"I'm sorry, Bellamy-sama, for disturbing you."
If you know you're disturbing me, shouldn't you have a little more awareness?
Groggy and irritated, Bellamy climbed out of bed, staring at the timid woman before him. "What is it? Make it quick."
It was the middle of the night, and he'd been sleeping soundly when this woman had snuck into his room. If Bellamy hadn't reacted quickly, he'd have nearly sent her flying with a Tempest Kick the moment she'd crept in.
For her to come looking for him so late, Bellamy couldn't imagine what was so important that it couldn't wait until morning.
Chardin clearly realized she was making a mistake. She quickly lowered her head, unable to meet Bellamy's gaze.
"Bellamy-sama, those slaves are so pitiful. Could you please let them rest for a while?"
So that's what this is about. Bellamy rubbed his temples fiercely, suppressing the surge of anger.
"You know, I really hate slavery." He'd specifically given them something to do just to get some peace and quiet.
Bellamy had given his crewmates specific instructions on this matter. After the Red Flame Pirates were wiped out, no one in the base was to oppress the slaves. If they were tired and wanted to slack off, no one would bother them. As long as they didn't cause trouble, they could just stay quiet for a few more days. Once the Bellamy Pirates left, they'd be completely free.
Bellamy had never imagined that Chardin would come to him out of sympathy for these slaves.
"There are plenty of pitiful people in this world. If you're so compassionate, why don't you donate all your belongings to beggars and orphans?"
After being questioned, Chardin desperately kept her head down, not daring to utter a word for a long time.
Bellamy, his face expressionless, pointed to the door. "From now on, those slaves are your responsibility."
"I don't care what you do, but don't let any chaos break out in the base."
"Get out!"
After kicking out the bothersome woman, Bellamy sank back into a deep sleep. He had no idea that the once-timid Chardin was now wearing a look of ecstatic joy the moment she stepped outside.
The woman carefully closed the door behind her, then covered her mouth and jumped up and down in excitement. A moment later, another woman emerged from around the corner of the hallway, giving her a thumbs-up.
The two women stealthily made their way to a small room and began to whisper.
"Mia-jie, Bellamy-sama really agreed."
"I told you, the Captain doesn't care about those slaves." Mia smirked, her eyes filled with a hint of pride.
If the Captain were truly as cruel and vicious as the rumors claimed, she would have been deeply disappointed. But Bellamy's actions, all along, were completely different from the "Hyena" that others spoke of. He had no interest in helping the weak, and even less interest in oppressing them. Bellamy only liked to throw punches at the strong.
"Mia-jie, what should we do next?"
"Should we release all the slaves?"
Remembering Bellamy's earlier words, Chardin was still a little scared. If things really got out of hand, she didn't dare imagine how terrifying Bellamy's expression would be.
"Of course not! Those slaves are a mixed bag. If we release them all at once, it'll definitely cause chaos."
Some of the slaves were pirates, some were civilians from other islands, some were natives of this island, and there were even a few Marine soldiers. If they weren't sorted out properly, it was guaranteed to lead to a major uproar.
"Come on, let's go kill all the pirates first."
Having been with Bellamy for so long, Mia had gradually picked up some of his ruthlessness. When it was time to act, she wouldn't hesitate.
She particularly liked a phrase Bellamy had once said: Once you pick up a blade, you are no longer weak. Those pirates had chosen their path, meaning they were already prepared to die at any moment. There was no need to feel any guilt about killing pirates.
Mia firmly covered Chardin's mouth, forcing her pleas for mercy back down her throat. She shook her head vigorously, signaling that there was no need to say more.
She actually understood Chardin's thoughts perfectly well. There might be good people among the pirates; they might have been forced into piracy and didn't deserve to die, and so on. But in this chaotic sea, holding such naive thoughts would only lead to a tragic end. Good and bad, kindness and evil, were not things that could be judged simply by appearances.
Without Bellamy needing to say anything, Mia knew very well that the vast majority of pirates were unforgivable villains. And by "vast majority," she meant well over 90%. Even she herself, when she chose to become a pirate, had prepared herself to stain her hands with blood.
She just hadn't expected to meet a captain like this. If Bellamy's temperament were just a bit gentler, he would be absolutely perfect. He was an almost exact match for her ideal captain.
Taking the terrified Chardin with her, Mia arrived at the slaves' resting place. Besides a few clones patrolling, everyone else was asleep.
Mia pulled out a flintlock pistol from her waist and fired a shot into the air.
Bang!
The gunshot immediately startled everyone awake. As they woke up, they saw a female pirate with a murderous look on her face. Instantly, cries erupted from the crowd.
Without the slightest hint of sympathy, Mia shouted at the crowd, "Which of you are pirates, which are Marines, and which are civilians?"
"Separate into three groups. Don't huddle together."
She naturally couldn't tell their situations, but the slaves themselves certainly knew who was who. After all, in their daily lives, no matter how miserable things were, pirates would inevitably bully civilians. And as for Marines, they would only have it even worse.
Sure enough, the crowd quickly separated into three groups.
This commotion seemed to have given the pirates who had been captured and enslaved here a clue about what was happening. But before they could react or make any move, a shout came from the front.
"Shave!"
"Finger Pistol!"
Mia struck without hesitation, using her strongest techniques from the start, determined to kill all the pirates here. The pirates, shackled hand and foot, had no chance of escaping this fate.
The moment they showed any sign of resistance, they were instantly killed.
Before long, every single pirate in the place had been slaughtered.
The civilians huddled together, trembling, fearing that they would be next.
As for the remaining few Marines, they presented Mia with a dilemma. She wasn't really sure what the Captain's attitude towards Marines was. She didn't know if killing them would displease him.
Seemingly sensing her hesitation, Chardin quickly pleaded, "Sister, let's leave these Marines alone."
"There aren't many of them. They won't cause any trouble."
Hearing someone plead for them, the Marines nodded frantically. "Yes, yes, we're very well-behaved. We definitely won't cause trouble."
Seeing that there were only a few Marines, Mia frowned for a moment before deciding to spare them.
"You, go tie them up." She pointed at the civilians. "Don't cause any trouble, and no one will get hurt."
"From now on, she will be assigning you your tasks." She pulled Chardin forward, making sure everyone could see her clearly.
"Alright, everyone go back to sleep."
Having eliminated the potential threat, Mia finally felt relieved. In a few days, when these people realized they were free, they would probably go crazy with joy.
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