How can I become the Pirate King if you don’t work hard?.

Chapter 266 Navy? Pirates?
"Where am I?"

T-Bone subconsciously shook his head.

He felt his mind was in a daze, and the roar of artillery fire kept ringing in his ears, causing even the hospital bed beneath him to shake slightly.

"hiss--!"

T-Bone groaned, forcibly propping himself up, looking around to barely grasp his situation.

The gruesome wounds on his body had already been simply bandaged.

More than half a month ago.

Upon hearing that Water 7 was under siege by pirates, he disregarded his superiors' objections and immediately mustered his troops to rush to their aid.

Unfortunately, he ultimately overestimated his own strength and underestimated the madness of the pirates born from Pluton.

All the marines on the ship, except for T-Bone himself, were killed in action.

If the other party hadn't intended to use his status as a naval captain to incite these pirates to exchange their money for ransom at the naval branch base, he probably wouldn't have survived.

"Am I saved? But what about those young marines..."

In T-Bone's mind, the images of those who had fallen in front of him flashed by, and he felt a sharp pain in his heart.

But he knew even more clearly that he no longer had time to grieve.

"correct!"

"Water Seven is still under siege by pirates, and the civilians there are waiting for justice to be served."

"This is also the legacy of those brave sailors."

T-bone managed to stand up with difficulty.

His recently stitched wound suddenly reopened, and blood soaked through the gauze, turning it a deep crimson.

However, the physical pain could not deter the will of the T-bone.

Wow——!
He yanked open the curtains of the ward, only to find a streak of fire hurtling towards him, ignoring everything else.

boom!
boom!
boom!
……

The shells slammed heavily onto the surrounding buildings, sending up crimson flames that linked together and burned into a sea of ​​fire.

Explosions continued, and a heat wave swept over us.

In just a moment, T-Bone realized where he was.

"The City of Seven Waters!"

"Is the pirate attack still not over?!"

Suddenly, a slightly indifferent voice appeared in T-Bone's ear.

"If I were you, I wouldn't have gotten up at this time. You're too badly injured; you can't fight in this condition."

Turn your head back around the T-bone.

Then he saw a man who was over 2.7 meters tall, with a strong build and a face like a demon, standing at the door, looking at him indifferently.

The man was returning to the camp to help Chopper move the wounded to Gin underground.

Besides this, Akin's other task was to keep an eye on the T-bone.

Gawain already knew about the existence of the T-bone from Akin.

Gawain felt more admiration than wariness towards this seemingly nasty but kind-hearted marine. After all, in this era where the navy and pirates competed to be the worst, people like T-Bone were rare these days.

That willingness to die for justice is admirable.

Therefore, Gawain's only order was for T-Bone to stay in the hospital and recover from his injuries until the Water Seven incident was over.

As for where he wants to go next, that's up to him to choose.

"Did you save me?!"

T-Bone looked at Akin in front of him, his gaze falling on the badge on the other's shoulder that symbolized his rank.

Brigadier General of the Headquarters.

It is half a grade higher than the T-bone.

T-bone stood up straight, raised his hand to the side of his head, and gave A-Jin a proper military salute:
"Naval Headquarters Captain T. Penn reporting!"

"Ah~"

Ajin was slightly taken aback, feeling a little uncomfortable with the formality of the T-shirt. He waved his hand and said:
"There's no need for such formality."

"Yes, sir!"

T-Bone responded and then asked the question he was most concerned about:
"What's the current situation in Water Seven?!"

At this moment, T-Bone was certain that the man in front of him must be an officer sent by the Marine Headquarters to support Water Seven.

After all, things have escalated to this point, with countless civilians besieged in Water Seven, awaiting justice. The Navy has no reason to stand idly by.

Justice is absolutely not about ignoring the deaths of so many civilians!

He always believed in the Navy and in its justice.

That's why, after resigning from his position as knight commander due to disappointment with the kingdom's nobles, he chose to join the navy.

"I can help—!"

Before T-Bone could finish speaking, a shell landed in the camp.

The heatwave rose, and the window shattered with a crash.

Even if Akin didn't say it, T-Bone could sense that the battle at this moment must be incredibly fierce.

"That's not what you should be asking right now."

Ajin shook his head, his gaze falling on the bleeding wound on his T-bone, his tone becoming more stern.

He mimicked the image of a naval officer from his memory and gave the order:

"Your first priority is to heal your injuries!"

"This is an order!"

"Sir, I cannot stand idly by while the civilians suffer!"

T-bone shook his head, his eyes resolute and unwavering, meeting Akin's gaze.

In his heart, the first priority was the civilians who believed in justice, the second was the marines under his command, and he ranked himself last.

He was a knight like Gawain, but far more orthodox than Gawain.

At least he won't break the precepts he believes in like someone else, even if the price is his own life.

"you……"

Ajin opened his mouth, looking at the wounds that were gradually splitting open on T-Bone's body, his eyes filled with deep emotion.

He had never seen a marine like this before.

there has never been.

His impression of the navy was that they were mostly like rats.

Aside from their clothes and privileges, they were nothing more than scum, no different from pirates, or rather, from the nobility of the kingdom.
"In that case... then you'll temporarily come with me to help evacuate the wounded from the camp, is that alright?!"

"Yes, sir!"

T-Bone responded loudly.

He took a deep breath, adjusted the bandages on his body, and after barely stopping the bleeding, he walked out of the room with Ah Jin.

It was also at this time.

T-Bone finally learned just how devastating the battle in Water Seven truly was.

He had been here before on missions such as ship repair and witnessed the prosperity of this seaside city, but now all of that is gone.

All that can be seen are collapsed buildings and burning infernos. How many more people will die in such a disaster?!

T-Bone dared not and did not want to think about that answer.

However, his face grew increasingly pale, whether from his injuries, the Seven Waters Poison, or both, it was unclear.

In short.

After only a moment's hesitation, T-Bone mustered his strength and, together with the group of marines around him, led the wounded to retreat.

Looking at these marines rescuing the wounded amidst the flames of war, T felt nothing but admiration.

He even witnessed a marine shielding a wounded soldier from flying rocks with his own body to help the wounded retreat.

Although he did not suffer a fatal injury, he only broke a few ribs.

But the willpower displayed by these marines filled T-Bone with indescribable admiration.

If upholding justice requires qualifications, then the marines who risk their lives to appear here at this moment certainly qualify.

"They are all excellent and have a respectable will."

"Even the best marines I've ever seen are only this good."

T-Bone couldn't help but let out a word of praise.

The members of the Gawain Pirates, dressed as marines, had strange expressions on their faces. They looked at each other and smiled knowingly.

"Hahahaha~" Even Akin, who was standing in front of T-Bone and kicking away cannonballs one after another, couldn't help but reveal a smile:
“That’s right, they are all good soldiers, the ship… I mean, the one Lieutenant General Lancelot trained.”

"Yeah?!"

A hint of longing couldn't help but show in T-Bone's eyes.

This feeling was especially strong when he thought of his close friend Akainu, with whom he had a big argument and parted on bad terms.

"We should show Akainu what a real marine should be like."

"His overly extreme and radical approach was absolutely wrong!"

After saying that, T-Bone stepped forward to join the team transferring the wounded.

But as soon as he took a step, he felt a wave of dizziness.

Fortunately, Kin reached out and supported the T-bone in time, and Chopper also rushed over quickly.

After carefully examining T-Bone's body, Chopper breathed a sigh of relief.

The T-bone injury is recovering better than expected, but because I haven't eaten for so long, my body is a bit weak.

Ah Jin and the others were relieved.

A few minutes later.

After T-Bone regained consciousness, he ate a few pieces of bread and fish and recovered.

He showed no intention of resting and immediately joined the team transferring the wounded, though his gaze kept falling on Ajin's face.

"Why is there something on my face?!"

"No, it's just that I feel like I've seen this face somewhere before. Maybe we've seen it at a meeting at headquarters before."

"Yeah……"

Akin nodded, then ignored the T-bone.

T-Bone's will has already won his approval. Moreover, although T-Bone has barely regained his mobility, he doesn't even want to think about fighting.

"Let's get to work."

"We'll save as many as we can now."

"Yes!"

……

Time flies, and the sun sets.

A bright moon rises.

With the help of Gawain and Kuro, the pirates' offensive was temporarily halted, but their original camp had already been destroyed by artillery fire.

Akin had no choice but to lead the group of refugees to retreat to the underground of the mayor's building, located in the heart of Water Seven.

There is enough space there to accommodate even the tens of thousands of refugees who survived from Water Seven.

along the way.

T-Bone frequently observed the marines around him and Kin beside him.

The longer it goes on, the stronger the sense of incongruity becomes.

"The way these marines behave and some of their habits don't seem like those of trained marines; it's more like... is it just my imagination?!"

T-Bone shook his head, banishing the unrealistic thoughts from his mind.

How could any pirate possibly be willing to interfere in the affairs of Water 7 at this time?

He agrees that pirates are not necessarily villains.

He had also seen commoners become pirates at sea because they could not bear being exploited by the kingdom's nobles.

But even those people would never act for the sake of the common people of Water Seven at this time.

There is only the navy, and it will only ever be the navy.

But when his gaze fell on Ah Jin's face again...

But that lingering doubt resurfaced in my mind.

He had seen this face before.

T-Bone is a fan of the East Blue Martial Arts Tournament and longs for that kind of fair duel.

If it weren't for his duty as a naval officer, he would even be willing to try challenging the martial arts tournament.

Martial spirit is also one of the qualities that knights uphold.

This naval commodore who calls himself Gin is almost identical to the pirate known as Gin the Demon, who was the winner of the first East Blue Martial Arts Tournament.

That person was later confirmed to be one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, a subordinate of the knight Gawain.

They shouldn't be here at this time, and even if they were, it couldn't be for the sake of the common people of Water Seven.

"Ah Jin... Ah Yin, although the two look similar, their figures are completely different. Perhaps they are related by blood."

"It's not uncommon for the older brother to be a Marine while the younger brother is a pirate."

Think of this.

T-Bone's heart gradually calmed down.

It was also at this time.

Akin handed a bottle of water and bread to T-Bone. After looking at it, T-Bone handed it to a pirate dressed as a Marine, whose face was full of fatigue.

“You need these more than I do.”

"Forehead……"

This man was originally a sailor on Gawain's ship. Looking at the bread in his hand and the ugly man before him, yet possessing a will as bright as gold, he subconsciously nodded.
"Thank you, sir!"

Ajin watched this scene without saying anything.

But suddenly, a feeling arose that the navy might not be as bad as he had imagined.

……

……

……

port.

The pirate ships that had gathered around were all incinerated by Gawain's breath, which was compressed into a laser-like state.

Flames raged across the sea, engulfing the wreckage of the pirate ship, and chilling screams echoed from time to time.

Those were pirates who didn't have time to jump ship and were about to be burned alive.

The guards in the harbor watched this scene with no sympathy in their hearts, only an indescribable sense of pleasure.

"That's...it's happening again! More pirates have broken through the encirclement and are trying to land!"

Someone exclaimed in surprise, and the guards present instantly assumed a fighting stance.

"slow!"

Gao Wen raised his hand, stopping the crowd from making a move.

His gaze fell upon the distant sea, and he sensed an extremely powerful aura rapidly approaching.

"A very dangerous guy is coming!"

"Fall back!"

next moment.

A chilling aura spread across the distant sea.

Kakakaka—!
The sea surface froze rapidly, and the pirates who couldn't escape were frozen into ice sculptures. The wreckage of the pirate ship that was burning at sea was also extinguished in an instant.

The chilling air, undiminished in its force, surged onto the land of the port, spreading all the way to Gawain's feet before finally stopping.

"In my memory, only one man can possess such a chilling aura that can freeze the sea in an instant..."

Gao Wen's expression was solemn as he looked out over the distant sea. There he saw a familiar figure riding a bicycle slowly approaching on the ice.

It was Aokiji who came to Water 7 after his battle with Akainu.

"Sashi ignores me~"

"Bro!"

Aokiji, with a languid expression, glanced at Gawain, who was dressed as a naval vice admiral, and a mocking smile appeared on his lips:

"This outfit actually suits you surprisingly well~"

Gao Wen's expression stiffened, and he hurriedly interrupted:
"Did you come here to fight me, or to help me?!"

Under normal circumstances, Aokiji should never appear in Water Seven.

Even if he were to come, he shouldn't be in casual clothes, but rather as a naval admiral.

Given the current situation, it's highly likely that something unexpected has happened. Gawain has no intention of letting Aokiji enter Water Seven until he understands Aokiji's attitude.

"Then it depends on your performance, young man."

(End of this chapter)