Chapter 16: Swordsman BurtCarrying his long sword on his back, Marcus rushed toward the pirate gathering point according to the direction Cali had mentioned.According to Cali's introduction, because these pirates controlled the lifelines of everyone on the island, they only left about twenty pirates in the town. However, the person leading these pirates was a very powerful swordsman.From what Cali knew, this swordsman was a dual-wielding practitioner. He was extremely cruel; if any subordinate performed poorly, he would slice them in half directly. Consequently, no pirate was willing to serve under him.However, this swordsman's strength was immense. In the entire Pirate Crew, no one was his match except for the Captain. That was why the Captainfelt so at ease leaving him to guard the town, entrusting the safety of the entire Pirate Crew to him. From this point alone, one could see how powerful this swordsman was.But the stronger the enemy, the more excited Marcus became. He had come out this time specifically to increase his strength. He was looking forward to the power of this swordsman; only by constantly challenging powerful experts could he rapidly improve his own strength."A swordsman... I hope he really is that strong. Don't let me down."Knowing that those pirates generally didn't come out at night, Marcus no longer had many concerns. He leaped rapidly across the rooftops, his movements even more agile than a wild cat's.Marcus arrived at the town center once again, but this time he spent less than half the time he had before.The last time he came to the town center, Marcushadn't observed carefully, so he had missed some things. In fact, the pirates' base had been right nearby all along. It was just that Marcus's mind had been full of thoughts about the distress signal, so he hadn't looked closely. Plus, having run into the Little Girl, he hadn't suspected this place.Following the location Cali mentioned, Marcusimmediately discovered the pirate gathering point. It was in a large building directly across from the Plaza. This building used to be the administrative center for the entire island, but ever since the pirates arrived, it had been seized by them.In truth, Marcus could have found this building even without Cali's guidance. Because most people in the town had turned off their lights to sleep, only this building remained brightly lit. Previously, Marcushad arrived too early; otherwise, he would have discovered the true face of this building long ago.After confirming the location was correct, Marcusleaped down and walked straight toward the building.That's right, Marcus was walking toward the building openly and honestly. As for things like sneaking in first to scout the situation, Marcuswouldn't do that. In Marcus's view, such methods were only used by the weak.The truly strong disdain such actions. In the face of absolute strength, no matter how sophisticated your schemes are, they are useless; another person only needs a gentle punch to kill you.Marcus walked toward the building step by step. When he was still ten meters away, he suddenly crouched down. Pressing one hand to the ground, he shouted inwardly: "Space Isolation!"Just as Marcus finished those words, centered on the building, the entire space rippled like flowing water, sending out layer upon layer of waves. After the waves vanished, the entire building actually appeared to have vanished from the outside world. Only a layer of gray foundation remained where the building had stood.This was Marcus's 'Space Isolation.' Using his Devil Fruit Ability, Marcus filled the surroundings of the building with a layer of Spatial Power invisible to the naked eye. The greatest function of this Spatial Power was its ability to isolate everything.After being wrapped in Marcus's Spatial Power, the building inside was actually situated in another space. Thus, from the outside, it looked as if the entire building had suddenly vanished. In reality, it was just that they couldn't see the situation inside or hear the sounds within.To put it simply, under Marcus's Space Isolation, no matter what happened inside this building, no one would know. However, those inside Marcus's Space Isolation could clearly see everything happening outside.Marcus's 'Space Isolation' couldn't actually trap anyone, nor could it prevent people from outside from entering. Furthermore, it was useless against anyone possessing Observation Haki; they could fully sense the existence of this spatial layer.So while Marcus's Spatial Power was invisible to ordinary people, it was actually very easy to discover for those with Observation Haki. However, it wasn't as if anyone with Observation Haki could see it; if Marcus's ability improved, those whose use of Observation Haki was still superficial would be unable to see it.In fact, during his year of fighting Garp, Marcusdiscovered that no matter how strange a Devil Fruit Ability was in this world, it would definitely be countered by Haki. This was the rule of this world. No matter how perverted your ability was, it would fall within this restriction.Just as having Observation Haki allowed one to see his Spatial Power, even the Space Blade, which could cut through space, could actually be blocked by Garp using Armament Haki.Back when Marcus first used the Space Blade, he thought he might accidentally kill Garp, but the final result nearly scared Marcus himself to death instead.However, this move was still extremely useful for doing things in secret. Just like today, with this layer of Space Isolation, as long as he didn't let the people inside escape this range, no matter what he did inside, it wouldn't alert the pirates in the forest.This was also the key to why Marcus made that promise to Cali. Without this 'diamond drill,' how would Marcus dare to take on this 'porcelain work'? It was because he had this preparation that Marcuswasn't afraid of alerting the pirates and could come here to kill people openly.This was the power of strength. As long as you possessed great strength, you didn't have to worry about anything at all. In the face of absolute strength, everything else was just a passing cloud.After the Space Isolation was set up, Marcus finally dared to let loose. Opening his palm, a marble-sized Death Ball formed instantly. Marcus gently flicked it through a window.At this moment, in the hall on Level Two of the building, more than five tables were set up, covered with fine wine and gourmet food. About thirty-some pirates sat together in groups of two or three, bragging, drinking, and eating meat.At the head of the hall, a man wearing a bandana with two swords hanging at his waist sat in a high position. He just quietly watched his subordinates below, drinking wine incessantly, his thoughts unknown."Why haven't those two useless trash returned yet?" the man asked with a look of displeasure.At the man's inquiry, the pirates in the hall instantly fell silent. Everyone knew this cruel lord had a bad temper right now. If they were unlucky enough to cross him, they would be sliced in half. This was a master who would kill at the drop of a hat.Seeing that the other pirates didn't reply, a pirate of fairly high status braced himself, stood up, and replied, "Lord Burt, those two bastards might have run into some trouble."Burt's eyes glared, making the pirates below tremble with fear. "Trouble? The entire island is under our control now. Where would trouble come from?""This subordinate doesn't know either. How about I send someone to find them and bring them back..."Burt waved his hand to interrupt him and said dismissively, "Don't bother looking. When they return, kill them both."These words caused the other pirates to involuntarily gasp. Although these pirates all felt great sympathy for those two guys, not one dared to plead for mercy. There were many previous examples where people pleaded for others, only to end up getting dragged down themselves.Therefore, when facing such matters, everyone could only sigh in their hearts for the others' bad luck. As for pleading, not a single person dared to do it, even if they were the best of friends.Just then, a small black ball flew in from outside and landed on the table in front of Burt. Everyone's eyes were instantly drawn to this small black ball. Just as the pirates were guessing what it was...The small black ball emitted a violent light, followed immediately by a loud explosion."BOOM..."UU Reading. We welcome all book friends to come and read. The latest, fastest, and hottest serialized works are all at UU Reading! Mobile users, please go to read.
Chapter 17: Wiping Out the Pirates (Part 1)A dazzling burst of fire rushed out from the window, illuminating Marcus's figure below in a bright crimson glow.Countless shards of glass and wall decorations were shaken loose, things that could easily kill an ordinary person. Yet, before they could even get close to Marcus, they were blocked by a shield surrounding him.Looking at the building ruined beyond recognition, Marcus muttered to himself, "After an explosion like that, most of the pirates inside should be dead by now!"Marcus was well aware of the power of the Death Ball. This Death Ball of his had been prepared over a period of time, and its terrifying power was no less than several cannonballs exploding simultaneously.Such power was enough to kill most pirates. However, for the stronger ones, the damage would be limited. After all, Marcus wasn't intending to kill every single pirate; he just wanted to force them out.Sure enough, under that powerful explosion, about twenty of the thirty-plus pirates died, and the remaining ones all came rushing out.Burt, true to his status as the strongest, was the first to charge out. Although Burt had been closest to the Death Ball, his reactions were fast enough to dodge in time, so his injuries were actually the lightest.But Burt's subordinates weren't so lucky. That small black ball had exploded suddenly, and since they had all been focused on it at the time, most were unable to dodge. Some were killed, others wounded.Seeing that only a dozen or so of his subordinates remained, Burt's heart bled. These thirty-plus people were the only ones he truly controlled within the Pirate Crew; they were his direct subordinates.Now, almost all of them were dead in an instant, and those who survived were all injured—and all of this was because of the brat in front of him.Marcus, unaware of the situation inside, was surprised that his Death Ball had caused so much damage. He thought, "Could this group of pirates be that pathetic?""Brat, did you do that just now?" Burt asked, suppressing his rage.Although Burt was incredibly cruel, it didn't mean he was stupid. Anyone who could survive in the Grand Line was no small character; they wouldn't strike recklessly without knowing their opponent's background.There are many powerful people in the Grand Line, and some have extremely eccentric temperaments. Sometimes, just accidentally disturbing someone's sleep could lead to being hunted to death.Seeing Burt act so cautiously, Marcus couldn't help but wonder if this swordsman Burt was really as formidable as he seemed.Looking around, Marcus spread his hands and said, "Is there anyone else here besides me?"Seeing Marcus admit to it, some pirates couldn't hold back. One stepped forward and shouted, "Brat, you dare to ambush us..."Seeing someone step out to test the waters, Burtdidn't stop him. He wanted to see how Marcuswould react. If Marcus was just a paper tiger, Burtwould make sure he wished he were dead. If Marcuswas truly powerful, he would placate him for now and look for an opportunity to kill him later.Burt had no intention of letting Marcus go after he had killed so many of his men and left him in such a wretched state."How annoying. The boss hasn't even spoken, yet a little lackey jumps out," Marcus chuckled.As soon as Marcus finished speaking, the pirate who had stepped forward was suddenly restrained by something invisible. Without even a chance to scream, there was a loud crack, his arms went limp, and a trickle of blood leaked from the corner of his mouth.This move by Marcus instantly intimidated all the pirates. A few who had been about to attack quietly took several steps back.Marcus's killing method was simply too terrifying. Even Lord Burt splitting someone in half paled in comparison. The opponent had done nothing, yet a companion was killed silently. The unknown is always the most frightening.In everyone's eyes now, Marcus was an incredibly terrifying brat.Killing someone over a minor disagreement—compared to him, even the cruel Lord Burt seemed kind.However, Burt had a strong mental state and instantly suppressed his fear. "Who exactly are you? I don't believe we have any grievances.""You're right, we don't. But unfortunately, I am a Marine, and you are pirates. You have only two choices: either be killed by me, or kill me—though you still won't survive, as there are Marines outside the island."Seeing the pathetic performance of these pirates, Marcus lost all interest. He didn't have time to waste here, so it was better to finish this quickly.Burt unsheathed his sword. "Brat, you're too arrogant. We aren't some trashy pirates."He then ordered the pirates behind him, "You two, use the den den mushi to contact the Captain. Tell him the Marines are here."Those who survived Marcus's Death Ball all had some skill. At Burt's command, they immediately sprang into action. While two were pulling out a den den mushi, the rest held various strange weapons and watched Marcus warily.Burt also realized that the brat before him was a Devil Fruit User with formidable strength. The best course of action now was to stall until the Captainarrived; then they could deal with the brat.Marcus drew the sword from his back and said seriously, "Since you won't make a move, I'll go first."The custom sword in Marcus's hand had a blade on one side and a row of cold-gleaming spikes on the other. This design was borrowed from an anime, while the sides of the blade were engraved with insects, fish, birds, and beasts on one side, and the sun, moon, and stars on the other—crafted after the Xuanyuan Sword from the myths of his previous life.'Shave!' Marcus's figure instantly appeared in front of Burt, gripping his sword with both hands for a powerful vertical slash.Faced with such a forceful attack, Burt was only momentarily shocked before quickly drawing the twin swords at his waist and crossing them to block.Although Marcus used his full strength and the strike came from above, he was still too young and lacked sufficient power. Thus, Burt was able to block the vertical slash even in his haste.With a loud clang, the three swords collided violently. A powerful shockwave blasted outward from the point of impact, sweeping countless dust particles into the air.Marcus was well aware of his own weaknesses, so he wasn't particularly surprised that Burt could block him. However, that didn't mean he didn't have a follow-up.'Shave'Marcus's figure instantly appeared beside Burt with a horizontal sweep, but Burt blocked it with his sword. Just as Marcus was about to retreat to find another opening, Burt's other sword was already slashing toward him.Marcus quickly dodged to the side, the sharp blade narrowly missing his eyes. He spun back with a side kick, striking Burt directly in the chest.Under the force of Marcus's kick, Burt stumbled back several steps. By the time he regained his footing and looked ahead, Marcus's figure had already vanished.At that moment, as Burt was retreating, Marcus had already used'Shave' to get behind him, though he didn't launch a sneak attack.Although they had only exchanged a few blows, Marcus already knew that this swordsman wasn't just talk. Cali was right; this swordsman was indeed very powerful.Both his reaction speed and strength were impressive—especially his reaction speed, which could actually keep up with Marcus's'Shave'. His strength was also formidable; after just two clashes, Marcus's right hand was already feeling a bit numb.While these thoughts were racing through Marcus's mind, Burt had also discovered Marcus behind him.After their exchange, Burt had realized that the brat didn't just possess a terrifying Devil Fruit Ability. Aside from the hard-to-defend against'Shave' of the Marine Six Powers, the brat's close-combat skills weren't actually that strong.Brandishing his blades, Burt spoke up, "Brat, it seems you're only good with your mouth. Everything else is lacking."Unfazed by Burt's taunt, Marcus replied nonchalantly, "Is that so? We've only just started."With a forceful kick from one leg, the ground cracked like a spiderweb under Marcus's immense power. Using the powerful recoil, he shot toward Burt.Seeing the brat charge at him, Burt naturally wouldn't back down. He had been stuck here for six months and felt his skills getting rusty. He wasn't about to pass up a rare chance for a real fight.Clang, clang, clang... As soon as they clashed, it was a flurry of rapid attacks. Two figures flickered continuously across the field, each collision producing a powerful shockwave.Although Marcus came out worse in every clash with Burt—after all, he was still just a child—and Burt was a powerful swordsman whose strength was naturally superior, Marcus couldn't match him in raw power.Fortunately, Marcus had mastered'Shave' of the Marine Six Powers, giving him a slight edge in speed. So for now, the two were evenly matched, neither able to gain the upper hand.UU Reading. Welcome, dear readers, to come and read. The latest, fastest, and hottest serialized works are all at UU Reading! Mobile users, please go to read.
Chapter 18: Eliminating the Pirates (Part 2)Clang...It was another intense collision, but unlike before, Marcus had previously been knocked back only a step or two by Bert.But unexpectedly, Bert had been hiding his strength all along, even though Marcus had gradually adapted to Bert's power.Who would have thought that just when Marcusassumed they were about to separate, Bert suddenly increased his power. Caught off guard, Marcus was instantly sent flying.After tumbling a few times in mid-air, Marcus finally regained control of his body. Before landing, he dissipated the immense force, stopping after only taking two steps back.Over the past year, ever since he began training with Garp, Marcus had already mastered a method of dissipating force that suited him well.He had only been caught off guard just now; if he had been prepared, Marcus would have at most been pushed back a few steps, and certainly wouldn't have suffered such a significant loss as he did now.Suppressing the surging Qi in his chest, Marcuslooked at Bert, who was ten steps away, and said, "I didn't expect you to have hidden your strength."The pirates nearby, seeing their Captain knock Marcus flying, immediately became excited. They had previously thought this brat was quite formidable, but it turned out he was no match for their Captain at all."As expected of our Captain!""Keep it up, Captain! Finish off this brat!"Seeing his subordinates so excited, Bert could only smile bitterly in his heart; he was suffering in silence now.Don't be fooled by him sending the brat flying; that was just catching him off guard, and looking at the situation, the guy wasn't even injured.Originally, Bert had wanted to take advantage of that moment to injure Marcus so he could kill the brat, but he hadn't expected the brat to endure his attack head-on and remain completely fine.This meant that the brat in front of him had also hidden his strength. Bert was well aware of his own capabilities. The brat had already had the upper hand before, and since he had hidden his strength, Bert was even less of a match for him now.But fortunately, the Captain must already know about the situation here. As long as he could hold on a little longer, this brat would be dead, Bert thought to himself.In reality, Bert was overthinking it. The reason Marcus was fine was simply that he had already adapted to this kind of battle. Right now, other than not using his Devil Fruit ability, Marcus was going all out."Captain, I don't know what's going on, but I can't reach the Captain with the den den mushi," a pirate said, holding the den den mushi with fear.A den den mushi could actually be blocked by someone? He had never even heard of such a thing. And now that it was happening right before his eyes, how could the pirate not feel terrified?"What?" Bert exclaimed. "How is that possible? Did you try with other den den mushi?"The pirate said with a grimace, "We tried! We tried them all, and nothing worked."Seeing that these pirates had finally realized, a smile finally appeared on Marcus's face. Since these pirates had discovered it, he had to speed things up; time waited for no one."It's you... it's you... you did all of this!"Looking at Marcus's smile, Bert understood instantly. No wonder this brat hadn't been anxious at all when he was giving orders to his subordinates earlier; it turned out he had planned everything.Marcus nodded. "I like to resolve things all at once to save trouble. So, before I came, I isolated this building from the outside."The remaining pirates were already too terrified to speak after hearing this.To be able to block a den den mushi, and to kill without a sound—what kind of Devil Fruit did this brat in front of them eat?Only Bert realized the severity of the situation immediately. Since this brat had blocked the den den mushi, it meant that he had absolute certainty that he could keep all of them here.At this moment, Bert remembered that Marcus was a Devil Fruit user. Marcus hadn't used his ability earlier, which almost made Bert forget that he was a user.Since he knew the den den mushi were useless, Bert made a decision instantly and shouted to his subordinates."All of you, run outside in different directions! No matter how powerful this brat's ability is, he can't kill so many people at once. Once you escape, immediately contact the Captain with a den den mushi!"Under Bert's command, the pirates immediately scattered and ran in different directions. Their speed practically broke the limits of the human body, almost like rabbits."Captain Bert, what about you?""I'm going to block him here. If I don't block him, none of you will be able to escape," Bert said, staring intently at Marcus.Seeing that Captain Bert had actually stayed behind to deal with the brat alone, the pirates were extremely moved, and the image of Bert in their hearts instantly became heroic."Captain Bert, be careful. We will definitely notify the Captain as soon as possible!"It wasn't that Bert didn't want to run; it was that he couldn't. If he ran, these subordinates would be killed by Marcus instantly. Then Marcus would be able to use his full power to deal with him, and given his speed, he would be caught by Marcusbefore he could run very far.So he couldn't leave; he had to stay here and wait for these people to notify the Captain. That way, he would still have a glimmer of hope for survival.How could Marcus not understand Bert's intention? He chuckled and said, "Do you really think these people can escape?""What?", Bert suddenly had a bad premonition. Could this brat really kill so many people at once? If that was true, then they were in trouble.Marcus gently raised his hand, pointing at the fleeing pirates.He shouted softly, "Imprison!"Those running pirates suddenly stopped in the posture they had at that instant, unable to move, as if someone had cast a immobilization spell on them.Even Bert was no exception. When Marcus raised his hand, Bert felt a force appear in the Void Realm, rendering his entire body unable to move.Although these pirates were imprisoned, one only had to look into their eyes to see fear—fear of death. A previous pirate had been killed by this very method."Snap!" Marcus clenched his hand.The moment Marcus's voice fell, Bert felt a powerful force appear around his neck, trying to snap it. Bert was powerful and could hold on for a while, but the other pirates lacked that strength.The imprisoned pirates' eyes rolled back one by one, blood trickled from the corners of their mouths, and they were dead beyond any doubt. If an ordinary person saw this, they would be scared half to death.Perhaps frightened by the state of the other pirates' deaths, Bert suddenly erupted with powerful force, breaking through the spatial imprisonment.Imprisoning so many people at once reduced the force applied to each individual, so Marcus wasn't very surprised that Bert could break free. It just made him feel a bit annoyed that he hadn't finished it in one go.Seeing his subordinates killed in an instant, Bert was left with nothing but fear. Even a dozen pigs couldn't be killed that quickly, let alone his own elite men."You're the only one left," Marcus said, pointing at the corpses covering the ground.After witnessing Marcus's move just now, Bert had long since lost any thought of running away. He also realized that it would probably be difficult for him to survive this time; the brat had already said earlier that he didn't like taking prisoners.But even an ant tries to survive, let alone a human. Bert was not the type to sit and wait for death; even if there was only a sliver of hope, he had to fight.Waving the twin swords in his hands, Bert charged at Marcus with resentment. Why was it that this brat could obtain such a powerful Devil Fruit and become a Marine Captain at such a young age?He had cultivated his swordsmanship for so many years, yet he still couldn't compare to a stinking brat. Bert's heart was filled with resentment.Under Marcus's powerful strength, Bert's state of mind had become chaotic. His attacks had no structure at all, making him even less of a match for Marcus.Clang... Clang...How could Bert, who had no Battle Intent, be a match for Marcus? However, Bert, who was resigned to death, was even harder to deal with than before. Now, Bert's fighting style was completely trading injury for injury, a suicidal tactic.Marcus didn't want to die with Bert, so he could only use'Soru' to skirmish, finding opportunities from time to time to leave wounds on Bert's body.After dozens of exchanges, Bert was losing more and more blood, and his stamina had begun to drop.Within a few more moves, Marcus found an opening and kicked Bert in the face. Knocking Bert to the ground, and with his reaction speed significantly reduced due to excessive blood loss, Marcus seized the opportunity and slashed his throat with his sword.After a fierce battle, Marcus had killed all the pirates in the town without alerting the pirates in the forest, leaving no survivors.UU Reading welcomes all readers to visit and read. The latest, fastest, and hottest serialized works are all on UU Reading! Mobile users please go
Chapter 19: Cali's ShockMeanwhile, on the other side.Under Marcus's instructions, Cali and her sister made their way through the forest.The forest at night was incomparably silent. Under the cover of dense leaves, only specks of Moonlightshone into the woods, providing light.Walking through the woods, their feet stepped on the fallen leaves covering the ground, making a rustling sound that became the only rhythm in the forest.Cali held her sister's hand tightly, walking cautiously. Despite how quiet the forest seemed at night, only those who had stayed in the forest could understand that it was at its most dangerous during the night.Because at night, many powerful beasts came out to search for food. Amidst this quiet, many life-and-death struggles occurred; some predators successfully captured their prey with satisfaction, while others turned from predators into food.The roles of hunter and prey often switched in an instant; this was the cruel Law of survival in the jungle.How could Cali not know about the murderous intent in the jungle at night?Therefore, Cali kept holding her sister tightly, her eyes focused intently on the movements from all directions. Given their strength, traveling through the forest at night was extremely dangerous.Ah! Not paying attention to her feet, Cali was suddenly tripped and fell to the ground with a scream.The Little Girl behind, seeing her older sister suddenly fall, hurriedly stepped forward to help her up, asking with concern,'Sister, are you okay!'The ground was covered with dead leaves, so Calididn't suffer much injury from the fall. She climbed up from the ground and said, 'I'm fine, I just tripped over something.'Having climbed up, Cali turned around to look behind her, wanting to know what had tripped her.When Cali saw the thing behind her clearly, she covered her mouth in disbelief and exclaimed, 'How is this possible?'The Little Girl's expression after seeing the corpse was even more exaggerated than Cali's; her mouth stayed open for a long time, unable to utter a single word.There, where Cali had just been standing, lay the corpse of a tiger, and this tiger was incomparably huge, at least seven or eight meters long.This creature, originally the hegemon of the forest, now had its head severed, leaving behind only a corpse.After a while, Cali finally reacted and instantly understood who had done this.The path she was taking was the one Marcus had just walked. Seeing this giant tiger corpse lying here, it was easy to guess that Marcus had done it.At this moment, Cali finally understood. Earlier, she had been afraid of the dangers in the forest and didn't want to bring her sister along. But Marcus had said it was fine, as the annoying guys along the way had already been dealt with.So, the 'annoying guys' Marcus referred to were these beasts. She hadn't understood Marcus's words at the time, but seeing this situation now, she instantly understood everything.Marcus had planned everything out when he let the two sisters enter the forest. It was precisely because he knew he had already finished off the beasts on that path that he was so at ease letting two defenseless girls walk such a route.Even such a massive beast was no match for Marcus. After witnessing Marcus's powerful strength, Cali's expectations for him immediately rose significantly.Knowing that Marcus had cleared the dangers along the way, the speed of the two sisters immediately increased significantly.Along the way, the two encountered quite a few killed beasts; some had even been turned into pulp by Marcus, making it impossible to tell what kind of creature they were in life.Looking at the killed giant beasts, the Little Girlasked cautiously,'Sister, did that big brother kill all of these?'Yes, Cali nodded. Looking at these corpses, it was hard to imagine that these creatures could have died at the hands of Marcus, a child who looked only ten-something years old.Speeding up, the sisters didn't take long to arrive at the place where Marcus had landed.Finding the small boat hidden in the bushes, they struggled to push it into the sea.With joyful faces, they climbed onto the small boat and rowed toward the north of the island, because the marine warships were docked there, and a Marine Vice Admiral was also there. As long as they reached there and found the Marines, their fathers could be rescued.The place where the marine warships were docked was not far from the island, so after rowing for a few miles, the sisters could already see the silhouette of the marine warships.Fearing discovery by the pirates on the island, all the lights on the marine warships had been turned off. So when the sisters arrived, no one noticed their arrival, except for one person.Before Cali even reached the marine warships, Garphad already discovered them. His Observation Hakicould sense the sound, but it couldn't specifically identify who was coming.Thump... thump... thump.Following the secret signal given by Marcus, Caliknocked on the ship's hull three times.After the three knocks, footsteps immediately came from above, and two ropes with hooks were lowered.This signal had been agreed upon by Marcus and the Colonel beforehand; only after hearing this signal would they know the person below was Marcus. If this signal wasn't used, then the person below wasn't Marcus, and since it wasn't Marcus, they had to capture the person arriving.After securing the ropes, Cali shook them vigorously to signal that they were fixed.Then, holding her sister, she lay on the boat's deck. After hearing the signal, the Marines above immediately pulled the small boat up.Just as the small boat was being pulled onto the ship, the Colonel had already been waiting on the side for Marcus. But who knew that it wasn't Marcuswho came out, but two Little Girls.Seeing that the people who came out were definitely not Marcus, the Marines on the side immediately raised their guns and aimed at the foreheads of the sisters.Seeing this scene, the Little Girl was frightened and hugged Cali tightly.Cali suppressed the fear in her heart and raised the signal flare Marcus had given her.'We are residents of the town. A Marine named Marcus asked us to come here.'Seeing the signal flare in Cali's hand, the Colonel immediately recognized it; it was clearly the one he had given to Marcus. He ordered, 'Put down your guns, these are not pirates.''Are you really sent by Marcus? Why didn't he come back himself?' the Colonel confirmed again.Seeing that the Marines were no longer pointing their guns at them, Cali breathed a sigh of relief and explained, 'Marcus is taking action in the town first, so he instructed us sisters to bring a letter, and by the way, to explain what happened in the small town.'Hearing Cali's explanation, the Colonel was already 80% convinced. Only when he got the letter and confirmed it was written by Marcus could he fully trust these two girls.'Then take out the letter; I need to confirm it first,' the Colonel said, extending his hand and asking in a business-like manner.Cali covered the letter at her chest and said nervously, 'Marcus said to hand this letter personally to Vice Admiral Garp. Only when I see him will I hand out the letter.'Just as the Colonel was about to speak, Garpwalked out from the crowd and said with a smile, 'Little friend, I am Vice Admiral Garp. Now you can hand the letter to me.'Actually, when Cali came out, Garp had been watching the development of the situation from the side. Hearing that Marcus had written a letter for him, Garp had no choice but to walk out.'Vice Admiral Garp!' Seeing Garp walk out, all the Marines immediately saluted.Seeing the surrounding Marines all call him Vice Admiral Garp, Cali knew she had found the right person. She hurriedly took out the letter Marcus had given her and respectfully handed it to Garp.The person in front of her was a Marine Vice Admiral, a man with immense power. This was the first time Cali had seen a Marine with such a high rank, so she had to deal with him carefully.Looking at Garp in front of her, Cali thought strangely, 'Didn't Marcus say Garp was a Stinky Old Man? Why does he not look like what Marcus said?'Garp took the letter and opened it immediately; he was very interested in the content Marcus had written.The Colonel asked, 'Little sister, since you are from the island, can you tell me what happened on the island?'So, Cali once again detailed everything that had happened on the island over the past six months.'Bang!' After hearing Cali's narration, all the Marines were incomparably furious, especially the Colonel, who directly punched the wall.He said angrily, 'How can there be such scum in the Marine? This is truly a disgrace to our Marine.''That's right! We must capture that Colonel!''This kind of person doesn't deserve to be a Marineat all.''This kind of Marine is truly damned; we must not let them off.'... UU Reading welcomes all book lovers to read; the latest, fastest, and hottest serialized works are all on UU Reading! Mobile users please go to read
Chapter 20: InfiltrationAlthough there are some bad apples among the high-ranking Marines, the low-ranking Marine Soldiers are basically righteous.The collusion between the Navy Colonel and the pirates that Cali mentioned was something most Marine Soldiers had never even thought of. If it hadn't been for Lieutenant Lin Tian confirming the news, many Marine Soldiers wouldn't have dared to believe it.Because of this, even after a long time, many Marines were still filled with indignation. They were still whispering to each other about the matter.Hearing the soldiers' comments, Garp frowned.Having been in the Marine for so many years, Garpwas very clear about the darkness within. Although he often disliked the Marine's actions, some things couldn't be changed by one person alone. Therefore, Garp had always maintained an attitude of 'out of sight, out of mind' regarding such things.Now, the fact that these Marines were constantly discussing this matter would have a bad impact. If this kind of thing got out, it would be a huge loss of face for the Marine. At that time, these soldiers might get into some unnecessary trouble.Garp feigned seriousness and interrupted the crowd's conversation, "Quiet, what we need to do is solve the problem at hand.""Yes!" everyone obeyed.The Colonel voiced his concerns, "But those pirates have many hostages in their hands; this is a very serious problem."The primary issue now was to rescue the island's residents so they could deal with the pirates without worry. If those residents remained in the pirates' hands, everyone would be held back and unable to give their all."It's fine, someone has already solved that problem," Garp said nonchalantly. He had great confidence in Marcus's strength; after all, that was his own student."Someone solved it?" The Colonel was puzzled at first, then suddenly realized, "Oh, it's Lieutenant Lin Tian.""But, can Lieutenant Lin Tian really handle those people alone?" It wasn't that the Colonel didn't believe in Marcus—to be the Disciple of Marine Hero Garp, Marcus must possess absolute strength.But the main issue was Marcus's age. Thinking that Marcus was only eleven or twelve years old, the Colonel's heart thudded in his chest.Garp said with great confidence, "That's for certain, this old man's Disciple is very powerful."Although Garp spoke so certainly, looking at the faces of these Marines, it was clear they didn't believe it. Marcus was simply too young; some of these Marines had children older than him.Compared to the other Marines, the two sisters, Caliand Ann, were incredibly shocked. Although they knew Marcus was strong, they hadn't expected him to be the Disciple of a Marine Vice Admiral.From birth until now, the two sisters had never been out to sea. In their hearts, a Vice Admiral was already immensely powerful. As the student of a Vice Admiral, Marcus must be exceptionally strong.Thinking of Marcus, Cali suddenly remembered the words he had entrusted to her and quickly said, "Marcus also asked me to pass on a message.""What message?" Garp asked, puzzled. At the same time, all the Marines showed expressions of confusion. Everything seemed clear now, so what else could there be?"The distress signal was sent neither by the pirates nor the island residents. Someone deliberately guided you all here."As soon as Cali finished speaking, everyone looked shocked. Everyone present understood the implication behind Marcus's words.Marcus had discovered that behind this island incident, there was actually a hidden hand pushing things from the shadows, and their Marine ship had also been schemed against."This is getting more and more interesting."...In the dark forest, moving forward was very difficult, but for Marcus, this wasn't an issue at all.Moving quickly, Marcus dodged obstructing branches while thinking about what had just happened. In the town, Marcus hadn't killed all the pirates; he had only knocked one unconscious.After the pirate woke up, Marcus had prepared many words for a harsh interrogation, but before he could even speak, the pirate spilled everything.Left with no choice, Marcus listened quietly. After obtaining the useful information, he let the man die peacefully.It turned out that the reason this group of pirates came here was simply because their Captain had obtained a treasure map from somewhere.They then brought everyone here. After searching for several days, the pirates found a place where treasure might be hidden.However, that place was buried too deep. After a day of digging, they had only uncovered a little bit, but they had already found quite a few treasures. The pirates were now full of motivation, so they captured all the men over ten years old in the town.But they hadn't expected the Marine to suddenly arrive. Just when the pirates thought they would have to run, the Captain used half of the treasure to bribe that Navy Colonel.Since reaching a cooperation with the Colonel, the pirates naturally wouldn't give up on this treasure. However, that place was truly too difficult to excavate. They had been digging for half a year already. Fortunately, with that Navy Colonel acting as an inside man, they hadn't been discovered until now.Now, the treasure would be completely excavated in a few days. According to the Colonel's request, they would then kill all the residents on the island to hide this secret.This information wasn't of much use to Marcus. What Marcus most wanted to know was about the mastermind behind the scenes, but this pirate's rank was too low; he only knew this relatively useless information.However, thinking about these things was useless now, because Marcus could already see lights not far away. The real secret was right ahead.Using the cover of night, Marcus had already sneaked near the clearing, hiding in the grass. Although it was night, it was lit up as bright as day by torches. If he went any further, Marcus would be spotted by the pirates patrolling everywhere.Using the night as cover, Marcus dealt with a pirate, put on his clothes, and walked over openly.Even though there were torches everywhere, the light was somewhat dim. Unless someone looked closely, they couldn't see a face clearly, so Marcuswasn't afraid of being discovered.Because Marcus was wearing a pirate's outfit, as he wandered around, no one said much.Even though it was the middle of the night, many people were still working—these were the town's residents. To find all the treasure, these pirates didn't dig like a mine shaft; instead, after determining the location, they dug directly from the surface.After half a year and the efforts of thousands of people, they had now dug a massive pit over a hundred meters deep. Through the torches on the side and a few mining lamps, Marcus could roughly see the situation below.The people below dug the soil and transported it up via hanging baskets. At the same time, there were many pirates below monitoring everything.He had readily promised Cali earlier to rescue her father, but seeing this situation now, Marcus felt it was incredibly difficult. With so many people split between the top and bottom, how could Marcus find him?After assessing the general situation and seeing that these people weren't in immediate mortal danger, Marcus decided it was time to do the important work. He headed toward the place where the pirates lived.Marcus planned to go to the Captain's place first to see if he could find any important intelligence. That third-party mastermind was like a thorn in his throat; if he couldn't figure out what conspiracy was behind this, Marcus simply couldn't make his move.Since all the pirates were busy supervising the residents, Marcus barely encountered any pirates along the way. No one greeted him either, and so Marcus entered the area without any hindrance.Actually, the pirate Captain's house was the easiest to find; it was definitely the largest and most high-end building among them.He had expected this place to be different from the outside, with some people guarding it, but to his surprise, it was even worse than the outside. At least you could see figures outside; here, there wasn't a single person.In the entire house, only one area had a light on. Marcus walked over cautiously and looked through the gap in the door; there were only two people inside the room.UU Reading. Welcome all book friends to visit and read. The latest, fastest, and hottest serialized works are all at UU Reading! Mobile users, please go to read.