At the port, Morito, at the back of the group, noticed the pirates and a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.
It was no wonder he'd overlooked them. He'd only checked the area near the port and hadn't inspected the town inland.
"So there's more than one ambush. The real killing blow is waiting farther back?"
"The intelligence says Frances Island only has the Bourne Pirates, and they only number a little over three hundred. Did these several thousand people just appear out of nowhere?"
With Marine Headquarters' intelligence capabilities and those of the World Government's CP Organization, there was no way they could have missed such a major move by the Golden Lion.
This was several thousand extra people, not just a few dozen!
When it came to gathering intelligence, Marine Headquarters and the CP Organization were absolutely the best!
Without a doubt!
"And judging by how crazy they are, these people are practically willing to fight to the death!"
"Why are they all so desperate?"
A gunshot cut off Morito's thoughts.
Morito tilted his head slightly, dodging the bullet. Three pirates wielding long knives had already charged at him.
Their faces were twisted into fierce grimaces, but tears welled in their eyes.
"These pirates are strange."
Morito blurred forward and slipped between the three. He slapped one down, punched another flying, and kicked the third away.
His suspicions made him hold back. If he hadn't, how could these people have withstood a full-strength blow?
He stopped in front of one of them. "You don't seem like pirates."
"Could you be residents of this island? Why are you helping the Bourne Pirates?"
No matter how well a person disguised himself, he couldn't fake his bearing.
Frances Island made its living from winemaking, and its people were simple and honest. They were nothing like the fierce, murderous pirates.
Morito had unusually keen eyes. He could see that the men before him were genuinely reluctant and helpless.
"Does the Bourne Pirates have something on you?"
"I don't consider myself a good person, but right now I'm a Marine assigned to wipe out the Bourne Pirates. Vice Admiral Akita is with us, and he's powerful. Bourne is no match for him."
"If you're in trouble, you can tell me. If you keep fighting the Marines, there's only one way this can end for you."
The three men had been struck at their pressure points. Their bodies couldn't move, but they were fully conscious. They could hear Morito and think for themselves.
His words made them hesitate.
What did a vice admiral represent?
With no admirals around, vice admirals were the strongest!
How many admirals did Marine Headquarters currently have? Just Sengoku!
If the admirals were Marine Headquarters' marquee fighters, then the vice admirals were its backbone.
That was right!
The Marines had arrived to destroy the Bourne Pirates.
If they missed this opportunity, would Frances Island really have a future?
"We..."
One of them, a dark-skinned, burly man, set his jaw as if he'd made a decision.
But the moment he began to speak, his companion sharply cut him off.
"Shut up! Do you want to get them killed?!"
"But how do you know Bourne will keep his word? He's a pirate. Can pirates be trusted?"
The burly man shot back.
The other two pursed their lips, at a loss for words.
Anyone with a little sense could understand the truth. But people usually chose to avoid hardship instead of facing it.
They'd rather believe in the pirates' empty "code of honor" than fight back.
"I can tell you what happened on Frances Island, but can you really rescue them?"
The burly man was like a gambler. Knowing that the other path meant certain defeat, he could only wager everything on this one.
Still, in the first half of the Grand Line and the Four Seas, the Marines had a decent reputation for keeping their word.
With a few exceptions, most people were willing to trust them.
Besides, he'd seen how powerful Morito was!
He hadn't even seen Morito move before he and his companions were lying on the ground, taken down by a boy more adorable than a girl.
If a young Reserve Navy recruit was this fierce, how terrifying must the other Marines be?
People feared the strong and bullied the weak. It was human nature.
That was why Morito had managed to persuade the three men with just a few words.
"You didn't just attack Marines—you're helping pirates fight them in a large-scale battle. Have you considered what that means?"
"Even if things go as badly as they can, they can't get worse than they are now, can they?"
"If you want to save them, tell me what happened."
Morito made no promises. He simply told the three men the truth.
A promise was one of the heaviest things in the world. Morito wouldn't make one lightly.
Most pirates were like Blackbeard. Pirates like Whitebeard, Red-Haired, and Straw Hat were the exceptions.
Not every Marine was necessarily righteous, but it was an undeniable fact that they kept the seas stable.
Without the Marines, the seas would sink into endless darkness and chaos.
The three men's expressions shifted. They'd only thought about saving their families; they hadn't considered the consequences of helping pirates fight the Marines.
Morito's words rang through their hearts like a bell.
That was right. They were helping pirates fight the Marines...
What on earth had they been thinking?
"I'll tell you everything that happened on Frances Island. I only hope you can rescue them. Afterward, we'll accept whatever the Marines decide to do to us!"
The people were simple and honest, but they were also timid.
A burst of passion alone couldn't drive away the villains. They could only place their hopes in the Marines.
Then,
The three natives of Frances Island took turns describing everything that had happened there recently.
The Golden Lion had taken a liking to Frances Island's fine liquor and sent the Bourne Pirates to occupy the island.
Everything had gone on as before, except that they had to provide some of their liquor to the Flying Pirates.
In return, the Golden Lion's flag protected Frances Island.
It had been a harmonious, mutually beneficial arrangement.
The Bourne Pirates hadn't done anything too outrageous, and life had seemed to improve.
But just last month, a major event had shaken the first half of the Grand Line!
The Vulture Pirates, one of the Flying Pirates' main fleets, had been crippled by the Marines. Their captain, Vulture, had even been killed in battle!
The incident enraged the Golden Lion. In his fury, he dropped a floating island onto the Marine G5 Branch in the New World.
He'd razed the Marine G5 Branch to the ground.
The Golden Lion wasn't stupid. He was a shrewd and calculating warlord.
He knew Marine Headquarters and the World Government wouldn't let the matter go, and he was preparing for a major battle with Marine Headquarters.
He sent out scouts, spies, informants, and an intelligence network that spread like a web.
After learning some of Marine Headquarters' plans, the islands under the Golden Lion's protection began making preparations.
The Bourne Pirates' solution was to force the people of Frances Island to join the battle!
The Bourne Pirates had only a little over three hundred members, while intelligence said that a full thousand Marines were coming to attack Frances Island!
And they were led by a veteran vice admiral!
Before you continue