golden Lion's Flying Pirates.

Their captain, Vulture, was a ruthless man with a bounty of over 100 million.

Based on his strength alone, he was no match for Vulture. Escaping the battle was purely due to luck.

And now they had encountered the Marines.

They had no chance of surviving the pincer attack from both the Marines and the Vulture Pirates!

Moreover, their ship had taken several cannonballs and couldn't hold on much longer.

Since that was the case, their only option was to stir up trouble and make the Marines and the Vultures fight each other, so they could find an opportunity to escape!

A fierce glint flashed in Gāogǔ's eyes. "Charge!"

"Charge where?"

The pirate grunt didn't understand. "Charge" didn't mean that, did it?

Captain Gāogǔ grabbed the pirate grunt and said in a low, grim voice, "Charge towards the Marine warship!"

"But…" the pirate grunt hesitated, thinking the captain had lost his mind.

Going head-to-head with the Marines in this wreck of a ship?

Isn't that like setting up camp next to a cesspool—

Asking for trouble (death)?

"How much longer do you think this wreck of a ship, which is about to sink, can last?" Captain Gāogǔ asked coldly.

Being without a ship at sea is practically half a death sentence.

Those on the ship knew its condition best.

If they couldn't reach shore or get a new ship soon, a single large wave could wipe them all out.

"Captain, you mean..."

The pirate grunts weren't entirely stupid; they immediately understood Captain Gāogǔ's implied meaning.

Let the Marines and the Vulture Pirates fight, and they'd seize a warship in the chaos to escape!

The best ships at sea were, of course, warships!

"I'll steer the ship over there immediately!"

On the warship's deck, Morito had been keeping a close eye on the Gāogǔ Pirates, even spotting the Vulture Pirates further behind.

"That wreck is changing course and heading straight for us?"

"They're probably trying to lure the pirate ship with the bald bird on its flag behind them!"

He's quite a thinker, and also quite bold.

Morito calmly took out a stack of bounty posters and began flipping through them.

A bounty of 100 million Beli was a dividing line for pirates.

In the chaotic seas after the Rocks Pirates disbanded, a 100 million Beli bounty carried significant weight, even comparable to 300-500 million in the Great Pirate Era.

Morito was looking through bounty posters of pirates with bounties over 100 million.

"Did you find anything?"

Momonga, who was perceptive, saw Morito flipping through bounty posters and quickly asked.

Morito didn't want to reveal the secret of his Byakugan.

At this distance, even the Marines on the lookout tower hadn't reported anything. How could he possibly volunteer the information?

"Nothing, just looking at some famous people at sea, so we don't capsize, uh, get capsized later."

Morito casually lied.

Momonga didn't understand Morito's novel phrasing.

Kazan, however, thought Morito was worried about the warship capsizing and said with a laugh, "Although the warship we're on is classified as a small warship, its performance far exceeds ninety-nine percent of pirate ships."

"It won't capsize even in huge storms!"

"Oh, is that so? That's good then."

Morito replied perfunctorily and then paused his flipping of bounty posters.

He had found the pirate flag with the vulture emblem!

Under the Flying Pirates of the Great Pirate Golden Lion, the Vulture Pirates, captained by Vulture with a bounty of 102 million Beli.

"This is awesome! We ran into one of Golden Lion's underlings right off the bat?"

Morito glanced at the bounty poster's brief description of Vulture's abilities.

Vulture was a nickname, a nickname for his Devil Fruit ability.

Zoan-type, Bird-Bird Fruit, Vulture Model.

"Vulture should be able to fly, right? If he can fly, why did he let that nearly sinking pirate ship get so far ahead?"

At sea, the distance between the Gāogǔ Pirates and the Vulture Pirates had been maintained.

It wasn't because the Gāogǔ Pirates were faster, but because the Vulture Pirates were deliberately not catching up!

"At this distance, they should have spotted us by now. It looks like they're deliberately forcing the pirate ship ahead of them towards us."

"Do they want to use the Marines to take out those pirates? Or do they have another motive?"