One of the fastest sailing ships at sea, Birex-X was very popular amongst the merchants. It had a body only slightly bigger than average with bigger sails on the masts.
While most ships traveled at 10 knots, Birex-X with its large sails could catch up to 15 knots if there were no storms or hurricanes.
In the current Era of Pirates, year 1487, a Birex-X could easily be ranked in the top 3 fastest ships with consideration of many unidentified ships.
And, there were only a limited number of Birex-X. About 15 and each one was registered under recognized individuals.
No record of Birex-X getting stolen was reported, giving many merchants less pressure about pirates having a Birex-X.
This was the reason why Captain Martin had full confidence that he could transport the goods needed to be delivered to [Gorgorta].
In the luxurious captain's cabin, Martin sat on his chair and measured the remaining distance between the ship and [Gorgorta].
Using a compass made from pure gold and silver, then making lines with pencils and scales, he found that they were three days away from their destination.
"Huu… Such boring days. I should request the guildmaster to let me keep a slave or two for entertainment."
Martin muttered with an exhausted look. He stretched out his limbs and stood up from the chair.
Just as he was about to head to the bed, he heard a loud shout. Alarmed, he quickly wore his belt carrying a branded cutlass and grabbed two firearms.
"Pirates! Pirates!"
The lookout in the crow's nest at the top of the main mast shouted with all his might as their life depended on it.
"What!"
Martin exclaimed with surprise. The sailor descended down from the mast and confronted the captain with a pale face.
"It's a dead man! His face had no colors and he appeared like a puppet with abyss-like eyes! And their flag, it's emerald!"
As the sailor described the pirate ship, Martin's expression turned from calm to ugly.
He grabbed the spyglass from the sailor and walked to the ship's taffrail on the port side. Looking in the direction of the pirate ship, he saw it.
The emerald flag with a human skull and two bones behind it crossing. On the pirate ship's quarterdeck, starring the helm, was a man with long black hair in dreadlocks.
His face was calm, composed and obviously pale, so much that he could be said to be completely white.
Martin gulped, then scanned their ship. It was a ship with three masts like any, but looked really majestic.
Dark brown paint, layered with wood varnish. A woman's sculpture as the ship's figurehead, she was alluring and mesmerizing to eyes.
Overall, Martin had to say that the ship carried a strong aura with overwhelming pressure. It almost seemed to ask them to stop for she will continue to chase them to the ends of the world.
"Don't be intimidated! We have a Birex-X! Those pirates can't catch up to us! Continue on our route!"
Martin commanded his crew. He stepped up to the ship's wheel and steered. With little adjustments to their sails, they increased their speed.
"Eh, Captain."
His first-mate walked to him and called him. Having a face of confusion and puzzlement, Martin responded.
"What happened?"
"Captain, the pirate ship. She is still following us."
"What?"
Martin frowned then turned his head to see. He didn't do that before because he had full belief in their ship's speed.
Not far from their ship, the pirates were still tailing them. It was a shocking sight, for a ship to match Birex-X's speed.
They were traveling at 12 knots now, so for the pirate ship to be getting closer, they had to sail at 13 or 14 knots.
Martin licked his dry lips and looked at the pirates with the spyglass once again.
He saw, unlike their ship where the crew members were moving from one position to another to handle the sails and maintain other things, the pirate crew members were almost free.
Many of the pirates stood at the ship's bow and watched them with grins and curious gazes.
"Impossible! Just how? What kind of ship is that!"
Martin paced on the quarterdeck while his first mate was tense and expecting some immediate orders.
Unable to stand doing nothing, the first-mate called out the captain again and asked for orders but Martin behaved like a deaf man, unable to hear him.
"Captain! Can you hear me!"
"Huh? Oh yes! Shit! I got lost in thoughts. Go, hurry. I want everyone to readjust the sails! Now!"
Martin ordered. The first-mate nodded and hurried down to relay the orders to all the crew members.
* * *
While the merchant ship was trying to outsail the pirate, Corpse and Jackson were talking about their own ship.
"Captain, does she have a name?"
Jackson asked as he slid his left hand on the ship's taffrail. Corpse locked the wheel and replied to Jackson with a grin.
"Of course. Why won't my beloved have a name? 'Dwini Pisaju' meaning 'Daughter of the Sea', or you can similarly call her Daisy."
"Aye! So she is Daisy."
Jackson acknowledged and praised the worthy name for their ship. Corpse pulled out the spyglass and looked at the merchant ship.
For how they were able to tell that a ship was a merchant ship or passenger ship, one just had to look for a big symbol on the ship's stern.
For merchant ships, the symbol was a lion head with it roaring. For the passenger ships, the symbol was a sheep grazing grass.
"They are speeding. Unfortunately, I believe no ship can sail faster than my beloved."
Corpse closed the spyglass and placed it on the fixed table near the helm. Together with Jackson, and a few crew members, he went to the ship's orlop deck.
The purpose was for bringing up the rum and foods stored there. Due to the storm last night they didn't get the chance to divide the supplies.
"Captain, do we kill all of the sailors on the merchant ship?"
The young man wearing his blue bandana, asked while pushing a barrel filled with newly sealed rum. It was his first time, like many others on the ship, to be a pirate.
"Young man, your name?"
"It's Roberto, Captain!"
"See, Roberto. If we kill all the sailors on the merchant ship, after we leave, how will our name spread? Do you think our pirate flag is emerald because I like emeralds?"
Corpse looked at Roberto, his dark eyes and pale face staring at him.
There was a weird silence in the atmosphere as Corpse continued to stare at Roberto while the latter lowered his head.
"Captain, the rum."
Jackson broke the silence with an awkward smile. Corpse gestured to them to get on carrying the food and rum on the upper deck.
After a few hours of chasing, Daisy finally neared the Birex-X. With a distance not more than half a kilometer, both the crew could see each other.
"I don't understand! Why is that ship so fast!"
On the quarterdeck, Martin paced quickly. His breathing was heavy and beads of sweats rolled down his forehead.
One hand on the handle of his cutlass, the other on his chin, Martin processed his thoughts and formulated a plan.
'Fucking pirates! Worst pieces of scum! I hope each one goes to hell and get torture for eternity!'
Seeing almost no escape other than fighting, Martin cursed loudly in his mind. He tried to calm himself but his heart beat increased as his eyes saw the pirate ship nearing.
"Crewmates! There's no escape! Our only hope of survival is to fight and defeat these pirates! Grab your weapons, load the cannons and tie the sails!"
Standing at the edge of the quarterdeck and facing his crew, he pulled out his cutlass from its sheath, raised it in the air and declared.
"Yes! We will fight to death if needed!"
"Get the guns! Get the swords!"
"Cannonballs! Load the cannons!"
Twenty-three sailors, each one with the determination and heart to survive, roared and rushed to prepare for battle which might be to death.
In the Era of Pirates, deaths were common. Even little children know of deaths and understand what one must do to live.
Life is harsh, and not easy for everyone.
Daisy approached the merchant ship, but as she reached at one hundred and fifty meters range, she didn't advance any further.
Martin and his crew were puzzled, unable to understand why the pirates won't come any closer. Were they afraid of the fight that would happen? Definitely not.
If pirates feared for their lives to such an extent, they wouldn't have become pirates in the first place.
"Captain, why did th-!"
Before the first-mate could complete his sentence, they heard a loud explosive coming from the pirate ship. Just like when a cannon is fired.
A cannonball, pierced through the air from the pirate ship's deck, then achieved a good height in the sky.
It then slowly started descending down, along the way down the cannonball picked up momentum and speed. Burning with rage and fury, it broke through the merchant ship's deck.
BAM!
A hole about twelve centimeters in diameter was created. The cannonball had entered the lower deck.
"What was that! They have mortars on their ship?"
Martin was agitated. The first-mate wanted to say something but before he could open his mouth, a loud explosion occurred inside their ship.
BOOM!
It was the cannonball, designed by Corpse. Hollow from inside, for the purpose of filling it up with gunpowder.
A fuse wire was stuck in and out so it could burn out and cause the cannonball to explode.
"Hahaha! How's that bitches!"
On the deck, the old man laughed heartily as he quickly reloaded the mortar with another explosive cannonball.
"Old man, I didn't know you had such good aim. Well done."
Corpse walked to the main deck near the old man and praised him. To be able to hit a moving target, that also in the sea, was an impressive feat.
"It's Roger, Captain. And you all have yet to see what I am capable of."
Roger grinned, then shot at the merchant ship once again. Corpse ordered the other crew members to use the remaining mortars.
BOOM!
For a few minutes, the merchant ship was totally bombarded by explosive cannonballs. All the three masts were broken, the front part of their ship, the bow was no more than pieces of wood planks.
Corpse could see the ship's interior through the stern which now had a huge hole.
"Fellas! We loot them now! Kill some and leave the rest in the sea! We take all what's left!"
"Aye!"
The sails swayed, the emerald flag waved, Daisy sped up and advanced towards the merchant ship. Along the way cutting the waves, she sailed with elegance.