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Even if some soldiers were unwilling to join forces with pirates, in such a situation, their only choice to survive was to align with Harry.
Moreover, Captain Harry did not explicitly state that he was allied with the Blood Wolf.
Besides, Captain Harry was the second in command at the Marine base, so joining him couldn't be considered a betrayal.
With this self-deceptive mindset, many people immediately made their choice.
Those behind Harry remained unmoved, while nearly two-fifths of Vaughan's soldiers switched sides with Harry.
Among those who left, some stood at the rear of Harry's ranks, too afraid to look Vaughan in the eye, while others appeared relieved as if they had narrowly escaped a disaster.
In a moment, only less than 10% of soldiers remained behind Vaughan, mostly comprising veterans who had followed Vaughan for years.
Vaughan watched the departing soldiers with a complex expression, his will somewhat diminished, but he didn't utter a word of dissuasion.
He had no right to ask others to sacrifice their lives for him.
Harry looked at the dejected Vaughan and laughed arrogantly,
"Hahaha, you made the right choice because only this way can you save your lives!"
For Harry, the situation was becoming increasingly favorable. Byakuya sighed as he observed the complex situation before him.
Everyone thought they were on the second level while others were on the first.
Harry and the Blood Wolf were scheming against each other, but in reality, as long as one's strength was sufficient, any amount of scheming would be in vain.
At this moment, Harry noticed Byakuya still standing behind Vaughan and couldn't help but taunt,
"Oh, kiddo, you're still standing by Vaughan's side."
"Looks like you're not afraid to die! I remember this is your first time in combat, right? Do you know what death tastes like?"
"Have you ever felt a bullet pierce your body? You're young, you have plenty of beautiful youth to spend, no need to follow Vaughan, a dying man."
"As long as you're willing to follow me, I can guarantee you'll live well, at least... you won't be a short-lived ghost."
With a playful expression, Harry looked at Vaughan.
Harry knew Vaughan treated Byakuya very well, so if even Byakuya chose to betray Vaughan at a time like this, it would be a heavy blow to him.
Vaughan sighed deeply and looked at the somewhat naive Byakuya behind him, unable to bear it in his heart,
"Harry's right. You're still young, no need to die with me, a cripple. Go join Harry."
"After I'm gone, Harry won't have any interest in targeting you. You can choose to live a normal life."
Harry tempted, "That's right! For the sake of your life, you should join me, Byakuya. At least, with me, you'll be able to survive!"
Listening to the two's words, Byakuya seemed to have made his decision and walked slowly toward Harry.
The veterans behind Vaughan muttered under their breath, "Traitor!"
"Captain Vaughan treated you so well, yet you chose to betray him at such a critical moment!"
"Byakuya, do you think you can survive by siding with Harry?"
"..."
Vaughan looked at Byakuya's retreating figure with a somewhat pained expression, but he also breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, stopping the old men behind him from speaking further.
Seeing this, Harry grinned even more triumphantly,
"Hahaha, Vaughan, look at this! Even Byakuya, whom you've looked after for so many years, chose to betray you."
"How incompetent can a Marine Captain like you be!"
Just as the two sides were arguing incessantly, Byakuya, halfway there, suddenly stopped. Byakuya said calmly,
"Lord Harry, don't you feel like a clown yourself? I was still considering how to justify killing you, but it turns out you handed me the reason yourself."
"Conspiring with pirates to harm a Marine Captain, such a serious crime, wouldn't it be justifiable to kill you on the spot?"
As soon as Byakuya said this, the whole place fell silent.
Harry looked into Byakuya's calm eyes, feeling an inexplicable sense of palpitation in his heart.
Vaughan was also startled by Byakuya's arrogant words.
Harry's lackeys behind him stepped forward, pointing their guns at Byakuya, disdainfully saying,
"Heh, you worthless piece of trash, dare to talk big. If Captain Harry didn't want to spare your life, I would've killed you right n..."
Before the words even finished, Byakuya suddenly exerted force with his legs, and with a boom, two craters appeared on the ground, and his figure disappeared from everyone's sight.
Byakuya's speed was so fast that there was only a residual image, and even Harry couldn't catch Byakuya's position.
The next moment, Harry felt a warm sensation on his right cheek.
Mechanically turning his head, he saw the soldier who had spoken earlier had turned into a headless corpse.
The warm sensation on his face was the blood splattering onto it.
Under the blowing sea breeze, the blood mist fell on the faces of the soldiers behind him.
The headless corpse collapsed with a thud. The scene fell into a deathly silence!
No one had expected Byakuya, who was usually seen as worthless, to be so powerful.
"Lord Harry, haven't you taught him not to interrupt when adults are speaking?"
Byakuya stood beside Harry, wearing an innocent smile on his face.
A few drops of crimson blood splattered on his fair complexion, making him look extremely terrifying.
"This... How is this possible?"
Harry instinctively took a few steps back, trembling as he uttered these words as if he had exhausted all his strength.
"Your strength... How can it be so strong?" Not only Harry but even Vaughan was dumbfounded now, even once doubting if he was dreaming.
With the strength that Byakuya had just displayed, even his prime self probably wouldn't be a match.
Hearing this, Harry seemed to understand something and turned to look at Vaughan, his voice sharp,
"Vaughan! You knew about Byakuya's strength all along, didn't you? So, this was all part of your plan!"
"I didn't expect it! I never expected it! You, who were always brave but lacking in strategy, have learned to hold a trump card."
Vaughan was left dizzy by Harry's words, looking bewildered, "Is that so?"
"Damn it, did I know about Byakuya's strength all along?"
"Is all this my arrangement? Or am I dreaming now?"
Not only did Harry think so, but even the old men behind Vaughan had the same thoughts.
"Captain Vaughan, you hid it well!"
"No wonder the Captain didn't stop those people from leaving earlier, it turns out he wanted to see who would choose to leave at a critical moment. It's truly a clever strategy!"
"Frank, didn't you just curse Byakuya as a traitor?"
Frank glared fiercely at the person who spoke, wishing to kick him on the spot, then quickly explained,
"I didn't know earlier that this was all Captain Vaughan's arrangement, ignorance is not a crime."
"Besides, wouldn't my curse seem more genuine now?"
Indeed, after witnessing Byakuya's strength, Frank felt a bit guilty, afraid that Byakuya might hold a grudge against him for cursing him.
If he came looking for trouble, what should he do?
As they continued chatting, the atmosphere gradually eased, no longer facing death as their only option. The situation began to change subtly.
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