Pirates: Invincible from the Start

A spark flared, and wisps of smoke rose.

Once the cigar was lit, Stainless let go and leaned his head back against the mast. He watched the clouds drift overhead, his thoughts churning.

Honestly, if he had not been a veteran Vice Admiral, the sight inside that cruise ship might have driven him to desert the Marines!

In his decades as a Marine, he had heard of darker things, but he had never witnessed them himself.

What had happened here was the darkest, ugliest, most sickening thing he had ever seen.

Pulling himself from his thoughts, Stainless turned to the captain standing beside him, watching him with concern. He waved a hand. "Hurry and deliver the food to the Silver Hair Crew aboard the cruise ship!"

"Once you've delivered it..."

He paused, lowered his head, and took an angry drag on his cigar. He opened his mouth and let the smoke drift out past its corners.

"Once it's delivered, set sail. As for our mission, we've failed. Mr. Sengoku already knows."

"Oh!"

"Well? Get going."

Stainless looked up at the captain, who was still standing beside him, and sharpened his tone.

"Understood!"

The captain saluted, then turned toward the galley.

Before long, he returned with two rows of Marines carrying several buckets of food to the side of the ship.

They tied ropes to the buckets and lowered them over the side.

At the bow of the cruise ship, A-Luo and A-Tao straightened up at once, hurried to the rail, and caught the descending buckets.

Thud!

An iron bucket landed on the deck with a dull thump.

"Pretty heavy. There's a lot in here!"

A-Luo untied the rope, looked up at the Marines, and called, "Thanks!"

One of the Marines called back without thinking, "You're welcome."

"Uh!"

Then they remembered