Fire!!! - a loud order rang out.
The marines, seeing Commodore Lester knocked down with one blow, were not going to let the pirates go so easily. At that moment, volleys were heard, and the pirates and their captives ran away.
The prisoners taken from the bar understood perfectly well that it would be useless to explain their innocence to the guards. And those who fell behind could easily become nameless pirates who died on the spot. Therefore, trying to save their lives, they ran at such a speed that it seemed they themselves cursed their parents for not giving birth to them with an extra pair of legs, overtaking even the pirates.
Behind them, the booming sounds of gunfire could be heard, and ahead, Alvida's screams, interspersed with her sinister laughter. After a short time, the entire crowd reached the port, where a small three-masted schooner was already waiting for them on the pier. On the deck of which stood the pirates, looking out for their comrades.
"Lift the anchor!" Alvida's powerful voice rang out.
"The captain has returned!" her subordinates immediately responded.
- Lift the anchor! Prepare to sail!
- Miss Alvida brought in new people from Low's! Our team is growing!
The gangway was quickly lowered, and Alvida, standing on the edge of the deck, brought her mace down on the tree with a crash, urging everyone up: "To the ship! Everyone to the ship, who values their lives!"
The marines were already approaching, and Alvida, seeing that her team was almost assembled, did not waste time. After which, pushing off with force, she herself jumped onto the deck.
"If we are surrounded, it will be almost impossible to get out." We must leave! - she whispered, turning more to herself.
The schooner began to sail away. The deck was filled with the jubilant cries of the pirates celebrating their escape. Alvida, standing at the side, looked with a haughty look at the lookouts who continued to shoot from the shore.
"You worthless bastards!" she cried out loudly, addressing the sentries. "Remember my name! It will haunt you for the rest of your days! I am Alvi..."
BAM! - a dull sound was heard.
Alvida stopped in mid-speech, rolled her eyes, and, slightly swaying, turned around to understand what had happened. In front of her stood a young man with an iron frying pan in his hands. He had just mercilessly "introduced" her head to this improvised weapon.
"What are you doing?!" Alvida whispered in shock, still not fully understanding what had just happened.
Rogu, who was that young man, calmly looked at the frying pan in his hand.
"As I thought, the inhabitants of this world have incredible endurance. An iron frying pan is not the best choice for a weapon. And I don't want to kill her..." He thought for a moment, and then his gaze fell on the iron mace in Alvida's hands, her weapon causing him obvious admiration.
"Can I have this?" he asked, pointing to the mace.
Alvida instinctively hid it behind her back, her eyes flashing with anger that was beginning to stir. However, despite this, her intuition told her that this guy was a serious threat.
"No, I won't," she answered, trying to keep the tremor out of her voice.
"Don't be so greedy," Rogu said softly, almost affectionately.
"Then tell me, why do you need my mace?" asked Alvida, trying to act confident.
But before she could do anything, Rogu's hand slipped forward, and was too close to the mace. Alvida's eyes flashed with anger, and with a wild roar she raised the mace, intending to crush the insolent man's skull. However, when she swung it, she suddenly felt that her hand was completely empty...
Rogu, who had just been ready to attack, suddenly took a step back, and in his hand was now her mace. He tossed it up, assessing the weight and balance, and with a satisfied expression declared: "This is simply a masterpiece! The ideal weight, excellent hardness, the shine of the metal... This weapon is simply a work of art!"
Alvida took a step back, her confidence slowly fading.
"You... what are you going to do?" she asked, feeling her back press against the edge of the deck. She had nowhere else to retreat.
Behind Alvida was only the side of the ship, and beyond that, the endless expanse of sea. If she fell overboard, she would inevitably end up in the hands of the Marines. The situation was hopeless for her. She was trapped!
Her only hope was the pirate crew on deck. However, as was often the case with such small-time pirates, accustomed to living under the fear of her authority, they were in no hurry to intervene. Instead, they watched the proceedings, clearly confident that their captain would deal with this arrogant newcomer in no time.
"Nothing special," Rogu chuckled, lifting Alvida's heavy mace. "I just want to show you what it can do!"
With that, he brought the weapon down hard. Alvida's eyes widened in horror, and she instinctively raised her hands to her head, preparing to lunge forward to avoid the blow. But she didn't have time.
KRR! - the moment her hands met the mace, a crunch of breaking bones was heard. Alvida, gritting her teeth in pain, tried not to scream. She made a dash forward, but before she could even take a step, a new wave of force crashed down on her, and her movement was immediately cut short.
The next blow landed right on her head. Alvida staggered, disorientated, and her massive body spun around. Before she could even come to her senses, someone's strong hand grabbed her by the neck and slammed her face into the deck with a crash.
Rogu squatted down, holding the mace in one hand, and began methodically bringing it down on Alvida's head. Once, twice, three times... After several blows, her massive body, despite all its endurance, gave in. Alvida lost consciousness, collapsing onto the deck.
"Well, can this be considered... a capture?" Rogu said, examining the pirate's motionless body; she was alive, but completely unconscious.
As soon as he said these words, a glowing interface with a notification appeared before his eyes.
[Do you want to perform a capture?]
- Oh? A capture? - Rogu was surprised. - Of course, a capture!
As soon as he confirmed his choice, iron chains materialized in the air. They wrapped around Alvida from head to toe, tightly shackling her arms, legs, and body. And the only thing left open was her disfigured face.
[You have successfully captured the Iron Mace Pirate, Alvida. Reward received: 5,000,000 Beli. Additional: 1 Black Iron Coin.]
- So that's how it works! - Rogu studied the message carefully and nodded thoughtfully. - So, to get the full reward, you need to knock out the pirate and capture him alive. And there's also a bonus in the form of a black coin... Hmm, that's really useful. It's worth a whole 10 million! And if you add the reward from the Marines, then for one pirate with a reward of 5 million, I actually got 20 million. Yeah, being a pirate hunter is clearly more profitable than being a pirate.
He straightened up and then turned to the rest of the pirates, who were watching with wide eyes. They clearly hadn't expected this outcome.
"Well then, gentlemen," Rogu grinned, his gaze becoming frighteningly calm. "Would you like to help me get the ship back to shore?" His voice was soft, but there was a clear threat in it.
The pirates looked at each other, not daring to even think about resistance...