"Will the merchant ships of the Kingdom of Duolun be attacked by pirates?"
After hearing Colonel Byron's words, Annan couldn't help but ask.
The Kingdom of Duolun, a member country of the World Government, is rich in mineral resources and is known as "the country sitting on the mine cart". It is a real big dog.
Since the kingdom is extremely dependent on shipping resources, the branch was relocated six years ago. The Kingdom of Duolun also applied to the World Government for the port and waterway resources at the original site. It gave the navy a large amount of compensation and covered all the costs of the relocation.
This is one of the reasons why Branch 24 can become one of the few large branches in Nanhai.
In order to minimize shipping losses, the Duolun Kingdom's specially built merchant ships have a tonnage comparable to the navy's standard large warships, and are equipped with artillery on both sides. The only drawback is that they are not equipped with special sea tower stones at the bottom. p>
Not only that, the Kingdom of Duolun has also purchased a large number of naval ships from the World Government to patrol the waterways. Once a merchant ship is attacked by pirates, not only the navy, but also the royal army will provide rapid support.
The pirates are so full that they go to rob the merchant ship of the Kingdom of Duolun? Impossible, absolutely impossible!
"But this just happened." Ross's eyes dimmed. "Three merchant ships have been attacked. They all suddenly lost contact while sailing. When we found them, all the people and cargo were gone, and there were only blood stains on the ship. Except for the pirates,
It's hard to think of anyone else who would do that."
"Indeed, we can't rule out pirates who sneaked back from the Grand Line." Annan thought of that bastard Luo Wa.
"What an interesting enemy to be able to do such a thing under the noses of the navy and the king's army." Esdeath's eyes lit up.
"Okay, Esdeath, stop praising the enemy." Byron interrupted Esdeath, "Ross, how does the Navy need to cooperate with you?"
Everyone looked at Ross.
After more than an hour, Annan and Esdeath returned to their offices.
"Secret investigation? We can't let others know about the Navy's involvement. Is this country so disgusted with the Navy's involvement? This is what they asked us to do." Esdeath put her hands on her chest and crossed her legs on the desk.
.
"The Kingdom of Duolun only became one of the fifty country representatives participating in the World Conference last year. One of the reasons for becoming a representative is that it has strong military capabilities and is not afraid of pirates. If it is revealed that it is requesting naval assistance at this time, it will not only make the Kingdom of Duolun
It will bring disgrace among neighboring countries, and it will also slap the face of the world government."
Annan looked at the navy list and replied.
"Hmph, a little trick for the weak."
"Let's select candidates for this secret investigation first." Annan looked at the navy list recommended by Major Byron.
In the action plan discussed previously, Annan and Esdeath were responsible for leading a group of navy troops disguised as crew members to enter the merchant ship.
The other navies will station at several route nodes, waiting for signals from Annan and others to encircle them.
The focus of this mission is the secret investigation by Annan and others, so selecting a naval deputy has become a top priority.
"How is Lieutenant Xizar? I remember that he has good command skills." Annan asked.
"You can't be stubborn!" Esdeath shook his head.
"Sergeant Bradley?"
"No way, little Lulu!"
"Corporal Gibson? What about this? He single-handedly killed a pirate with a bounty of 10 million."
"In name only, no way!"
………………
"Second Lieutenant Cannon, oh, I recognize this one. I have three generations of navy ancestors. One man arrested a pirate with a bounty of five million and joined the navy. He was promoted to second lieutenant under special circumstances. This guy's navigation skills are quite good. On this cruise,
He also served as a navigator."
Annan raised his mouth and finally saw an acquaintance.
"That's this guy." Esdeath came over and pointed at the photo on the list.
"I cried on the pier before until my nose and tears kept flowing. It's good to hear you say that. I'll find a chance to test his strength."
"Not everyone is me, please stop and don't kill anyone." Annan joked.
"Come on, how about you accompany me." Esdeath shook Annan's arm vigorously.
"Next time, definitely." Annan said haha.
It's not that Annan doesn't want to spar with Esdeath. Ever since he blew up a desert island during a sparring session a year ago, he's understood that if there's no one of equal strength watching and stopping them, the two of them will definitely fight.
It would be a lose-lose situation. He didn't want to break his arm or lose a leg because of this.
"Fortunately, there was no one around at the time, otherwise it would have been too bad if the aftermath had killed people." Annan thought to himself.
"This Cannon is fine." Annan stood up and said.
"If you have no objection, I'll report it to the colonel."
"I have no objection, but is he the only one?" Esdeath asked.
"Everything else won't work. The fewer secret investigators, the better. Originally, I planned to hire none, if he hadn't been a navigator." Annan pointed upward. "This guy's navigation skills are quite good. I said he would hire them before."
When it rains, it rains.
Three days later.
Cannon stood on the observation deck of the transport ship, holding a telescope.
"Major Annan, the storm from the southeast is about to arrive. It is recommended to take shelter."
"Received, I will make suggestions to the captain." Annan hung up the phone.
"The transport ship does not need to change its course. Our transport ship is large and has the ability to withstand storms."
A bearded middle-aged man handed Annan a glass of beer in the cabin. He rejected Annan’s suggestion.
Annan took the beer and nodded.
"Okay, our navy only conducts secret investigations at the request of your kingdom, so it's just a suggestion."
The bearded man is a merchant ship captain named Hosseini, and he is also the liaison officer with Annan and the others.
Except for the captain, no one knows the true identities of Annan and others.
Seeing Annan nodding, Hosseini breathed a sigh of relief.
"I hope you can understand."
"There are many sea kings on this route now. Although your ship is very big, there are no sea rocks on the bottom of the ship. Aren't you afraid of being blocked by large sea kings?" Annan looked at the navigation chart and couldn't help asking. p>
"We were worried before, but for some reason, there have been fewer and fewer Neptune species in the South China Sea in recent years. There have been no signs of Neptune species on this route for a long time. This is one of the reasons why our merchant ships never make mistakes.
."
The bearded Hosseini said proudly.
Neptune type...
Annan twitched the corner of his mouth and glanced at Esdeath, who had just entered the captain's room.
He and Esdeath have indeed killed a lot of Neptunes in the past few years.
"What did you find?" Annan handed the Western sword to Esdeath.
Esdeath shook her head after taking it.
"There is nothing suspicious about this ship"
Seeing Esdeath shaking his head, Hosseini breathed a sigh of relief. He had served as the captain of the fleet from the Kingdom of Duolun to the Great Route many times, and he was well-informed. Unlike diplomat Ross, who had been there since Annan and the others boarded the ship.
For a moment, he felt that the strength of the man and woman in front of him could only be described in four words: unfathomable.
"Nothing is better than nothing..."
"But something is coming outside." Esdeath's eyes flashed red.
"Boom!!"
Before he finished speaking, the port side of the transport ship was hit, and the hull tilted directly to the right.
During the impact, the crew members were thrown aside.
After the impact, the hull rocked back, and the crew members who had just climbed up fell back again.
Everyone was beaten to pieces, but Annan and Esdeath remained motionless.
"What kind of monster is this! Quick, kill it quickly!!!"
After several gunshots, shrill screams came from the deck.
Annan took out the phone bug.
"Cannon, Cannon, can you hear me?"
The phone bug lowered his head and did not answer.
"Something happened." Annan and Esdeath looked at each other.