"Are these guys lunatics?"
Even without using Observation Haki to sense it, she could ascertain that this fire had nothing to do with these pirates, because pirates wouldn't set themselves on fire.
Flames cannot harm Lunarians; they are naturally the darlings of fire, possessing high resistance not only to their own flames but also to external ones. To her, this fire is no different from normal temperature.
However, she smelled a scent akin to gasoline in the air, suggesting a strong accelerant, which soon explained the reason behind everything that happened next.
Dense gunfire rang out from the perimeter, turning every moving target on the street into a target, whether civilian or pirate. The people outside were engaging in indiscriminate shooting.
A grandmother and a young man beside her fell amidst the panic. Although her heart was not stirred at all, she still unfolded the wings on her back to shield them from the incoming bullets.
Many times Shaina's behavior was more like a collection of contradictions, indifferent, showing apathy towards matters unrelated to Arceus and herself.
Setsuna succeeded in sticking to Shaina at the beginning because her sense of smell came in handy, yet when events unfolded right before her eyes, she wouldn't just stand idly by, like when she casually saved Setsuna.
Though that wasn't her target, she still opened the chains on the other person, allowing them to hide in a corner.
She wouldn't deliberately save someone specific, but when ordinary people around her were heading towards death, she wouldn't mind extending a helping hand.
"Find a place to hide yourself."
Wrapped in scorching flames, Shaina's wings provided complete bodily protection; these bullets couldn't harm her whatsoever.
"Th-thank you..."
"Hurry, I don't have time to keep tending to you all."
With that, she raised her hand and cleaved forward, clearing a path through the sea of fire.
Since regaining her freedom, she set her goal to becoming more rational, though without much achievement; mostly she remained an emotional creature.
"You attacked me first..."
Being attacked herself meant this matter was no longer unrelated to her; it gave her a reason to act.
.....
The fire sealed off the entire village and, fueled by accelerants and wind power, spread rapidly. The pirates originally on the streets were the initial targets of attack, but as the fire spread, the entire village became affected.
"Major Dorlo, is our approach a bit too excessive..."
Most Navy members were on external alert, only a few trusted aides followed Dorlo into the burning village, they were there to further clear out the remaining pirates.
"Tell me, what are the crimes of these pirates we are pursuing?"
"Robbery, murder, many towns and villages have been plundered by them."
"Exactly, we finally blocked them in. If we let them escape again, wouldn't more people fall victim? Sacrificing the people of this one village so more can be safe, what's wrong with that?"
Looking at the flames surrounding him, Dorlo's heart showed no ripple.
"Blame the pirates, since the Great Pirate Era began, so many people have been hurt, I'm just working hard to eradicate pirates.
As long as pirates remain in this world, countless innocent people have to live in fear, necessary sacrifices are inevitable for eliminating them."
With these words, he depressed the switch aimed at a suspected pirate, flames spewing from his hand, the crimson fire clinging to the flesh, directly charring the still-struggling figure.
The strange object hidden beneath his cloak was revealed, Dorlo's arms mounted with tube-like weapons, resembling rocket launchers or staff, but extending from the rear end of the tubes are two conduits connected to containers hanging on either side of his waist.
Starting from officer rank, Navy members would receive the Cloak of Justice from above, at the school-level officer rank, aside from the Cloak of Justice, other attire could be worn based on personal preference, and beneath Dorlo's cloak is such a bizarre apparatus.
"The stuff from the research troops sure is handy, they should equip more of these."
This flamethrower was also a test piece from the research unit, originally intended for biochemical troops to destroy hazardous materials. However, its battlefield utility was decent, so a batch was distributed for testing, Dorlo being one of the testers.
From the tube-like object's front end, fierce flames erupted.
Fuel from the tanks on the other end of the conduits was continuously converted into flames, some non-burning houses were ignited, and the vicinity was instantly surrounded by fire.
Amidst the burning of buildings, some screams echoed.
"Major, isn't this too much? Those people might be ordinary villagers..."
"Are you fools? This village was already wiped out by pirates, we're here to eliminate pirates."
Dorlo said coldly, this couldn't be leaked out, otherwise his career would be over, so both pirates and informants needed to be eradicated here.
Moreover, achievements from eliminating ferocious pirates were more.
"This isn't the first time; we're all in this together, keep your mouths shut, or none of us will end well."
"Understood..."
"And I have told you before, don't overthink it, these pirates can provide military merit.
Only by obtaining higher positions can we better eliminate pirates, for the safety of the majority, the deaths of these people are justified, it's all those heinous pirates' fault.
If you feel guilty, then go and eliminate more pirates in the future."
Dorlo's flamethrower relentlessly released flames, while he used this rationale to explain to his confidants.
"Only by quickly eliminating pirates can The Sea return to peace, we're fighting for justice!"
To climb to a higher position, he couldn't be a commander without followers; even Garp has his own faction, as he doesn't possess Garp's strength, cultivating those bound by vested interests was crucial.
At this moment, a building nearby collapsed due to the raging fire, but just before it fell, a small figure was pushed out from the window.
Seeing the little girl whose skin was ignited in his hands, Dorlo frowned.
"Bandage her up."
"Major... this?"
"What's the matter? We are the Navy, allies of justice, how can we ignore an injured child, she obviously isn't a pirate and doesn't know what's happening."
Yet, looking at the collapsing building and the seemingly still struggling arm, he pointed the flamethrower at it regardless.