That group of pirates had a ship anchored by the shore. It was surprisingly a standard Marine Headquarters warship!
On the beach next to the warship, a huge bonfire was burning brightly.
More than ten pirates were gathered around the fire. Every one of them was covered in wounds and looked exhausted.
Like beasts that had been hungry for three days and nights, they were wildly tearing at half-cooked meat. At the same time, they were gulping down large mouthfuls of rum.
Their leader was a giant man nearly three meters tall. One of his arms was wrapped in thick bandages, and blood was still soaking through them.
"Damn... we finally survived."
A one-eyed pirate swallowed a mouthful of meat whole. "We're so lucky!" he said, his heart still shaking from the fear. "To actually run into a Marine warship here! If we hadn't, our old wreck of a ship would have sunk in another half hour!"
"You're right about that," another pirate added, taking a large gulp of wine.
"I wonder if that female Marine with the sword caught up to us. Damn, she was a true monster!"
At the mention of that woman, all the pirates stopped moving. The atmosphere became even more heavy and suffocating.
"Don't even mention it!" a pirate who was bandaging his wounds roared. "The Boss... she cut the Boss and his sword right in half with one strike! My legs are still shaking just thinking about it!"
At the mention of their boss, all the pirates stopped moving. The atmosphere became even more heavy and suffocating.
The giant man, built like a steel tower, slammed his rum barrel onto the sand. "Shut the hell up, all of you!" he growled. "The Boss is dead, so I'm the new Boss! Once we've rested, we'll set out again. We'll get revenge for the Boss sooner or later!"
He spoke bravely, but deep in his eyes, there was fear he couldn't hide. That fear had already betrayed his words.
Aiden shifted his gaze from the celebrating pirates to the warship they had taken as a prize.
The hull of the ship was covered in battle scars. There were large patches of dark red bloodstains that looked horrifying against the ship's side.
The Marine flag had been torn down. A pirate was currently using it to wipe the mud and water off his feet.
Aiden put down his binoculars and closed his eyes. He focused his Observation Haki to the limit and slowly scanned the warship.
On that massive ship, there was no sign of life at all. There was only a deadly silence.
Aiden remained hidden in the shadows of the cliff. His mind worked quickly, connecting all the clues in an instant.
"I see..." he analyzed calmly in his mind. "A group of pirates being chased by the Marines panicked and fled into this sea area."
"Then, they found a ship on the outskirts of this deserted island. It was a ship meant to guard and protect us rookies. And then... they killed all the instructors on board and stole the ship."
Aiden understood immediately. The Marines on this warship had fought to the death and refused to retreat because they were worried the trainees on the island would be caught in the crossfire.
Looking at the Marine warship, he felt a strange sense of regret and pity.
Aiden sighed softly.
A second later, he quickly adjusted his focus. There were more important things to do right now.
He didn't act immediately. Instead, he combined what he had just heard with his own observations to make a final risk assessment.
"They were chased to this point by a powerful female Marine. There are currently no female Admirals in Marine Headquarters. This means the person chasing them is, at most, at the level of a Vice Admiral."
"She killed their captain in one hit. Even though they escaped, it shows these pirates aren't actually that strong. This self-proclaimed 'new boss' is probably only at the level of a Headquarters officer."
After assessing the enemy's strength, Aiden made his decision instantly.
"The risk is manageable. I can move in."
Having made his choice, Aiden did not hesitate. He slid down the cliff like a ghost and merged silently into the shadows of the jungle.
The pirates had set up several sentries around the beach. But in front of Aiden's radar-like Observation Haki, these "guards" were useless.
He had planned to use his high-quality custom gun to deal with them, but he changed his mind.
Aiden picked up a few pebbles from the ground and weighed them in his fingers.
With a thought, a layer of pitch-black Armament Haki spread from his fingertips. It coated the ordinary pebbles completely.
Thud.
There was a tiny sound, almost impossible to hear. A lookout hiding in the treetops didn't even have time to make a sound. A pebble had pierced precisely through his eye socket and destroyed his brain.
[Judgment successful!] [Prisoner: Milo] [Overall Rating: B4]
...
Thud. Thud.
Two more soft sounds followed. Two other sentries hidden in the bushes fell silently in the exact same way.
[Judgment successful!] x2
...
After clearing the perimeter, Aiden's figure appeared like a god of death in the night. He stood silently behind the group of pirates by the bonfire.
They were still drinking heavily, celebrating their survival. They had no idea that death had arrived.
"Hey."
A calm voice suddenly rang out behind them.
"Huh?" The pirates were all stunned and instinctively looked back.
They saw a tall, young Marine. He had appeared behind them at some unknown point, wearing a harmless smile.
"A Marine?!" The giant man was the first to react. He grinned wickedly and grabbed a massive axe next to him. "You had a chance to live, but you've come here to die! Boys, get—"
His words stopped abruptly.
A crescent-shaped blue sword energy flashed out from Aiden's sheath at a speed the eye couldn't follow. It instantly swept across the entire beach!
It was fast! Too fast!
It was so fast that they only saw a brilliant blue light. They didn't even have time to pull out their weapons!
Aiden pushed his sword back into its scabbard with a soft click.
Behind him, the dozen or so pirates were still frozen in various poses. Some were still drinking, some were about to stand up, and some still had wicked grins on their faces.
In the next second, their bodies were sliced cleanly in two, like precisely carved wooden statues. They all fell apart at the same time.
Blood sprayed out like fountains, instantly staining the entire beach red.
Only one pirate had a single breath left. It was the giant man who had called himself the new boss.
He looked down in disbelief at his lower body, which was sliding away from him. Then, he looked in terror at the young Marine, unable to tell if the boy had even fully drawn his sword. His voice was filled with the madness and confusion of his final moments.
"You... who exactly are you..."
In his mind, he remembered the pink figure from two days ago. The one who had sliced his old boss and his sword in half.
"...Even... even more terrifying... than that female Marine..."
Those were the last words he left in this world.
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