The ship moored to the shore almost instantly, because it had just sailed. The Marines on the shore were already preparing to organize a chase after the pirates. However, everything suddenly changed, and they did not even have to do anything. After all, while the Marines were trying to understand what was happening, the leader of the pirates had already been defeated by someone unknown...
Under the watchful eye, the pirates, one after another, with gloomy faces and bowed heads, descended to the shore. Rogu stood nearby, muttering something under his breath: - Thirty-five, thirty-six, thirty-seven... Oh, only forty-six people.
The remaining thirteen, including the bar owner, were forcibly brought onto the ship. But it didn't matter now, everything would have to be explained later, at the Marine station.
The entire process will be carefully documented and archived.
When Rogu finished counting the prisoners, he headed off with the sentries, and soon found himself in Lester's office.
....
Cabinet.
Lester sat at his desk with a sullen expression, and the marks of huge footprints were clearly visible on his clothes. He looked at Roga with a deep, meaningful gaze, as if trying to say something like: I understand everything, but I still want to hear it from you.
After a long pause, Rogu said: "Only five million two hundred and thirty thousand belli."
"What?" Lester was clearly confused. He felt like something was wrong, like he'd been given the wrong script.
"Five million two hundred and thirty thousand beli," Rogu repeated. "There are only forty-six pirates on the ship, five thousand each, two hundred and thirty thousand in total. And Alvida herself, her head is valued at five million. That's right, right? I understand why you kept quiet for so long. After all, you didn't have the opportunity to go through nine years of compulsory education. Adding and multiplying numbers greater than ten is certainly a difficult task for you."
"That's not it!" Lester clutched his head in despair. "Don't you think you owe me an explanation?"
- Explain what? - Rogu was surprised. - Are you really trying to shirk payment?
"Money can wait!" Lester pointed at his shoe prints, then threw a spoon on the table. "Do you want to explain why you don't use a spoon when you eat?"
"Because I used it to hit you," Rogu answered calmly, as if it were a trivial matter.
Lester frowned, "And why do you think you had to hit me?"
"You were preventing me from catching the pirates," Rogu explained. "Alvida didn't bring all of her men to the bar. The rest were on her ship. If I had simply arrested her, the pirates on the ship would have had time to escape. So, in order to capture them all at once, I had to adjust your actions."
"So you think it's my fault too?!" Lester was furious. "Do you think I couldn't have turned around and caught the ones left on the ship? They would never have escaped Lester's grasp!"
"So are you going to pay me or not?" Rogu asked.
"Why should I pay you for those I caught?!" Lester was indignant.
Rogu just smiled politely.
- Are you kidding me!!! - Lester exploded. - Or are you looking for a fight?
"I don't think you can handle me," Rogu countered. "I'll put it this way: you've already met my boot once, and if you keep doing this, I'll give you a few more scars."
- Do you think I'm afraid of you? - Lester jumped up, and his face turned red with anger. - For your information, I'm not afraid of you! And if it weren't for the village elder's request to keep an eye on you, I would have knocked all your teeth out long ago. Wait here, I'll bring the money!!!
He walked angrily around the desk, threw open the door and walked out of the office with a loud bang, slamming it behind him.
Seeing this, Rogu thought for a moment and said, "So this must be what they call following your heart, right?"
As it turned out, dealing with such an obedient Marine officer was quite profitable, because soon Rogu found himself with six bags of money.
Total five million two hundred and thirty thousand beli. Five bags were full, and the last one was half empty.
Rogu shook his head as he looked at this: "As a friend, I expected you to at least try to fill the last bag."
"We're not friends!" Lester's face darkened. He didn't want to consider a friend the one who literally walked all over him to catch pirates. In the most literal sense of the word.
"Oh, then I'm going," Rogu said. "Tomorrow I'm going to sea. Whether I'll ever return is hard to say. But you, while you're here, try to take care of the villagers."
Rogu's words made Lester think. After all, they were both from Moonlight Village. Thinking about it, Lester's heart softened, and he seemed to want to say something important. However... Rogu had already turned around and headed for the exit, muttering, "Even though he's not the brightest, he can probably take care of the village..."
The door closed. Lester was left alone at his desk, seething with anger. He waited until Rogu was out of earshot, then jumped up, his face flushed with anger, and shouted, "AAH!!! Damn you!!!"
....
Standing at the gate of the Marines' office, Rogu, laden with money, headed back to the bar. But then he noticed a lonely figure standing and looking at the moon. The old man's face was full of melancholy and confusion.
"Oh, bar owner! What are you doing here?" Rogu stopped next to him, raising his head to the sky. "There's nothing particularly interesting in the sky."
"I remember my youth," the owner answered thoughtfully, his face filled with sadness.
"Oh, well then, goodbye," Rogu said and was about to leave.
"Hey, hey, wait!" the bar owner called out to him quickly. "Aren't you interested in knowing what exactly I'm remembering?"
Rogu looked at him indifferently: "Not interested."
— … — the owner of the bar.
— … — To the horn.
After a short pause, the bar owner sighed heavily: "Okay, I admit it. I used to be a pirate."
Rogu thought for a moment, then took out the iron mace he had taken from Alvida.
- Are you going to prison yourself or should I take you there?
- I've been done with this for a long time!!! - the bar owner exclaimed in despair, being on the verge of a nervous breakdown: - What kind of reaction is this?!
- Is it possible to give up piracy? - Rogu narrowed his eyes suspiciously.