"Sang, look, another Pirate Ship, and it's heading right for us," said Nicola.
Nicola and the others stood by the ship's railing, holding their weapons and watching the distant Pirate Ship. They could faintly hear the laughter of pirates from afar, but Nicola and his group weren't very scared; they were even in the mood to joke around.
Hearing Nicola's remark, Sang gripped her weapon, not wanting to speak much at this moment: "Mhm, stay behind me later. These pirates aren't easy targets."
Nicola was displeased upon hearing that: "Why should I hide behind you? If anyone hides, it should be you hiding behind me."
Sang... This kid is being stubborn again: "Fine, fine, just don't speak so loudly. I'll hide behind you, okay?"
Nicola lowered his voice: "Good, hide behind me later."
Sang: What a reckless fool!
Haisier stood next to a cannon, holding a torch: "Maiga, are the cannonballs loaded?"
Maiga was slightly out of breath: "They're loaded. We brought twelve cannonballs up. Is that enough?"
Haisier watched the Pirate Ship slowly approach, ready to light the fuse at any moment: "It's enough. Bombs won't kill them. Bia, wait for me to light the fuse, then you light yours. Everyone else, stay vigilant."
Gando stood guard holding a flintlock pistol, looking completely unprofessional. Just then, Geer pulled Mina over and they arrived.
Mina was panting, holding the flintlock pistol Geer had shoved into her hands: "Miss Geer, please don't do that next time."
Geer saw the pirates hadn't gotten close yet and relaxed: "This is a matter of life and death for us, of course, we need to be quick. You're always tidying up the cabins; you should come out and train with us."
Mina took a moment to catch her breath: "Miss Geer, I don't like fighting and killing. Tidying up is my hobby right now!"
Geer had nothing to say. Since she put it that way, she couldn't argue: "Suit yourself!"
Raiden Ei arrived with Gatt. Everyone made space for her, which she naturally occupied. She looked at the approaching Pirate Ship and activated her Observation Haki, extending it toward the vessel, immediately discerning the enemy's numbers.
"32 pirates, none of them too strong. Do you all want to test yourselves by fighting pirates?"
Gatt froze for a moment, and everyone else did too, not understanding what Raiden Ei meant. Gatt recovered first: "Don't we need to? That's too dangerous."
Haisier, however, had a different opinion. Although he disliked the sea, he still possessed the courage to fight: "General, what do you mean...?"
Except for Mina and Gando, everyone else was eager to try, their eyes sparkling as they looked at Raiden Ei. What a great opportunity! With her holding the line, they could fight freely.
Raiden Ei considered her plan and thought it feasible: "When the ship gets here, fight as you wish. I will handle the cleanup at the end. If any of you face mortal danger, I will intervene. But if you get injured, I won't care."
As the oldest senior on the ship, Haisier was always the one to assess whether something could be done, how dangerous it was, and what the potential gains were. Everyone trusted him greatly.
Haisier thought for a moment and answered on behalf of everyone: "We can do it, Lady Raiden Ei. We will give it our all."
He turned to face his companions of the past ten-plus days. He was familiar with every one of them and understood their personalities, so he spoke: "If any of you don't wish to participate, that's fine. You can wait in the cabin."
The others looked thoughtfully at the three of them. During the ten-plus days of sailing, they had learned about each other's personalities, and among them, three were the most unsociable.
Mina spent all day tidying one thing or another. Although she had a good temperament, she didn't like fighting and killing.
Gando didn't really get along with the rest of the crew. He liked being alone wherever he went and preferred to stay in the background when trouble arose, making him the most unsociable person on this ship.
Although Gatt was the Navigator, he was a bit arrogant. Besides Raiden Ei and Haisier, he barely communicated with the others, resulting in the rest of the crew not being familiar with him—which was evident in the words he just spoke.
Gando withdrew first, taking his flintlock pistol back to the cabin. Although he wouldn't die, he didn't want to get hurt; injuries hurt, and besides, the pirates weren't attacking yet.
Everyone looked toward the remaining two they expected to leave. Gatt couldn't stand it first: "What are you looking at? I'm not leaving. I'll be at the very front."
Mina saw everyone's gaze shift to her and became a little shy, tightening her grip on the flintlock pistol: "I won't leave either."
The crew turned their attention back to Haisier, as if waiting for him to give the order.
Haisier had never experienced fighting pirates before, but he still acted according to his judgment and spontaneously devised a plan: "While the pirates are still far away, I'll go to the other side and dismantle those two cannons to bring over here. You all move all the ammunition from the storage room up here."
"The few of you can't move it all. Geer, you're the strongest here. Take those pirates and make them help move it. If they resist, shoot them. They're pirates anyway; it won't matter."
The eight pirates tied beneath the mast had been listening to their conversation and heard their own fate mentioned. Hearing about being shot, they all shivered, feeling like they were doomed.
After Haisier finished speaking, everyone got busy. Geer directly untied the eight pirates, holding a gun, acting like someone who feared nothing: "Hurry up and move the ammunition. Don't resist. We'll let you go later. If you dare run now, I'll kill one for every one that runs. If I can't get to you in time, I'll kill your brother. Think about your brother. Do you understand?"
The eight pirates felt this was the most threatening speech they had ever heard in their lives. Now, they could only obediently move the ammunition, daring not to think of resisting, worried that their brothers would be killed because of them. Being a pirate now was truly too hard.
Raiden Ei found her current perspective very interesting, watching everything unfold. The different facets of life were just this, weren't they! The timid retreated, the arrogant stood firm, the weak persisted, coupled with Haisier's calm wisdom, Geer's posturing, and the pirates' helpless submission.
Time passed slowly. In less than twenty minutes, the Pirate Ship arrived. They were within range, and the sun had already half-set below the horizon. Haisier and the others finished their task, panting as they loaded the four cannons.
The Pirate Ship kept approaching. The pirates aboard were laughing wildly. The skull on the sail wore a mask, surrounded by several chains wrapping around the skull, with bright red paint being an essential element.
"Hahahaha... Stop the ship opposite us! I am Glock, Captain of the Chain Pirate Crew, with a bounty of 11 million Berries. Surrender obediently to be plundered by us! The beauties can stay; the rest of you can leave."
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