After going into the sea, I met the witch.

In fact, his understanding of pirates came from movies and TV shows from his previous life.

These were all just superficial attempts, without any real depth.

"We can only take it one step at a time and try things out slowly."

Ryan sighed.

Advancement on the path of cultivation is far too troublesome, unlike the simple and straightforward method of leveling up his avatars to increase his physique.

Shaking his head, Ryan walked to the bow deck and sat down cross-legged—he wouldn't do "power-building training," but he still couldn't neglect to comprehend sword techniques.

……

Time flies, and the sun rises to its zenith.

Just then, the lookout on the watchtower spotted the warship in the distance through his binoculars.

Upon seeing the fluttering naval flag, the lookout was terrified and scrambled to report to Captain Freyne.

Ryan went to the stern and picked up his binoculars to observe.

Compared to the Black Rose, the naval ships that were chasing from behind were far superior in both performance and firepower.

It was a standard fifth-class sailing cruiser—nearly 150 feet long, with an estimated 40 or more cannons, and a displacement of between 600 and 800 tons.

Compared to it, the Black Rose is like a fragile "child".

"Royal Navy..."

Ryan's expression was serious, but he wasn't too surprised.

Hunting down those marked with the "Bloody Mark" is one of the duties of the Royal Navy.

Ryan estimated that the distance between the naval warship and the Black Rose was about two nautical miles. Based on the difference in their speeds, the other side would definitely catch up in an hour.

Battle is unavoidable.

"So it's the Navy. I thought it was something like the Blood Hunters." A clear voice came to Ryan's ears as Freyne led Cecilia to the stern of the ship.

Gazing at the naval warships on the distant sea, a complex look appeared deep in Freyne's eyes.

"...Let's deal with them as soon as possible and continue on our way."

"What do you mean?" Ryan asked, puzzled.

"Of course, we must halt our operations and engage the enemy," Freyne said solemnly. "You, go and raise the white flag!"

"Yes!" The pirate waiting nearby sprang to attention and hurriedly went to carry out the order.

He didn't understand the captain's meaning, but under the threat of the cursed seal, he had no choice but to obey.

"The firepower gap between the Black Rose and the enemy warships is too great. Once we enter the artillery exchange phase, it is likely to cause serious damage to the hull, affecting our subsequent voyage. Rather than that, it would be better to feign surrender and directly engage in boarding action."

Freyne explained to Ryan.

Upon hearing this, Ryan immediately understood, but still had concerns: "What if they don't have any martial spirit and continue to bombard us even after we've surrendered?"

Frey smiled slightly: "It's alright, we still have their ship, don't we?"

"..." Ryan's eyes widened slightly, then he gave a thumbs up: "Captain is wise."

……

At the bow of the White Dove, Lord Slop looked through his telescope at the Skull and Bones, where a white flag was being raised, a deep question etched on his forehead.

Are they cowards before the battle even begins, and surrender outright?

He frowned, pondered for a few seconds, still unable to make up his mind, so he looked at the "swordsman" Il beside him and asked, "Mr. Il, what do you think they mean by this?"

To this, Il simply shook his head: "Your Excellency, you can make the decision. I will only assist you in capturing the Blood Son."

Lord Slop's gaze fell on the shadow behind Il. Seeing that there was no movement for several seconds, he knew that the Black Knight did not intend to speak. He turned around, hesitated for a few seconds, and finally made a decision: "Move the ship closer."

Capturing a fully intact pirate ship and taking a ship full of pirates alive is a world of difference from sinking a pirate ship.

Similarly, the achievement of capturing the "Bloody Son" alive far surpasses that of killing him.

The former was related to the interests of the naval crew, while the latter concerned his own hope of becoming a baron or even further.

Therefore, even though the incident was strange and somewhat bizarre, Lord Slop made this decision anyway.

With him and Il, two experienced Tier 1 professionals, on the side, plus the Black Knight's safety net, they wouldn't suffer any losses even if things went wrong.

Because of the Black Rose's suspension of operations, the distance between the two ships closed rapidly, and soon, they were less than fifty meters apart.

At this distance, Lord Slop could clearly see the situation on the other side's deck.

The deck was filled with trembling pirates; there was no one particularly noteworthy.

"Where is 'Mountain of Flesh' Salem?"

Lord Slop was filled with doubt.

But after thinking it over, he still ordered his navy men to begin the boarding operation.

Lord Slop, along with "Swordsman" Il and a large number of navy personnel, arrived at the deck of the Skull via grappling hooks. Seeing the pirates silently retreating without any resistance, Lord Slop finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Regardless of any tricks the enemy may have, the entire force of the [White Dove] has now landed on the [Skull], and the pirates are doomed.

Lord Slop stepped forward, ready to loudly question "Where is the Mountain of Flesh" Salem, when he saw the pirates in front of him simultaneously crouching down with their heads in their hands in defense.

Before Lord Slop could react, a chilling sword light shot out from the pirates and arrived in front of him in an instant.

This sword strike was too fast, too urgent, and the intense life-or-death crisis caused Lord Slop's pupils to shrink to pinpoints.

Chapter 47 Bards and War Poems

The sword flashed like lightning, arriving in an instant.

"Ding--!"

With a crisp metallic clang and the spread of spiritual ripples, a figure appeared before Lord Slop, blocking the attack with his jet-black longsword.

Clad in black, wielding a black sword, he was none other than the "Sword Master" Il.

The sword strike failed, and the attacker executed a nimble backflip, landing on the deck.

Wearing a silver chainmail suit and wielding a silver rapier, the girl's eyes were indifferent as ice, without a trace of emotion.

Looking at the girl, the swordsman Il's eyes were extremely solemn. At this moment, his hands, which were holding the sword in front of him, were trembling slightly.

The thrust landed precisely on the weakest point of his longsword, narrowly missing the point that would have ruined his stance.

Such exquisite swordsmanship...

"Who are you? There's no one like you among the pirates in the coastal areas!"

Il's voice was full of solemnity.

Standing behind Il, Lord Slop, who had narrowly escaped death, was panting heavily, still shaken.

For a brief moment, he truly believed he was going to die.

At this moment, he was extremely grateful that he had invited the "Sword Master" Il to help him; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

And after the fear came boundless rage...

You mere pirates, how dare you!

Lord Slop flipped his wrist, and an antique harp appeared in his hand. With a surge of spiritual energy, a melodious tune began to drift through the air.

Under the influence of the music, "Swordsman" Il's aura surged dramatically, and the marines behind him also became excited, drawing their weapons and roaring with excitement: "Kill!"

This is the core ability of the first-tier class [Bard] in the "Poet's Path" and is called [War Poems]. Wherever the music passes, allies will receive a great buff, while enemies will suffer negative effects such as slowed speed, mental agitation, and spiritual stagnation.

The first-tier bard's direct combat ability is the weakest among all first-tier professions, but when it comes to support abilities, it is undoubtedly the best!

On the deck, the pirates, who were already devoid of fighting spirit, became even more demoralized after being affected by the music. If it weren't for the restraint of the cursed seal, they would probably have fled on the spot.

In fact, most pirates have a natural fear of the navy.

In terms of individual equipment, ship performance, discipline, and teamwork, the pirates were indeed not even a ragtag army compared to the navy.

Cecilia frowned slightly.

The bard's music was truly disgusting.

At this moment, "Swordsman" Il moved.

A faint spiritual light emanated from his body, and at that moment, his form became somewhat blurred.

"Thorn..."

That was the sound of clothes rubbing against the air.

"Ding!"

Cecilia remained expressionless, swiftly thrusting her rapier to the side and forward, using offense as defense to force the rapidly advancing Il to a halt.

The exquisite timing of this sword strike shocked Il.

He had to change his sword stance to parry the thrust, thus avoiding being pierced through by the sword.

Il's expression was extremely serious.

He could sense that the girl dressed as a knight opposite him did not exceed the range of a first-tier professional in terms of strength and speed, but her rich combat experience and exquisite swordsmanship were far beyond what a first-tier professional could possess, and even most second-tier professionals might not be able to match her.

Such a formidable opponent...

"Swordsman" Il was starting to regret accepting Lord Slop's invitation to help.

Unfortunately, once the arrow is released, there's no turning back.

Now that we've become enemies, there's nothing we can do but fight to the death!

"Swordsman" Il's eyes calmed down, and he slashed out with his longsword.

This sword strike, seemingly ordinary, grew increasingly intense with each strike, its white light intensifying.

"Charged Slash" is a simple longsword technique that, through special skills, gives the seemingly ordinary slash a "charged" effect, allowing it to unleash nearly 1.5 times the slashing power, making it very useful in actual combat.

Cecilia's eyes flickered slightly, and the rapier in her hand shot out like a silver snake emerging from the water. Its trajectory was so fast that it was difficult to see with the naked eye, yet it struck first and reached Il's face.

"clang!"

If he continued to use slashing attacks, the rapier would pierce his brow before his blade even touched the enemy. In this critical moment, no matter how frustrated he was, Il had no choice but to interrupt his sword technique again and switch from offense to defense.