"Naruto Village?"
A Marine warship sailed across the ocean. Kurume put down the receiver of the Den Den Mushi. He had just received a call stating that Naruto Village was under pirate attack and he was ordered to lead his sailors to provide support.
Kurume was certainly no stranger to Naruto Village. The Sea Beast that killed Lieutenant Colonel Berio was found near the island where Naruto Village was located.
If not for Naruto Village's request, Berio would not have died.
Berio's death had promoted Kurume to Major, making him an officer. At Branch 19's base, he was already considered a high-ranking official.
Later, as per Colonel Lido's instructions, Kurume arrived near Naruto Village and searched for the Sea Beast with his warship, only to find that the Sea Beast had already disappeared.
Kurume still held a favorable impression of Naruto Village.
"Someone, turn the ship around and head for Naruto Village."
Kurume called out to a sailor and relayed the order.
The warship sped towards Naruto Village. After sailing for a while, a ship appeared in the distance, moving sideways towards the horizon.
"Major, it's a pirate ship."
A sailor quickly reported to Kurume.
Kurume hurried out of the cabin, picked up his telescope, and looked into the distance. "The pirate flag has a pig's head. Is this the pirate crew that attacked Naruto Village? To run into them here. I remember the Porcupine Pirates' leader, Moor, is also on the wanted list with a bounty of five million. Dealing with them shouldn't be difficult with a warship."
Kurume's eyes lit up, and he immediately ordered, "Prepare to engage the pirates."
"Yes."
All the sailors began to mobilize.
However, as they got closer, the pirate ship in the distance filled its sails and continued forward.
"Trying to escape? Chase them."
Kurume shouted coldly, and the warship pursued the pirate ship.
The warship was faster, rapidly closing the distance with the pirate ship. As they got closer, Kurume gave the order to fire.
Boom, boom, boom.
The Porcupine Pirates' warship was hit, its hull pierced, planks splintering, and three to four people died instantly.
"Surrender, we surrender."
After taking a few hits, the Porcupine Pirates raised their pirate flag and waved it in the air.
"So quickly? They didn't even dare to fight back."
Kurume frowned, thought for a moment with narrowed eyes, and shouted, "Continue firing, gunners prepare."
"Yes."
The sailors relayed the order, and the cannons continued to fire, snapping the pirate ship's mast.
After closing the distance, the gunners stepped forward, aimed their rifles at the pirate ship, and pulled the triggers.
Bullets flew, killing several more pirates, while the others hid in the ship's cabin.
"Ram them, prepare to board."
Kurume drew a rapier from his waist, twirled it in his hand, and leaped onto the pirate ship's railing.
Bang.
The Marine warship missed its mark, scraping the pirate ship sideways as it collided.
"Attack!"
Kurume shouted, "Don't let any pirates escape. If you encounter the leader, don't attack recklessly. Surround them and wait for me and the Lieutenant to handle it. Try not to get yourselves injured."
"Yes."
The sailors rushed onto the pirate ship and began to fight.
"Lieutenant, you're with me. We'll find the Pirate Leader and the strong members of the pirate crew."
Kurume looked at the man holding two short guns and said coldly, "They are for us to deal with."
Beside him, a man also in a Marine uniform held two short guns, his expression filled with excitement.
"Yes, Major Kurume."
The Lieutenant admired Kurume's actions. He believed that Kurume, by taking on the strong opponents himself and leading from the front, was an excellent general.
However, for Kurume, his two sentences had bought him time, allowing him to avoid being at the very front.
There were more Marine soldiers than pirates, two or three times as many. Fighting three against one gave them a significant advantage.
Even if the leader appeared and was surrounded by Marine soldiers, Kurume could then attack, and with the sailors providing support, his chances of victory would be greatly increased.
Kurume gripped his rapier, leaped onto the pirate ship, and charged forward, stabbing a pirate to death with a single thrust.
"Major, we've found a Pirate Leader."
A sailor shouted from a distance. Kurume looked over and saw four or five sailors surrounding a man. Beside him, two sailors were already on the ground, clutching their chests.
"Not Moor?" Kurume saw that the man's appearance was different from the wanted poster and instantly judged that he was not the Pirate Leader.
"Leave them to me."
Kurume immediately shouted, charging forward with his rapier in hand.
Clang.
In just three or four moves, the pirate was impaled through the throat by Kurume, as dead as one could be.
"A bit weak."
Kurume shook his head and continued to wait for the Marine leader to appear.
However, by the time all the pirates were killed, no strong fighter had shown up.
"What's going on?"
Kurume was very confused and kept the question in his heart. He had defeated a pirate crew, which was a significant accomplishment.
Kurume waved his hand and shouted, "Clean up the battlefield, send people to secure the pirate ship, and we'll head to Naruto Village first. We'll drag the pirate ship back later."
This ship, with a little refurbishment, could be like new, more than enough for merchant use.
Selling it would bring in a large sum of wealth, though most of it would go to the branch base and Colonel Lido.
But he would receive a reward, and by solving the branch base's payroll issues, he would surely be appreciated.
Kurume felt he had taken another step closer to his dream.
Thinking this, Captain Kurume left some men behind and set sail for Naruto Village in a warship.
"This is what we confiscated from the pirate ship."
Upon arriving at Naruto Village, Kurume handed over some of the items plundered from the pirate ship to the Village Chief.
"So much, so much."
The Village Chief looked at the items before him – there was Belly, there were treasures, far more than the protection fees he had paid.
"A lot? Consider it compensation."
Kurume said with a smile.
"Thank you, Lord Marine."
The Village Chief quickly expressed his gratitude, never expecting to receive more back after giving away some money.
"He's certainly better than Lieutenant Colonel Berio."
The Village Chief looked at Kurume and sighed inwardly.
Although Kurume had always handled negotiations with the village before, Berio was actually the one in charge, and Kurume had often mentioned Berio's name.
Now, his actions made the Village Chief feel grateful.
The Village Chief looked at Kurume, took out some of the money, and said, "Major, our village was only robbed of this much. The rest, we should return to you, Major."
"Is that so?"
Kurume nodded, a smile involuntarily appearing at the corner of his mouth.
Why would you dare to accept extra money? It'll end up with me anyway, and I'll have a reason to accept it.
"In that case, we'll take our leave."
Kurume collected the money, stood up, and prepared to depart.
"Major, please wait a moment."
The Village Chief called out from behind, "I have something else I need to trouble you with."
"What is it?"
Kurume turned around and looked at the Village Chief.
The Village Chief pushed all the remaining treasure forward and then said, "The pirates who came to raid us were attacked by a black fish on their way back, and most of them died."
"Most of them died?"
Kurume raised an eyebrow. No wonder the Porcupine Pirates didn't have any strong fighters.
Wait, a black fish.
Kurume couldn't help but ask, "Are you talking about the black fish that killed Lieutenant Colonel Berio?"
"It should be, the appearance is the same," the Village Chief said with lingering fear. "It's grown to fifteen meters now."
"That big?"
Kurume's eyes narrowed. In just a month and a half, it had grown from seven meters to fifteen meters. This growth rate was too fast, comparable to Sea Beasts and Sea Kings.
That fish was very smart; setting traps to catch it would likely be useless.
And in underwater combat, he wasn't even a match for Berio, let alone a grown black fish.
He could only let the Captain handle it personally.
Kurume said to the Village Chief, "I will report this matter to the branch base, raise the alert level, treat it as a Sea Beast, and request support from the Marines."
In the East Blue, there were also Sea Beasts and Sea Kings, which sometimes threatened the safety of merchant ships, fishing boats, and residents.
In this world, the primary mode of transportation is by sea, and if islands are threatened and cannot receive supplies, major trouble can arise.
Therefore, the Marines deal with these creatures that harm humans, categorizing them into two threat levels.
Sea Beasts and Sea Kings.
As long as they affect the daily lives of residents, after an application is submitted, they will be lured, captured, and eliminated. If elimination is not possible, they will be driven away.
Since I can't do it myself, I'll leave it to Colonel Lido.
Kurume thought, made some arrangements, and left Naruto Village aboard a warship.
Meanwhile, in the distant sea, Xia Qiu was lurking in a trench, with a few small fish in his mouth, eating food scraps from between his teeth.
The Reinforcement Energy brought by powerful humans is immense.
I need to become stronger, not just bigger, which requires powerful humans.
But where can I find humans?
Xia Qiu fell into distress.
-----------
Translation by: randomtranslator.com
Read 2500+ original & fanfic translations and Translate for Free at: randomtranslator.com