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The moment Krieg's lieutenants saw their captain fall, they immediately broke off their battle with Dylan and fled rushing through the broken doors like panicked animals.
Krieg's "five thousand men" scattered in an instant. Each squad leader rallied their own crew and withdrew. Even those unsure of what was happening simply followed the exodus. With no one left to fight for, there was no reason to stay.
Eddie crashed down from the sky, landing hard as his legs gave out. He sat up slowly, looking around only to find the battlefield completely deserted.
Still, a few remained loyal. Pearl, Krieg's current Battle Commander, and a handful of nameless pirates hovered protectively around Krieg's unconscious body.
Gin stood nearby, tonfa in hand, watching them with cold eyes.
Then—Aero appeared.
He materialized out of nowhere in front of the remaining pirates.
Raising his right hand, a small spiral of wind formed in his palm. With a flick, it expanded into a violent whirlwind, tearing the massive wooden structure above them apart. The debris was flung high into the air and scattered far beyond the coastline.
What remained was an open clearing and a few terrified pirates standing frozen in place.
Krieg stirred. Slowly, he lifted his head, his once-proud eyes now dull as they locked with Aero's.
Aero looked down at him and said calmly, "I'm not here to kill you. I came for one reason there's no room for two kings in the East Blue. Now get out."
Krieg let out a weak breath half in relief, half in humiliation. Still, a flash of rage burned in his eyes.
Pearl no longer looked anything like the proud commander he had once been. His shields were shattered, his face streaked with dirt, and even his handheld bucklers were cracked and broken.
He helped Krieg to his feet, supporting him as they stumbled away. Only a dozen pirates remained behind them, silently retreating.
Eddie and Dylan stepped up beside Aero, watching in silence as Krieg and his remaining followers disappeared into the distance.
"No one sticks around for a captain who treats his crew like cannon fodder," Eddie said quietly.
Aero didn't respond. Instead, he turned to the others. "Time to go. The Navy's almost here."
"Yes, Captain," the three replied in unison.
Before Krieg had taken the island, it had been a lush, uninhabited jungle.
But once Krieg arrived, he cleared the forests and used the land to build his private pirate fortress. The island had been stripped of its beauty reduced to a barren shell.
And the grand central hall that had taken weeks to build? Gone in seconds, demolished by Aero's whirlwind.
He hadn't destroyed it out of spite. He did it to ensure no other pirate would ever turn this island into a base again.
Out at sea, the Navy was approaching fast with over twenty warships and more than a dozen wooden sailing vessels.
Among them flew the banners of the Kingdom of Bugsy.
These soldiers weren't just former pirates. Many were from the self-defense militias, and others had been recruited from civilian life. But they all had one thing in common:
Loyalty.
Loyalty to King Bugsy and absolute reverence for the pirate known as Aero Edge.
At the head of the fleet stood the commander of Bugsy's naval forces, Ray Stan. Tall and lean, with dark skin and a forgettable face, Ray had once been a pirate himself. His stark white robes made his complexion stand out even more.
He stood at the bow of his lead ship, ten vessels under his direct command approaching the island fast.
With superior weapons and elite crews, Ray was confident they could crush what remained of Krieg's pirates assuming the intel was right and Krieg had already been defeated.
If not, and Krieg's full force was still intact, the battle would've been brutal. Thousands of lives could have been lost.
That's why the Navy rarely launched direct attacks on major pirate fleets it risked destabilizing the entire East Blue.
But this time was different.
Krieg had threatened a kingdom.
And that couldn't be ignored.
Suddenly, a Den Den Mushi rang beside him.
Brr-brr. Brr-brr.
Ray took the receiver. "This is Ray Stan."
"Haha! General Ray! This is the East Blue Naval Branch Commander! Just confirming are you sure all we need to do is keep the blockade up?"
Ray replied calmly, "Yes, Commander. The Kingdom of Bugsy will handle everything on the island. All the credit, of course, goes to the East Blue Navy."
"Haha! Excellent, excellent! With us sealing the sea, not even a duck's getting through! Ahh… I think I'll go take a nap now—"
There was a pause.
"No, I mean, I'll keep watch over the blockade! Haha!"
"…Right."
Ray hung up.
He turned to his crew. "Everyone, change out of your white coats. Put on the black cloaks Hurricane Pirates colors."
One by one, crisp white uniforms were replaced with jet-black coats bearing Aero's emblem.
This wasn't a Navy operation anymore.
This was Hurricane Pirate territory.
As Ray's fleet drew closer to the island, he could see the chaos already breaking out.
Pirate flags of every color filled the coast. Ships were leaving in a frenzy, crashing into each other in their desperation to escape.
Ray narrowed his eyes.
"So… this is what the fall of a pirate empire looks like."
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