Ryu believed that Hina's earlier response showcased the skills of an exceptional naval commander. Upon learning of the enemy's actions, she promptly made the necessary arrangements.
"You all return the same way, head straight back to the warship. I'll keep watch on the coast; I'll take the Den Den Mushi to ensure I can contact Read Admiral Hina at any time!" After hanging up, Ryu said to his team members.
Only the communications officer seemed somewhat conflicted. By regulations, the Den Den Mushi was not supposed to leave the communications officer's side, but given the situation, he understood that accompanying Ryu would be a burden, creating some hesitation.
Normally, a squad like this wouldn't even be assigned a communications officer, but Hina likely knew of Ryu's connection with Garp and specifically sent him.
"Don't worry; I'll explain to Major Hina afterwards. If there are any consequences, I'll take full responsibility!" Ryu noticed the communications officer's concerns and patted his shoulder.
Feeling a bit awkward, the communications officer scratched his head and gratefully said, "Thank you, Boss Ye!"
After parting from his squad, Ryu pushed himself to the maximum speed. Though he had yet to learn lightness skill, his movement speed was already impressive due to the infusion of internal energy.
Before long, he approached the coastline but did not venture out; instead, he concealed himself.
At the same time, having received Ryu's warning, Hina led the main forces back while contacting the navy stationed on the warship, keeping an eye out for any sudden attacks from the pirates.
"Rear Admiral Hina , the pirates have reached the designated position and are currently observing the personnel left on the warship!" Ryu, hiding in the shadows, reported the situation while watching the pirates' movements.
"Good. Keep a close watch on them. If they show any signs of fleeing, notify me immediately!" Rear Admiral Hina sat in the cabin, gazing out at the calm sea.
Just moments ago, they had arrived at the warship ahead of the pirates and were now ready to go as soon as the pirates took the bait.
"Report, Rear Admiral ! We have spotted the pirate ship; it's approaching us!" A marine officer quickly informed Hina .
After pondering for a moment, Hina commanded, "Raise anchor and slowly retreat to lure the pirates into chasing us!"
If they completely ignored the pirates, the pirates would surely suspect something. Now that they had detected the pirates, the remaining personnel would likely prioritize self-preservation before calling for the "outside" help of Hina .
As expected, upon noticing the warship's retreat, the pirate ship suddenly accelerated toward the naval vessel.
"Great! Once we're in range, fire immediately and close in on the pirate ship!" Hina said with a slight smirk, watching the pirates take the bait.
"Yes, ma'am!" The marine soldiers instantly fell into combat mode.
Meanwhile, hidden by the coastline, Ryu watched the approaching pirates and suddenly realized he had forgotten something crucial.
When the warship's cannons opened fire on the pirate ship, Ryu's eyes widened as he shouted, "What the hell! My diamonds!"
If the pirate ship sank like this, the bounty would be out of his reach. Although he had never tried it before, for someone like Ryu, who was in desperate need of diamonds, risking 5,500 diamonds was simply too extravagant.
At that moment, watching the pirate ship attempting to turn and flee under the warship's firepower, Ryu felt the urge to fly over. But despite the proximity of the two ships to the coastline, by the time he swam over, it would probably be too late.
"Damn it! Didn't we agree that I'd handle the pirate captain? What happened to trust between people?" Ryu cursed Hina for not keeping her word, frantically moving around like a headless chicken.
"Boom~"
Finally, the pirate ship was hit by the slowly approaching warship. Although it didn't sink immediately, it had lost its chance to escape!
"Forget it!" After finally finding a small wooden boat, Ryu saw the pirate ship get hit and didn't care about anything else. He paddled toward the pirate ship, hoping to capture "Lone Wolf" Jax before the pirate ship sank.
"Look! Isn't that Boss Ye? What's he doing?" The navy crew also noticed Ryu paddling toward the pirates.
"Could it be…" Hina looked thoughtfully at Ryu, who was straining to row, exhaling a puff of smoke.
"Boom~"
"Damn it! Stop firing!"
As the warship closed in on the pirate ship, it fired again. Pirates were already jumping overboard to escape. Ryu was so anxious he was about to start swearing. The wooden boat's speed was limited, and he feared he would miss the final catch.
"Fire again! Sink that ugly pirate ship, and everyone prepare to rescue any pirates who fall overboard! Don't let a single one escape!" Hina commanded confidently from the deck.
This time, due to her effective command, the navy had nearly zero casualties while capturing the Wolf Pack Pirates, making her particularly pleased. As for Ryu still paddling in the water, she had already forgotten about him.
"Yes, ma'am!" The soldiers on the ship immediately sprang into action.
By the time Ryu arrived, the pirate ship had completely sunk, and the main captains of the pirates had been captured by the navy. Though some minor pirates might have slipped away during the chaos, the navy didn't mind anymore.
"Rear Admiral Hina , wasn't it agreed that I would capture the pirate captain?" After climbing aboard the warship, Ryu confronted Hina with a grim expression.
"Are you questioning me?" Hina took a puff of her cigarette, looking at Ryu with interest.
"I wouldn't dare!" Ryu stared back at Hina , his demeanor showing no signs of submission.
"Don't worry. I'll accurately report this in the records. Your contributions won't be overlooked, and since I promised, the capture of the pirate captain will also be credited to you!" Hina said with an understanding expression, thinking Ryu was upset about being robbed of credit.
"I don't care about the credit! What about that wolf pirate captain? Since he's been captured, I want to challenge him. Is that allowed?" Ryu remained hopeful as he made his request.
Hina looked at him in confusion. Was he not upset about the credit after all, but merely a battle maniac? Recalling Ryu's earlier challenges to the officers, she realized he might indeed just be a combat enthusiast.
"Bring Lone Wolf Jax up!" After understanding Ryu's intentions, Hina nodded and had the captain of the Wolf Pack Pirates brought aboard.
"Here, choose any weapon you want; don't hold back!" Ryu personally unlocked Jax's handcuffs, taunting him.
Thinking he was doomed, Jax didn't expect to be brought up to fight the navy soldiers. Licking his lips, Jax pulled a knife from a nearby soldier and charged at Ryu without hesitation!
"Hmph! Trash! How can someone with this level of strength have a bounty of 55 million?" Within ten minutes, the battle concluded.
At this moment, Jax lay unconscious on the deck, while Ryu had gained only experience from the encounter, not a single diamond of the 55 million bounty, leaving him particularly displeased.
"Alright, it's over. His bounty reflects the great negative impact of his actions, not his actual strength! Let's head back and take care of things in town!" Hina explained to Ryu, waving for the soldiers to take Jax away.
"Ma'am, we need to report this to headquarters, after all…" Hina's aide stepped forward and whispered to her.
"Regardless, we need to deal with the bodies first; Hina can't leave them here like this!" Hina said, holding her cigarette, gazing at the deserted town on the nearby island.
The aide sighed and turned to make arrangements.
Ryu, however, was puzzled and didn't understand what they were discussing.
"Boss Ye, that pack of wolves from the Wolf Pack Pirates slaughtered all the villagers in the town. The bodies are piled up in the center; they didn't spare even the elderly and children!" A navy officer pulled Ryu aside to explain quietly.
"What?" Ryu asked in shock.
Although he had suspected something like this, he couldn't be sure. After all, such actions wouldn't benefit a pirate crew; keeping villagers to do their bidding was the best strategy. Just like in the village where Ryu had previously lived, once under pirate rule, as long as you paid, you wouldn't be killed for no reason.
"Moreover, the World Government will certainly cover this up; otherwise, it would create too much negative impact. So, most of those bodies and this island will have to be dealt with!" The navy officer, noting that it was likely Ryu's first experience with such horrors, spoke in a steady voice.
Ryu turned abruptly to the officer, disbelief in his eyes. "Why?"
While he had known from watching the anime that such things were commonplace for the World Government, experiencing it firsthand was still hard to accept. People were dead, yet they wouldn't even have the chance for a proper burial—wasn't that a bit too much?
"Because the World Government needs stability, and the world needs peace. That's why it has to be done this way. If you think it's wrong, then just wipe out all the pirates, and such things won't happen again!" Hina approached, smoking her cigarette as she explained.
Ryu gritted his teeth, refraining from arguing back. He knew that while the pirates were responsible, the inaction of the World Government, which only sought to cover up the truth, was also complicit.
However, debating with Hina at this moment was pointless, so Ryu turned and left, returning to his cabin to rest.
"Rear Admiral!" The navy officer, who had just spoken to Ryu, seemed to want to offer an explanation, but was interrupted by Hina's wave.
"Let him rest on the ship. Hina can understand this; she's very pleased!" Hina flicked the ash from her cigarette, showing no dissatisfaction with Ryu's behavior.
..............
Started editing the chapters now ^^
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