Facing Sheyan's rebuke, that british major's face was smeared with blood, and appeared extremely miserable. His eyes leaked out a venomous glint as he snarled.
"You vile heretic, damned executioner. We will never compromise with you. Your only fate is to be hung on a cross and eaten by the crows!"
Sheyan sneered. At this moment, clamorous shouts, curses, scuffles and intense gunshots drifted in from the opposite side of the ship. Very quickly, the deck of the ship was once again dyed red with blood. Dripping down from the edges, the blood dripped into the sea. Initially, it was a huge patch, but gradually, it extended for dozens of metres, before it gradually diminished and vanished!
Very quickly, this uproar was once again suppressed. Roughly 50 marines remained alive. Presently, their faces revealed numb and sorrowful expressions. Yet, they could only sluggishly raise their hands and hug their heads as they were surrounded.
Sheyan's countenance remained cold as he strolled out from the ship's cabin. His first command was.
"Bring all of their officers to me!"
At present, the hierarchy of the marines was strict and distinct. One could easily discern them from the texture of their clothing. Thus, the pirates immediately sprang into action. Canbi led his men and seized eight officers of the rank of Second Lieutenant and above. Lining them up in a row, they were tightly tied to the side of the ship.
In front of all the captives, Sheyan grabbed a marine and stuffed him with a blunt table knife. Then, he earnestly commanded.
"Go, stab the officer before you."
That marine's hand trembled violently. Abruptly, his eyes turned into hatred as he roared and twisted his table knife towards Sheyan's neck.
Sheyan's fist smashed into that marine's face, as he slammed that marine to the deck. Then, Sheyan stomped down forcefully! Amidst the ear piercing bone-cracking sounds, that marine was like a tangerine being crushed by a wheel. Blood spurted out profusely from that marine's mouth, before his chest completely caved in!
Clearly, he was not going to survive. Such a cruel scene, not to mention the British marines, even those savage pirates kept quiet out of fear, their backs drenched in cold sweat.
Following that, Sheyan picked up that bloodstained table knife, and casually grabbed another marine over. Using the same dull tone as though he was asking if they had eaten yet, he asked.
"Go, stab this officer in front of you."
That marine widened his mouth, as he took step after step towards that First Lieutenant. That First Lieutenant bluntly shut his eyes, but that marine abruptly knelt to the ground, as he covered his face with his hands and wept bitterly.
"No, I can't!"
Sheyan swiftly pulled out 'Ambition' and fired a shot at the back of his head! Then, in the midst of the bloody ground, he said coldly:
"Next."
By now, everyone knew what Sheyan was going to do. The officers who were tied up struggled frantically and cursed with all their vicious words. Even the soldiers were in an uproar. However, this commotion was swiftly quelled by Mogensha's 3 consecutive clean headshots.
Sheyan then continued apathetically.
"Honorable sirs, I've previously tried my best to maintain the legal rights of you captives with gentlemanly demeanor. Yet in return for your leniency and benevolence, you wish to blast me into smithereens. Fine then, I admit I'm a vindictive bastard, and a petty one. Therefore, I can only use crueler methods to repay you! "
Very quickly, the third british captive was dispatched forward. He gripped the blood stained table knife, and with the previous two lessons, his movements appeared extremely nimble. However, before he acted, he hastily turned his head towards Sheyan in terror and exclaimed. "That's right. That's right. That's right.
"Sir, I only have one question, one and only. You'll give me the opportunity to finish my question, right?"
Sheyan extended his hand and gestured for him to speak.
That captive asked.
"Do I have to leave a deep wound on this First Lieutenant Philip you appointed, or is it fine to stab the other seven gentlemen as well? This is extremely important to me, because if I stab the benevolent Lieutenant Philip, I may not be able to sleep well for several months due to guilt. But if I can freely choose my target, then I can live with a clear conscience for the rest of my life. "
Sheyan calmly replied.
"You have the right to freely choose, sir."
That captive bowed and replied.
"Thank you for granting me this right, sir."
That captive then walked towards the fattest Lieutenant, and very deftly plunged that table knife into his stomach. Then, amidst the mournful screams of that fat Lieutenant, the captive fiddled with his hand as if he hadn't had enough. Finally, he pulled out the knife and returned it to Sheyan.
Sheyan had already pulled out a stool, as he boldly sat on it. Then, he bluntly announced.
"Welcome to the pirates, Mister Murderer."
That captive released a sigh as he silently stood behind Canbi, who was glaring menacingly at him. That's right, he had personally stabbed his own commanding officer. To someone like him without any background, this stab was already a grave violation of british laws. What awaited him was either the gallows or life imprisonment.
Hence, in reality, apart from joining the pirates, he had no other choice.
"Next." Sheyan's cold voice once again boomed.
The 'Proof of Allegiance' ceremony proceeded swiftly. Towards the end, three numb and sluggish marines had simultaneously stepped forward to stab their former commanding officer.
Of course, it wasn't that no one stubbornly resisted, but the only outcome was death! To Sheyan's surprise, amongst the 8 officers, there was actually a survivor. Indeed, that Lieutenant Philip. None of the soldiers had laid a hand on him, which was sufficient to illustrate his high prestige.
Facing such a situation, Sheyan bluntly severed Lieutenant Philip's ropes, before stuffing that bloody table knife into his hand. Then, he insipidly instructed.
"If you wish to die, then use this knife to slit your own throat. If you wish to live, then slit the throats of those 7!"
Philip stood there blankly, as he shot a sneering and mocking gaze towards Sheyan. His next action was probably to slit his own throat. Sheyan coldly continued.
"Lieutenant, if I'm not wrong, your prestige amongst these marines is exceedingly high. Therefore, even if you don't wish to live, you have to spare a thought for them."
Philip, who had already prepared himself to seek death, abruptly turned his head. With great difficulty, he wriggled his dry and cracked lips, as he suspiciously asked.
"What do you mean by that?"
Sheyan insipidly replied.
"You're an intelligent person, I won't speak empty words. I'm currently lacking in manpower, therefore, I will definitely dispatch you marines who have been stained with the blood of your comrades to the frontlines. If you don't lead them, think about it. How many battles can a bunch of scattered sand brats endure? Even if you don't want your own life, can you disregard the lives of these soldiers who love and respect you? "
Philip's gaze instantly turned incisive, as he abruptly grabbed Sheyan's collar and furiously roared.
"You demon, I only wish to escape, I didn't participate in the explosion!!!"
His actions instantly caused the situation to turn tense. Instead, Sheyan slowly pried apart Philip's fingers, one by one. Then, he stared straight into Philip's eyes and uttered word by word.
"Initially, I displayed an extremely gentlemanly demeanor. Therefore, you guys used your goodwill and intentions to blast me into smithereens to repay me. Alright, I admit that my actions back then were foolish. Therefore, I have to correct this bad habit of mine."
Philip stared straight into Sheyan's eyes. Despite his eloquence, he couldn't utter a single word!! He clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He gritted his teeth so hard that they creaked. The man slowly lowered his head. After a long while, he squeezed out two words from between his teeth.
"Fine! I'll do it. "
After Philip snatched the dagger from Sheyan's hand, he didn't utter any superfluous words. Instead, he silently slit his dagger across the necks of his seven surviving comrades. Then, he humbly bowed and handed the dagger back to Sheyan; expressing his attitude clearly.
In the face of the dual trials of life and death, friendship and righteousness, there were indeed very few who could pass through this hurdle! Although Sheyan's charm was low, his methods could reach straight to the hearts of people. Using the general situation, ethics and morals, he could make different people submit to him.
After deliberating for a moment, Sheyan then scattered the 40 plus marines amongst the pirates. Thus, the total number of combatants under his command had risen to roughly 120 pirates. Sheyan himself led 60 pirates, while the reputable Canbi led 30 pirates. As for Philip, Sheyan had actually selected him, and entrusted him with the heavy responsibility of leading 30 pirates.
After the dust of the rebellion had settled, Sheyan's original plan of attack had to be postponed. At least, he had to allow Philip and Canbi to familiarize themselves with their subordinates. Simultaneously, those corpses had to be tossed into the sea, and the deck had to be cleaned up.
While the pirates were carrying those corpses away, Sheyan suddenly realized. Within the pocket of one of the british marines, who was stabbed to death by one of his subordinates, was unexpectedly flickering with a peculiar radiance. That radiance was very similar to that of the ship's prow he previously found. Picking it up, he instantly received a series of notifications.
[You discovered a corpse that seems to possess witchcraft powers.]
[Do you wish to utilize your authority as a pirate captain to plunder?]
[You discovered a magical artifact: 'Brass Telescope'.]
*****
[My * * * * has been convulsing since 6 am and can't log in. Now that I've recovered, how depressing.] (To be continued. If you like this work, I welcome you to * * * * (qidian.com) to vote for me. Your support is my greatest motivation.]
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