Disband?

Chapter 044: Disband?

Leo's initial goal was singular: to establish his authority.

However, he ended up accomplishing two other things besides that.

They happened naturally.

First, he instilled confidence in them.

Leo had expected them to lose many men before gaining such confidence. But he hadn't anticipated that the quality of the Marines back then was truly subpar. Pirates who had only undergone fifteen days of emergency training were enough to inflict heavy damage on them—though the firearms stockpiled by the Kuja Pirates certainly played a significant role.

And second, he trained them in post-battle first aid.

He had been teaching this for a full fifteen days, but Leo had no idea how much they had actually remembered.

This engagement with the Marines was like a major exam. Whether they remembered Leo's first aid knowledge, how many people they could save, or even if they harbored prejudice against the Marines, all of it was part of the test.

Leo aimed to forge the ultimate people's army, a force that the populace would cheer for as they passed, feel secure in their presence, and never have to worry about their discipline.

Now, his prestige within this pirate crew was firmly established. Even for Great Bay Blade William, within this crew, within this force, Leo's word was now absolute.

William seemed to have no objections to his authority being usurped, acting so quietly that even Wood and Barbaro couldn't understand.

It appeared William and Leo had reached an unspoken agreement regarding the future of the Cutlass Pirates.

This was no longer something they could question, so they all quietly shut their mouths and followed Leo's arrangements.

The next tasks kept them busy for the entire morning: admitting the Marines, tying up the sailors one by one, tallying their gains, their spoils of war, and confiscating the Log Pose and various documents from the Marine ship's cabins—these were all extremely valuable items.

Leo directed them in a continuous rotation, overseeing everything himself. It was clear he possessed the characteristic trait of the Grand Government ingrained in him: needing to micromanage everything, trusting no one, and interfering in all matters.

However, this micromanagement and interference were beneficial, because there were indeed many fools in this world...

Even after Leo explicitly stated three times to use clean cloth strips to clean wounds and stop bleeding for the injured, some pirates still threw used ones into the pot of clean boiling water.

What were originally three buckets—one for initial washing, one for wringing out, and one for clean boiling water—were all mixed up and contaminated.

Then there was the pirates' lack of sensitivity towards the spoils of war; they almost threw the books from the captain's cabin overboard. If Leo hadn't been watching, they probably would have tossed them straight into the sea.

Finally, their attitude towards the injured was careless.

The pirates treated the Marines merely as prisoners, or even as test subjects.

Expecting them to empathize with the Marines and treat them with care was absolutely impossible. But deliberately hurting the Marines while bandaging their wounds was an act of gratuitous conflict.

As he scurried about, the three sisters of the Empress, who had been hiding in the ship's cabin, finally emerged, revealing their true faces.

Leo put the Den Den Mushi directly into his pocket; it was a crucial strategic resource, as was the Log Pose. Seeing Leo so busy he was about to catch fire, everyone wanted to help but couldn't find a way to get involved.

Leo was implementing a system that was unprecedented, a set of principles and rules completely different from this world.

Only by first understanding his ideology could one grasp the significance of his actions. Only by comprehending why he was doing this could one truly and wholeheartedly push this endeavor forward.

For instance, Leo never viewed the Marines as enemies. He believed that most Marines could be won over, which was why he treated them with such warmth, making the Marines feel that this man was entirely different from those other pirates.

Yet, before defeating these Marines, he was as hard as iron, completely disregarding their lives.

The Spade Pirates, who had witnessed the entire event, felt a chill run down their spines, unable to comprehend Leo's mindset. They saw him as either a hypocrite or someone with a split personality.

But the Marines who only saw Leo's friendly side, especially Iska, seeing Leo sweating profusely as he rushed to save her subordinates, couldn't help but develop a good impression and curiosity towards him.

Her leg had already been bandaged by the Spade Pirates' ship doctor, Masked. Leaning against the ship's railing, she watched Leo's busy figure and asked, "Who is he? Why are you working with the Cutlass Pirates?"

Since the Spade Pirates hadn't intervened at all earlier, Iska felt no hatred towards Ace. In fact, she felt her face flush with embarrassment from crying so hard in Ace's arms earlier, and now she couldn't bring herself to face Ace to ask him. Instead, she asked Masked, who had helped her bandage her leg.

They were old acquaintances, merely a fated encounter between a Marine and a pirate.

"Him? He's the mastermind who defeated you, the culprit behind the entire incident," Masked said, a shiver running down his spine. He forced a wry smile, lit a cigarette, and exhaled a puff of smoke, as if greatly relieved. "He? How is that possible? He's so scrawny..."

"He's a freak who defeated a hundred well-trained Marines with a hundred ordinary pirates," Ace interjected, sitting on the ship's railing next to her, legs crossed, gently pushing his hat brim down with his fingers, carefully observing Leo's actions.

"This matter has nothing to do with being fat or thin, strong or weak, or even Devil Fruits."

"It's like magic."

The Spade Pirates' crew members chimed in one after another. They had witnessed the entire scene. They could only describe their feelings about these weak pirates, each of whom they could defeat twenty to one, transforming into an army that even they together might not survive against, using the word "magic." Just as they were about to say more, Leo's shout interrupted everyone's actions.

"Gather!" Leo appeared on the other side of the ship's railing at some point, raising his arm, palm together, pointing skyward. He stood like a javelin, or like a banner, causing all the pirates to instantly drop their tasks. Within five to six seconds, using his arm as a reference, they reformed into a square formation.

Both the Spade Pirates and the Marines stared, mouths agape, unable to say a word.

Are these even pirates?

"Very good! It seems my half-month of training was not in vain. Now, do you still remember what I told you when we first met?"

"I promised you that as long as you completed all my orders, I would let you go once we left the Calm Belt."

"Now, it is time to fulfill that promise."

PS: First update. Monday. Can I get some recommendation tickets for encouragement? (Humbly)