Just as Tesoro was about to strike, a series of rapid, orderly footsteps suddenly approached from behind him.
Before anyone appeared, an intangible aura of solemn lethality swept over them, causing both Tesoro and Baccarat to instinctively tense up.
The golden light about to surge at Tesoro's feet faltered, and he instinctively turned his head.
A fully armed squad of Marines, moving in standard combat formation, came charging at a rapid pace.
Their eyes remained fixed forward, movements synchronized like an unsheathed blade.
They swept past Tesoro and Baccarat without the slightest pause, heading straight into the dimly lit alley.
"Freeze!"
"Marines!"
Inside the alley, the two men dragging the young girl clearly hadn't expected the Marines to arrive so quickly and suddenly.
The lust and impatience on their faces instantly transformed into terror.
One of them reacted swiftly, wrapping his arm around the girl's neck and using her as a human shield, while the other pulled out a short knife and pressed it against her waist.
"Don't come any closer! Take one more step and I'll kill her!" the knife-wielding man roared with a false show of bravery, though his voice trembled from the Marines' sudden appearance.
The leading Marine officer, a captain, ignored the threat and calmly raised his hand, making a tactical gesture.
The soldiers behind him immediately fanned out, raising their rifles in unison.
The dark muzzles gleamed coldly under the alley's lighting, covering all escape routes and blind spots from different angles.
The captain stepped forward, his military boots making faint sounds on the slippery ground.
"Release her, and you'll live," his voice was quiet yet carried suffocating pressure.
"Otherwise, you die."
"Bullshit!" The man holding the girl snarled viciously, spittle flying from his mouth. "Do you think we're three-year-olds? Fleet Admiral Orion has issued a standing order - human traffickers are to be executed on sight! If we let her go, you'll riddle us with bullets immediately!"
"Oh? So you're aware this is a direct order from the Fleet Admiral himself." The captain's tone revealed no emotion.
"Since you know, why dare commit such crimes? Don't forget, the current mayor of Fred City is a former Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral. Do you know his epithet? Ship Slicer! Even if you escape this alley, you'll never get out of Fred City!"
Without waiting for their response, the captain's voice suddenly rose like thunder from clear sky.
"I order you to release her! Now! Immediately!"
"Otherwise, not only will you die, but your families - parents, wives, children - will all be sent to Impel Down for your capital crimes!"
The two men instantly turned pale as sheets.
The knife-wielding man shrieked hysterically like a cat with its tail stepped on.
"You wouldn't dare! Do you know why we're capturing this woman? She's been chosen by a Celestial Dragon! If you interfere and anger the Celestial Dragon, can you bear the consequences?!"
He thought invoking the name of 'Celestial Dragon' would make the Marines hesitate.
However, the Marine captain responded with a short, cold laugh, looking at them as if they were already corpses.
"So you even know to use Celestial Dragons to pressure us. Seems you've done this many times before."
"But aren't your sources rather outdated? Don't say it's some unknown Celestial Dragon - even if the Five Elders stood here today and dared commit human trafficking, i wouldn't let them off either!"
"What kind of joke is this? Do you think you can defeat the Five Elders? They are the highest authority in the world! Who do you think you are? Let us leave immediately and prepare a ship for us!"
"Of course I'm no match for the Five Elders, but I'm absolutely certain they would never dare to do such a thing!"
The captain grew impatient, his expression darkening as he continued.
"Enough nonsense. I'll give you one last chance. Release her, and I'll let you leave here alive, granting you an opportunity to turn over a new leaf."
Hearing this, one of the men visibly wavered.
He looked at the captain and tentatively asked, "You... can you make that decision?"
"Of course," the captain nodded, his tone leaving no room for doubt. "I am fully in charge of the security in Fred City right now! If I say you live, no one will dares to trouble you!"
The two men exchanged glances, the ferocity and madness in their eyes gradually replaced by a desire to survive.
After all, they weren't actually abducting the girl on behalf of some Celestial Dragon; they had dragged her away solely because she was young and lovely, intending to take her home for their own pleasure!
After weighing their options for a moment, they ultimately chose to trust him.
The arm restraining the girl loosened.
The dagger pressed against her waist clattered to the ground.
Two marine soldiers immediately stepped forward and escorted the terrified girl behind them.
At the mouth of the alley, Tesoro, who had witnessed the entire scene, felt his face, which had just relaxed, contort once again.
A bloodthirsty madness gathered anew in his eyes, and the ground beneath his feet shimmered uncontrollably with a golden glow.
"It seems the Marines is no different..." he hissed through gritted teeth, his voice icy and piercing.
Just as he was on the verge of losing control, a soft hand gently rested on his arm.
"Why not wait and see?" Bacara's voice whispered in his ear. "If the Marines truly lets those two go, we can still intervene then."
Tesoro said nothing, his gaze fixed intently on the alley.
Inside the alley, after quietly calming the girl, the captain suddenly raised his hand and gestured toward the two men who had just breathed a sigh of relief.
"Kill them!"
Two cold words, like a death sentence.
The relief on the men's faces instantly froze, replaced by utter shock and terror.
"Wait, wait, wait—"
"You... you promised to spare us!"
"You're going back on your word!"
The captain looked at them, his face devoid of emotion.
"I said I wouldn't trouble you. But the Fleet Admiral has decreed that human traffickers must be executed on spot. It's an ironclad rule."
"Do you expect me to defy the Fleet Admiral's orders?"
The corner of the captain's lips curled into a cruel smile.
"I'm just a captain. I don't have the guts for that."
As his words faded—
"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang—"
A rapid volley of gunfire erupted abruptly, muzzle flashes wildly illuminating the dim alley.
The two men didn't even have time to scream before they were riddled with bullets, reduced to bloody, unrecognizable messes.