Chapter 227: Inexplicable Apology! (Two in One)
"Pirates!"
"There are pirates!!"
The pirate ship approaching the coast of Dressrosa soon attracted the attention of the people working in the port. A strong man loaded the cargo onto the ship and was about to leave when he suddenly saw the shadow of a ship on the sea in the distance.
After seeing the pirate flag of the ship clearly, the young strongman exclaimed, alerting his other partners working on the dock.
"Pirates? There are pirates?"
"Where? Where?"
On the deck and the dock, when the people heard the young strong man's shout, they did not feel fear. Instead, they shouted in surprise and rushed towards the ship.
This is a cargo ship that came to Dressrosa for business from other places. It is more than ten meters high. The dock is blocked by the hull of the cargo ship. The people working on the dock only saw the pirate ship on the sponge in the distance after running onto the deck of the merchant ship.
"Ohhh!! It's really a pirate ship!"
"How dare you come to Dressrosa? I wonder where this fool came from."
Among the people standing by the ship's side, there was an older middle-aged man who looked at the pirate ship in the distance. He fumbled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, took out a cigarette and just put it in his mouth. A young man next to him hurriedly ran towards the dock after confirming the pirate ship, shouting to everyone as he ran:
"The pirates are coming! Run!"
After the young man shouted, his figure quickly disappeared from the deck.
The middle-aged man with a cigarette in his mouth turned around in a daze, then scratched his hair and asked the people around him, "Where did that kid come from?"
"If he's absent from work for no reason, he can only get half of his wages for today!"
As he spoke, a young man wearing a headscarf beside him tactfully handed over a lighter and said with a smile:
"Foreman, I'm new here, please forgive me."
"You'll get used to it after a while, don't be surprised."
"That guy worked pretty hard. Don't hold it against him. It's only right to deduct half a day's wages from him, but if he comes back later, just pretend nothing happened, foreman."
As he spoke, he helped the middle-aged man light a cigarette.
Taking a light puff of his cigarette, the middle-aged man known as the foreman glanced in the direction the young man had just left and said with some disdain, "What a fuss! You've never seen the world!"
"Everyone else, take a fifteen-minute break and watch the show."
As he spoke, a hint of hesitation appeared on the middle-aged man's face, and he muttered to himself, "I wonder if those guys can hold on for fifteen minutes."
While he was thinking, a loud alarm suddenly sounded on the dock. This alarm sounded like an air raid alarm in modern society. The shrill sound instantly penetrated the entire island. Even King Riku, who was far away in the central area of Dressrosa, heard the alarm.
"Hmm? A navy alert?"
"Are there pirates attacking Dressrosa?"
When King Liku heard the alarm, he was discussing this year's town expansion plan with his ministers in the hall. When he heard the sound, he was obviously stunned and a hint of curiosity appeared on his face.
"King Riku, it's indeed the alarm coming from the naval port. They must be under attack by pirates."
"What should we do? Should we ask the troops stationed at the port to assist the navy in the attack?"
The minister bowed slightly to King Riku and asked.
When King Liku heard this, he looked at the minister with a strange expression. The minister who said this also realized that he had said the wrong thing at this moment, smiled awkwardly, and lowered his head.
"Ever since junior high school came to Dressrosa, we've heard these alarms every year."
"When he first arrived, there were pirate attacks every few days, but before we could send troops, the incidents were resolved."
"It's been so long, and I haven't even seen the shadow of a pirate."
"Dressrosa's peace is truly thanks to those in the Marine Branch!"
King Liku slowly stood up from his throne, walked to the entrance of the palace, and looked out at the harbor in the distance. As he spoke, he lowered his head, pinched the fat on his belly hidden under his gorgeous clothes, and a smile appeared on his face.
"Hurry! Get on board, follow, everyone!"
At the Dawn Sword naval port, teams of navy soldiers in white training uniforms, carrying swords and guns, were running quickly towards the warships parked on the shore.
A young sailor in a lieutenant's uniform stood by the ladder leading to the ship and urged.
Not long after the sailors boarded the warship, Cyrus appeared in everyone's sight, and then he flew directly onto the deck.
"Commodore Cyrus!"
The sailors on the deck saluted Cyrus in unison, and then at Cyrus's signal, went to their respective posts.
Amid the shrill alarms, the three large warships docked on the ship began to leave the shore one after another and headed towards the pirate ship in the distance.
"Report the situation!" Cyrus stood at the bow, holding a telescope in his hand and looking into the distance.
Not long after, the Marine on the lookout leaped down from the watchtower, which was over ten meters high, and came to Cyrus's side, reporting:
"Reporting to the Commodore, we have spotted a pirate ship. It is estimated to be 70 meters long and has several pirates on board."
"And on the other side's deck, there was a hostage who was being abused."
When Cyrus heard about the hostages, he turned around and looked at his subordinates, nodded, and asked:
"Where's the other party's identity information?"
The lookout shook his head. Before he could reply, a young Marine came up to Cyrus, holding a wanted poster in both hands, and reported:
"Reporting in, it's the Bragi Pirates. The captain is named Bragi, with a bounty of 440 million berries. They are a 'newcomer' who entered the New World only last year."
"The ability of the devil fruit is the Bubble Fruit. The bubbles it spits out will produce a violent explosion. The danger level is three and a half stars."
The danger level assessment system is unique to Tsugokuni Yoriichi's Dawn branch. In the world of One Piece, the bounty for a pirate is not determined by the strength of the pirate or the pirate group.
The definition is based on the threat posed by the wanted criminal to the world government.
This led to a situation in the future where O'Hara's survivor, 8-year-old Robin, was offered a bounty of tens of millions for the first time after escaping.
It is obviously unreasonable to define the strength of the enemy based on the bounty of pirates and then dispatch the corresponding navy.
Because even a "small pirate" with a small bounty could be a powerful and formidable person.
The best example is the famous Crocodile, Crocodile, and the Seven Warlords of the Sea. During his time as a Seven Warlord of the Sea, his bounty was only 81 million berries, which was only a few million more than when young Nico Robin was first bountyed.
However, the difference in strength between the two is huge. One is a natural type who can fight Mihawk on equal terms, and the other is an 8-year-old girl who is just starting out.
It can be seen that bounty cannot be used as a measure of strength.
The danger level assessment system developed by Yuichiro Tsugikuni only considers combat power and ignores other factors.
The highest is 6 stars, which is the top strength of the general and emperor level. With a rating of three and a half stars, a stronger major general can lead a fleet to fight against the enemy, which means he can be comparable to the level of X. Drake.
Of course, this only applies to individuals. If it is a pirate group, it is not so easy to measure.
"Three and a half stars?"
"The danger level is quite high. Everyone, be extremely alert."
"Notify the other teams that the enemy has hostages. Do not fire. Once you get closer, launch a speedboat attack and engage in boarding."
"Send a message to the base and dispatch more warships."
Cyrus said in a deep voice as he looked at the pirate ship that was slowly approaching. Meanwhile, the warship had already entered the pirate ship's artillery range. After a few cannon shots, the shells quickly hit Cyrus's warship.
Facing the pirates' attack, Cyrus did not make any move. Several figures quickly appeared on the deck and swung their swords to cut the cannonballs down from the air.
After the cannonballs were cut down, three figures landed on the side of the ship, some standing, some sitting, all holding long swords in their hands, and all with quite young faces.
The lookout saw this and asked Cyrus, "General, isn't this making a big deal out of nothing?"
"There's only one ship on the other side. Under your leadership, we alone will be more than enough to attack."
"We have dispatched three warships in total. Do you still need support?"
In response to his subordinates' questions, Cyrus said in a deep voice, "Nonsense!"
"If possible, I would send out all my forces even if I encounter a single pirate."
"Only with absolute advantage can we minimize our losses. In the fight against pirates, each of us must be prepared for a long-term battle."
"The lives of us sailors are far more precious than those pirates!"
Listening to Cyrus' words, the young lookout couldn't help but feel excited. He saluted Cyrus and said firmly, "Brigadier General! We will never fear death!"
Hearing this, Cyrus rolled his eyes at the other man and cursed softly, "Fool, you didn't listen to a word I said. Go, go, pass on my order, speedboat attack!"
While the two were talking, the warship was getting closer and closer to the pirate ship.
On the pirate ship in the distance, Captain Bragi looked at the rapidly approaching warship and gave up the idea of continuing the bombardment. He shouted to his companions on the deck:
"Men, get ready and send these navy soldiers to hell!"
"After killing them, let's go to Dressrosa and enjoy some delicious food and drinks!"
As he was speaking, cheers erupted on the deck. When the sea bream fishman at Bragi's feet heard the name of the navy, his face showed no excitement or joy, but instead a look of dejection. Even his struggling movements were much smaller at this moment.
On the sea, countless speedboats were lowered from the warships and sped towards the pirate ship from several directions. In the blink of an eye, the speedboats approached, and white figures leaped directly from the speedboats and instantly occupied the sides of the pirate ship.
A group of navy officers in white training uniforms stood on the railing, surrounded the pirates, and stared coldly at the pirates on the deck.
"Swish!" After a slight sound, a cold light flew down rapidly from above Bragi's head. Bragi, who sensed the movement, only had time to roll to the side and avoid it in a panic.
The next second after he left, Cyrus appeared on the deck. He grabbed the Snapper-Merchant who was tied up like a dumpling with chains on the ground and quickly retreated to the bow. The order rang out: "Action!"
"boom!!!!"
After a loud bang, black smoke suddenly billowed from both sides of the pirate ship's hull, and two large holes appeared on the hull in an instant. The navy officers on the speedboat that arrived later jumped in the next second after the holes in the pirate ship appeared, entered the cabin, and quickly searched for possible hostages.
At the same time, the navy men who had jumped onto the pirate ship in advance and were standing on the railings surrounding the pirates opened fire at the pirates on the deck.
The inexplicable explosion caught the pirates off guard, and many of them were unable to stand firm. At this moment, bullets were fired at many pirates, and they were shot through the chest.
After a round of volleys, the navy soldiers dropped their guns, drew their swords, and rushed directly towards the pirates.
Cyrus also leaned the sea bream fishman against the mast at the bow of the ship, and rushed directly towards Bragi with a sword in hand.
"Damn navy!"
Bragi had just gotten up from the floor when, with a roar, Cyrus's sword flashed down towards him. Bragi opened his mouth and a black bubble burst out of it, heading straight for Cyrus's face.
"Boom!!!!" The next second, Cyrus' head seemed to be hit by a small cannonball and was obscured by the flames produced by the explosion.
Bragi's lips had just curled up when Cyrus's face passed through the black smoke and appeared in Bragi's sight.
“How is that possible?!!”
Seeing Cyrus's unharmed appearance, Bragi cried out in surprise. The next second, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. He lowered his head slightly and found that a long sword had pierced his chest at some point.
Braji opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but his throat was filled with blood.
Cyrus suddenly stretched out his left hand and grabbed Bragi's head. The next moment, the sword was drawn out and flashed across his neck.
Holding Bragi's head, Cyrus retreated to the bow and shouted, "Report the situation!"
After a long time, a navy officer on the sea finally replied: "Report, no trace of the hostages has been found."
The moment he heard this voice, Cyrus squatted down, grabbed the snapper merman, and then shouted to his subordinates: "Retreat!"
The moment the navy who were fighting with the pirates heard this order, they left the battlefield at a rapid speed and fell into the sea, leaving behind a pile of pirate corpses.
Cyrus grabbed the head and captured the snapper-merman, and quickly fell from the bow of the ship and went to the warship.
The navy officers left one after another, and the speedboats sailed away directly from the pirate ship.
From the time the navy boarded the ship to the time they left, it was only a dozen minutes. They came quickly and left just as quickly. Before the pirates could react to what had happened, the navy had already left in a hurry.
"Retreat?"
"You clearly have the upper hand, but you're leaving now?"
The pirates chased to the side of the ship and were a little dazed for a moment as they watched the navy speedboat speeding away.
"Dead! The captain is dead!!!"
A shrill scream came from the deck, and before the pirates turned around to check the situation, the three warships in the distance suddenly erupted with loud cannon fire.
At the same time, the military port on the coast of Dressrosa also showed its fangs, and the coastal artillery on the naval buildings turned around and spit out tongues of fire.
Countless shells fell directly on the pirate ship. In the blink of an eye, the already tattered pirate ship was engulfed in flames. The pirate flag of the Bragi Pirates on the ship also gradually disappeared in the flames.
The speeding speedboats made a big detour in the distance and began to return to their respective warships.
Cyrus carried the sea bream merman back to his warship, and only then did he have time to take a good look at his hostage.
In order to prevent the "panicked" hostages from affecting his actions during the operation, Cyrus never untied the chains on the snapper merman.
But it was not until he untied the other person that Cyrus was shocked to realize that the person he saved was not a human being in the true sense.
"Mercan people?"
On the deck, the Marines looked at the Snapper Merman, whose body bore distinct merman characteristics, and gasped in astonishment. Having been helped before, and since the Merman's appearance wasn't much different from a human's, they hadn't paid much attention.
But now it seems that the other party is actually a murloc!
The snapper fishman rescued by the navy looked at Cyrus with a wary face, clenched his fists, and took a posture to resist the attack. He stared at the navy with a look of death on his face.
"Yes, so what?"
The Snapper Fishman asked in a deep voice, his muscles tense.
Seeing the other party's nervous look, Cyrus was a little surprised. He waved his hand and said with a smile: "Sorry, brother."
"My men are a little rude, please don't mind."
"You don't have to be afraid. We are the navy, not pirates."
As he spoke, Cyrus pointed to the seagull logo on his chest, signaling the "hostage" to relax.
However, when he heard the word "navy", the fishman did not relax at all and stared at Cyrus.
Seeing the fishman like this, Cyrus suddenly fell silent and said softly:
"I'm sorry! I don't know what happened to you, but..."
"Sorry!"
Cyrus' words made the snapper fishman stunned. The hatred in his eyes when he looked at Cyrus disappeared, and was replaced by confusion.
(End of this chapter)
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