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Chapter 79: Pull the Ship Closer!
Chapter 79: Pull the Ship Closer!
Sarge scanned the warship ahead, and a flash of red light passed through his eyes. After probing with his clairvoyance, he shook his head and walked towards the captain's room.
"It's all yours, Lily," he said.
Sarge's clairvoyance didn't reveal anything particularly powerful.
This was nothing to get excited about. He wasn't a battle maniac; who had time to pick fights every day?
He might as well enjoy a drink and admire his treasure collection.
Sarge's captain's room was on the second floor of the deck building, taking up almost as much space as the banquet hall on the first floor. However, the interior was quite simple, consisting only of the captain's room, a bedroom, and a bathroom.
The modifications that Renetia had been tasked with for the treasure display cabinets were not yet complete.
Along the walls of the captain's room were piles of fine treasures that had been delivered there.
Unlike the gold coins, jewels, and Berries stored in the treasury room, the items here were carefully selected treasures from the Kingdom of Natia and Rogue Town.
Now that he had money, it was time to choose some pieces to admire.
Sarge first eyed a beautifully crafted crown made of gold and encrusted with gems, nodding in approval. He then picked up a pigeon-egg-sized, translucent gem and turned it over in his hand.
He walked over to the desk and sat down in the chair, picking up a bottle of liquor from the table and pouring some into a silver goblet adorned with gems. He took a sip and smiled contentedly.
This drink, according to Lily, who had read the label, was called 'Duperly' and seemed to be a high-end product.
It was definitely better than those cheap rum drinks from the countryside.
Now, this was life.
"What a dull life I led before," Sarge clicked his tongue. "This is how I'm meant to live!"
His body turned with the chair, facing the window, as he rubbed the gem and took another sip of his drink, ready to watch the show.
Out on the sea, the sudden appearance of the Grim Reaper had also prompted action from the opposing warship. Through her telescope, Lily saw the Navy spring into action, and she called out, "Port side!"
Her crew scurried across the deck, pulling on the rope sails and turning the rudder, working in tandem with the pirates in the engine room to swiftly maneuver the ship.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The three warships fired their main cannons, but the projectiles fell short, splashing into the water without even grazing the Grim Reaper's edges. The speedy vessel easily dodged the attacks.
Even without Renetia's ability, the Grim Reaper's propulsion system made it more agile than an ordinary ship.
Coupled with Lily's command, it was quite a challenge for the three warships to land a hit.
While her primary studies had focused on navigation theory, she had also dabbled in other areas, including naval warfare strategies.
She simply hadn't had many opportunities to put them into practice.
In the East Blue, they had encountered numerous warships, but their small crew had made it difficult to operate effectively. Additionally, at that time, Sarge had been determined to find those responsible for framing him, so he had handled things himself.
After acquiring the Grim Reaper, they hadn't come across any suitable opportunities until now—this was their first battle test since leaving the East Blue and entering the Grand Line.
So far, the feedback was quite positive.
A pleasing arc formed on Lily's lips as she shouted out commands. "Port side again! Turn the stern! The opposing warship is exposing its side!"
The Grim Reaper continued its portside navigation, swiftly spinning, while the three warships, after firing their main cannons, also adjusted their positions. They aimed their port sides at the Grim Reaper and unleashed a barrage of cannonballs.
While the main cannons had larger calibers, the port and starboard sides of the ship were more conducive to a concentrated assault.
Boom! Boom!!
However, the Grim Reaper nimbly evaded the onslaught, spinning on its axis, and the cannonballs plummeted into the sea, detonating and sending sprays of water akin to rainfall.
"Wow, nice maneuvering! The ship's performance is impressive, too. Was it designed as a warship from the beginning?" Marika exclaimed in surprise.
"I initially wanted to build a regular ship," Renetia replied, "but that damn old glass-man from the Kingdom of Natia insisted that a warship would attract more attention. He claimed that if we built a formidable warship, people wouldn't question our ability to construct regular ships. So, we went with a warship."
Renetia's cheeks puffed up momentarily, but then she flashed a tiger-tooth smile. "Oh well, it came in handy now. Otherwise, if we had encountered Sarge, we might have had to remodel it anyway."
She, too, was observing the ship's performance in its first real battle, wanting to identify any shortcomings.
"Port side, ready! Deck guns, first chain shot, fire!"
The Grim Reaper had four layers of ship cabins. Apart from the deck cannons on the topmost layer, the first and second layers were also equipped with cannons—one hundred and fifty on each side, arranged in two layers.
And in naval warfare, there were different types of ammunition.
Apart from the basic cannonballs, there were also non-explosive solid shots designed to pierce through enemy ships.
Chain shot was the name of the ammunition made of interlocking iron balls designed to tear down masts and sails, disabling a ship without sinking it.
Grapeshot, on the other hand, was a cannonball packed with numerous lead pellets that would scatter upon firing, causing extensive damage to enemy personnel.
What Sarg wanted was the recording pointer, something that she wasn't sure about the size of either. But since it was a pointer, it definitely wasn't sturdy enough to sink a ship and then go looking for it. The only option was to strip the opposing side of their combat capabilities first.
The majority of battles at sea relied heavily on ships, which were not only symbols but also formidable weapons in naval warfare!
The pirates scrambled across the deck and took their positions in the ship cabins, loading the cannons and firing away.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The cannonballs formed two rows in the air, bearing down on two of the warships. The chain shot danced through the sky, smashing into the masts and damaging them. The sails, in turn, were torn to shreds as the chain shot ripped through them.
As for the grapeshot, it blossomed in the air, raining down lead pellets on the enemy deck and instantly taking down a row of marines.
"We hit them!" Renetia cheered.
"Maintain course, circle the warship! Do it again!" Lily continued to command.
The Grim Reaper sailed in a wide arc around the three warships, giving her pirates time to reload the cannons.
Until the Black Ship reached the right angle, Lily waited for the perfect moment, then swung her arm down, "Fire!"
Bang! Bang! Bang! Boom!
The grapeshot and chain shot were fired once more, and this time, the chain shot took down the foremost mast of one of the warships, while the sails, already full of holes, were torn to pieces under the mast's collapsing weight.
However, just as they fired, two of the deck cannons suddenly exploded, knocking back two pirates and hurling them against the railing on the opposite side.
A cannon burst?
Lily lowered her telescope and turned to look, seeing the two cannons blown to smithereens.
"How could this happen?" she muttered.
The timing of her command was spot on, giving the gunners ample time to load and fire without incident.
She scanned the cannons and the crew behind them, then realized something. "We don't have enough people!"
To operate the wind-powered warship's cannons effectively, it required a crew of at least three for each cannon: one to load the cannonball and powder, ignite the fuse, and prevent accidental ignition during loading; another to aim and fire, while also ensuring the safety of the first; and the third to clear the cannon barrel after firing, checking for any residual powder or sparks.
But at this moment, they were short-staffed!
Out of the entire crew of over six hundred, some had been knocked out by Sarg's Conqueror's Haki, others were in the control room, and yet others were tending to the sails. Even without engaging the cannons on the second level, the remaining crew was not enough to man the deck and first-level cannons, which ideally required three hundred personnel to operate a hundred cannons.
They were currently operating with far fewer than that.
And to man all the cannons on the ship, with a hundred and fifty on each side, at least five hundred crew were needed to efficiently work in tandem below and above decks.
Gunnery was a skilled trade that required not only familiarity but also a high degree of coordination among the crew. Even with the extra time Lily had afforded them, without the practiced coordination and a full crew, cannon bursts were inevitable.
The standard crew for the Grim Reaper was a thousand strong, and its maximum capacity was one thousand five hundred. But that didn't need to be considered; the maximum was too crowded for a ship, and it was generally safer to operate with the standard crew in mind.
Even if they had recruited to fill the standard capacity, manning half the crew with gunners wouldn't suffice.
"Ah!"
Renetia also realized this shortcoming, and she clenched her small fists, punching the air in frustration. "We miscalculated! The ship is too small, and we have too many cannons!"
"We can modify it later," Marika said gently. "Building a new ship would take too much time and money, and we might not find the same quality materials again."
"Yeah, I'll ask Sarg about it later," Renetia nodded.
Marika turned to look at Lily, asking, "Are we boarding the ship? If so, I'll join in as well this time."
Ajin quietly brought out his walking stick, and Palu located his trusty iron shield, which he had secretly repaired, and donned it once more.
Although he had trained his body, he still felt safer with an extra layer of iron shielding him.
The other pirates also looked to Lily, awaiting her orders.
Lily nodded firmly at them.
Since Sarg didn't seem concerned about the opposition on the warship, it meant they were manageable. Their fighting capabilities were without a doubt, especially for this crew of resilient and robust individuals recruited from the Kingdom of Bridge.
"Pull the ship closer!" Lily commanded.
(End of Chapter)
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