Fire!

The speedboat gradually approached the port, and the pirates hidden in the shadows began to rub their hands together in anticipation.

Long swords were gripped, bullets were loaded.

As soon as Bourne gave the order, they would rush out and cut down these marines like vegetables!

The speedboat docked, and Akita leaped off, landing on the island first.

Morito and Kazan were about to disembark when they were stopped by a naval Second Lieutenant who had accompanied them.

He frowned at the two of them and said in a commanding tone that allowed no refusal, "You two stay here and guard the boat. We'll handle the island search mission. Understand?"

Kazan's expression darkened, and just as he was about to speak, Morito cut him off.

"Yes, Second Lieutenant!"

Is he worried someone will steal his chance to deliver himself to his death? He was speechless.

The naval Second Lieutenant was pleased with Morito's attitude and his expression softened slightly. "Stay here with peace of mind. The speedboat is relatively safe. This is for your own good!"

With that, he turned and leaped onto the small island.

"Weaklings should know their place!"

"You think this is a chance to earn merit? Don't end up losing your lives!"

A few nearby naval soldiers sneered before also jumping off the speedboat to land on the island.

Kazan's face darkened with each passing moment. He tried to speak several times but didn't know what to say. He wasn't someone who enjoyed pointless arguments.

Morito, on the other hand, seemed indifferent. There was no point arguing with frogs in a well.

No matter how you explained it to a frog, it couldn't comprehend the vastness of the sky.

The naval soldiers disembarked in a rush.

Only Morito and Kazan remained on the speedboat. Vice Admiral Akita had already landed and headed deeper inland, not noticing the commotion behind him.

Besides, the naval Second Lieutenant's order wasn't wrong.

Someone had to stay behind to guard the boat.

Otherwise, if the Bourne Pirates managed to steal or destroy their boat, wouldn't they be like turtles trapped in a jar?

Kazan didn't interact much with Morito, but he always felt that Morito wasn't someone who would easily suffer a loss.

"Do you have something in mind?"

Kazan stared intently at Morito. Although it was a question, his tone was full of certainty.

He was convinced Morito had a plan.

Morito didn't answer. Instead, he activated his Byakugan.

On both sides of the narrow valley passage leading from the port to the small town deep within Frances Island, no fewer than two hundred pirates were hidden in the trees on the cliffs.

They had the advantage of height and terrain.

Armed with guns and cannons, concealed in the forest, they held the initiative.

Ambushing on the mountain walls at the entrance wasn't a particularly profound strategy, but simple tactics often proved surprisingly effective.

"If we don't do something, I'm afraid all twenty-odd of them, except for Vice Admiral Akita, will perish here."

Morito muttered to himself and turned to walk towards the interior of the speedboat.

As a naval speedboat, it was naturally not an ordinary civilian vessel. This small speedboat was equipped with a sophisticated cannon system.

While it couldn't compare to the cannons on a warship, it could at least make some noise, right?

If they hadn't known about the ambush on the island, these naval soldiers would have died as glorious sacrifices, and Morito certainly wouldn't have felt sad or guilty about them.

Marines capture pirates, pirates kill marines.

The sea wasn't a playground; one had to be prepared when setting sail.

However, since Morito knew about the pirate ambush on both sides of the passage, he couldn't just watch his comrades throw their lives away.

"Can you operate a cannon?"

Morito pushed a cart of cannonballs out of the storage. The Naval Academy taught basic combat weapons like guns, cannons, and swords.

It was just that Morito, who often skipped class, had never truly learned.

He could probably hit the water with a cannonball, but whether he could hit a person would be up to fate.

"What do you want to do?"

Kazan didn't have the Byakugan and couldn't see the hidden pirate ambushers on the island.

But he felt Morito wouldn't do anything pointless.

"Aim for that spot above the cliff, where the big banyan tree is. Fire the cannon there. You have to be accurate!"

Morito pointed to Bourne's hiding spot, which was also the optimal position for the ambush.

Kazan didn't doubt him and immediately adjusted the cannon's aim towards the old banyan tree above the cliff.

Aim, adjust, ignite, fire!

All in one go!

A loud bang came from the speedboat as a cannonball tore through the air.

Vice Admiral Akita's group, heading deeper into the port, and Bourne's pirate crew on the cliff face—everyone's attention was focused on the cannonball that had suddenly entered the battlefield!

Following the parabolic arc of the cannonball, the gazes of the Marines below and the pirates on the cliff face finally met.

"It's an ambush, just as I suspected!" Akita drew his sword and shouted, "Prepare for battle!"

"Get out of the way!"

Bourne, on the cliff face, dodged immediately, while the pirate lackeys beside him let out loud cries of alarm.

Although in the Pirate King setting, cannonballs could only create splashes.

Who would be brain-dead enough to test it with their own body?

No reminder was needed; before the cannonball landed and exploded, the pirates hidden in the forest deep within the cliff face quickly jumped out.

RUMBLE!!

A massive shockwave erupted, and a mushroom cloud instantly bloomed above the cliff face.

Seeing that they could no longer hide, hundreds of pirates bared their fangs. A pirate holding a gun raised his hand and fired.

WHOOSH!

A bullet pierced the battlefield and hit a Marine soldier directly.

Blood spurted, and the soldier fell.

The battle immediately began!

"Why is a cannonball being fired this way?"

Bourne's face was a mix of purple and green. If those Marines had walked just ten more steps, they could have detonated the bombs buried at the entrance.

Then, they could have swarmed them and finished off the remaining enemies in an instant.

But because of a stray shot, they were exposed!

"Attack! Suppress the mountain with artillery fire!"

Vice Admiral Akita, worthy of being an elite and seasoned Marine general, showed no panic despite the fall of the Marine soldiers beside him.

He immediately shouted orders into the Den Den Mushi, "Target the forests on both sides of the cliff face by the entrance and fire cannonballs in a parabolic trajectory!"

"Yes!"

The adjutant who had been holding the telescope had already noticed the situation on the island.

He was wondering why a cannonball was suddenly fired from the speedboat towards the cliff face at the entrance. Now he realized that those two Marine soldiers must have discovered the enemy and were using this method to warn them!

A warship's adjutant was not just an adjutant; he also served as a staff officer, and his intelligence was definitely online.

"If it weren't for that warning cannonball, Vice Admiral Akita would probably be trapped in an enemy ambush right now!"

Secretly wiping away a cold sweat, the adjutant quickly calmed down.

Now was not the time for exclamation; he had to bring the warship closer, suppress the pirates with artillery, and give the Marine soldiers a chance to land and fight!

"Ports one, three, five, seven, nine, aim upwards diagonally at where that cannonball exploded, and fire!"

"Yes!"

CLICK, CLICK, CLICK!!

Cannonballs were loaded, and barrels were adjusted.

Then, a dense barrage of cannonballs was fired, forming a rain of steel that smashed towards the mountainside.

"Ports two, four, six, eight, ten, aim, prepare!"

"Fire!"