The bald, burly man escorted in by Tom and David was none other than the leader of the Laren Association.

Although he wasn’t injured during his capture that morning, after being escorted back to the port and interrogated by Wally Knight, he looked utterly dispirited. His body was covered in bloody marks, a clear sign he had been whipped.

Ronin walked to a chair and sat down, sizing the man up.

Although this bald man was a Bronze Knight, with Power ranking him among the top few on Rapids Island, his courage left much to be desired.

Upon seeing this great noble, Ronin, Laren’s knees gave out, and he collapsed to the floor.

"My lord, spare me! Spare my life!"

"It was all Marcelo’s doing! He incited me! He said we had strength in numbers and didn’t need to fear Wally Knight or his men. I... I foolishly believed his lies, and that’s why I kept trying to negotiate with Wally Knight, demanding more supplies."

Imagine the sheer impact of a bald, burly man weeping bitterly before you, snot and tears streaming down his face.

"I am aware of Marcelo’s crimes," Ronin said. "The gallows likely await him."

"As for you..."

"My lord, spare me! Spare my life!"

Laren grew desperate.

"I only demanded a little more food and a few more tools from Wally Knight! I never thought of killing him, let alone smuggling with outsiders! And—and the Laren Association has already turned in almost all its lumber! I wasn’t intentionally holding it back!"

"My lord, I’m begging you, don’t send me to the gallows! Please, save me!"

Life was hard for most people on Rapids Island, but as the leader, Laren was used to a life of comfort, being waited on hand and foot.

People like him clung desperately to life. He wasn’t ready to die.

Ronin gave a faint smile.

’This Laren, while a troublemaker, is merely greedy. He hasn’t colluded with outsiders or smuggled lumber.’

’He’s guilty, but his crimes don’t warrant death.’

’In my opinion,’ Ronin thought, ’men like this, who cling to life and fear death, are the easiest to control.’

’I just need to display absolute power, to show him I hold his life and death in my hands. Then Laren will surely behave himself for a long time to come, not daring to step out of line.’

"I can, in fact, save you," Ronin said.

As the Commander of this operation, he did, to some extent, have the authority to decide who to arrest and who to release.

Besides, Bruno had only tasked him with resolving the trouble on Rapids Island; he hadn’t specified the particular methods to be used.

Pacifying these troublemakers and getting them to serve the Kingdom again, as they had before, was one way of resolving the problem.

A tremor ran through Laren’s body when he heard this.

He looked up at the young nobleman seated before him, his face a mask of ecstatic surprise, as if he were a drowning man clutching a piece of straw.

"My lord, if you can save me, then this worthless life of mine is yours! If you tell me to go up a mountain, I’ll never go to the sea! If you tell me to go east, I’ll never go west!"

Ronin nodded.

He was currently very short on manpower and couldn’t spare anyone to manage Rapids Island.

As someone born and raised on the island, Laren knew the local situation intimately. It would be very convenient to have someone like him working for him.

As for the man’s character and personal morals...

The priority right now was to manage and develop this place, creating value for the Wubei Territory.

As long as Laren could get things done without causing any major trouble, that would be enough.

After giving him a few more instructions, Ronin had Tom and David lead him away.

After all, he wasn’t the master of Rapids Island yet. To avoid giving anyone grounds for complaint, matters here would continue to be managed by Wally Knight for the time being.

Until then, Laren would remain locked in the port’s dungeon.

With that, the expedition to Rapids Island had come to a successful conclusion.

For Ronin, aside from burnishing his military record, the most delightful gain was the discovery of a crop: potatoes.

He had already packed a good amount into his Space Ring, ready to take back to the Wubei Territory for planting.

Within a single year, this high-yield crop would be widespread throughout his territory.

Over the next two days, while his men helped Wally Knight secure the territories of the Laren Association and the White Flower Association, Ronin wrote a brief report on the operation and sent it to the Golden Feather Palace via one of Rapids Island’s Message Birds.

Two days later, as order was gradually restored on Rapids Island, Ronin set sail with his prisoners—including Marcelo and Clifford—and began the journey back to Horn Bay.

「Golden Feather Palace.」

Ronin’s message soon reached the hands of King Bruno.

In his eyes, annihilating the White Whale Pirate Gang and quelling the chaos on Rapids Island were hardly difficult tasks. He was not surprised in the least that Ronin had succeeded.

What he hadn’t expected, however, was that the residents of Rapids Island had made contact with the outside world and had even managed to involve another pirate organization from the Screaming Sea: the Blood Sail Pirate Gang.

Large pirate gangs like that all had their own networks and partners.

As far as he knew, the Blood Sail Pirate Gang had the backing of the Earl of Scream Clan.

’Truly a model merchant,’ he mused. ’They’ll chase after the tiniest sliver of profit.’

That said, Bruno knew a few boatloads of lumber wouldn’t be enough to satisfy their appetite.

Occupying Rapids Island, logging it aggressively, and maximizing profits—that was their true goal.

Bruno pondered for a moment. ’In that case,’ he thought, ’it seems even more necessary to introduce a new power to the Screaming Sea.’

He looked to his intelligence officer, Mel. "Ronin’s ship should be back in Horn Bay in a few days. Before he returns, I want you to spread the news of his accomplishments on this mission."

His Majesty the King paused before continuing in greater detail. "Say that he destroyed the White Whale Pirate Gang’s lair, clearing the seas and making them safer for merchant vessels. Also, say that he quelled the unrest on Rapids Island for the Oduin Royal Family and captured one of the three leaders of the Blood Sail Pirate Gang, the Golden Knight Clifford, alive."

Mel bowed slightly. "As you wish, Your Majesty!"

He knew the King’s aim was simply to build up hype for Ronin, paving the way for a perfectly logical enfeoffment.

And it was true. With Ronin’s status as a member of the Wushan Clan and a Champion Knight, combined with the achievements Bruno had just listed, a little exaggeration was all it would take to make his fame skyrocket.

Mel’s mind was already racing with ideas.

Five days later, a warship flying the flag of the Oduin Royal Family sailed into Horn Bay Port.

Before he even disembarked, Ronin saw that the port was teeming with a welcoming crowd. They waved the flags of the Royal Family and the Wushan Clan, chanting his name.

’What’s all this?’

It wasn’t just the others on the ship who were stunned by the scene; even Ronin was taken aback.

He knew in his heart that this spectacle was likely Bruno’s doing, but wasn’t it a bit over the top?

With no other choice, he puffed out his chest, plastered a smile on his face, and offered sincere and friendly greetings to his fake fans as he walked down the gangplank.