Looking at the five missions displayed on the virtual screen, Mo Wu fell into thought.
Was it difficult?
Yes… and yet strangely simple.
In Mo Wu's eyes, aside from the task of saving three million civilians—which might prove troublesome—the rest of the killing missions were practically easy.
After all, the requirement was only to eliminate three truly vile individuals. In a world like One Piece, where the strong devoured the weak, Mo Wu could probably board any random ship at sea and pull out two pirates with unforgivable crimes on their hands.
But would he really handle it that casually?
Of course not.
He had not come to this world just to scrape by.
Reward: ? (Determined by the evil of the targets killed)
Reward: ? (Determined by the degree of promotion)
Reward: ? (Determined by the rarity of the Devil Fruits collected)
Looking at the question marks behind the rewards for one main mission and two side missions, Mo Wu slowly closed his eyes, as though sinking into deep thought.
Time passed second by second.
Several hours slipped by in the blink of an eye, yet Mo Wu remained seated beneath the shade in exactly the same posture, unmoving. No one could tell whether he had fallen asleep or was simply thinking too hard.
Only the newspaper resting in his arms was taken by the sea breeze and blown off toward the blue ocean.
Sunlight filtered through gaps in the clouds, spilling over the sparkling sea.
On that vast stretch of ocean, a magnificent Marine warship sailed steadily forward. Its hull was sturdy, its lines sleek. Even the heavy waves crashing against its sides did no more than produce deep, powerful thuds.
The Marine insignia stood clearly on the ship's body. A white Marine flag snapped loudly in the wind, displaying the honor and authority of its owner. Along both sides of the vessel, rows of cannons stood in neat order, as if ready to fire at any moment.
The bow of the warship rose high like a sharp sword, splitting the calm of the sea.
The sailors on board moved busily. Some checked the hull, some adjusted the sails, and others worked the navigation instruments. Their actions were skilled and orderly. Every man knew his duty, ensuring that the warship could maintain peak condition under any circumstances.
As the vessel advanced, the waves were cut apart by its hull, sending white spray spreading outward on both sides. At the stern, the propulsion system churned the seawater with a roaring force, driving the giant ship onward.
"Colonel! The Hungry Bird Pirates are heading for that island in the distance!"
A young man in a sailor's uniform held a telescope in his right hand. He snapped a salute to the bearded man standing ahead, then loudly delivered his report.
"Second Lieutenant Drake, your superior, Milenko Campos, is not blind."
The man known as Milenko smacked his subordinate on the head, leaving tears in Drake's eyes, then grinned in satisfaction. Standing on the uppermost deck of the warship, he raised his voice and shouted:
"Men of South Blue Marine Branch 32! The Hungry Bird Pirates carry a bounty of twenty million!"
"Are you afraid?"
The words were simple, but they were enough to ignite the blood of the Marines under his command.
How many men had joined the Marines without courage?
How many had suffered at the hands of pirates in the past?
No one knew.
But their answer said it all.
Shouts of hot-blooded fervor exploded across the deck.
"Not afraid! With the Colonel here, what's there to fear from some Hungry Birds?!"
"With the Colonel leading us, we're invincible in the South Blue!"
"Colonel! Let's blast them with cannon fire!"
Seeing his men burning with fighting spirit, Milenko smiled in satisfaction. He flicked his Justice coat behind him, took the telescope from Drake's hand, adjusted the focus, and narrowed one eye as he peered into the distance.
A moment later, his gaze locked onto a single point far away.
A ship was slowly sailing toward an island. Its sails were swollen with wind, and the hull rose and fell gently with the waves.
But none of that mattered.
At that moment, all Milenko could see was the flag flying atop that ship.
A flag bearing the image of a savage-looking seabird.
"The Hungry Bird Pirates!"
The words squeezed out through his teeth.
The memory of Massimo Village rose in his mind—a village burned, looted, and slaughtered without a single survivor because they had arrived too late to stop that pirate crew.
If he hadn't let the Hungry Bird Pirates escape back then out of caution, those villagers would never have lost their peaceful lives!
And recalling the lessons drilled into him at the military academy seven years ago, recalling the fire in his teacher's eyes whenever pirates were mentioned, Milenko finally understood everything that fire had contained.
As the colonel of the Tarakha Town Marine Branch, he could no longer tolerate evil escaping right before his eyes.
"For justice!"
"Men, pursue those vicious pirates!"
Seeing the Colonel's face redden with passion, the soldiers' blood stirred as well.
"Yes, sir!"
"Colonel…"
Unlike the others, Drake wore a grave expression. His lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something to Milenko in his current fever of righteousness. But after a brief moment of thought, he ultimately said nothing. He merely narrowed his eyes and began conserving his energy for the battle to come.
Naturally, Milenko noticed Drake's strange expression.
Did he not know what Drake wanted to say?
Nothing more than the suspicion that the Hungry Bird Pirates might be setting a trap.
But…
Milenko truly did not dare gamble anymore.
Yesterday, it had been his indecision that doomed an entire village. He no longer wanted to wait for reinforcements, nor did he want to gamble on whether the island ahead housed another village or not.
Bearing the name of justice, he would put every member of the Hungry Bird Pirates in chains right here.
Under the shade of the tree, Mo Wu, who had been sleeping for who knew how long, frowned slightly.
What was that?
His eyes snapped open at once.
The Nichirin Blade flashed from its sheath and slashed viciously through the air.
Thud.
A heavy object hit the ground, milky white liquid splattering everywhere.
A coconut?
No… not quite.
With his sharpened senses, Mo Wu vaguely detected that a battle seemed to be underway on the beach not far away. Looking at the grains of sand trembling on the ground, he became even more certain of his judgment.
He hung the Nichirin Blade at his waist and began walking toward the source of the noise.
Perfect.
This will let me see what combat in this world is actually like.
The only question is whether it's pirates fighting pirates…
Or Marines fighting pirates.
Footprints stretched across the sand into the distance, and more and more information entered Mo Wu's senses.
The unending roar of cannon fire.
The sounds of people killing one another.
And…
That thick, piercing stench of blood.
Mo Wu's brows drew together slightly as he took a deep breath.
He had already prepared himself mentally.
He had gotten used to killing demons.
But when it came to killing a human for the first time…
He truly didn't know whether he could handle it.
Unlock 100+ advance chapters on P@treon — every follow inspires me to keep going!
patreon.com/legacyverse1