This island has more than one harbor, and this Marine team had landed on another harbor. They are now heading towards another harbor where a pirate ship is docked. At the same time, a warship also approached the harbor.
“Those pirates are in for trouble. It looks like this Marine team is heading straight for them.”
This formation clearly indicates a well-prepared encirclement. It seems they’ve had their eyes on them for a while now.
“They deserve it. Who told them to be so brazen?” Daring to dock a pirate ship displaying the pirate flag openly at the island’s harbor, even if it’s under the control of a non-allied kingdom, could attract the attention of the Marines.
Whether or not they get apprehended in this situation depends entirely on the commanding officer’s interest. If it were an allied nation, the situation would be more complicated.
Even they, to avoid unnecessary trouble, hide their ships in hidden locations while out at sea. The behavior of these pirates from Paradise come across as excessively flashy.
“Not necessarily. There have been some remarkable newcomers in recent years. Maybe it’s the Marines who are in for trouble. A mere Marine Lieutenant Commander – if you didn’t know better, you’d think he’s a Rear Admiral.”
Lieutenant Commanders like this one are considered basic level officers in this sea. There are many of them, and they make up the Marine’s base level command system.
Marines of this rank are simply beneath their notice. Although they might not be a match for them individually, they are not the leader of this team. To take them down, they’d need at least a Vice Admiral from the headquarters leading the way, and it would have to be one of those Vice Admirals at the level of monsters.
“Never mind, it’s not our concern. Let’s restock our supplies quickly. If they want to fight, let them.”
They continued talking as they made their way toward the town’s defensive line. Along the way, they also took out a Den Den Mushi.
“The weather isn’t great. Just saw a seagull pass by, but it was a small one.”
Den Den Mushis aren’t rare commodities. Snails used to make Den Den Mushi are widely available in the sea, and some skilled individuals can even make Den Den Mushi by hand.
Moreover, there is a whole industry of accessories and decorations for Den Den Mushi. The required parts are quite cheap, and you can find them on most non-remote islands.
As for taming them, it’s not a problem at all. This species’ greatest interest is finding a human to feed and house them, so that they can lead a life of leisure.
It’s not strange for civilians to use Den Den Mushi, but it’s odd to emphasize Marines. After all, ordinary people wouldn’t pay much attention to where the Marines are going.
They use this method to transmit messages when encountering situations outside, as a precaution against prying ears.
Seagulls here refer to the Marines, implying that they weren’t seen as a significant threat. With that,they continued down the path to restock their supplies.
Meanwhile, the Marines who were trying to capture the pirates didn’t have much success. Although they had blocked the pirate ship, there were only a few pirates left on board.
“Lieutenant Commander Draw, we learned from the captured pirates that the others from the ship went to the village on the east side of the island.”
This island doesn’t have just one village. There are villages and towns scattered throughout the habitable plains. The village on the east side of this island is also a relatively fertile residential area.
“Lieutenant Commander Draw, it seems they’ve just left not long ago. What should we do?”
“Do I even need to say it? We’re Marines, Ally of Justice. Of course, we have to bring those pirates to justice. Everyone, move out and eliminate those pirates!”
Saying this, he pulled out his pistol and shot several of the captured pirates. He had no intention of sparing these ordinary pirates.
This group of Marines is one who had passed by the Beasts Pirates’ procurement team before. Beasts Pirates’ people went to the town in the center of the island, where trading was more convenient. Although the prices there might be slightly higher than in the surrounding villages, the variety of goods was more comprehensive.
What they needed to restock wasn’t just food and freshwater; they also required tobacco, alcohol, medicines, and some materials for making gunpowder.
When these pirates returned to their gathering point with supplies, Shayna was still nowhere to be seen.
“Where’s Boss? Why isn’t she here?”
“Boss always explores the entire island whenever we reach a new one. Did you forget that? She’s probably planning to stay here overnight.”
As they watched the sun begin to descend, they started setting up camp and making a fire. Resting on land was a welcome change. Although the ship’s cabins were relatively spacious, the lower-ranking crew members had to sleep in bunk beds. Only the officers have separate rooms.
On land, they could find more spacious places to rest.
As for when Shayna would return, that wasn’t something they needed to worry about. Even if they all fight her together, it wouldn’t be sufficient to take on Shayna alone.
“Let’s go. I think that stew will need to simmer for a while. We can explore the nearby forests; who knows, we might stumble upon Lord Arceus’ plates by chance. That Mandrell is so lucky he can find it even when he’s delivering goods. I refuse to believe my luck is that bad.”
Based on Shayna’s habits, she would start exploring from far away areas, leaving the closer areas to her subordinates. After she returned, she’d search any leftover areas. However, it turned out that Mandrell’s luck was difficult to replicate.
They didn’t find any plates, but they did manage to bring back a wild boar.
“Why did you bring it back? Its meat tastes bad.”
“Why not give your cooking skills a try? Who knows, it might turn out well. But on another note, is there any sort of fireworks or evening party happening around here?”
“I haven’t heard of any such thing. This island isn’t known for its tourism, so there aren’t those kinds of events here. Haven’t you seen enough of Onigashima’s fireworks?”
“It’s not that, but there’s a fire on the east side of the mountain, it seems quite lively.”
As the exploration team said this, the campsite suddenly fell silent.
“Did the boss go to the east side too?”
“Doesn’t boss…often use fire?”
The pirates exchanged glances and then unanimously got up and ran in that direction. While they might not be able to help much, they could at least clear the area.
In the village to the east of the island, Shayna felt like she had inexplicably gotten herself involved in some trouble. She had simply entered the village for a stroll. Mandrell’s experience had highlighted one thing: while others couldn’t harness the power of the Plate, they could use it in different ways.
For instance, they could use it as a table, a grinding stone, or even build a house with it. Thinking along these lines, exploration became significantly more challenging.
So, she was just strolling through the village with the radar in her hand. However, she unexpectedly encountered a group of pirates. These pirates had no connection to her, and she was typically quite indifferent towards matters unrelated to her.
Back then, meddling in other people’s affairs could have easily led to her demise. However, these pirates had just begun their pillaging, and a massive fire quickly enveloped the village.
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