"Shoot those bastards!"
"Fire at will!"
"Take them down!"
Two similarly sized ships were engaged in battle on the open sea.
One was a marine warship, the other a pirate vessel.
But the difference in momentum was clear.
On the marine side, the deck was full of excited marines.
In contrast, the pirate ship's deck was deserted, just riddled with bullet holes.
On the marine deck, four marines wielding rapid-fire rifles worked in pairs, maintaining continuous fire and suppressing the pirates so completely that none dared show their faces.
Among them was Lance. Even with a rapid-fire rifle, he handled it as if it were part of his body, landing nearly every shot on target.
"Prepare to board!"
"Draw your swords!"
At Lance's command, dozens of marines brandished gleaming blades.
*Bang!*
With a loud crash, the two ships collided head-on.
Planks were laid between the vessels.
One by one, the marines charged aboard the pirate ship.
"Damn it! These marine dogs are going too far!"
"Men! Fight back!"
Beaten to the point of humiliation, the pirate captain finally gave the order to counterattack.
"Hmph!"
"Attack! Send these pirates straight to hell!"
Lance didn't hold back. He handed his rifle to a fellow soldier, drew his longsword, and joined the charge.
This was just an ordinary pirate crew, their captain had a bounty of just over 10 million Berries.
Hammer didn't even lift a finger. He stood silently in the lookout tower, watching the battle unfold.
But the pounding of his heart and his clenched fists showed he was ready to jump in at any moment.
Lance personally handled the pirate captain, Bondo.
Though Lance specialized in firearms, he was also a product of the elite training camp.
He had mastered three of the Six Powers techniques: Soru, Geppo, and Rankyaku.
With these, he completely overwhelmed Bondo.
As for the rest of the pirates, they were utterly passive in the face of rapid-fire suppression and the marines' close-quarters assault.
They didn't even make a ripple.
The battle was over in barely ten minutes.
"Hammer, what should we do with this bunch?"
"Lock them in the lower deck's iron brig. We'll hand them over to the local branch when we pass by the North Blue."
Lance nodded and began tallying the damage.
Thanks to overwhelming firepower, there were no serious injuries, only a few minor wounds.
The outcome surprised Lance.
But Hammer was visibly shaken. The sheer difference that firepower could make in a battle's outcome was undeniable.
Unlike the disciplined marines, most pirates lacked the courage to face true power, they usually fled when things got serious.
This battle had shown everyone the raw, suppressive might of the rapid-fire rifles.
The dense web of bullets left the enemy unable to even lift their heads.
Hammer noticed it too.
"I'm heading to the forge. Don't disturb me until we reach the branch."
With that, Hammer returned to the break room. Every marine he passed looked at him with awe and admiration.
*Duang*
*Duang*
That familiar hammering sound rang out once more.
It commanded respect from every personnel on the ship.
The warship made swift progress and soon arrived at Branch 217 in the North Blue, located near the prosperous Kingdom of Stanford.
"Captain Anlong, I'm Lieutenant Lance from headquarters. I'm here regarding the Germa 66 matter."
"These are the pirates we subdued on the way. Please take custody of them."
Branch 217 was one of the larger bases in the North Blue, hence its position near the influential Stanford Kingdom.
Captain Anlong didn't look particularly bulky, though he stood around 2.5 meters tall. Beneath his Justice cloak, he wore a casual marine short-sleeved shirt, and his exposed arms were covered in scars, clearly a battle-hardened veteran of countless blade encounters.
"Welcome to the North Blue."
"Men, take the Bondo Pirates into custody."
His voice was raspy but carried undeniable authority.
"Things are heating up with Germa 66. The Kingdom of Stanford has entered a state of emergency. King Najil has forbidden anyone without clear identification from entering."
"The whole kingdom is on edge."
Lance frowned upon hearing this.
"Germa 66 has that much influence…"
Anlong shrugged helplessly.
"Well, they are the so-called 'evil army' of legend…"
"By the way, did headquarters only send you? No offense, but…"
Lance understood the implication. He was just a lieutenant; after all, it was natural that Anlong would be skeptical.
"Don't worry, I'm not in charge of this mission. The commanding officer is Captain Hammer from headquarters. He's currently resting on the ship."
Only then did a flicker of understanding cross Anlong's face.
A captain from headquarters, now that was a different matter entirely.
Headquarters and branch officers are at a completely different level.
Generally, marines from the Four Blues' branch offices would have their ranks downgraded by several levels if they were transferred to Marine Headquarters.
"Please proceed with the handover quickly so we can get back to tracking down Germa 66," Lance urged.
Anlong nodded and motioned for his subordinates to speed things up.
"According to intelligence, after raiding the Kingdom of Stanford, Germa 66 was seen passing through Notis."
"You might want to patrol along that route."
Lance nodded and memorized the name Notis.
"Hammer, Captain Anlong said Germa 66 passed through Notis. What do you think?"
*Duang*
"I'm talking to you!"
*Duang*
"HAMMER!"
"...Huh?"
Only when Lance shouted did Hammer finally stop his work.
"You bastard! No wonder Instructor Zephyr always scolds you!"
"Whatever. He's just jealous of my talent."
"…Wow. You really are shameless."
Lance looked at Hammer's pouty face and sighed in defeat.
"Germa 66 has always been unpredictable, and mobility is their strength. Vinsmoke Judge is a master of hiding his movements."
"No need to rush. Listen to me, head to the Kingdom of Stanford first."
"There are some things… rather than us finding him, it might be better to let him come to us."
With that, Hammer shoved Lance out of the break room and went back to hammering.
He had just come up with a new forging idea, but Lance interrupted him. Now he couldn't wait to test out his new idea.
"Kingdom of Stanford? Hammer, what do you mean?"
"Hammer!"
*Duang!*
All he got in response was the loud bang of a hammer striking metal.
Lance was speechless.
Left with no choice, he gave the order.
"Change course! Our new destination is the Kingdom of Stanford!"
He stormed off from the door of Hammer's break room, absolutely fuming.
He swore to himself that, after this mission, he'd never go out to sea with Hammer again.
'This guy was just too damn stubborn and an obsessed lunatic.'