My Conscience is Quite Large

"Lieutenant Verner, look over there."

"It seems those pirates are fighting among themselves!"

A lookout on one of the warships chasing the Sam Pirates reported to a nearby navy officer.

"You kid, stop calling me lieutenant. If that headquarters major hears, won't he have my hide?"

"From now on, just call me Sergeant!"

Being demoted from a lieutenant to a mere sergeant was a tough pill to swallow for anyone. But no matter what, he had to bear it.

The major sent by the headquarters, Hailan, was not someone to be trifled with!

"Understood, Sergeant Verner!"

The soldier quickly corrected himself.

"So, should we launch a volley now?"

"No!"

Sergeant Verner seemed confident.

A mutiny among the pirates was precisely what he wanted to see.

"Don't rush it."

"Let them go crazy for a bit longer."

On the island, Krieg was fighting more fiercely.

"The admiral is dead!"

"Let's kill these traitors, hang their heads on the mast, and avenge the admiral!"

It wasn't just empty words. After Krieg demonstrated his strength, and with Fisher and Schroeder weakened by Zeff's attack, the pirates quickly sided with Krieg and captured Fisher and Schroeder.

Fisher and Schroeder were bound and forced to kneel, with Cook's corpse lying beside them.

Krieg's eyes kept scanning Cook's golden armor, but in the end, he resisted the urge to strip it off.

The lookout suddenly reported to Sergeant Verner on the warship, "Sergeant, look! The pirates are raising a white flag!"

"Hmph, those pirates must be pretending to surrender."

"Everyone, stay on the ship and be ready for fire support at any moment!"

Even though each warship had its captain, Sergeant Verner held the highest authority among them.

"Hey, navy brothers, don't be nervous. We mean no harm."

The tall and imposing Krieg flashed a fawning smile.

"Who are you?"

Sergeant Verner had never seen this pirate but didn't let his guard down.

"It's like this, I'm Krieg, formerly under Sam's Grand Fleet."

"But today we discovered that Admiral Sam... no, that pirate, was killed by his own confidants."

"Over there are Fisher, Cook, and Schroeder, the three brothers."

"As long as you spare us, we'll hand them over."

Sergeant Verner checked their identities and found that Krieg wasn't lying.

He turned to Krieg and suddenly smiled, "Major Hailan ordered us to annihilate Sam's Grand Fleet. You're putting me in a tough spot."

"Officer, as long as you don't tell, I don't tell, how would the major know?"

"He's not going to ask you to bring all the bodies back, right?"

"Besides, if you insist on attacking us, we'll fight back."

"Look, we still have hundreds of men. You wouldn't want unnecessary casualties, would you?"

Sergeant Verner remained unmoved, "Are you threatening me?"

Krieg quickly corrected himself, "No, no, no, I mean,

if you turn a blind eye, all these treasures are yours."

Verner followed Krieg onto Sam's flagship and inspected the treasures on board. "This... makes me feel a bit guilty..."

"My conscience is quite large."

Krieg really wanted to kill this greedy man, but he held back because of the firepower of those ten warships.

"I also have a few treasure maps. Are they enough to cover your conscience?"

"Hahaha... you're a smart one!"

...

Meanwhile, Hailan and Kuro's investigation of Antonio's mansion yielded results.

"Such a ruthless man, to kill his own women like this."

Kuro's gaze flickered.

He had killed before, but seeing the brutal deaths of these women, he felt some discomfort.

"Such a waste of beauty," Hailan sighed.

According to Kuro, Antonio took these women from various places. Some were orphans, some were prostitutes, and some were poor girls... They were all beautiful and willing.

After being taken in by Antonio, they lived a comfortable life for a few years. But today, they all perished with him.

Kuro adjusted his glasses, looking troubled, "The scene is too clean. It must be the work of an expert."

Even though the scene hadn't been disturbed, Kuro couldn't find any clues.

Only Hailan's face showed a faint smile.

Footprints!

"Only navy boots can leave such marks."

"And the strange marks indicate the user mastered the Six Powers technique."

With his enhanced calculation abilities, Hailan's brain had a powerful memory and comparison function.

The shape and size of the footprints helped him identify the boots. The marks left on the ground helped him deduce that it was the Six Powers technique.

"There aren't many navy officers in East Blue who know the Six Powers..."

"...Hoffman, is it you?"

At the same time, Hoffman, now in civilian clothes, had infiltrated Victoria Kingdom.

Knowing the most dangerous place is often the safest, he hid in plain sight.

"Waiter, bring me a bottle of '82 Lafite..."

"Oh, sir, you must be joking!"

"What? You think I can't afford it?"

Hoffman was in a foul mood today and believed money could fix it.

"No, no... It's just that we don't have Lafite from 1482 in the Sea Circle Calendar."

Hoffman's mood worsened, "Isn't this the best hotel in Victoria? You don't even have a decent bottle of wine?"

Smash!

The sound of a bottle breaking echoed through the room.

"Who dares to look down on my red nose?"