Lord: I can see loyalty.

"Next, we just wait for news of Philip's death to come from afar, or for him to slink back to this port of Mali in disgrace."

Vio turned his gaze back to Port Mari, while glancing at Jimmy.

Jimmy understood immediately, took a few steps forward to the bow of the ship, drew his longsword, and loudly gave the order:

"Prepare to log in!"

The warships sped up, and this time there were no archers blocking the docks like in Freedore, and not even a trace of pirates could be seen.

"Looks like those pirates aren't all fools after all," Axel sneered as he watched the scene unfold.

Vio glanced at the direction of the speedboat that Philip had already disappeared from sight, and said, "Philip couldn't have left without arranging for them to intercept us. It seems that the pirates are also preparing to flee."

The warships landed quickly, with the knights taking the lead in deploying their forces, followed by the militia who rushed forward to take control of the surrounding area.

The local residents offered little resistance, simply repeating scenes that had already been witnessed in Port-Rideau.

"It's the Earl of the Southern Border!"

"My Lord Earl!"

The residents warmly welcomed Vio's arrival, while the knights, who were originally responsible for defending against the enemy, were instead tasked with preventing the residents from getting too close.

"Head to Martinburg, and prepare to welcome Philip there."

Vio and his group finally broke through the crowd's encirclement and headed towards Martinburg in Port-Marie.

On their way, they happened to see a group of pirates preparing to escape by ship.

Their numbers were less than fifty, and it was clear that this was all the manpower Philip had left.

"Wait, wait! Your Excellency!" One of the tall pirates, who was leading the group, changed his expression and hurriedly stepped forward.

"My lord, we have given up the fight! Let us join you, we are willing to serve you!"

Several pirates behind him quickly stepped forward and pulled out treasure chests beside them, which contained a small amount of gold and silver.

Vio only glanced at them briefly; this group could be considered elite, but...

Loyalty: 10%

Loyalty: 1%

【…】

Vio's lips curled into a barely suppressed smile. If these guys could betray Philip, then betraying him was only a matter of time.

Moreover, its loyalty is not even as high as that of a pet dog in its own territory.

"Axel." Vio glanced at the Black Pearl pirate captain beside him.

"Yes!" the other person replied with a grin, seemingly already guessing what Vio was planning to do.

"What to do with these guys and the gold and silver they brought is up to you Black Pearl Pirates. After all, pirates know pirates best..."

"clear!"

For Vio, the amount of gold and silver treasure handed over by these pirates was completely insignificant.

Rather than accepting this ticking time bomb of fewer than a hundred people for such a small amount of gold and silver, it would be better to let these long-suppressed Black Pearl pirates unleash their power.

Besides, whether they are dead or not, this group of gold and silver belongs to the Southern Territory.

The pirates from the western border were stunned into a frenzy, and the tall pirate leader even tried to speak up to stop them.

"My lord, we are all elites of the Western Frontier, please allow us to join..."

"Shut up, you idiot."

A Black Pearl pirate stepped forward, raised his sword at the Western pirates, and said, "Raise your weapons, or you'll die a pathetic death."

The Western Pirates exchanged glances, their faces filled with despair as they looked at the Black Pearl Pirates who outnumbered them several times over.

Vio ignored them and continued toward Martinburg, which was just a stone's throw away, soon followed by screams and laughter.

"Your Excellency, Philip's fast ships have returned, pursued by our warships!"

Just then, Jimmy, who had been searching for pirates elsewhere, finally returned to the team and brought news.

Vio raised an eyebrow and looked out at the sea. Sure enough, there were several dark spots chasing a speedboat toward them.

Vio stopped and turned to look at the sea.

Sure enough, the fast ship from the Western Territory was making its way toward the port of Mari, followed closely by three warships from the Southern Territory.

The ballistae fired intermittently, creating plumes of water on the sea, forcing the speedboat to flee in that direction.

"My Lord, shall we...?" Jimmy walked to Vio's side and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Let's go to the dock to greet him." Vio simply smiled faintly.

As soon as Philip's speedboat docked at the pier, the people on board jumped off in a panic.

Philip himself staggered onto the dock, his fine clothes now wrinkled beyond recognition, his meticulously groomed mustache askew, looking utterly disheveled.

He had just looked up when he saw Vio standing at the end of the dock.

And behind Vio, the knights and militia who had already surrounded the docks.

Philip stopped in his tracks.

The few close associates behind him also stopped, looking at each other with despair in their eyes.

"Philip," Vio said, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching everyone's ears, "after running around in circles, you still have to come back."

Philip's face turned pale and then red, his lips trembled a few times, and he finally managed to force an ugly smile.

"My lord..." He stepped forward, but was forced back by the knights' raised swords. "I am willing to surrender! I am willing to join the Southern Territory! I still have many men under my command, treasure, and..."

Vio raised his hand to interrupt him.

Loyalty: 0%

The numbers on the panel are very eye-catching.

Vio couldn't help but laugh, a laugh full of mockery.

"Choose to surrender?" he said softly. "Those guys are truly your men; even their pleading is exactly the same."

Philip was stunned.

"Your men," Vio smirked, glancing behind him, "said the same thing just now, but now..."

On the other side of the dock, the screams had gradually subsided.

The Black Pearl pirates are cleaning up the battlefield, carrying away corpses and treasure.

Philip's face turned completely pale.

"Your Excellency!" He knelt down with a thud.

"It was me! I know I was wrong! Please spare my life, I'll do anything! No, that's right, I have information!"

"What intelligence?" Vio narrowed his eyes slightly.

A glimmer of hope flashed in Philip's eyes as he said urgently, "Finn! Finn Griffin has already made his move! Do you think killing me will bring peace? That old pirate is the most dangerous man in the West! He's ready; once he strikes..."

Vio's face remained expressionless; he had already heard the news from Timothy.

"That's all?"

Philip was stunned.

Vio waved his hand: "Take him away, lock him up, and interrogate him properly."

Although it's highly unlikely you'll get any information—after all, those pirates are selfish and not true allies—you still have to try.

Several knights stepped forward and dragged the struggling Philip away. His screams gradually faded into the shadows of Martinburg.

"My lord, those treasures..." Axel ran over from the other side of the dock, his face beaming with excitement, "It's unbelievable! The ship is loaded to the brim!"

"Move it," Vio said succinctly. "Put it all into the Southern Treasury."

"Alright!"

Vio turned around and walked toward Martinburg.

Standing atop the highest point of the castle, he looked down at the port of Mari below, standing by the stone wall.

The chaos at the docks has subsided, and flags from the South are being raised everywhere.

In the distance, the fast ship carrying Philip's treasure was also towed away, and the afterglow of the setting sun shone on the sea, turning everything golden.

Jimmy silently walked up behind him.

"Your Excellency, Philip has finished dealing with this. Next..."

Vio did not turn around.

"This is just the first pirate... We need to speed things up in the west." Vio glanced northward, his expression slightly grim.

"The situation in the capital is not optimistic."

"Lord: I Can See Loyalty" is sparking a reading frenzy, haven't you read it yet?