Rebellious Marines

Aboard the Vidalya Glory, after a brief bout of chaos, the marine Aig looked toward his comrade Lawrence.

According to Vitalia Island's laws, anyone traveling with a noble had the duty to protect that noble's safety. If the noble was assassinated, every companion would be guilty.

Jordas was a noble, and also the trusted confidant of the island's lord, Jabus.

Now that Jordas had been slain by Hawkins, with Jabus's iron-fisted methods, once they returned to Vitalia Island, there would be only one road awaiting them: death.

Aig's gaze fell on the second mate, who was crouching on the ground and clutching Jordas's corpse. Suddenly, he swung his blade and chopped off the second mate's head.

Before the marines could react, Lawrence said in a low voice, "Jordas is dead. Even if we return to Vidalia, Jabus will surely execute us. The death of one noble means all of us have to be buried with him. Brothers, do you think that's reasonable?"

"Of course it isn't reasonable. Going back means a dead end. We might as well head out to sea and become pirates." Aig gritted his teeth and answered, holding a blood-dripping scimitar.

The marine Sas hesitated. "No, I can't become a pirate. My wife is pregnant and will soon give birth to my child. If I become a pirate, the nobles won't spare her."

"So we need to kill the first mate and Jordas's personal guards as well. Then we kill the Son of Pirates, pretend to be members of the Blackblade Pirates, and spread rumors that the Blackblade Pirates sank the Vidalya Glory.

"Then we won't be traitors anymore, but heroes who died gloriously. Not only will our families be safe, they'll receive a pension, and we won't have to die either!" Aig stared at Sas as he laid out his plan.

"But the Son of Pirates knows witchcraft!"

"That witchcraft cost him an arm!"

"What if Jabus makes a move?"

"Then after spreading the news, we'll flee immediately. As long as we escape the Seven Seas, Jabus won't be able to do anything to us."

"Going back now means nothing but death. Brothers, choose!"

"I don't want to die, and I don't want to drag my family down with me. Captain Aig, I'll listen to you."

"Me too. I don't want to be hanged!"

After a round of discussion, all the marines were persuaded.

In truth, it was not a difficult choice. Between life and death, anyone who did not want to die would choose life.

This first mate was Jordas's steward, truly one of Jordas's confidants, so he had to die.

Since they could not be sure whether the remaining marines were trustworthy, Aig led the marines in slaughtering those who had not gone with them earlier.

After killing everyone, Aig turned to face the others and said solemnly, "Brothers, there's no turning back for us now. Only by killing the Son of Pirates can our families remain safe, and only then can we survive!"

"Kill the Son of Pirates!"

"Kill Hawkins!"

"Kill the Son of Pirates!"

The marines bristled with killing intent as they answered in unison.

Aig looked at the sailors who had joined them and ordered, "Keep the Glory stable. It can't sink yet. Everyone else, come with me to the Black Knife."

"But there's still a storm raging outside. We can't walk over like the Son of Pirates did," Sas said worriedly.

Aig thought for a moment, then smiled. "I have a way."

His method was very simple. He tied a thick rope around his waist, then climbed across using the chains. If he fell into the sea, everyone only needed to pull the thick rope and drag him back aboard. If he reached the Black Knife, the rope would become a safety line, allowing the other marines to cross over easily.

The method was indeed simple and effective. After failing twice, he climbed aboard the Black Knife.

"Come on. Kill the Son of Pirates, and this ship will be ours from now on." Aig drew his blade and headed straight for the cabin.

Inside the cabin, Hawkins had not closed the captain's cabin door. Beyond it was the passage leading directly to the deck.

He sat facing the door, so when the group of marines entered, he noticed them at once and revealed a helpless expression.

"What a strong smell of blood. How many people did you kill?"

After Aig and the others blocked the doorway, Hawkins swallowed the last piece of dried meat he had found in the room and voiced his question.

Although Hawkins made no move, simply sitting in the room with calm, composed eyes was enough to intimidate the marines.

Aig was still somewhat wary. Hawkins's method of killing Jordas earlier had been unheard of and unseen before. If Hawkins was willing to sacrifice his right hand, he could still kill one of them.

"Jordas was a noble. You killed Jordas, so even if we return to Vitalia Island, there'll be only a dead end for us. So... Captain Hawkins, we've decided to work for you." Aig lowered his head slightly as he explained.

Hawkins asked worriedly, "Quite a few of you have families, don't you? Once you betray Jabus, what will happen to your families?"

"That's why we need your help, Captain. You can tell the outside world that you defeated Jordas and killed every crewman aboard the Glory. As long as Jabus believes we're all dead, he naturally won't trouble our families," Aig said.

After hearing this, Hawkins nodded. "Good idea. Then we'll do it that way."

"Thank you, Captain, for taking us in." Aig bent at the waist in gratitude.

Hawkins smiled. "Actually, I bear no ill will toward you. If we can get along peacefully, that would be for the best."

"That's what I think too. Being able to coexist peacefully is... wonderful." As Aig spoke, he rose to his feet. The moment he finished saying "wonderful," he suddenly flung a throwing knife.

Hawkins leaned slightly to the right, effortlessly evading the throwing knife. Then his right hand made an inconceivable motion behind him, directly catching the knife as it flew past the left side of his neck.

He looked regretfully at Aig and said, "Do you know? When people lie, their scent is actually different from usual. And countless microexpressions betray what you truly think."

"Move!" Aig shouted.

He was the first to rush through the door, raising his blade to chop at Hawkins. But in the next instant, he saw the sharp tip of the throwing knife.

Hawkins hurled the knife, then rose and stepped forward in one smooth motion. Just as the knife struck Aig between the brows and he fell, Hawkins caught the man's right hand with his own right hand.

He raised Aig's hand and used Aig's blade to block Lawrence's attack. Then, with a slight pull, Aig, who should have fallen, abruptly rose again. Under Hawkins's control, he blocked Sas's path, and Sas slammed straight into Aig's corpse.

Taking the blade from Aig's hand, Hawkins moved like an elegant dancer, leisurely dancing among the marines. The sharp edge effortlessly cut open their skin and claimed their lives.

With his brain in an overclocked state, the marines' movements were like slow-motion footage. Hawkins needed only half a minute to deal with all of them.

"They could have gotten along with me. Why did they have to meet blade with blade?"

Hawkins looked at the corpses strewn across the floor and sighed helplessly. Then he tossed the scimitar in his hand onto the ground and returned to bed to rest.

This body was far too weak. If he had not eaten just now, he really might not have been able to defeat those marines. Now he had to sleep; his body could no longer hold on.

Once Hawkins's body entered a sleeping state, the marines controlled in the other rooms emerged one by one and began clearing away the corpses on the ground.