The Pirates' One-Sided Defeat

Aboard the warship, once all the pirates had fled ashore, a questioning look entered the adjutant's eyes.

He turned to Sakazuki.

Sakazuki gave a slight nod, and the adjutant waved his hand and issued his orders.

"All hands!"

"Cease fire!"

"Prepare for close combat!"

"Yes, sir!"

The soldiers aboard answered in unison. This was standard practice aboard Sakazuki's ship.

Once the pirates' escape route was cut off, they were always finished off in close combat.

It was not just about training the troops, but also preparing them for their future. Flowers raised in a greenhouse could not withstand a battering.

"Ready!"

"Give me...!"

Bang, bang, bang, bang-

Hiding behind a boulder, the pirate captain held a sword in his right hand and raised his left. He was just about to swing it down and order his Pirates to open fire, seizing the initiative.

The Marines approaching the shore seemed to have read his mind.

A line of Navy Soldiers appeared along the railing, raised their rifles, and cut him off.

Their suppressing fire kept the hiding pirates from daring to show their heads, the gunshots ringing out without pause.

"Damn it!"

"Grab your weapons and wait for the Marines to come ashore!"

"Hack them to death!"

With his intentions anticipated and thwarted by the Marines, the pirate captain shouted in frustration.

Moments later, as the warship reached shore, the gunfire stopped.

Navy Soldiers leaped from the deck one after another, charging at the pirates with swords in hand.

The pirate captain poked his head out from behind the boulder.

Seeing the Navy Soldiers leap off the warship with their swords drawn, he shouted:

"The Marines are coming!"

"Get them!"

Carrying a broad sword half as tall as a man, he charged out first.

His men shouted as well, working up their courage:

"Kill all the Marines!"

"Follow the captain!"

"Charge!"

They followed their captain in a frenzied charge at the Marines.

Unlike the pirates,

every soldier on the Marine side remained silent and expressionless.

With swords in hand, they clashed with the pirates, ruthlessly reaping their lives.

Shhk!

The sound of blades piercing flesh rang out again and again.

The clash of steel echoed and mingled across the beach.

In just a few moments,

the pirates had already lost nearly half their men.

Clang!

The captain struck the Marine soldier's sword in front of him, forcing the man back.

He looked at his men around him, nearly half of them dead or wounded.

The pirate captain shouted in anger:

"You useless bastards!"

"Fight like your lives depend on it!"

"The Marines won't let us go!"

"Kill them!"

The pirates' crumbling morale recovered a little.

A frenzied gleam flashed in their eyes.

"Yeah, the Marines won't let us go."

"Kill them!"

"Follow the boss!"

"Charge!"

Watching the increasingly frenzied pirates,

a field officer cut down the pirate charging at him, then raised his sword.

"Pick up the pace!"

"Finish the fight!"

The Navy Soldiers fighting silently on the beach suddenly shouted in unison:

"Yes, sir!"

Their voices rang with soaring morale.

With the Marines' spirits running high, pirate after pirate was killed or had their limbs severed and was left on the ground.

On the bloodstained beach, the cries of battle gradually faded.

"Help! I don't want to die!"

"I was wrong!"

"Please, sir! Let me go!"

"Boo-hoo! My child hasn't grown up yet! Spare me!"

"I'll never do it again!"

Gradually, only agonized wails and pleas for mercy remained, as countless pirates wept and begged for their lives.

"I haven't become a great pirate yet!"

"How can I die here?!"

"Get out of my way!"

As he watched his men die and heard their wails, fear gradually filled the pirate captain's heart as well.

He could only roar to bolster his courage, driving back the Marine soldier before him with another slash.

Suddenly, he spotted something. Hope flashed in his eyes, and he abruptly ran off to the side.

"Quick... quick!"

"Bring them over here!"

"Ahahahaha!"

His voice trembled with excitement.

He ran toward the figure holding four children at the edge of the beach off to the side.

Bam!

He kicked away his subordinate, who had frozen in terror at the scene on the beach.

"Get lost!"

He snatched the captured children and held them in his hand.

He laid the broad sword in his right hand across a child's shoulder, looking somewhat deranged.

"Ahahahaha!"

"All of you, stop!"