When Bill asked where this market was located, Miyagi simply replied that he didn't know and had only heard stories from other minks.
Unintentionally, Bill glanced at the pirate brig and thought that he would need to interrogate the crew.
Slavery was illegal. It was a crime to hold innocents captive. The law was crystal clear on this subject.
But even more important was the fact that Bill believed in the human spirit and that people are born free. It didn't matter whether they were humans or not; they were sentient beings, and they should be granted the same rights.
This was unacceptable, and Bill understood that he couldn't turn a blind eye to this information.
Pondering this, he cast his gaze toward the horizon and reflected on what else might be happening in those places where the authorities couldn't see. Bill knew he couldn't be everywhere, but he could at least improve the world around him.
Despite these thoughts, Bill didn't change his outward demeanor. He leaned down, patted the mink on the shoulder, and with a smile said, "I'm glad we made it in time. I'll make sure these slavers get the punishment they deserve.
And then we'll talk—if you want to become a better doctor, I might have a proposition for you."
After these words, Bill assigned Fia to help Miyagi with everything he needed and to show him an empty cabin, while he, along with Sash and Rans, returned to the pirate ship.
Looking around, Bill realized that not much had changed in the last hour. Most of the pirates had stopped groaning, but few of them were moving.
Knowing what he now knew, Bill didn't intend to show these men any more leniency than was necessary. He ordered his lieutenant-commanders to tightly bind the pirates on deck while he dragged out the rest.
Bill dragged out the wounded pirates two at a time and tossed them onto the deck, ensuring only that he didn't kill them instantly; he didn't care about their injuries.
Many pirates had broken arms and internal bruises. The man who fired the cannon suffered the most—his femur was broken, which seemed to have sent him into shock. He was alive, but Bill couldn't say if he would survive.
The truth was, Bill didn't feel much emotion about it. He always tried to do the right thing, but when it came to organized violence, the guilty made their own choices, risking their lives.
There were forty-two pirates in total, which was good because the "Border Breaker" could hold about fifty people in its detention cell. Considering these people were slightly stronger than the average South Blue Marines, and the cell was made of seastone alloy and steel, there was no threat they could escape the ship.
Moreover, unlike Hina's ship, the "Border Breaker" had a sink and toilet in the cell, significantly easing the transportation of criminals.
When Bill hoisted the last remaining pirates aboard, he climbed to the main deck and was surprised to see Miyagi bandaging his former captors. He had planned to ask Sasha to administer first aid, but seeing the mink had already bandaged ten people by the time Bill gathered the rest, he simply said, "Well done, Miyagi."
Hearing this, the goat smiled and replied, "If you're telling the truth, then these people are in for a harsh punishment! And that's what a doctor should be doing."
After escorting the bandaged pirates to the "Breakthrough," Bill began receiving their first attempts at excuses. He heard all sorts of justifications, from "I was forced to" to "You broke my [such-and-such] bone—do you call that justice, Marine?"
Bill had encountered pirates blaming the Marines before, and it always amused him. These people were opportunists and scoundrels, and the Marines were at fault for that? Ignoring that, Bill merely thought that in any world, most accusations come from those who are the least competent.
When the last pirate was placed in the cell, Bill returned to the main deck and saw that Rans and Ricky had already begun tying up the sails of the pirate brig.
Surveying the deck, he noticed Miyagi eating again, while from the kitchen came the sounds of Fia, who was apparently preparing even more food for the hungry mink.
The ship needed to be towed, and the most logical thing would be to lighten it, but with a crew of five, that was not possible.
Bill decided to search the vessel for anything useful, and apparently, the others had the same idea because he saw Sasha climbing the brig's steps with a large box in her hands.
"Anything valuable?" he shouted, squinting at the large box.
"Just food so far," she replied.
Nodding that he understood, Bill helped secure the two ships together and began inspecting the loot.
After several hours of searching, the sun began to set on the horizon. They found no significant treasure.
On this pirate ship, the most valuable items were cannons and a stockpile of fabric, which probably were worth several hundred thousand Beli.
These fabrics were clearly stolen, so they needed to be returned to the local Marine base for the owner to reclaim them, which meant they would only receive a small portion of their value as a reward for returning them.
All together, Bill and the others estimated the brig to be worth about 3 million Beli, and adding the bounty for the pirates, they could leave with 10.5 million Beli.