“Are these guys crazy?”
Even without using Observation Haki, she was sure that this fire had nothing to do with these pirates because pirates wouldn’t burn themselves down while setting a fire.
Flames couldn’t harm Lunarians; they are naturally favored by fire. Besides controlling their own flames, they also have a high resistance to external fire. To her, this kind of fire was no different from room temperature.
However, she smelled a gasoline-like odor in the air, indicating a strong accelerant. What happened next explained everything.
Intense gunfire erupted from the outskirts, and everyone on the street became a target. Whether they were civilians or pirates, the people outside were shooting indiscriminately.
An old lady and a young man next to her fell down in panic. Although her heart remained entirely unflustered, she unfurled the wings on her back to shield them from the incoming bullets.
Often, Shayna’s behavior resembled a contradictory mixture of indifference and apathy towards things unrelated to Arceus and herself.
Back then, Setsuna was able to attract her attention because of her useful sense of smell, but when things happened right before her eyes, she wouldn’t ignore them entirely. For instance, she had saved Setsuna in passing back then.
Even though it wasn’t her goal, she had unlocked her chains, allowing her to hide in a safe place.
She wouldn’t specially save someone, but when ordinary people nearby her are in danger of dying, she didn’t mind lending a hand.
“Find a place to hide yourselves.”
Flames enveloped Shayna’s wings, and she reached her maximum strength; these bullets couldn’t harm her at all.
“Th-Thank you.”
“Hurry up, I don’t have time to look after you all the time.”
With that, she waved her hand forward, clearing a path in the sea of flames.
Since the day she regained her freedom, her goal had been to become more rational, but there hadn’t been much progress, and most of the time, she remained a creature driven by emotions.
“It was you people who attacked me first.”
Being attacked meant that this matter was no longer unrelated to her, giving her a reason to act.
The fire had sealed off the entire village and was spreading rapidly under the influence of the accelerant and wind. Initially, the pirates on the streets were the first targets of attack, but as the fire spread, the entire village was affected.
“Lieutenant Commander Draw, isn’t this going too far?”
Most of the Marines were on guard outside, with only a few trusted subordinates following Draw into the burning village. They were here to finish off the remaining pirates.
“I asked you, what are the charges against this group of pirates we’re pursuing?”
“Robbery, murder, they’ve plundered many villages and towns.”
“That’s right, we’ve barely managed to corner them. If we let them escape again, won’t more people suffer? Sacrificing the people of this village to protect many others from danger, what’s wrong with that?”
Looking at the flames burning around him, Draw felt no inner turmoil.
“If you want to blame someone, blame those pirates. Ever since the Great Pirate Era began, so many people have been harmed. I’m just working hard to eradicate the pirates.”
“As long as pirates remain in this world, countless innocent people will have to keep living in fear. To eradicate them, necessary sacrifices are unavoidable.”
Saying this, he raised his right hand towards a person who appeared to be a pirate and pressed a switch. A jet of flame erupted from his hand, and the fiery red flames clung to the person like cancer, directly burning the struggling man to charcoal.
The strange object hidden under his coat was revealed. Draw had cylindrical weapons mounted on both arms, resembling rocket launchers or tonfa, but two pipes extended from the back of the cylinders, each connected to containers hanging on his waist.
Starting from the rank of Ensign, Marine members will receive the justice coat issued from above. When they reach Captain, they can wear other attire according to their preferences in addition to the justice coat. Underneath Draw’s coat, there is a peculiar set of devices.
“The stuff from the research department is really useful. We Ally should have more of these.”
This flamethrower set was an experimental product from the research department, originally intended for use by the biochemical unit to destroy hazardous materials. However, the combat effectiveness of this weapon was decent, so a batch was released for testing, and Draw was one of the testers.
From the front end of the cylindrical device, intense flames burst forth.
The fuel from the connected fuel containers at the other end of the pipes kept converting into flames, and even some unburnt buildings were ignited. In the blink of an eye, the surroundings were completely engulfed in flames.
Along with the burning buildings, some screams also emanated from within.
“Lieutenant Commander, isn’t this too much? Those people might be ordinary villagers.”
“Are you all fools? The people in this village have already been killed by the pirates. We’re here to eliminate the pirates.”
Draw said heartlessly; this matter couldn’t be exposed, or his job would be finished. Therefore, both the pirates and those who knew too much had to be eliminated here.
Furthermore, the contributions from eliminating wicked pirates are more.
“This isn’t the first time. We’re all in this together. Keep your mouths shut, or nobody will have a good ending.”
“Yes.”
“Besides, I’ve told you before, don’t overthink it. These pirates can bring military accolades. Only by attaining higher positions can we better eliminate the pirates. For the safety of the majority, the deaths of these people are justified. It’s all the fault of those wicked pirates. If you feel guilty, then eliminate a few more pirates in the future.”
Draw’s flamethrower continued to release flames, and he used this reason to explain to his subordinates.
“Only by swiftly eradicating the pirates can there be peace in the seas. We are fighting for justice!”
If he wanted to climb to higher positions, he cannot be just a lone wolf. People like Garp have their own factions. He doesn’t have Garp’s strength, so he must quickly groom these people who are already bound by interests.
At this moment, a nearby building collapsed with a loud bang due to the raging fire. However, just before it collapsed, a small figure was pushed out of the window.
Seeing the little girl with her skin on fire, Draw frowned.
“Give her some first aid.”
“Lieutenant Commander… This?”
“What’s the matter? We’re Marines, Ally of Justice. How can we ignore an injured child? She doesn’t look like a pirate at all, and she probably has no idea what’s going on.”
However, as he looked at the collapsing building and the seemingly struggling arm, he still aimed the flamethrower in that direction.
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