Cyrus led everyone, and his orders were executed without question; no one made excuses, even when he decided to fight. They all understood they would either become companions of the fish or finish it once and for all.
Julian quickly climbed the mast as the wind intensified, struggling to maintain his balance while changing the sails. Gradually, conditions worsened, and the storm began. The wind surged violently, lifting the sea and forming a waterspout. The top of the waterspout shot up like an arrow released from a bow, finally merging with the dark clouds above.
Boom!!!
Lightning!
Wind and rain lashed at their faces, and amidst their shouts, they heard the thunderous roar of lightning.
"What's happening here??!!!"
"This is a magical storm, Captain! That man must have summoned it with an item!!!"
"What do we do now!!!??"
"We have to sink that ship! That madman has cast a spell on his vessel, meaning no matter how fast we flee, he'll chase us with his ship and this cursed storm!!!"
"But this storm is worsening by the minute! Is there any way to stop him??!"
"Absolutely! We'll hit him so hard he'll be torn apart! It's the only way!"
The captain shouted and seized the helm. he knew how to seize the opportunity to encourage his crew. There was no other choice, they had to fight.
"Today! This is our first adventure! We must prove our worth to the Lord of the Land of Memories!!!"
"Yeah!!"
"Loosen the sails, arm the cannons!"
"Julian! bring that artifact!!!"
"Prepare for a full-scale battle!!!!"
One sailor, drenched in sweat, rushed to the captain and reported, "Captain! The cannons are ready!"
"What are you waiting for, fool! Show them the firepower of the Black Phoenix!!"
"Yes, Captain!!!!"
"Ha ha ha! This is sea madness! Damn, how many years have passed?!"
The sailor immediately commanded the cannons to fire, and dozens of cannonballs shot toward the brig.
Boom!! Boom!!! Boom!!!
Lightning lashed across the sky, its white light illuminating the dark waves struggling to reach the ship's deck.
"Captain! A waterspout!!!"
"Julian! Hurry!" he shouted. "Arm the cannons!"
Lightning!
Cyrus took advantage of the chaos and, using his blink, reached the crow's nest. "Damn it! This isn't going to work…"
"They'll reach us at this rate. We must sink that ship at all costs!!!"
Suddenly, an idea struck him. Cyrus stretched out his left hand, condensing the airflow into a tight fist. He extended his right hand and snapped his fingers.
Whoosh!!!
Suddenly, the airflow ignited and formed into a bow. "Ha ha ha! Let's see what you do with this!"
shoot!
Cyrus continuously shot fiery arrows at the brig. Wherever the arrows struck, flames erupted. Soon, the water's surface ignited, and the brig's sails turned into plumes of black smoke, dissipating in the wild wind.
"Hey! That was fantastic, Zhu Fan!"
"Turn the ship around! We have to destroy them before the storm sinks us!"
"What are you saying? We need to take this chance and fire at them!"
"They've used the turtle shell barrier! Now that ship is impregnable from the outside. Magic won't work on it. We can't wait for the barrier to fall! We must attack quickly!"
"Damn it!"
"Make a decision!"
The captain, furious, shouted, "Prepare for hand-to-hand combat with the pirates!"
On the other side, the brig was in a precarious position. As the bearer of such a powerful spell, it struggled to maneuver effectively in the naval battle, especially under the relentless pressure of the galleon's cannons.
With both the storm and the galleon working against the pirates, the Pirate King revealed his true strategy. When Cyrus destroyed the brig's sails with fiery arrows, the King initiated his defensive plan. What he had wanted all along was a close-quarters fight.
He knew he would have to pay a heavy price, but there was no alternative. How could one win a battle without cunning? In the race between the rabbit and the turtle, the rabbit's speed gave him a false sense of pride that became his downfall. By allowing Cyrus a seemingly easy victory, the Pirate King lured them into believing they could win in close combat on water.
Yet this sheer folly was the only option they had.
The Pirate King smiled, remaining unfazed.
[Where death lurks, the dead cannot stay silent.]
This battle had only one victor: the one still breathing. But death was a terrifying specter. This bitter, one time experience, this heartbreaking separation weighed heavily, like the grief of the world. The boundless silence, its path vanishing into an unseen void, cast its shadow over them.
[Where death treads, only the strongest wills survive.]
Due to the chaos Cyrus caused on the island, many sailors became disoriented, making the crew alongside the Pirate King more warriors than navigators.
[I had to show them a weakness to attack. Even if they weren't deceived, I had to force them into this trap.]
He drew his sword and issued the command for battle readiness.
[I know you can't withstand this storm either. I'm sure you want this settled before it worsens. But my ship is protected by an anti-magic barrier, meaning your magically enhanced cannonballs can't harm me for a while. Now what?]
He opened the spyglass and monitored the galleon's movements. The galleon changed course, now heading toward them.
But a strange sight caught his attention.
A man with gray hair was loading cannonballs in front of the ship.
"Ha ha ha, it's pointless!"
Boom!
A cannon fired, and a blue projectile shot toward the pirate ship.
"What the hell is that…"
"Ha?? What???? How is that possible…?"