Encountering the Hunting Knife Pirates

It was the twenty-fifth day of drifting through the waters around Four Seasons Island.

The recruits aboard the Training Ship were in low spirits because they had been unable to find any trace of the Hunting Knife Pirates. Even the Marine Intelligence Department had sent them no news.

If they had not won a major victory in Chunyu Town at the beginning, the recruits' morale would probably have been even worse.

Although it was frustrating, this was simply the norm for Marine missions. The sea was vast and boundless. Finding a pirate crew could be easy or difficult, depending on the circumstances.

Zephyr could only encourage and comfort them in this situation. Though he was anxious as well, his many years in the Marines had long accustomed him to this process. The recruits from the Training Camp, however, were different. Veterans like Carl were few and far between.

While everyone else was depressed and had nothing to do, Carl was overjoyed.

He had avoided encountering Weevil and could happily slack off. This was practically the Marine life he had dreamed of for so long. It would have been even more perfect if he had a beautiful woman for company.

After twenty days of accumulation, Carl had successfully raised his physical constitution from C-rank to C+, and he had mastered the techniques related to the Six Powers to perfection.

Put simply, he knew everything Lucci knew, and even what Lucci did not know. He was not inferior to Zephyr by much, either. The only difference was strength. That was all.

"Whew~ Big Brother Carl, how are you so happy every day? Aren't we about to fail our internship mission?"

Ain looked at Carl, who was leisurely fishing while sitting on the railing, and complained helplessly. She was incredibly frustrated.

They had originally wanted to show off during their internship instead of scrubbing the deck and maintaining the ship every day, but Carl was an exception.

No, he seemed to have always been like this.

"Hahaha, Ain, you haven't been in the Marines long, so you don't understand. This is the normal state of Marine life!"

"Apart from special missions, intelligence is the most important thing when it comes to capturing pirates. Without intelligence, all we can do is rely on luck."

Ain pursed her lips in distress, then sat down beside Carl and gazed at the azure sea.

"Sigh! I really envy your attitude!"

"Hehe, you'll get used to it. You'll get used to it! Wait, I've got a bite!"

Carl hurriedly raised his fishing rod. A half-meter-long sea fish landed on the deck and thrashed about, making Ain's eyes light up.

She rushed over, grabbed the fish, and handed it to Carl. Yet, during the process, the fish kept shrinking. By the time it reached Carl's hands, it had already become a tiny fry.

Seeing the stiffness in Carl's handsome expression, Ain covered her mouth and giggled. She seemed delighted to have played a prank on him.

"There's something ten nautical miles away at twelve o'clock! It's a pirate ship!"

A loud shout rang out from the Lookout Tower. All the recruits froze for a moment before their spirits soared. Finally, something had happened!

Ain's expression turned serious as she quickly said to Carl, "Big Brother Carl, stop fishing. The pirates are here!"

In the distant sea, a pirate ship sped across the waves. Chaos reigned aboard.

"Damn it, these Marines are like ghosts that refuse to leave! Men, pass on my order! Full speed ahead! Ignore those damn Marines!"

The speaker was none other than Zacur, captain of the Hunting Knife Pirates. With a bounty of 24.5 million Beli, he had originally been a bounty hunter before becoming a pirate. He had earned his reputation through his superb swordsmanship.

"Captain, this is bad! Those Marines are chasing us! Our ship isn't as fast as theirs!"

Zacur's brows knitted into a knot. In the end, he made up his mind. He drew the blade at his waist, raised it high, and roared.

"Since the Marines refuse to stop chasing us, escaping is pointless! We're the Hunting Knife Pirates! Men, fire!"

"Ooooooh!" "Kill the Marines!"

Aboard the Training Ship, Zephyr slowly lowered his telescope, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"They've given up running? Hmph! They don't know their own limits."

"Carl!"

"Here!"

Zephyr turned toward Carl, who was dressed in a white Marine uniform, and said in a deep voice, "You'll command this battle as well. Don't disappoint me."

"Yes, Teacher Zephyr!"

Carl's expression turned serious. Seeing the anticipation and yearning in the recruits' eyes, he sighed helplessly. Perhaps this was what being a dad felt like.

"May the Holy Light bless you!"

The recruits closed their eyes involuntarily, feeling power and vibrant life force surge through their bodies. In unison, they let out a roar: "The Marines will prevail!"

"All hands, full speed ahead! Gunners, adjust the cannons immediately and await my order!"

"Yes!"

The Training Ship immediately increased speed and charged toward the pirate ship. Several wildly inaccurate bombs fell into the sea far from the Training Ship, sending up splashes.

"Pirates will be pirates! They're so eager to fire from this distance. How could they possibly hit us?"

Carl watched the disorderly scene aboard the pirate ship through his telescope and laughed. He quietly waited for the pirate ship to enter their attack range.

"Gunners, prepare... fire!"

Boom, boom, boom~

The cannons fired together. The black shells flew toward the pirate ship with shrill cries like deathly prayers. Although several still fell into the sea, even more exploded violently across the pirate ship.

Several holes suddenly appeared in the pirate ship, while fragments of its hull scattered across the sea.

"Damn it! What are you all good for? We fired so many shells and didn't hit them once, while the Marines tore our ship apart with a single volley!"

"You useless idiots! A bunch of useless idiots!"

Seeing the battered state of his ship, Zacur flew into a rage and berated his underlings, spittle flying from his mouth.

"Zacur, why don't we bring the ship alongside theirs and fight the Marines head-on? We might still have a chance." The speaker had a calm expression and seemed to be the brains of the pirate crew.

His words carried weight. Under his persuasion, Zacur soon calmed down.

"You're right. We can't just sit here and wait to die. We might as well risk it. I want to see whether the Marines can withstand my Karasu!"

Vice Captain Lake looked at the completely black long blade in Zacur's hand, a trace of envy in his eyes.

He was a swordsman as well. What swordsman wouldn't want a good blade?

The Karasu in Zacur's hand was a Famous Blade—the Fifty Ryo Wazamono, Karasu. It was thanks to its sharpness that Zacur had been able to make a name for himself.

"Men, bring the ship alongside theirs!"

At Captain Zacur's command, the hull creaked and groaned as it moved toward the Training Ship.

"Oh? These pirates want to engage us in a boarding battle? Are they insane? On my command, fire!"

If cannons could eliminate the enemy easily, why bother with a boarding battle? Carl certainly did not want to fight one.

Close-quarters combat on land could not be helped, but pulling this kind of stunt at sea was just absurd.

Wouldn't it be better to blast their ship apart, then deal with the pirates once they were floundering in the water?

Boom, boom, boom~ The cannons fired again.