The natural system started off strong, but the navy finally reached its peak!

"Never mind, let's go take a look!"

.......

When Tesoro arrived shortly after, the sight before him caused his pupils to shrink in shock.

All that could be seen was Guyram, a member of the Wald Pirates, sprawled at Ribo's feet like a lump of mud, his sniper rifle twisted and deformed and lying to the side.

Even more chillingly, another swordsman, Naijin, was being lifted up by Ribo with one hand around her neck.

Her whole body was convulsing, and countless blood-like substances were being forcibly extracted from her body!

“This is…” Tesoro’s Adam’s apple bobbed.

The life force that had been extracted twisted and deformed in the air, eventually condensing into three crystal-clear carrot-shaped cookies.

As the last bit of energy was drained, Naijin's body shriveled up at a visible speed, her skin quickly lost its luster, and her long, black hair turned half gray in the blink of an eye.

"You only have three?" Libo pouted in dissatisfaction, casually tossing the nearly lifeless Najenda aside.

"So, the two of you together only make six!"

After saying that, she tossed and caught the healing carrots like a juggler, her rabbit ears twitching excitedly.

"When I went out with Uncle Sakazuki before, those captains could clearly extract eight..."

Oh! Wait a minute! I forgot, you're not the captain! Sorry.

Tesoro looked at Najenda, who appeared to have aged at least twenty years, on the ground, then at the "healing carrots" in Lipo's hands.

"Damn it, she's stronger than me, fighting two people at once."

"Ribo..." Just as Tesoro was about to speak, he was interrupted by a series of hurried footsteps.

"Warrant Lieutenant Tesoro!" Sergeant Tesoro arrived with a squad of naval soldiers, and was visibly taken aback upon seeing the scene.

"this......"

"Take them all back to the warship." Tesoro quickly regained his composure and pointed to the unconscious Guyram and the dying Najenda.

"And there's more!" At this moment, Lipo had already skipped over to Tesoro's side and handed the healing carrot to the sergeant.

"Although it's not much, it can be crushed and distributed to the soldiers who are not seriously injured."

"Thank you, Lieutenant Lipo!" The sergeant gave a serious salute as he looked at Lipo's healing carrot.

"It's okay! It's okay! Hehe~" Libo put her hands behind her back, her toes unconsciously drawing circles on the ground, and the corners of her mouth almost reached her ears.

She was really enjoying the feeling; her lips were all pouting.

As Tesoro watched this scene, the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up.

He then turned to the sergeant and said, "Alright, you guys go and handle the aftermath."

"Libo and I are going to find Young Master Gern..." Before she could finish speaking, a familiar voice came from not far away.

"Well done, you two."

The sound wasn't loud, but it instantly silenced the entire battlefield.

Whether it was the naval soldiers handcuffing the pirates or the captured members of the Wald Pirates, they were all frozen in place as if under a spell.

Everyone's eyes turned in unison towards the direction from which the sound came.

In the afterglow of the setting sun, Gern's figure slowly walked towards them.

He was dragging something in his right hand, leaving a long trail of blood on the scorched earth.

As they drew closer, everyone's pupils contracted sharply when they finally saw what it was.

Especially the pirates of the World Pirates!

Captain Bundy Wald, whom they considered invincible and was known as the "Destroyer of the World" by the strongest men on the seas, with a bounty of 1.92 billion Berries.

At this moment, he was being dragged along the ground by the hair by Gern like a dead dog!

The sea breeze swept by, carrying the smoke of gunpowder, and the cloak of justice behind Gern fluttered in the wind.

The setting sun cast his shadow long, as if it were about to envelop the entire battlefield in shadow.

"Gern!" Lippo was the first to snap out of her daze, hopping and skipping like a happy little rabbit to greet him.

"Look, look, I defeated two people by myself!"

Gern released his grip on Wald's hair, letting the great pirate slump to the ground like a rag doll.

"Tsk tsk tsk, it seems our Ripo is getting stronger and stronger!"

"Of course! Haha."

At this moment, Tesoro stepped forward, looked at the unconscious Wald on the ground, and couldn't help but ask, "He...?"

"Alive," Gern replied briefly, "but he won't wake up anytime soon."

Upon hearing this, the sergeant snapped out of his shock and hurriedly ordered his soldiers, "Quick! Put the specially made sea stone shackles on Wald!"

Gern looked at the busy soldiers, then gazed at the rising twilight in the distance, and said softly.

"This mission is over, it should be about time for a promotion..."

Chapter 174 Scholars of Ohara

"Reporting to the Major General, the civilian relief work is basically complete." The sergeant wiped the sweat from his brow and closed his ash-covered notebook.

Seriously wounded soldiers were prioritized for transfer to the hospital ship to receive treatment in conjunction with the doctors on Hatchinos Island.

Those with minor injuries received treatment at the makeshift town medical station, while the remaining survivors returned to town.

"Hmm, not bad." Gern nodded slightly, his fingertips lightly tapping the hilt of the black sword, Bahuang.

In the distance, the setting sun dyed the sea blood-red, contrasting beautifully with the embers of fire still burning on the island.

He was about to ask about the follow-up work when he was interrupted by a series of hurried footsteps.

"Report!" A young navy man came running up, breathless, his uniform cuffs still bearing scorch marks from fighting the fire.

"Major General Gern, we have discovered a hijacked adventure ship on the west coast. The crew members claim to be scholars from Ohara."

“Ohara?” Gern’s fingers, which were tapping the hilt of the knife, suddenly stopped.

“That’s right!” The soldier swallowed hard and continued, “But strangely…”

They refused a naval medical examination and were in a hurry to repair the ship and leave. He lowered his voice as he said this.

"This unusual situation aroused the captain's suspicion, so he specifically asked me to consult with Major General Guern."

The appearance of scholars from Ohara in the New World was already unusual, but what was even more strange was that these frail scholars avoided their savior like the plague.

“Interesting.” Gern suddenly chuckled.

"You didn't feel relieved after being rescued by the Navy, but instead rushed to run away?" As he turned, his cloak of justice drew a sharp arc.

"Let's go see these scholars who are in such a hurry to leave."

Libo jogged to catch up, her carrot dagger jingling at her waist: "Gern, could he be a bad guy in disguise?"

Like that slave trader disguised as a merchant last time?

“What are you thinking, Lipo? Ohara is a sanctuary for scholars,” Tesoro said in a deep voice. “All Ohara scholars are only interested in knowledge!”

"Really? I never imagined that anyone would like 'knowledge'?! That's terrifying."

Gern, Tesoro: "..."

……

Meanwhile, the last rays of the setting sun shone on the western coast of Hatchinos Island.

The adventure ship that had been plundered by the Wald Pirates lay quietly moored on the shore, its grotesque cracks silently testifying to the atrocities it had suffered.

The mainmast was broken in the middle, like a broken sword stuck diagonally on the deck, and the scattered nautical charts and broken instruments gleamed faintly in the sunset.

"Phew, they're finally gone." The middle-aged scholar wearing round-framed glasses breathed a sigh of relief and took off his sweat-soaked felt hat.

The eyes behind the glasses scanned the departing marines warily. "Encountering the Marines is far more dangerous than encountering pirates!"

“Your reaction is too suspicious, Vi.” A cold female voice came from the shadows of the cabin.

With the soft creaking of the wooden deck, a woman in a long robe slowly stepped out.

Her waist-length, snow-white hair fluttered in the sea breeze, her deep eyes conveying a calm expression.

It was archaeologist Nicole Olbia, Nicole Robin's mother.

The scholar called Vi suddenly turned around, his brows furrowed: "Eurbia! Do you even know what we're researching?"

He lowered his voice, his fingers unconsciously tracing the spine of the ancient book he had picked up from the ground.

"Getting involved with the Navy now is more dangerous than encountering ten Walds! My behavior just now was perfectly normal."

"Normal?" Olbia gently stroked the deep cracks on the ship's hull.

Would an ordinary scholar who has just escaped the clutches of pirates be so eager to refuse a naval escort?

Would you deliberately avoid the help and treatment offered by the Navy? Everything you just did was questionable.

"you……"

"Enough!" A hoarse yet loud voice came from the upper deck.

Dr. Clobar descended the gangway, leaning on his oak cane, his silver beard trembling slightly with each step.

The two scholars immediately fell silent and bowed.

The old doctor's gaze lingered on Vi's flushed face for a moment before finally settling on Olbia.

"She's right. The look in that navy soldier's eyes when he left... probably already showed suspicion."

"What if they discover the rubbings of the historical text on the ship..." Someone's exclamation from the crowd caused a stir.

The scholars looked at each other in bewilderment. Some began to anxiously take stock of the scattered documents, while others stared despairingly at the broken mast.

The ship will need at least three days to be repaired, so they are completely unable to escape now.

"Alright! Quiet down, everyone!" Dr. Clover slammed his cane down on the deck, sending splinters flying.

"To lose one's composure is the path to certain death!"

Once everyone quieted down, he looked up at the horizon. "Now we can only hope that the leading officer won't focus his attention on us 'ordinary scholars who perished'..."

"Forgive my bluntness, but this is difficult, Doctor." Olbia walked to the ship's railing, her cold voice shattering the hopes and illusions of the crowd.

"Don't forget, the one who hijacked and attacked us is the 'World Destroyer,' with a bounty of nearly two billion."

The person who can hunt down a pirate of this caliber must be extraordinary..."

.......

On the other side, Gern stood on the shore with Libo and Tesoro, his gaze sweeping over the battered ship not far away, his brows furrowed slightly.

Lipo followed beside him, her rabbit ears twitching slightly as she curiously looked around.

Tezzolo stood a little further away, arms crossed, his eyes wary.

“The scholars of Ohara…” Gern murmured to himself, memories of this “island of scholars” flashing through his mind.

Ohara is renowned for its historical research, and was originally a mecca for scholars and a place they aspired to visit.

However, their attempt to study the "blank history" was directly thwarted by the Buster Call.

"Gern, they're packing up in such a hurry!?" Even Libo, the naturally oblivious one, noticed something was amiss when she saw the bustling scene below.

"Perhaps there's something they don't want us to know," Gern smiled faintly and strode toward the ship.

At this moment, the scholars noticed the approach of the three men, and their expressions became noticeably tense.

Wei quickly stepped forward again, forcing himself to remain calm, and shouted...

"Are you the commander of this mission? I am a scholar on this adventure ship, my name is Wei, and I am truly grateful for the Navy's rescue!"

But we're all right now and we're getting ready to leave!

Upon seeing the man's self-introduction, Gern stopped in his tracks, looked directly at him, and a faint smile played on his lips.

"So... after you were kidnapped by pirates, you didn't even offer a proper thank you before rushing off?"