"A treasure worth 100 million Belly!"
Word of Captain Kuro's hidden riches spread like wildfire through Orange Town, and then, incredibly fast, it reached the rest of the world.
Because it was confirmed by both the ex-vice captain of the Black Cat Pirates and the Marines, nobody doubted that the treasure was real.
Pirates, bounty hunters, and even shady groups from the underworld started to move.
Even nearby kingdoms, hearing the news, sent their soldiers to the island where the treasure was said to be, not wanting to be left behind.
On a lonely, empty island...
"What? A treasure worth 100 million Belly!"
Buggy's jaw dropped. He even drooled a little!
His biggest dream was to collect all the treasure in the world, and after hearing what his subordinate said, he could only think of one thing.
The treasure is mine!
"Men, set sail right now!"
Buggy didn't question if the information was true.
Kuro was a well-known, dangerous pirate who had sailed the East Blue for years, stealing countless treasures. Of course he would have some hidden away.
Now that Kuro had just been beaten by the Marines, it was the perfect time to find his treasure, especially since the Marines were also looking for it.
This is definitely happening!
Moon Island.
The island was shaped like a crescent moon, which is how it got its name. It used to be one of the Black Cat Pirates' hideouts.
Inside the island, the warship followed a narrow passage into the center, where it docked at a hidden base, guided by Jango. The thick trees covered it so well that you couldn't see anything from the outside.
As soon as he got off the ship, Jango started yelling about finding the treasure. Fullbody had to physically stop him from running off.
After Fullbody explained that Kuro's treasure was just a trick, Jango looked shocked.
"Wait, the treasure isn't real?"
"Why are you so surprised?!"
The Marines all groaned.
Roya just shook his head.
This guy's hypnosis is useful, but he's always the first one it affects.
To trick others, you have to trick yourself first.
That's probably it.
That was probably why his acting seemed so real, even though he didn't know he was acting.
Roya also noticed that Jango's hypnosis only worked on people who weren't paying attention or who were a little slow.
If you were on guard, even staring at the rings wouldn't hypnotize you. As for the other Marines on the warship...
Sigh.
Still, hypnosis was pretty useful.
Inside the simple base...
Roya and the ensigns were talking about the next battle plan, figuring out where to put traps and where to hide.
When fighting pirates, the best way to win was at sea, using the warship's strength to crush the enemy.
But this time, they were going after more than just one pirate crew. If they showed themselves too early, they might scare away the other pirates who were coming.
Also, the warship wasn't one of those huge ones from headquarters. Compared to pirate ships, it wasn't that much stronger, so the main place to fight would be on land.
Half an hour later...
The lookout on the west side of the island sent a message by Den Den Mushi: "Ensign Roya, a pirate ship is coming towards the west side of the island!"
"Got it!"
Roya raised his long sword, his eyes sharp.
"Prepare for battle!"
"When the pirates walk into our trap, we'll wipe them out in one strike!"
"Understood!"
The Marines moved quickly, hiding in their spots. They had tied vines and green leaves to their bodies as camouflage, so they blended perfectly into the trees and bushes. It would be hard for the enemy to see them, even up close.
Moon Island stuck out of the water, and most of its edges were cliffs, so there weren't many beaches where you could land.
The passage in the middle was the best way to get into the island, and the shores on both sides of the passage were also easy to land on.
Time passed, and the pirate ship quickly found the passage. Without hesitating, it sailed right in.
"Men, find Kuro's treasure!"
"Ooooh!"
Generally, treasure was hidden in the center of an island, especially in places like caves that were good for hiding things.
Almost all pirates knew this.
There was only one tall mountain in the center of Moon Island. After about a dozen pirates landed, they headed straight for the mountain.
"They're here!"
Hidden in the thick bushes on both sides of the road, dark gun barrels peeked out, aimed at the approaching pirates.
When the group of pirates was completely surrounded, Roya, standing on a tree trunk more than thirty feet high, swung his sword and cut the rope next to him.
"Snap!"
The sound of the rope breaking caught the pirates' attention. When they saw the huge rock falling from the sky, they scattered in fear.
"Get out of the way!"
"Boom!!!"
The ground shook hard. Three pirates who couldn't get away in time were crushed to bits, and blood flowed out from under the rock!
"Fire!"
Roya roared, and the Marines hidden in the bushes pulled their triggers.
"Bang bang bang bang bang!"
"Aaaaah!!!"
Dozens of bullets hit and killed six or seven more pirates.
In a blink, half of the pirates were dead or injured.
"Attack!!!"
Roya roared and jumped down, slicing a pirate in half with his sword.
At the same time, Isca led the Marines out of the bushes from all directions, attacking the panicked pirates.
"For Justice!"
"Don't come over, aaaaah!"
In less than a minute, the battle was over.
All of the dozen or so pirates were dead.
Incredibly fast.
"It's over?"
The Marines looked confused, not believing that the battle had ended so quickly. Every time they fought pirates before, it had been a tough fight.
This was too easy!
Isca was also surprised, looking at Roya like he was some strange creature.
Lure the pirates in, use traps to mess them up, use firepower to kill a bunch of them, and then attack to finish the job.
Before the pirates could even react, the battle was over. This was completely different from how the Marines usually fought.
Safe, efficient.
And sneaky!
But shouldn't the righteous Marines defeat the enemy fairly?
Isca felt conflicted. This kind of battle didn't seem right for the Marines, but if it meant easily beating the pirates, being a little "sneaky" seemed okay.
Soon, Fullbody and Jango, who were supposed to cut off the pirates' escape, came back to the battlefield.
"Ensign Roya, the enemy ship has been sunk!"
"Good!"
Roya nodded slightly, took out the Den Den Mushi with a camera, and took pictures of the pirates' bodies, especially the one who looked like the captain, getting a close-up of his face.
"Click, click click!"
No survivors, and the photos are proof.
Otherwise, how would he get credit for the victory?
After taking the pictures, Roya looked at his subordinates who were standing around looking confused and frowned. "What are you all standing around for? Hurry up and clean up the battlefield. The next wave of pirates will be here soon!"
Do they even know what efficiency is?
His goal was more than just one or two small pirate crews!
"Ah, yes!"
The Marines snapped out of it and quickly cleaned up the mess from the battle, unable to hide their excitement and relief.
For them, who weren't very strong, getting credit wasn't the most important thing. Just surviving the battle with the pirates was a huge relief!
Ensign Roya is so dependable!