The pirates who survived Gu Yina's electroball and fell into the water were not searched for by Kong Tai and the others.
This sea area was too vast, and searching would be a waste of time.
They also knew that among so many pirates, there would surely be some who were lucky enough to survive. For these fortunate few, it could only be said that they were favored by the goddess of luck!
Well…
It was also Kong Tai’s deliberate decision to let them go.
This place was still some distance from Water Seven. These guys wouldn't dare to get too close because Enies Lobby was nearby. If Water Seven reported them to the Navy, many warships could be dispatched from the vicinity in minutes. Therefore, the sea area they were in at the moment was quite far from land.
Not many pirates could survive, and even fewer could be lucky enough to drift to land. Perhaps none at all.
He left these pirates behind to spread the word of this battle's victory, to spread the terror of their crew.
Although even the most numerous ants could not hunt an elephant.
Once or twice, it could be considered killing time on the vast and boring sea. But if it happened too often, it wouldn't be killing time; it would be annoying.
So, letting the pirates know about this battle could effectively deter many who were unaware of their power.
“Sigh! I wonder where Firebird went?”
Kong Tai glanced behind him, then turned to look at the distant sun, squinting. He raised the wine gourd in his hand and took a long gulp.
Didn't this guy say he would wait for them in Water Seven?
He hadn't actively looked for Firebird, but if that guy knew he had arrived on the island, he would have come to see him immediately. Since he hadn't, it proved that the guy was indeed not in Water Seven.
If he wasn't in Water Seven, he might have gone to the Sabaody Archipelago.
Come to think of it, he hadn't seen that guy in a while and actually missed him.
Well, he would never admit that the main reason he remembered this guy was to spread the news.
Because this battle, which showcased personal strength, would be even more impactful if reported by Firebird.
...
The Freedom, riding the morning sun, gradually left this sea area, leaving behind countless severed limbs and fragments of wooden planks.
Blood-red?
The blood had been scorched by fire, so there was no blood-red color, thus not attracting any carnivorous fish from the surrounding waters to prey in this sea area.
Of course, that was for now. After some time, things might be different.
But this period of time was enough.
On the sea surface, Chels, who had suffered extensive burns, lay prostrate on a wooden board. Only when he saw the Freedom truly moving away, leaving the sea area through the thick smoke, did he finally gasp for breath and slowly emerge from the smoke.
Looking at the tragic scene around him, which resembled the end of the world, he lay on the wooden board, his eyes vacant as he stared at the sky. A sense of relief from narrowly escaping death welled up in his heart.
He clearly remembered the fear he felt when the comet-like electroball arrived. If not for his special senses, which allowed him to dodge the electroball's attack range before it hit, he would probably have become a corpse in the sea like his captain and crewmates.
However, although he had dodged the main path of the electroball, the shockwave from its explosion and the raging fire had already inflicted severe injuries on his body.
“I can’t wait any longer. I need to leave here alive.”
He knew what terrifying things lurked beneath this sea. If he couldn't leave this area quickly, the Sea Kings from the deep sea would instantly tear him to shreds.
Clenching his fists and gritting his teeth, he endured the groans from his internal organs and the burning pain on his skin. He picked up a nearby piece of wood and paddled forcefully.
Whether it was fate or not, after leaving this sea area, he encountered no storms or Sea Kings. Instead, he was fortunate enough to meet a merchant ship heading to Water Seven.
He knew he was a pirate, and a pirate with a bounty on his head, so he dared not show his true face. With a desperate move, he slashed the remaining half of his face, ensuring no one would know who he was.
He pretended to be a fisherman who had encountered pirates by chance. Merchant ships doing business in this sea area usually had strong fighting capabilities, so seeing how pathetic he looked, they let him on board.
In the days that followed.
Chels lived anonymously in Water Seven.
But at some point, news of this sea battle gradually spread throughout Water Seven, becoming more and more exaggerated.
Before Kong Tai and his crew even sailed to the Sabaody Archipelago, countless people across the seas already knew that the Silver Hair group had annihilated a pirate alliance formed by 100 pirate groups off the coast of Water Seven.
Of course, this was all in the future.
And in reality, there weren't that many pirate groups, at most about twenty.
After a few days of sailing through storms, breaking through waves, and enduring both fair winds and snowy conditions.
The Freedom arrived at the edge of a vast fog that enveloped the entire sea area.
During these few days, they witnessed the trouble that had been brought upon them.
In just a few days, they had been attacked by other pirates no less than twenty times.
Even nighttime offered no respite.
These guys were like moths to a flame, rushing to their deaths without fear.
He wondered where these guys got their information from?
Or perhaps, they had been waiting here all along, unwilling to enter that giant triangular region shrouded in mist. This might also explain why the number of pirates in this area was so high.
Whatever the reason, the crew gradually developed a growing sense of disgust towards these pirates.
Just as Kong Tai had thought, while everyone was initially excited, the novelty soon wore off.
Even Ah Hua, Ah Cheng, and Ah San, who had complained about Gu Yina not leaving them any prey during their encounter with the pirate alliance a few days ago, were now tired of killing pirates.
Well...
Anyone would find this sort of thing distasteful, wouldn't they?
After all, they weren't bloodthirsty killers.
Not everyone was born with a strong will. More than 99% of people in this world were ordinary.
For any ordinary person, spiritual growth must go through a process.
The three of Ah Hua were currently in that process.
So, on the last day, whenever they encountered a pirate ship, it was either sliced in half by Gu Yina or its hull was blown to pieces by A Luo's gunfire, sinking it into the sea. Ah Hua and Ah Tao hadn't made a move since, nor did they pursue the pirates who had fallen overboard.
There were many pirates in this world, more than the entire Navy combined.
Therefore, Kong Tai would never utter foolish words like "all pirates have been eliminated."
And after killing so many people, as long as one remained human, there would inevitably be numbness, hesitation, and even a tendency to retreat.
This wasn't fear, but a deep reverence for life residing in the depths of the human heart.
This emotion often appeared after the first kill, and it could also appear after killing many people. Unless one was a psychopath, even bad people were no exception.
To overcome this, and to kill those who deserved to die without hesitation, this was a spiritual journey, a necessary growth for everyone.
If they couldn't overcome it.
Impossible. With Kong Tai around, how could they not overcome it?
After all, they were killing those who deserved to die. They weren't killing merchants, Navy personnel, or civilians, which meant they had no sense of guilt. Even if they hesitated or felt disgusted, the passage of time would ultimately make their hearts more resilient and stronger.
Of course, it would also make them cherish their current pure hearts even more.