After going into the sea, I met the witch.

"kill!"

"kill!"

In an instant, the pirates on the Skull echoed each other with ferocious barbs, their eyes filled with the cruelty of hungry wolves as they gazed at the distant three-masted sailing ship.

……

"Captain, we have spotted the pirate ship [Skull] in the northwest!"

"It's 'Mountain of Flesh' Salem, with a bounty of £18000!"

"It's over, we're dead."

As the name "Skull" spread, fear began to creep into the eyes of the pirates on the deck of the "Black Rose".

In the nearshore area of ​​Silvermoon Bay, the Skull is practically the "overlord"!

They never left any merchant ships alive after plundering them; any pirate who dared to provoke them was reduced to a pile of bones.

Pirate groups of this caliber are qualified to leave the coastal areas and venture into the deeper parts of the ocean.

The pirates of the Black Rose couldn't understand why they had been targeted by such a terrifying creature.

Just as panic was about to spread across the ship, a solemn voice suddenly rang out.

"Everyone, return to your positions!"

"Raise the top sail with the long sail line, helmsman steers the ship well, and maintain the highest speed."

"Kill anyone who disobeys orders!"

The voice carried a convincing authority, and all the pirates instinctively sprang into action according to their respective duties.

Ryan looked up at Captain Freyne and Knight Cecilia, who were walking out of the captain's cabin.

The first thing that catches the eye is Frey's very eye-catching fluffy witch's hat, with its tilted tip that makes one want to straighten it.

The one who just gave the order was not Captain Freyne, but the knight Cecilia standing beside her.

The pale silver chainmail armor outlined the girl's lithe yet graceful curves, while the unsheathed rapier at her waist gave off a sharp and striking aura.

She seems to know a lot about naval warfare?

The thought popped into Ryan's mind.

Under Cecilia's orders, the pirates performed their duties and quickly increased the speed of the Black Rose. Although the distance between them and the Skull was still being gradually closed by the Skull behind them, they finally had some room to maneuver.

Looking back at the Skull Ship, its white skull and white flag fluttering wildly in the sea breeze, it seemed to be mocking the people on the Black Rose, whose efforts were nothing but a desperate act of resistance.

Currently, although the Black Rose has already pushed its speed to the limit, the distance between the two sides is still decreasing.

This is a gap in ship performance that is difficult to bridge.

Ryan's expression was grave.

"Tap..."

Light footsteps came from behind him. Ryan turned around and saw that the person who came was Captain Freyne.

As for the knight Cecilia, she was currently standing on the highest deck, commanding the pirates.

Walking to Ryan's side and standing shoulder to shoulder with him, Freya raised her hand, her slender white finger pointing to the Skull in the distance through the mist, and said softly, "Mr. Ryan, can you feel it? That intense, predatory malice."

"..." Ryan paused for a moment, then said, "I felt it."

"Captain, the wind is from the northeast, at force 5. It doesn't seem to be changing anytime soon. If this continues, it's only a matter of time before we get overtaken."

“Indeed.” Frey lowered her hand and nodded slightly, the enormous witch’s hat swaying a few times with her movement. “But who said we were running away?”

Chapter 16 Boarding Battle

"?"

Captain Freyne's words left Ryan with a question mark in his mind.

But he soon realized what was going on.

Unlike naval warships, pirate ships are rarely equipped with cannons. Even if they are, their poor accuracy and limited ammunition reserves mean that long-range bombardment is not the main method of decisive battles between pirate ships.

The outcome was largely determined by boarding maneuvers.

And boarding action...

Although our side is far from sufficient in terms of basic combat strength, we do have two Tier 1 professionals in terms of high-end combat strength.

The Black Rose just changed hands yesterday, and the possibility that the Skull knew about it is almost zero. In other words, in the eyes of the enemy, the Black Rose is still the same weak pirate crew it was before.

The current escape is more like a disguise. Once the boarding action officially begins and the enemy discovers the true combat strength of the Black Rose, it will be too late to escape.

"call……"

Ryan breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a little more at ease.

He wasn't alone; there were two other first-tier professionals on this ship whose strength far surpassed his.

Although it's a bit discouraging to say this, it feels really good to have someone there to support you when things go wrong.

"Captain is mighty!"

Ryan flattered him.

"Hehe..." Freyne chuckled lightly, "Mr. Ryan, speaking of which, I haven't seen your swordsmanship yet. Would you like to demonstrate it during the boarding action later?"

"..." Ryan's face stiffened, and he hurriedly waved his hand awkwardly: "Captain is joking. I am just a weak navigator. It is better to leave combat to the professionals."

Frey glanced at the calluses on Ryan's hands, her eyes filled with amusement, but she didn't press the matter further.

Her purpose in leaving Ryan on the ship was to serve as a "navigator." Having a certain level of personal combat ability would be a plus, but it wouldn't be a big deal if he didn't.

Since Ryan was unwilling, she did not force him.

Freyne turned and walked toward Cecilia's location: "Then I look forward to your performance on the 'sail' in the future, Mr. Ryan."

Ryan withdrew his gaze from the girl's figure, his eyes calm.

He was certainly not a coward; otherwise, he wouldn't have fought monsters like the giant beach crabs in the places he traveled.

The reason why I did not accept Captain Freyne's invitation to help was that the strength of the enemy was currently unknown.

This world is dangerous.

The exact strength of the professionals remains a mystery to Ryan. Until he figures that out, protecting himself is the most important thing.

With the Nameless Ship Sculpture in hand, he grows stronger with each passing day; time is on his side.

Moreover, with Freya and Cecilia around, whether he participates in the battle or not won't affect the outcome. In that case, it's better to play it safe.

As the Skull Ship drew ever closer through the thin mist, Ryan's eyes remained impassive.

……

As time went on, the two pirate ships drew ever closer together.

Once both sides could see the people on each other's decks, a "greeting" cannon shot suddenly rang out.

"boom!"

Smoke filled the air as cast iron cannonballs, propelled by gunpowder, shot out, tracing graceful curves in the air before landing in the sea dozens of meters away from the pirate ship, exploding into large sprays of water.

The artillery of that era had pitifully low accuracy; whether it could hit at long range depended entirely on luck.

After attempting a barrage of fire, the Black Rose and the Skull, having inflicted zero damage on each other, tacitly ceased their artillery fire.

During the bombardment, the Skull, which was already very close to the Black Rose, suddenly spun its rudder and rammed into it.

"Boom!"

The ship vibrated.

"Board the ship—drop the line!"

Salem, the "mountain of flesh" standing at the bow of the Skull, roared.

The next second, more than a dozen grappling hooks connected to thick ropes were firmly embedded in the bulwark of the Black Rose.

"All combatants, follow me and kill!"

Drawing his greatsword, "Wall of Flesh" Salem took the lead. Surprisingly, his massive and bulky body was surprisingly light. After a few heavy steps on the rope, he jumped onto the deck of the Black Rose.

"Boom!"

His massive size and terrifying weight caused the wooden planks beneath "Mountain of Flesh" Salem to crack in a horrifying spiderweb pattern. A pirate who couldn't dodge in time was crushed under his foot, his chest caved in and he lost his breath.

After Salem, the "mountain of flesh," dozens of pirates, with weapons such as scimitars and longswords in their mouths, swung down the ropes attached to the top barge.

The moment the crews of both sides clashed, the Black Rose was completely powerless to fight back. Not to mention Salem, the "mountain of flesh" standing at the bow, even the ordinary crew members lost more often than they won.

Within half a minute of contact, the Black Rose had suffered heavy casualties, and the crew members' eyes were filled with fear. Finally, when this fear reached its limit, the first person to escape appeared.

But before he could take two steps, his body suddenly froze on the spot.

Deep blue veins started from the crescent moon mark that appeared between his eyebrows and spread throughout his body.

"...I was wrong...Hehe...My lord...Give me another chance..."

The pirate's eyes were filled with despair as he pleaded desperately.

But the next moment.

With a "bang," his body exploded, like blooming blood-red smoke, soaking the clothes of people within a radius of several meters.

The sudden turn of events drew everyone's attention. Both sides in the battle instinctively stopped fighting, and Salem, the "mountain of flesh" standing at the bow of the ship, immediately focused his gaze.

"This is?"

For some reason, Salem, the "Mountain of Flesh," had a bad feeling.

The spirituality permeating the area of ​​the explosion, which he had never seen before, set off alarm bells in his heart.

Without hesitation, "Mountain of Flesh" Salem turned around and prepared to return to the Skull.

For him, the important task assigned by the big shot was important, but his own life was more precious.

Given the current unclear situation, it would be unwise to remain on the Black Rose.

But as soon as Salem, the "Mountain of Flesh," turned around, he saw the silver-white female knight standing on the bulwark behind him.