A young girl lay half-reclined on the bed in the bedroom, her clothes tattered and her body bound with rope. A gag of cloth was stuffed in her mouth, and the sobbing sounds that Hatcheson and Aramis had heard earlier outside the door had undoubtedly come from her. Her face was obscured by disheveled hair, making it hard to discern her features, but the curves of her exposed body beneath the torn fabric were unmistakable.
The girl looked at the group of Morgan Pirates with terror in her eyes. Embarrassed by her state of undress, she tried to curl up, attempting to shield herself as much as possible.
Hatcheson glanced at her for a moment before reluctantly averting his gaze. It wasn't out of any moral high ground, but rather out of fear of William. Back during Barbarossa's time as captain, the only thing strictly regulated was the division of spoils. Beyond that, no one cared what the pirates did during their raids.
But things had changed under William's leadership. As a man with ambitions far greater than Barbarossa's, William had long been disgusted by many of the pirates' vices. Once he took command, he implemented strict rules governing the behavior of his crew during raids.
William decided who could be plundered, and even personal indulgences required his approval.
This change left many of the crew dissatisfied, especially the veteran pirates who had experienced the thrill of unrestrained pillaging. To them, being a pirate meant living freely, and William's control felt overly restrictive.
Hatcheson, too, wasn't entirely pleased. However, he had personally witnessed William casually order the execution of Felton, who was strangled to death in front of everyone. That incident left an indelible mark on him. Ever since, Hatcheson had developed the habit of sitting with his back against a wall, unwilling to leave himself vulnerable. He had no intention of defying William's orders.
Shifting his gaze away from the girl, Hatcheson noticed something else in the room. In addition to the corpses of two enemy pirates on the floor, there was another body—a middle-aged man who didn't look like a sailor. Judging by his attire, he was likely a townsman.
The man's death was gruesome. His face was twisted in agony, his eyes wide open as if cursing the heavens for their injustice. In his hand, he still clutched a short dagger, though it bore no trace of blood.
While Hatcheson managed to control himself, the stocky pirate who had accompanied him was not as restrained. The man's eyes roamed freely over the girl's body as he slowly approached the bed.
Hatcheson didn't notice, but Aramis did. "What are you doing?" he asked sharply.
The stocky pirate reached out to lift the girl's chin, trying to brush her hair aside. Hearing Aramis's question, he grinned shamelessly. "I saved her life. Is it too much to ask for a little gratitude?"
Aramis's expression darkened. He grabbed the stocky pirate by the neck and slammed him hard against the wall. "Do you have a death wish? I can grant it right here and now. What did the captain say? Have you already forgotten the first rule of the 'Ten Sins'?"
William, aware of the chaotic nature of his crew, knew it was unrealistic to expect them to adhere to strict military discipline in a short time. Nor could he expect these simple-minded pirates to memorize lengthy codes of conduct.
Drawing from his experience under Barbarossa and discussions with veterans like Harden and Selkirk, William had established ten fundamental rules for the crew to follow. These rules, though basic, were directly tied to life aboard the ship and during combat.
The punishments for breaking these rules were severe, with five offenses warranting immediate execution and the other five punishable by flogging. The first and most serious crime was disobedience to the captain's orders.
Some pirates referred to these rules as the "Morgan Code." While veterans like Hatcheson spoke of it with reverence, others mocked it as laughable. After all, what kind of pirate captain drafted a "code of conduct"?
For those who had indulged in the pleasures of plundering, the sight of glittering treasures and vulnerable captives often proved too tempting to resist, no matter how strictly they were warned.
"To hell with the 'Ten Sins'!" the stocky pirate spat, shoving Aramis's hand away. His face was flushed, either from anger or from being choked moments earlier. "We've been stuck at sea with nothing but men for half a month! Now we're on land, and you're telling me I can't have a woman? What kind of 'Morgan Code' is this? Does he think he's the World Government or the Marines, trying to enforce justice? Who does he think he is, some East Blue trash...?"
The pirate's rant was cut short as the cold barrel of a pistol pressed against his forehead. Aramis, expressionless, held the weapon steady. "Care to repeat that?"
The sound of metal scraping against metal echoed in the room as the lanky pirate from the Grand Line, who had accompanied the stocky man, reflexively drew his own pistol and aimed it at Aramis.
This action triggered a chain reaction. Hatcheson instinctively drew his gun and pointed it at the lanky pirate.
The room, which had just settled after the earlier battle, was once again filled with tension. The lanky pirate hesitated, his finger twitching on the trigger as he tried to de-escalate. "There's no need for this. Look, it's just the four of us here. If we don't say anything, who's going to know what we did?"
Aramis turned his gaze to the lanky pirate. His face, which had been dark and stormy, suddenly broke into a smile, revealing two sharp canine teeth.
The lanky pirate mistook this for a sign of compromise and sighed in relief. But before he could fully relax, a gunshot rang out.
"One Piece:The True Codex"Bang!
Aramis had pulled the trigger. The stocky pirate's expression froze as a bullet tore through his skull, spraying blood and brain matter onto the wall behind him. His body collapsed to the floor with a heavy thud.
The lanky pirate's face turned pale. His finger twitched on the trigger of his own gun but did not pull it.
Aramis's smile vanished as he holstered his pistol. He stepped over the stocky pirate's corpse and walked straight toward the lanky pirate, his gaze cold and unyielding.
When he reached the man, he tapped the barrel of the pirate's gun against his own chest, then gently pushed it aside with a single finger. Leaning in close, their faces nearly touching, Aramis stared him down.
"You're nothing but a pack of lapdogs from the Grand Line. Who gave you the guts to defy the captain's orders?" Aramis sneered.
He snatched the pistol from the lanky pirate's hand and delivered a solid punch, knocking the man to the ground. Without looking back, Aramis strode out of the bedroom, his frustration evident in his heavy footsteps. As he left, he tossed over his shoulder, "Tie him up and bring him to the captain for judgment."
Hatcheson nodded, finding a rope to bind the lanky pirate, who offered no resistance. Secretly, Hatcheson was impressed by Aramis's boldness. His earlier doubts about William's decision to promote Aramis so quickly were now significantly diminished.
Outside the house, Aramis leaned against the wall, his face pale. He clutched his chest and muttered to himself, "Damn it, good thing he was a coward."
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