CHAPTER 331: CHAPTER 331 – MOVEMENT AT THE MARINE BASE

In a coastal city, many ships were docked at the harbor, and people were busy loading and unloading goods.

Suddenly, the calm was broken by a burst of noise. Marines poured out from the base like a wave. Leading them was Base Commander Kolki—a tall, broad-shouldered man with a stern face.

All the marines were carrying backpacks and holding weapons and gear. Their faces were tense and serious.

They moved in perfect step, quickly marching toward the dock.

Soon after, a group of logistics personnel came out pushing carts filled with supplies.

The supplies included food, ammunition, medical items—all essential for keeping a military unit running.

At the port, three medium-sized warships were quietly waiting.

Marine soldiers stood on the decks holding rifles, keeping a sharp eye on the surroundings. The marines started boarding the ships, sitting at their assigned spots, getting ready to depart.

Logistics workers began loading the supplies onto the ships.

"Hurry up!" a Marine captain shouted. "Everyone, move faster! We don’t have time to waste!"

He waved his arms as he directed the crew to load everything quickly.

Other soldiers joined in, helping the logistics team speed things up. The whole scene was tense but organized. Everyone stayed focused on their tasks, not daring to slack off.

This sudden commotion left the local townspeople completely confused.

They couldn’t understand why the Marines were leaving the base in such a rush, like they were desperate to get away. Some began whispering, guessing that something big had happened. But most just felt anxious and uneasy.

Commander Kolki stood by the shore, calmly observing everything.

A few brave locals started gathering nearby and whispering. Some of them even worked up the courage to walk toward Kolki.

They wanted answers—some explanation of what was going on.

But as they got closer, they were stopped by armed Marines.

The soldiers warned them not to approach, or face the consequences. Left with no choice, the people backed off, watching from a distance with growing confusion and fear.

————

On another street—

Ryuen and his group were enjoying the local food stalls, fully immersed in the joy of eating.

Suddenly—

Ryuen frowned slightly and stopped eating, his eyes turning toward the harbor. The others also stopped chatting and chewing, turning to look in the same direction.

They glanced at each other, all sharing the same puzzled look.

After a short silence, Ryuen casually said, "Let’s go take a look."

Without hesitation, they quickly finished their food and followed Ryuen, walking briskly toward the harbor.

Their figures soon disappeared into the bustling crowd.

The street vendors on both sides of the road looked curiously at the group of young people rushing off. Everything had seemed normal just moments ago—so why were they suddenly in such a hurry?

People quietly guessed among themselves what their destination might be.

Ryuen and the others arrived near the port and found that Nami’s group had just returned too. They all met up right there.

"Does anyone know what’s going on with the Marines?" Robin asked right away as soon as they gathered.

"We just got back too. The Marines are acting really weird. It looks like they’re about to leave this place... but why?" Nami said, looking confused.

No one knew the answer, so everyone turned to look at Ryuen.

"Uh (⊙o⊙)..."

"Why are you all looking at me? I don’t know either. My info bird hasn’t come back yet," Ryuen said, a little annoyed. Every time something strange happened, everyone looked to him for answers.

"Ehehe~"

"We just thought you had your info bird keeping an eye on the Marine base since last night~" Robin said with a playful smile as she covered her mouth.

Ryuen rolled his eyes at her.

The Marines moved quickly. All the soldiers had boarded the ships, and all the supplies had been loaded as well.

Colk boarded the ship too. He looked calm on the surface, but anyone paying attention could see the cold sweat dripping down his forehead, and even his legs were trembling slightly.

"Set sail!"

After getting on board, Colk gave a firm order and finally let out a breath of relief.

"Raise anchor!"

A Marine officer shouted.

"Yes, sir!"

The helmsman on the ship responded right away.

Then, three warships dropped their sails and slowly pulled away from the port.

As the ships got farther away, the commanders on each one exchanged glances—then quietly breathed out in relief.

"Umm..."

"Even if they are part of the Four Emperors, they wouldn’t just attack us for no reason, right? Especially when their group is known for being peaceful," said one commander aboard the middle ship with an awkward look.

"You’re right."

"Besides... their captain used to be a Marine too. Maybe that’s why they let us go—out of old friendship."

"But back during the Summit War..." another commander began to say.

"Enough."

"That’s not something we should be talking about. Let’s just get out of here," Colk interrupted, cutting them off. Some people and some matters were beyond what low-ranking Marines like them should even think about—including himself.

He still hadn’t shaken off the feeling from earlier at the port—the way the Dream Team had looked at him. Just thinking about it made him feel uneasy.

The pressure from top-level fighters really was terrifying!

By the port.

The Dream Team members stood there, confusion in their eyes. They’d all noticed the strange look on Colk’s face earlier, and now a faint sense of doubt started to build inside them.

Right then, a burst of shouting suddenly came from the direction of the Marine base.

"Everyone!"

"Something’s wrong!"

"The Marine base is completely empty!"

"And... it’s a mess in there! Looks like the Marines have really left!"

When they heard this, everyone gathered at the port was stunned.

They looked at each other, eyes full of disbelief.

"What the hell!!!"

"How could this happen?"

"Why did the Marines leave? What’s going on? Does anyone know?"

"This is bad! If the Marines are gone, what do we do if pirates show up?"

"N-No... please no..."

Fear and panic filled the air like a dark cloud hanging over everyone’s hearts.

No one knew what would happen next, or how to deal with this sudden change.

They had always felt safe under the Marines’ protection, but now the Marines had just left—without warning—leaving them confused and helpless.

Just then, Ryuen’s messenger bird returned. It perched beside Ryuen’s ear and chirped a few times. Ryuen’s face lit up with understanding.

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