Rescue!

Learning that Vice Admiral Akita was leading a force to attack Frances Island, Bourne ordered the old, weak, women, and children to be captured and held in a hidden location.

At the same time, weapons and ammunition were distributed to the strong men, forcing them to participate in attacking the Marines.

This was also why the Bourne Pirates, numbering over three hundred, only had slightly over two hundred appear.

The remaining hundred were responsible for guarding the captured old, weak, women, and children.

It had to be said that Bourne was a guy with great courage and formidable strength.

He dared to hand over weapons to the men without any worry of them rebelling.

And so, the following scene unfolded: thousands of 'pirates' with crazed expressions charged the Marine positions.

Among them, only slightly over two hundred were actual pirates from the Bourne Pirates; the rest were all original inhabitants of Frances Island.

"It seems it's about as I guessed."

Morito nodded inwardly, understanding dawning on him.

From the moment he noticed something was off about these 'pirates,' he had begun imagining various scenarios.

Especially after confirming that these 'pirates' were island residents, he had guessed they were definitely being threatened by the Bourne Pirates.

This was because their facial expressions were too rich with emotion.

Unwilling, reluctant, frenzied, guilty, angry, humiliated.

If these people were willingly cooperating with the Bourne Pirates, they wouldn't have displayed such a wide range of emotions.

They would only show one emotion: bloodthirsty slaughter!

"Do you know the location where they are being held?"

Morito asked.

"I'm not sure of the exact location, but Frances Island isn't too large, and the only suitable place for holding captives would be in the deep mountains."

The burly man replied.

"Then you'll come with me."

Morito lifted the burly man, who was two heads taller than him, with one hand. With a shift of his steps, he vanished from the spot.

Morito decided to inform Vice Admiral Akita of what he had discovered. However, Vice Admiral Akita and Bourne were currently engaged in battle, and it was unlikely he would have time to manage these matters.

Morito then found the adjutant. As the adjutant to a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral, he himself was a Colonel, equivalent to a Captain.

His strength was also not to be underestimated.

Smoker was also only a Colonel at the beginning of the plot.

"So there was such a hidden reason behind this. No wonder so many people suddenly appeared from the Bourne Pirates."

Colonel Doug mused after hearing everything from Morito.

He rubbed his chin and pondered for a moment, then immediately issued an order to a Second Lieutenant beside him, "Second Lieutenant Jimmy, you heard what just happened, right?"

"I now order you to lead two hundred men to go and rescue them!"

Second Lieutenant Jimmy's expression showed some hesitation. "If I take two hundred men, what about here?"

Although the enemy had changed from pirates to residents, the densely packed mass, like ants, was simply too numerous.

The Marines were already at a numerical disadvantage, and he was taking away one-fifth of their forces, leaving even fewer Marines to defend the port positions?

"Rescuing them is the priority. I will hold the line."

Now that he knew the enemy were civilians being forced, how could Doug be ruthless?

He decided to hold the line and stall for time until all the people on Frances Island were rescued.

"Yes!"

Second Lieutenant Jimmy saluted and began organizing a squad of Marine soldiers, about to depart.

At this moment, Colonel Doug called out to him.

"Wait!"

Doug glanced at Morito and said, "Take him along as well. After all, he's the one who discovered the intelligence regarding Frances Island."

If the rescue went smoothly, the battle for Frances Island could end quickly.

This was a great contribution.

Although Second Lieutenant Jimmy looked down on Morito, a Reserve Navy officer, thinking he would only be a burden, he couldn't refute Doug's words.

"Don't slow us down then. You'll get your share of the credit."

Second Lieutenant Jimmy said coldly, then led his team away, as if trying to shake off a certain dead weight.

Morito indifferently followed at the very end of the group.

Would it really go that smoothly?

Probably not.

The group followed the burly native man into the deep mountains of the island. Morito was extremely cautious this time, using his Byakugan to scan the entire mountain, inside and out.

Indeed, as the burly man had said, over a hundred pirates were blocking the entrance, and in the mountain cave behind them, the elderly, weak, women, and children from the town were being held captive.

"It's definitely here."

Second Lieutenant Jimmy peered through his binoculars at the situation in front of the mountain. It wasn't easy for over a hundred pirates to hide.

He raised his hand, signaling for an attack.

Click, click, click!

Bullets were chambered, long swords were drawn, and the naval soldiers bent their bodies, like tigers about to be released from their cages, poised and ready.

"First squad, advance!"

"Second squad, provide covering fire!"

"Third and fourth squads, flanking assault!"

The force of over two hundred men was divided into four squads, each with over fifty men, making advances easier.

Mountain warfare wasn't something you could win with a headlong charge.

Morito wasn't assigned to any squad because Second Lieutenant Jimmy didn't trust him at all. He felt that a Reserve Navy recruit would definitely mess up the mission.

Since they were here to share the credit, he should just stay put in the rear.

A portion of the credit would be enough for Morito once the mission was complete.

"You stay here, keep an eye on enemy movements, and be ready to support us at any time!"

Second Lieutenant Jimmy shoved the binoculars he was holding into Morito's chest, then charged forward with the naval soldiers, brandishing his sword.

Morito expressionlessly hung the binoculars around his neck.

The words that were on the tip of his tongue were swallowed back down.

Support?

A bunch of idiots were walking right into a trap. How could he support them?

The next second!

Rumble, rumble!!

A series of explosions erupted. Except for the second squad, which was responsible for suppressing fire, the first squad, which was charging head-on, and the third and fourth squads, which were flanking, all charged into the minefield the enemy had laid.

The Bourne Pirates had only buried bombs in two locations. One was in the passage leading from the port to the town. Because Morito's cannon fire had disrupted the Bourne Pirates' plan, the battle at the port had escalated directly into a decisive engagement, and the bombs there had not been detonated.

The second location where bombs were buried was the slope in front of the mountain.

Regardless of whether anyone tried to take advantage of the chaos to rescue people, the buried bombs ensured that everything would go according to plan.

At this very moment, the bombs on this slope indeed had their effect!

"Second Lieutenant Jimmy!!"

Amidst the fiery explosions, a figure covered in soot was flung through the air, crashing directly into the second squad behind him.

It was Second Lieutenant Jimmy. He wasn't dead yet.

He was severely wounded, though.

"Quick, retreat..."

Jimmy felt self-reproach and guilt. He should have sent scouts first. He struggled to stand, propping himself up with his saber, and blocking in front of everyone.

Whoosh!

The hundred or so members of the Bourne Pirates guarding the mountain cave suddenly swarmed out, kicking them while they were down. In a furious assault, they wiped out the three naval squads, leaving none standing.

Blood stained the earth, flowing down the slope littered with corpses.

It gathered into small, crimson streams, incredibly glaring.

"You guys hurry and leave, tell Colonel Doug what happened here. I'll buy you some time!"

Although Second Lieutenant Jimmy was foolish and sharp-tongued, his heart was in the right place.

Facing a dead end, he chose to stay behind and cover the retreat, nor did he shirk responsibility for the naval forces' defeat caused by his mistake.

Because of this, Morito's impression of him improved considerably.

Pfft!

The Chakra from Morito's fingertip entered one of Jimmy's acupoints. His body immediately stiffened. Although his consciousness remained clear, he couldn't speak or move.

Morito casually tossed the controlled Jimmy to a nearby naval soldier.

"I'll handle the rest!"