Alistair coughed twice, and the celebrating pirates fell silent with surprising speed.
Fifteen days of training had instilled a conditioned reflex; they quieted down and obeyed Alistair's commands without him needing to shout.
"Did I say you could disband?! Anyone who doesn't report for their ten lashes after the battle will get extra!" Alistair's words brought an even deeper silence to the deck. The thrill of victory faded, replaced by a chilling reminder of the lashes.
Despite this, their faces still held excitement and elation. Fueled by the intoxicating victory, punishment and pain were insignificant.
They had defeated the Marines, proving themselves, transforming from ordinary grunts into elites.
"Now, the first five rows, tie up the Marines! The rest, tend to the wounded! Prepare medical supplies!" Alistair commanded loudly and decisively.
"Yes!" The pirates, abandoning their previous excitement, roared in response.
Even though only a small number were tasked with binding the Marines, the Marines' morale had plummeted. Finding even one Marine willing to fight was difficult; most were demoralized and lacked the will to resist.
This was the inevitable outcome for soldiers in the traditional feudal cold-weapon era. While the Marines now showed hints of a modern navy, as Alistair had said, the modern naval concept was inherently contradictory. They desired to protect ordinary civilians, yet were constantly frustrated by local kings and nobles who undermined those efforts.
They considered themselves righteous, but sometimes, to hunt pirates, they had to repeatedly deny their own righteousness.
Fujitora, Kuzan, Rear Admiral Saul—all high-ranking officials who harbored doubts. Further down, Smoker, Koby, and many others questioned the Marines' justice.
Alistair believed that the lower the rank, the more doubt there was about this justice.
The higher you climbed, the darker your deeds, the more ruthless you had to be, forcing you to do things you wouldn't normally consider. Many couldn't take this step, even if they possessed the skill and fighting ability, hindering their promotion.
Smoker was the most typical example.
His confusion over justice and the Marines' actions led to his demotion to a small town in the East Blue to clear his head.
There were many more like Smoker in the Marines…
Alistair believed that the justice in the hearts of most Marines was the same as his.
But before defeating them, he hadn't considered persuading them, because his understanding of the One Piece world was clear.
People wouldn't listen until they were defeated.
It wasn't a conflict of ideals, but of positions and lives. Only the victor had the right to lecture the loser, the loser had no right to speak.
This was the order of the pirate world.
Just like after Luffy defeated Crocodile, Crocodile considered Luffy's words during the Marineford War.
This was the rule of the pirate world: dominance through strength.
"Masked Deuce, come help." Isuka was unique. Ace carried her towards Masked Deuce. Among them all, Masked Deuce's medical skills were clearly the best, so it was natural for him to treat Isuka.
The other Marines weren't so lucky.
Even with pirates preparing medical supplies and dragging them aside for treatment, many bled to death.
Others had their internal organs or heads shattered by musket balls, beyond saving.
The Marines who survived penetrating wounds were better off than those with musket balls lodged inside.
Although Alistair had taught them how to perform surgery, how could they dare? Shooting and stabbing people was one thing, but cutting open the bodies of defenseless people was another.
Either way, it was terrifying for them.
All the pirates could do, following Alistair's battlefield first-aid manual, was to use clean cloth strips to bind the blood vessels, then plug the wounds, changing the strips every few hours, loosening the bindings to restore blood flow, and repeating the process.
These simple steps could save many lives on the battlefield.
Although the pirates firmly believed Alistair's words, they still had doubts. Could such simple methods really save people from their injuries?
These simple steps were the lessons learned from countless deaths during World War I and II on Earth. Combined with the extraordinary physiques of the people in the One Piece world, stopping the bleeding should save many lives… or so it was hoped.
Alistair wasn't sure, but he had to act confidently. It couldn't be worse than no treatment at all.
As for those with bullets lodged in their bodies…
Alistair had no choice but to operate himself.
For those conscious, he would ask, "Surgery might kill you, but without it, you'll lose your leg." The toxicity of musket balls wasn't simple. Embedded in the body, death would come quickly. Removal was the only option, and amputation was the only way to remove the bullets. There was no other way to deal with the bullets inside the body.
Most Marines chose amputation. The thought of a knife cutting into their bodies made them shudder. Amputation was preferable.
The Marines could perform amputations themselves, without Alistair's help.
Only a few with bullets in their bodies had to let Alistair cut them open to remove the projectiles.
This surgery, witnessed by everyone, including the prisoners, was far from a sterile environment. But when Alistair extracted several musket balls, the crowd erupted in applause, as if celebrating another victory.
Regardless of whether the Marine lived, they had witnessed a miracle.
People didn't die from having their bodies cut open; only damage to internal organs could be fatal!
Alistair tossed several blood-soaked cloths onto the deck and began stitching up the wounds.
He had done his best…
In this primitive surgery, lacking cotton, forceps, and proper equipment, he avoided major blood vessels and vital areas, removing the bullets. Whether they lived or died depended on the strength of this world's life force…
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