The original mayor of Cruz Island, Press, and his group originally thought that the "Dawn Sword" pirate crew, with only a few people, would be difficult to command after seeing so many people on the island participating in the war, so they entrusted them to take over command.
This is how Press and his crew interacted with the "Deep Blue" pirate crew. Whenever Captain Egbert of the "Deep Blue" pirate crew had any needs, he would notify Press and have him organize manpower to carry out the specific work.
For example, when Egbert informed Press that he wanted to hold a party on the island, Press began to organize people, clear out an open space, and then move drinks, food, tables and chairs, and prepare enough streetwalkers, etc.
In short, once Egbert and his men arrived, they simply indulged in revelry.
When pirates arrive at an island, they usually do the following: when they need a lot of locals to serve them, the first thing they do is go to the local leader.
They didn't try to organize the local people's ideas themselves, because that would be too much trouble.
Press believed that, ultimately, Captain Gal would be like other pirates, relying on them to command ordinary people in battle.
But to their surprise, "Captain Gal" split the island's young and strong forces in two with just a few words, and the forces in the southern plains were suddenly out of their control.
This caught them somewhat off guard, and when they came to their senses, they realized they dared not object.
As Donald just mentioned, the "Dawn Sword" pirate crew had just wiped out the "Red Lion" pirate crew, which had more than 300 members. In the end, only eight survivors remained from that large pirate crew.
This made Press and the others immediately realize that although the pirate crew was small in number, it was very powerful.
The restrained demeanor displayed by the entire pirate crew just now exerted a tremendous pressure on them, making none of them dare to be the first to voice their opposition.
After Odis announced the division into two war zones, he instructed his crew to urge them to immediately elect a captain.
The people on the port side are easier to deal with, since they mostly speak Rune.
However, most people in the southern plains can only understand a few Ruen words, and they usually communicate in the local language.
Odis had no choice but to have Wells explain to them village by village that the election had been completed at the port, while only five villages on the southern plains had elected their captains.
Odis then instructed Rupert, Salina, and other crew members to stay here and supervise their election, telling them to wait here after they had elected a captain, as Odis was going to hold a meeting with them.
Then, Odis led the twelve captains from the port to hold a war meeting.
That was where the self-governing council held meetings, a fairly spacious room.
Accompanying Odis were crew members including Bazel, Bevis, and Cleveland Gale, and the rest were the newly elected captains.
In fact, these ordinary people couldn't play much of a role when fighting the "Deep Blue" pirate crew.
Odis merely used this battle to disrupt the island's original power and authority structure.
After all, he planned to build a secret base here and have absolute control over the island.
In the conference room, Odis had a captain selected from the port hang up the previously drawn nautical charts and then said, "If Egbert had any brains, he wouldn't have attacked the port. Even if he did attack, it would only be a feint."
He said this not because he had asked Noy to divine, but because the attacking side had already lost halfway by simply getting their ship into "Moon Bay".
Odis could have simply driven the Argo and trapped it in Moon Bay, slowly blasting it apart with one shot at a time.
Even if the Argo were just an ordinary seagoing vessel, its cannons could still reach the enemy outside the harbor. The Argo had good maneuverability on the open sea, while the enemy ships in the bay had very limited firing angles.
If the enemy ships in the bay wanted to escape, that would be perfect. The Argo could ride the enemy ships outwards and, when they could only use their bow cannons, fire two salvos, which would basically destroy an ordinary seagoing vessel.
Therefore, Odis concluded that the battlefield would not be in the port.
He looked at the dozen or so people sitting at the table. He had seen most of them at lunch, such as Press, Tom, and the six members of the self-governing council whose hair had turned white.
They were the de facto rulers of the town, and at this point, they became the recommended captains.
The remaining four spots were reserved for the sons of rulers such as Donald.
Press asked, "Captain... no, Mayor, from which direction will Egbert attack?"
"The northern and southern plains of Cruz Island." Odis glanced at the sea chart and pointed to the corresponding locations, saying, "Three hundred of you will guard the northern part of the island, two hundred will guard the hills south of the port, and only one hundred will remain at the port to provide support."
"In addition, all the police officers must be sent to the north of the island, and the remaining armed men must all go to the hills."
Between the port and the southern plains lies a small hill that extends directly into the sea. The lighthouse is built on top of it, and the locals call it "Lighthouse Hill."
Odis gave the subsequent orders because he had just keenly realized that among the 600 or so people guarding the port, the most powerful fighters were the few dozen police officers.
They all had guns, and most of them were rifles.
This is because they frequently fight against tribes in the mountains, so they are good marksmen and have considerable combat strength.
Some residents who were willing to fight also had guns, most of them using revolvers.
The last group consists of servants, most of whom are locals who have served the people of the North for a long time. Although the concept of slaves no longer exists on the surface, their status is similar to that of slaves.
This group possessed a wide variety of weapons, including guns, bows and crossbows, and melee weapons.
They not only had inferior weapons, but also basically lacked the will to fight.
If Pres and his men outwardly comply but secretly disobey and send these people to the north of the island, then Odis's plan to disrupt the island's power structure will be ineffective.
The twelve newly elected combat captains looked at each other in disbelief. They had not expected that Captain Gal's deployment would be so precise!
This made them realize once again that "Captain Gal" was different from the pirate captains they had encountered before, and for a moment they did not know how to resist.
When no one answered, Odis asked again, "Are they all deaf? Or are they all mute?"
At this moment, a member of the self-governing association said, "We are mainly afraid of..."
Before he could finish speaking, Odis asked Bazel, "Did you bring a gun?"
"I brought it." Bazel took out his extraordinary weapon, which resembled a revolver.
Odis said, "Anyone who objects, just shoot."
Bazel glanced at everyone and said, "Yes."
The meeting room immediately fell silent.
Odis said coldly, "I don't have time to explain why it's arranged this way, because even if I did, you wouldn't understand, and even if you did, you wouldn't listen."
"You only need to know one thing: once you decide to defend your homeland, you must absolutely obey my orders."
He paused and then said, "The specific arrangements are as follows: Barzel and Cleveland, you will lead three hundred men to set off tomorrow to guard the northern part of the island."
"Remember, hide in the forest to conceal your movements. If you find someone following you, don't hesitate to shoot and kill them."
Barzel and Cleveland immediately stood up and said, "Yes."
First mate Bazel was already quite familiar with Odis, and he knew very well that when Captain Gard laid out battle plans, he would completely change his usual easy-going demeanor and become a different person altogether.
Although Cleveland was still a little unaccustomed to it, he liked the current "pirate-like" atmosphere: "I won't explain, but you have to listen to me, or I'll kill you!"
Odis added, "Bivis, tomorrow lead two hundred men to the hills south of the port, where we will hide and ambush."
Bivis stood up and said, "Yes."
"Presse, you will lead 100 men to stay at the port and prepare food for them," Odis said. "Note that you will only deliver food once a day."
"Similarly, if you spot someone following you, eliminate them immediately."
Press never expected he'd be in charge of logistics: "I'm not going to fight?"
When he saw Bazel pick up the gun, he immediately changed his tune, saying, "Yes... I mean, yes!"
For some reason, Press also had a gun and was an extraordinary being, but he didn't dare to speak loudly or act like a mayor in front of Bazel.
What he didn't know was that Bazeir was a "briber," an extraordinary individual who possessed an inherent air of authority.
"These are the specific orders." Odis stood up and said, "You can discuss how to organize the manpower yourselves."
"First mate, the three of you go to the ship to rest first, and come back tomorrow to lead the men to the battlefield."
After Odis and the others left, the remaining twelve people were all from Crus Island.
At this moment, the burly Tom said, "Are we just going to let them control us like this?"
Connor, a member of the self-governing council, said, "At least he is making serious plans and is seriously helping us defend the island."
The old man smiled and said, "As for his little schemes, hehehe, don't forget, most of the land on the plains belongs to us. We brought order to this place."
"Once the battle is over, he will find that managing a small town is very troublesome, and he will still entrust us with its management."
Press said, "I think he's different from ordinary pirates."
As he spoke, he looked at his son Donald, who nodded and said, "He is indeed different. He... he seems to be able to see the most crucial part of a matter at a glance."
Everyone recalled Captain Gal's earlier instructions and immediately felt that this summary was very apt. Captain Gal had indeed hit the nail on the head, leaving them no room for resistance.
...
Odis returned to the dock; the villages on the southern plains had not yet completed their elections.
He then had a chair brought over and waited patiently.
Around 5 p.m., all 32 team leaders were finally elected.
Odis waved his hand: "Come with me."
He walked ahead, striding away from the port and heading towards the southern plains.
As they walked, Odis also summoned Wells to inquire about the situation in the south.
There are 16 villages on the plains, which were the island's population center before the arrival of the Runes.
These young men who were willing to fight really didn't want to become miners, even though they were poor but still doing alright.
But they heard that miners' lives were not only arduous, but they were also likely to die in the mines.
So they decided to take a gamble, but they had no unified command. Each village had its own ideas, so they could only rely on the Rune people living in the port to organize them and fight against the "Deep Blue" pirate group.
Their weapons were even more appalling, consisting mostly of bows and arrows and cold weapons.
During their conversation, they passed through a relatively gentle valley formed by the hills south of the port and the large mountain in the center of the island.
This is why pirates and refugees built a port in "Moon Bay" back then.
At the time, Moon Bay did not have much fertile land, but its geographical location was excellent. If the locals resisted their rule, they would be basically safe as long as they held onto this canyon.
As long as they control this valley, they can move into the plains at any time, allowing them to advance or retreat at will.
After passing through this valley, the view suddenly opened up, revealing tropical rainforests and farmlands as far as the eye could see.
The houses where the locals live are all built with trees, large leaves, and straw stalks; some families only have a thatched hut.
Not many people were working in the fields; most of them were in their thatched huts, staring blankly at Odis and the others.
Odis looked at them too. The child's eyes were bright, the adult's eyes were numb, and the old man's eyes were cloudy.
In such circumstances, it is truly remarkable that more than a thousand people dared to resist the invaders.
However, he was also well aware that most of these thousand-plus people were observing, and if the battle went smoothly, they would follow Odis.
But if several people die right away, they will most likely turn around and run for their lives immediately.
Odis then had Wells translate for him, and most of the men went back first, leaving only the thirty-two captains with him.
The group continued onward until nightfall, when Odis and the others arrived at the village they had seen earlier from the Argo.
The coastline on the south bank is not a straight line; it has both concave and convex sections, and this is the most convex part of the south bank.
Odis planned to hold the meeting on the beach here, but first he needed to fill his stomach, so he asked the two captains of the village to prepare food.
Then the absurd thing happened. The two captains quickly returned and reported that the village chief said that food would only be prepared for Odis and his crew, and the others would either have to go back to eat or go hungry for now.
Odis smiled and said to Salina, "Go slap the village chief twice."
"Okay!" Salina took a step forward, then stopped and asked, "Do you want to whip me to death?"
"No need." Odis glanced at the boatswain: "At most, we'll just need to remove two teeth."
"Okay," Salina agreed, and immediately had the two captains lead the way to slap the women.
Soon, screams rang out from not far away, and Salina immediately returned to report: "The village chief has agreed to provide food for each of us."
Odis hummed in agreement. He had been mentally prepared for this. The most difficult part of defending the south bank was not how strong the enemy's offensive would be, but that the villages simply did not know how to cooperate.
They were willing to fight the invaders, but unless absolutely necessary, no one wanted to be the one to "fire the first shot." It was impossible for the villages to reach an agreement on how many people and how much supplies to contribute.
Because they always feel that they have given more and suffered losses, while other villages have given less.
At this point, reasoning is far less effective than a slap.
As smoke rose from the village chimneys, before dinner arrived, Odis said to everyone, "Our biggest obstacle is the language barrier, and Wells can't translate for us without working all night."
As Odis spoke, Wells translated for everyone.
"I happen to have a magical item here that can allow you to immediately learn the Rune language and Rune script," Odis said. "For the sake of victory in this battle, I require each of you to use that magical item."
This is precisely why Odis wanted to personally command the southern war zone; he wanted to plant thirty-two pieces on the southern plains.
When needed, these 32 people will definitely play a significant role, because those elected as team leaders are usually the village chief, the village chief's son, or a young person with considerable prestige in the village.
Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!
Moreover, Odis, contrary to his usual practice, neither sought their opinions nor gave them the power of choice.
He knew very well that the rule of Pres and others had made them extremely wary of the people of the Northern Continent, and that trying to reason with them would likely be of little use.
At the same time, Odis glared at Salina, retorting to her question, "Captain, you have such good stuff?"
After Wells finished translating, the captains present started discussing among themselves, and some even wanted to run away.
However, Odis had anticipated this and had Rupert and the other crew members stand guard behind them.
Then, Odis pointed to a captain: "Come here."
The captain immediately shrank back, but when he saw Noy draw his gun next to Odis, he quickly went to Odis.
Odis took out the "wisdom helmet" that he had prepared beforehand and put it on the captain's head. The captain immediately looked miserable, as if he was being tortured.
Without hesitation, Odis quickly activated the "Helmet of Wisdom," and the magic circle on the helmet lit up with a faint light.
In the captain's despairing expression, the process of "imparting knowledge" had come to an end.
Odis said, "That's all."
The captain asked incredulously, "Okay, all done?"
Odis removed her helmet: "What's your name?"
"My name is Ge Lan," the other person said.
Odis nodded: "I've been practicing speaking Rune with Wells recently, and it won't be long before I've mastered the language."
Glenn was stunned, because he had completely understood what the captain meant, and his reply was even in Rune.
Before this, he could only roughly understand the Rune language and couldn't speak it at all. If the other party spoke too fast, he couldn't react quickly enough.
The surrounding captains all witnessed this and realized that Glenn now truly understood the Rune language. All of this was incredible, so they gathered around and started asking questions all at once.
Not only were they amazed, but even Noy and Salina looked at the "wisdom helmet" in Odis's hand, thinking it was a very practical and magical item.
After the captains asked a series of questions in a chaotic manner, they all looked at the helmet in Odis's hand.
"Gran, translate this for me," Odis said. "Others may rule this island to enslave you, but my purpose is different, because enslaving you means nothing to me."
"Furthermore, within my capabilities, I will do my best to help you bring true peace to this island."
With tears in his eyes, Glenn translated the passage. He didn't know if Odis's words were true or false, but he was moved by Odis's sincerity.
No one from the North Continent ever showed them any kindness; they only took, took, and took without end.
Even when they were asking for something, they never expressed kindness like they are doing now.
After hearing this translation, everyone fell silent.
Odis added, "Translate this for me again. Anyone who wants to learn Rune, come quickly. This is only for one day; you'll be charged tomorrow."
After Glen translated the passage for everyone, the team leaders all expressed their willingness to use the "magical item".
So by the time the village chief brought dinner, everyone there had already mastered the Rune language.
After dinner, everyone sat cross-legged on the beach and began to listen quietly to Mayor Gar's description: "The battlefield of the decisive battle will be either at sea or right here."
"However, one thing is certain: regardless of whether the final battle takes place here or not, a battle will take place here, because this is an excellent landing point."
"Therefore, we must be prepared to fight the enemy here. There are five villages along the coast. Starting tomorrow, the captains of these five villages will organize the villagers to keep watch."
"Remember, you need one visible sentry and one hidden sentry."
"The meaning of 'hidden sentry' is to have another sentry hide in the shadows. When the visible sentry encounters danger and is unable to report the enemy situation in time, the hidden sentry shall assume the corresponding early warning responsibility."
"Villages that are not near the sea cannot be idle either. At least 500 soldiers from about eight villages should be gathered here, ready to support other villages at any time."
"Of course, the battle will most likely take place on this beach where we are."
Seeing that everyone was listening attentively, Odis continued, "Let me talk about the logistics issue next."
"I know that the villages don't have much grain stored up, so they can't be supplied with food in a unified manner like a regular army."
"That's why I'm asking each village to elect two captains, one to fight on the front lines and the other to transport food for the soldiers. As for who will be in charge of combat and who will be in charge of logistics, you can discuss it yourselves."
At this moment, Wells, one of the thirty-two captains, asked, "Mayor, how...how should we fight? As you can see, we only have bows and arrows, axes, and swords. How can we fight against pirates who have cannons and pistols?"
"Of course I know that," Odis said. "Your main responsibilities are sentry duty, organizing and evacuating the villagers, setting traps and ambushes, and cleaning up the battlefield."
"My crew members are the ones who are fighting the enemy head-on."
"But when the enemy enters the pre-designed ambush and loses the advantage of their firearms, I demand that you dare to rush out and fight."
At this point, Odis pointed to the village behind them and made specific arrangements: "Once the battle begins, we will definitely set up an ambush in this village. If those pirates sneak into the village and we are tied up in other battlefields, you will have to rush out and fight them."
The team leaders nodded in agreement, feeling that the request was perfectly acceptable.
After all, if you intend to defend your homeland, you're bound to have to fight some battles.
The meeting was a great success, and Odis unified the captains' operational thinking.
He then issued specific orders, planning to complete the deployment of defenses on the southern part of the island the following day.
After the meeting, Odis did not use his extraordinary abilities, but instead chatted with a few crew members as they returned to the Argo along the beach.
Second Mate Rupert said, "I never imagined that just a few days ago we were fighting pirates, and today we've suddenly become the protectors of this island."
"Fight this battle well," Odis laughed. "This island will become a very important stronghold for us."
"Captain," Salina said, "may I say something?"
Odis glanced at the boatswain: "There's no one else here, so you can speak."
"I've heard that pirates tend to become complacent once they're ashore," Salina said. "Like 'Hurricane Admiral' Zilingus, he was killed because he went ashore."
Odis began by praising, "It's quite good that you thought of using the word 'sloth'."
He knew very well that the girl wasn't bad at talking; she was just a bit straightforward.
Salina smiled and said, "Yes, I thought about it for a long time before I came up with such a suitable word."
The original words she heard were "Pirates never end up well when they come ashore," and she felt that if she said it directly, she might get beaten up.
"I'm not like ordinary pirates," Odis said. "I came to the Raging Sea not to rob, nor to fight pirates and uphold justice, but to find a space to realize some of my personal ideas."
"I can't tell you about these ideas right now, but as long as I'm on the right track, I can expect to become one of the 'Pirate Generals' in the near future."
"However, the prerequisite is that I need a huge space, and I need my own power and subordinates."
"I was originally thinking about whether to build my own fleet to achieve my goal, but now I think it's simpler and faster to develop my own power on an island."
Boris, who had his mouth taped shut, then ripped off the tape: "But... well, I mean, but what if the pirates find this base..."
"It's not impossible. If we defeat the 'Deep Blue' pirate crew, some pirates might realize that our base is located here."
"What if the pirates come and attack us?"
After saying that, he immediately sealed his mouth again, because what he was about to say might not be so pleasant.
"That would be wonderful." Odis smiled at Rupert and said, "Second mate, what do you think would happen if we set up a few 'Spirit Wave Cannons' on the island's high ground?"
Rupert almost saw this scene: pirates from afar were sailing in the coastal waters, preparing to attack, only to be blown up.
"Let's sit back and count the money." Second Mate Rupert smiled and said, "I personally think it's more appropriate to use the 'Extraordinary Machine Gun' than the 'Spirit Wave Cannon', because we would lose a lot of bounty if we did."
The other three crew members didn't quite understand what the captain and second mate meant, but they could tell that it was exactly the situation they wanted to see.
Odis explained, "After this battle, you'll know the strength of our pirate crew."
Salina and the others nodded, surprisingly feeling a little anticipation for the upcoming battle.
They returned to the ship and had a good night's rest.
The reason for resting on the ship is to avoid assassinations or other actions by spies from the "Deep Blue" pirate crew tonight.
Odis and Bazel were not afraid, but those few "low-sequence" crew members were likely to be harmed.
For safety's sake, it's better to live on a boat.
During the day, Odis refused the girls offered by Pres, also for this reason.
After all, they were not familiar with the forces in the port, and if they were in different rooms, they would easily be attacked by people loyal to the "Deep Blue" pirate group.
After all, you can't exactly do that kind of thing together, can you?
For the other crew members, it might not seem like a bad idea, but Odis found it somewhat unacceptable.
After a good night's rest, Saturday arrived. Just as Odis had predicted, although the orders he gave yesterday were clear and not difficult, it still took a whole day to complete the deployment.
At the port, apart from the police officers, the others were not very effective at carrying out orders. It took a lot of time to gather them together, and there were constant problems on the way to carry out the orders. One of them needed to urinate, and another needed to drink alcohol.
They finally reached the ambush site, but because it started raining, many people decided to go home.
Odis injured two men before they became a little more obedient.
Bazel and Bevis each organized their own teams to build some thatched huts using the large leaves in the rainforest to shelter from the rain.
But after the rain stopped, many people caught a cold.
Especially those council members who are already quite old, they all fell ill after being put through this ordeal.
Even with someone taking care of him, he lay there groaning and muttering things like, "Why live in the woods when there are perfectly good houses to live in?" and "So many people can't fight even before the battle has started."
It greatly affects morale.
Odis glanced at them, put on his "biological waist ring," concocted some medicine, and sent it to those with colds.
Not long after they drank it, they discovered that their colds had miraculously disappeared.
Although the council members were still resting on the ground, the topic of conversation had suddenly shifted to these miraculous cold medicines.
As for the southern plains, the villages started arguing again. One village said it sent too many people and other villages should be responsible for their food; another village said that its village was inland and should not be sent to guard the coast.
Odis had no choice but to send Salina to slap the woman again. At first, Salina thought the task was quite good and went happily, but after slapping her for most of the day, she didn't want to do it anymore.
Fortunately, the deployment was finally completed in one day.
The probing attacks by the "Deep Blue" pirate crew also began shortly thereafter.