After taking down the Black Cat Pirates, the Marines recovered 18.37 million Belly in cash from the pirate ship, along with various other spoils. Ultimately, Sean bought all those additional items for 4.75 million Belly.
Combined with the sale of the pirate ship for 30 million Belly, Sean walked away with a total of 53.12 million Belly—a handsome profit.
However, after a quick attempt, Sean discovered he was unable to use his ability to multiply this money. This was because the funds weren't his personal gain, but rather the collective reward for the entire 16th Branch. It was public revenue.
While he felt a slight twinge of regret, he was just glad to finally have some funding. Without it, the 16th Branch wouldn't even have enough money to repair its dilapidated facilities, let alone procure basic daily training equipment for the Marines. It had been an embarrassing state of affairs.
With the pirate ship towed away, the speed of the two warships increased significantly, no longer burdened by such a massive weight.
Two hours later, after delivering the surviving Marines and the captured vessel to the 153rd Branch, Sean and the soldiers of the 16th Branch resumed their journey. Their destination was Lava Island—the stronghold of Don Krieg.
In truth, the fact that Krieg was based on Lava Island was no secret. However, the Marines in the East Blue had never launched a full-scale campaign against him.
One reason was Krieg's sheer numbers; he commanded hundreds of subordinates, and rumors suggested his crew had nearly reached a thousand. The other reason was that Krieg suffered from a severe phobia of insufficient firepower and inadequate defense. He had poured astronomical sums of money into both his artillery and his personal defensive gear.
Given his raw firepower, unless Loguetown mobilized, no other branch in the East Blue—even if they deployed every single man—could hope to defeat him. Furthermore, several branches were secretly in league with Krieg.
Nezumi... was certainly not the only parasite within the East Blue's Marine ranks.
'''
Half a day later, on an island located west of Shells Town and close to the Red Line.
Nine warships were docked at the harbor, the smallest of which was a medium-sized vessel. This represented the entirety of Don Krieg's current strength. Most crucially, this force was larger than Marine intelligence had suggested.
According to the reports, Krieg was supposed to have one flagship and five medium warships. In reality, he had eight medium warships. In terms of sheer fleet strength, this was undoubtedly the most powerful fleet in the East Blue; even Loguetown couldn't compare.
And yet...
"Not enough. Still far from enough!"
"I need a grand fleet of at least fifty warships!" Krieg declared, staring at the three newly delivered ships with lingering dissatisfaction. With fewer than ten vessels, he was still far from his ideal of absolute combat power.
"Boss, these warships—including the matching cannons and ammunition—cost a hundred million Belly each. If we get fifty ships, we..."
"Don't worry about the Belly!" Krieg waved his hand dismissively before his subordinate could finish.
Right then, a pirate came running toward him. "Boss! Marines are approaching!"
"Hm? How many warships?"
"One medium-sized warship!"
"What? A single ship dares to come here? Come, let's go see for ourselves!"
"Yes, Boss!"
Krieg soon arrived at the island's only harbor, which looked somewhat dilapidated. He peered through his telescope, and seeing that it was indeed only one ship, a plan formed in his mind.
"Men, all aboard! Let these suicidal Marines learn the meaning of absolute firepower suppression!"
"Yes, Boss!"
'''
On the deck of the warship, Sean and Lucci were also using telescopes to observe the harbor of Lava Island from ten kilometers away.
"Commodore, Krieg has more warships than the intelligence indicated," Lucci noted.
"It doesn't matter. Numbers aren't that significant. You could probably handle them all by yourself, couldn't you?"
"It shouldn't be a problem. Do you want me to step in?"
"No. Same as always—we'll use this to train the Marines."
"Understood."
As Lucci suggested, he alone was more than enough to wipe out the entire Don Krieg Pirates. Sean was the same. But if they did the work, the Marines under their command would never get the chance to grow.
"Commodore, it looks like Krieg intends to set sail and engage us in a naval battle," Lucci said two minutes later, frowning slightly.
"Not surprising. The man is a weapon fanatic. Compared to his own personal strength, the fleet's naval capability is far more formidable."
"But Commodore, we only have four cannons on our ship. This is..."
Training the Marines was one thing, but looking at Krieg's fleet, they were bristling with cannons. With only four guns on their side, the disparity was so vast that it might not even serve as a proper exercise.
"It's fine. Have the men push the cannons forward. We'll handle the interception of the shells—think of it as a way for the Marines to practice their aim!"
"Understood!"
Ten minutes later, Krieg's flagship held the rear while the eight medium warships closed in, forming a fan-shaped encirclement. By any standard, this was a wildly unfair naval engagement, both in terms of quantity and quality.
However, naval warfare in the world of pirates isn't decided solely by the number of ships or cannons. If it were, the Straw Hat crew's ship would have been sunk countless times.
In the end, this was still a world where individual strength reigned supreme.
From a kilometer away, a pirate on Krieg's flagship signaled with flags. A moment later, the eight warships opened fire.
'BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!'
Each medium warship was equipped with over a dozen cannons. While they weren't the specialized large-caliber naval guns found on massive Marine warships, their firepower was still considerable. Moreover, these pirates were surprisingly proficient with their artillery. They might not be as disciplined as the elites from Headquarters, but they were certainly not inferior to the average East Blue Marine.
As the first wave of probing shots flew, Sean and Lucci instantly identified two shells that posed a genuine threat to the ship. Without a word, both of them blurred into motion.
Sean leaped from the side railing. Just as he had done with the 16th Branch, he hooked an incoming shell with his ankle, absorbed the impact, and whipped it back toward the enemy with a powerful leg strike.
Simultaneously, Lucci used Rankyaku to slice through another shell mid-air, detonating it in a violent burst!
"Don't worry about the pirate shelling!" Sean commanded. "Return fire!"
"Yes, Commodore!"
The crew erupted in cheers as they watched Sean and Lucci effortlessly intercept the incoming cannonballs. With the opening created, the artillerymen immediately began their counterattack.
'Whoosh—'
'Boom!'
'Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—'
'Boom, boom, boom!'
The air was filled with the whistling of shells, and massive plumes of water surged into the sky as projectile after projectile slammed into the ocean.
After several minutes, the warship remained completely unscathed. In contrast, Don Krieg's fleet had fared worse; three of his ships had each taken a direct hit, though the damage was not severe.
"Navigator, charge! Target Don Krieg's flagship!"
"Commodore, pirate ships are blocking our path! We can't push through directly!"
"Leave the blockade to me," Sean replied. "Just keep moving forward!"
"Yes, Commodore!"
Sean stepped to the bow of the ship, Hekireki already drawn in his hand. He assumed a striking stance!