Riding the waves’ undulations that tilted the ship, the second round of cannon fire from the Hope struck near the pirate ship’s waterline, causing its lower hull to start taking on water.
“Long live!” Cheers erupted on the Hope as they readied for the third round of cannon fire.
The leading pirate ship, in stark contrast, was in a state of despair. The captain shouted, “Plug the leaks!”
The crew in the lower hull tried everything to plug the breaches, but as the Aldan Navy’s third round of cannon fire roared, it was clear their efforts were in vain.
As seawater surged in, the hole at the waterline grew larger, and the lower hull filled with more water.
The captain personally went below to assess the situation, only to find it beyond salvageable. The Hope, extraordinarily lucky, had hit near the waterline again with its third volley.
The pirate captain, begrudgingly glaring at the Hope, issued a reluctant order: Signal the nearby ships; we must abandon this one.
The predicament of the lead pirate ship caused chaos among the vessels following. Gaden, incredulous, asked, “What in the world is happening?”
They hadn’t even engaged the enemy fleet, and already one of their ships was doomed.
He shouted through a megaphone, “Increase speed, increase speed! Board their ship!”
The pirate leader believed that no matter what strange long-range tactics the Aldan Navy employed, once boarding combat commenced, his warriors could swiftly annihilate the enemy, just as they had with other pirate groups.
The second pirate ship approached the sinking leader, and the pirates hastily jumped aboard.
The Hope immediately fired at the pirate ship coming to the rescue, but unfortunately, only one cannonball hit the upper deck.
Although only one shell struck, it still reaped significant havoc, killing several pirates and damaging a rather thin mast.
The Hope’s impressive performance attracted considerable hostility, and three more pirate ships charged towards it.
The naval commander, Austin, overseeing the battle, put down his telescope and ordered a signalman: “Inform the fleet to support the Hope, but try not to hinder their cannon fire.”
Following this command, other navy ships accelerated and began to encircle the pirate vessels.
“Load grapeshot!” “Swivel guns, ready! Cough, cough!”
As enemy ships closed in, the Hope’s gunnery officer issued rapid orders amid the thick smoke and acrid smell of burning gunpowder, coughing continuously.
“Ah!” While the gunnery officer struggled to see through the smoke, a piercing scream suddenly erupted. In the chaos, a gun crew member hadn’t cleaned the barrel properly before stuffing in a new powder bag, igniting the residual fire and burning the loader’s face.
This was the first such accident the crew had encountered. They frantically dragged the injured loader aside to check his wounds. This content belongs to ⓝovelFire.net
“What are you doing? Get back to your stations and prepare to fire!”
Captain Quik, noticing the situation, immediately had the wounded man taken below deck and ordered the gunners back to their posts, sternly reminding them, “Follow the cannon firing procedures strictly.”
The gunners quickly returned to their positions. By then, the nearest pirate ship was just over 10 meters away. The gunnery officer bellowed, “Fire!”
Four 6-pounder cannons and two swivel guns unleashed deadly grapeshot, a metal storm hurtling towards the pirate ship.
The pirates, preparing to board, saw only a dark mass rapidly approaching. Then, in an instant, many collapsed on the deck.
A tragic scene unfolded, with pirates strewn across the deck and the ship’s hull riddled with holes. Screams and groans filled the air, engulfing the entire deck.
“My arm! My arm!” A pirate stared in horror at his right arm, which had just been pierced by a cannonball. Now, apart from pain, he had no other sensation in it.
Due to the effects of a mysterious drug he had taken earlier, his heartbeat was faster than usual, and his blood flowed more rapidly, causing blood to spurt violently from the wound in his arm.
“No… no… don’t let this happen…” Overwhelmed by the fear of death, the pirate muttered incoherently, desperately pressing his trembling left hand over the wound, but it was futile. No matter how hard he pressed, blood continued to spray out between his fingers.
Soon, he began to feel dizzy, his vision darkening, and his body became unsteady. A wave rocked the ship slightly, causing the pirate to collapse on the deck, never to rise again.
Many others on the deck shared his fate, all with severe wounds, bleeding uncontrollably. Their moans and cries gradually faded away, along with their breath.
“Get down! Everyone, get down!” Among the uninjured lucky ones, a quick-witted pirate shouted to his companions to lie down on the deck to avoid the Aldan Navy’s cannon fire.
The two remaining pirate ships, approaching the Hope, slowed down upon witnessing the horrific fate of their comrades, as if fearing the same destiny.
The frenzied minds, influenced by the drug, were suddenly doused with a cold dose of reality. The captains of the two ships quickly became cautious, weighing the risk of provoking the strange ship.
“What are they doing?” Gaden, noticing the hesitation of the two ships ahead, wore a ferociously sinister expression.
“Don’t they know? The enemy has powerful long-range weapons, and stopping only makes us passive targets!”
Stomping on the deck in frustration, possibly influenced by the drug, he lost his usual composure. Any unexpected and unfavorable development made him irritable.
A red-eyed lieutenant suggested, “Leader Gaden, these new recruits are unreliable. Let’s go ourselves and slaughter those navy dogs, then deal with these fools at leisure.”
The foremost four ships belonged to the recently annexed or voluntarily joined small groups of the Mudfish Gang. To test their loyalty and combat capability, they were assigned to lead the assault. After all, even if the navy’s main force had left, some troops would likely remain to guard their base, necessitating some expendable forces for the vanguard.
Unexpectedly, they had encountered the navy’s main forces.
Gaden clenched his fists tightly, slamming them against the mast. The mast of the sailboat, not very sturdy, shook from the impact.
“Forget it! While that strange ship is distracted by those useless ones ahead, let’s attack the other ships.”
The six pirate ships slightly adjusted their course and charged towards the other navy ships.