"yes!"

The two answered in unison, which shows that they were indeed very disciplined.

Joey followed them as they disappeared from the gold rush town, heading in a secluded direction.

But Joey was quite familiar with this road; it was the same road Charlie had taken him and the bearded man to that cabin.

The four walked quickly, and the moonlight seemed exceptionally bright in the wilderness, making their direction clear.

"Coo coo!"

The two people at the front suddenly stopped and made a strange sound, probably imitating the sound of some kind of animal.

"Coo coo!"

A moment later, a similar sound came from the bushes ahead.

The two in front continued forward, with Joey and the bearded man following closely behind.

...

Is what you're saying true?

The four people who stayed here were whispering with the two who had gone out to investigate.

They remained noncommittal about the news the two men brought back, filled with skepticism.

"He has Captain Zoro's personal dagger as proof, and he is very clear about our identities and the purpose of our trip!"

Orff added.

The four of them said nothing more, and followed the two of them to Joey.

"Mr. Joey, could you please show me Captain Zoro's token again?"

Private Ogev spoke respectfully.

Joey didn't put on airs. He had no reason to refuse this reasonable request. After all, building trust was essential to getting these people to follow orders in the upcoming operations.

Joey handed the dagger over again.

One person took it with both hands.

After confirming the dagger's authenticity, he returned it to him with both hands.

"Sergeant Medes, Third Company, Second Knights!"

"Corporal Mevus of the Third Company, Second Knights Order!"

"Private, Third Company, Second Knights Order!"

"Private, Third Company, Second Knights Order!"

The four men introduced themselves by stating their unit numbers, ranks, and names, which was considered an acknowledgment of Joey's squad leader.

Alright, Joey's first time as a captain starts now, and he'll be the captain of six regular army soldiers, plus, of course, a big bearded guy, who's also an important character.

"Now I have something to announce, please listen carefully!"

The six soldiers stood at attention in awe, and the bearded man also straightened his back.

"Sergeant Goodman is dead. The investigation mission Commander Zoro assigned to you is now complete!"

Joey's words were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, leaving all six of them, except for the bearded man, astonished.

Their mission was to investigate Goodman's whereabouts, but they hadn't made much progress. Joey, the new captain, ended their mission with a single sentence, which was completely unacceptable to a soldier.

They all looked at Joey, hoping he could give a reasonable explanation.