Guy's gaze finally landed on Mary, who was protectively shielding her daughter Isha. His eyes lingered for a moment on Mary's delicate features and the alluring curves unique to a young widow. Without hesitation, he pushed through the crowd, grabbed Mary roughly by her hair, and began dragging her away.
The previously silent crowd erupted into chaos. Mary screamed in terror, while Isha clung desperately to her mother's hand, crying and wailing. Some townsfolk backed away in fear, while others surged forward in an attempt to rescue Mary, resulting in a chaotic scene.
A gunshot rang out, silencing the commotion. Guy calmly lowered the pistol he had just fired into the air, then grabbed Mary's hair again. This time, aside from Mary's screams and Isha's cries, no one dared to move.
The mayor, who had fallen to the ground, curled up into a ball and shut his eyes tightly, unwilling to witness the tragedy that seemed inevitable.
Just as Guy was about to pry Isha's small hands away from her mother, a distant shout interrupted him.
His expression darkened as he turned to see one of his crew members, who had been left to guard the ships at the docks, running toward him, panting heavily.
"Captain!" the crew member shouted as he reached Guy. "Two pirate ships are heading straight for us!"
Guy's mind raced, and he quickly made a decision. "We can't let them trap our ships at the docks."
He released Mary, who immediately hugged Isha tightly and retreated into the crowd. Guy paid them no further attention. Instead, he scanned the square and barked orders to his crew. "Everyone, back to the ships immediately!"
Though pirates shared a common enemy in the Marines, they were far from allies. Pirates were competitors in the same ruthless trade, and the smarter ones always remained vigilant against one another.
Guy was clearly one of the smarter ones.
"What about these people and the loot?" one of his trusted subordinates asked.
"We'll deal with those other pirates first. Once we've driven them off, we can come back. Do you think these people can cross the sea and escape this island?" Guy replied coldly.
The pirates in the square shifted their focus to the approaching pirate ships. Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the crowd, a woman near the edge of the square took advantage of the distraction and bolted toward the street.
The nearby pirates hesitated, glancing at their captain rather than immediately giving chase. Seeing one person run emboldened others; a few more townsfolk dashed toward the streets surrounding the square. Two of them were quickly taken down by alert pirates, but the rest managed to slip away.
"Run for it!" someone shouted, and the crowd descended into chaos once again. Desperation drove the townsfolk to scatter in all directions, preferring to risk everything rather than face a second pirate crew.
Guy cursed under his breath at the disorder but had no time to restore order. He shouted at his crew to stop wasting time and follow him back to the ships.
Most of the pirates obeyed, but some, their eyes red with greed, broke ranks to chase after the fleeing townsfolk, particularly the women carrying valuables.
If William were here to witness this scene, he would have sneered and called them a rabble. Guy, too, was furious, but years of experience as a pirate had taught him the nature of his subordinates. He ignored the disobedient ones and led the more disciplined crew members back toward the docks.
Not far from Black Reef Town, two warships sailed steadily through the waves, heading for the town's docks.
At the top of the tallest mast on each ship flew identical pirate flags. The black banners bore the image of a grinning skull wearing a tricorn hat. The brim of the hat featured ornate lettering spelling out "Morgan," with a feather curling upward from one side of the "M." Behind the skull, two scimitars crossed in an X shape. The flag's design, rendered in black, white, and gray tones, incorporated subtle artistic techniques that gave the skull a slightly top-down perspective, making its smiling visage eerily menacing.
These two warships belonged to the Morgan Pirates, and the flags were designed by Sherlock, who had commissioned a professional to bring his vision to life. William had approved the design, and the flags were promptly raised on the masts.
Standing at the bow of one ship was William, dressed in a gray shirt, black trousers, and a black coat to ward off the damp sea air. The wind tousled his long hair and the hem of his coat. Occasionally, he brushed his bangs out of his eyes as he gazed intently at the distant town, lost in thought.
Behind him, Selkirk called out softly, "Captain?"
"Have Harden and Aramis head straight for the docks and clear out any remaining pirates onshore," William ordered without turning around. "We'll deal with the enemy ships ourselves, focusing on boarding them."
Over the past few months, William had led his pirates on numerous expeditions, eliminating competitors in the rum trade and occasionally targeting other pirate crews within his territory. The second warship in his fleet had been seized from one such defeated crew.
William had absorbed some skilled and capable pirates from the defeated crew, and along with new recruits, the Morgan Pirates now boasted over 160 members. More than half of them were seasoned pirates. Even without accounting for William's personal strength, the Morgan Pirates had become a formidable force in the East Blue.
Craw handed William a spyglass with practiced deference. William raised it to his eye, observing the commotion at the docks, where a group of pirates was boarding their ships in disarray.
William smirked disdainfully, tossing the spyglass back to Craw before turning away from the town.
Meanwhile, Selkirk stood on the deck and cupped his hands around his mouth, shouting, "All hands, prepare for battle!"
On the other Morgan Pirates' warship, Harden and Aramis were also observing the town through their spyglasses.
Since acquiring a second ship, William had appointed Harden and Aramis to command it, reorganizing the crew by splitting Selkirk's original men and the veterans from Barbarossa's time between the two ships.
Harden lowered his spyglass after a moment and turned to Aramis, who was still staring at the town with a peculiar expression. "What's the matter? Do you have some connection to this town?"
Aramis put down his spyglass and bit his lower lip. "Of course. The captain and I have been here before."
This was the very town that had been the final target of the Danton Pirates before they were driven out by Captain Roy. Aramis still remembered how he, William, Gin, and others had clashed with Bamond, the second mate, all because of Vallon, that foolish boy.
In the blink of an eye, everything had changed. William and Aramis had risen to a position similar to that of Captain Roy back then, while Black Reef Town remained trapped in its unchanging role.
(Note: The skull design on the Morgan Pirates' flag is based on the novel's cover illustration, though the shield has not been added in the story yet.)
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