Translator: Cinder Translations
...
Thanks to the presence of telescopes, the navy's patrol boats spotted the pirates before the pirates could notice them.
Sailors immediately exerted all their strength to row the ship back to base. Even before entering the harbor, they informed the on-duty soldiers of the enemy situation using the newly practiced flag signals.
"This is not an exercise!" "This is not an exercise!" "This is not an exercise!" The communications officer repeated this message three times consecutively.
Once again, the base alarm sounded, and all officers and soldiers assembled.
"It appears the pirates are indeed playing a 'deceive the east to strike the west' game. It seems the Third Infantry Battalion's trip wasn't in vain."
Upon learning of the pirates' approach to Fortland Port, the officers were extremely grateful for Commander Austin's previous decision. The credit for annihilating the Eel pirate gang would finally fall into the hands of the navy itself.
Austin ordered all hands to board and engage the pirates in combat. Simultaneously, he dispatched messengers to notify the City Hall to muster the militia to defend the coast, preventing any pirates who slipped through from sneaking ashore.
He chose the Hope as the flagship, leading six other sailships charging towards the pirates.
This was the first real battle for the sail warships. Every officer and sailor on board was extremely nervous. Captain Quik paced back and forth on the deck, constantly motivating his subordinates, "Our ship is the most powerful warship in the Northwest Bay. Give just a tenth of your usual training performance, and we can send those fools across from us to feed the fish."
Finally catching the Eel, Quik was very excited. The pirate force assembled in the Northwest Bay could only be this one.
"Heh, Jaden, Jaden, you better not run anymore. Use your blood to baptize my new life."
Even when he was a pirate, he couldn't stand this timid little man, especially when this guy messed with him when they agreed to attack Alden Town together.
Sailors equipped with swords watched the direction of the pirate ship, preparing for possible boarding actions. Sailors armed with firearms carefully inspected their weapons, igniting the match cords and continuously blowing on them to ensure they were burning.
Especially the gun crews, they were about to face their first real naval artillery battle. Their rigorous training paid off. Under the command of their gun captains, the gunners systematically prepared for firing.
"Loosen the gun carriage!"
The gunners untied the pulley chains wrapped around the gun carriage and cut the ropes tightly securing the breech.
"Level the gun carriage!"
The gunners rotated the screw beneath the rear of the gun barrel, adjusting the gun carriage to a level, direct-firing position.
"Pull out the gun plug!"
They quickly positioned the gun into place. As the gun barrel moved a foot towards the center of the ship, they used the breech rope to stop the cannon from sliding towards the center of the ship, and then one gunner pulled out the plug in the muzzle of the cannon.
"Load the ammunition!"
The loader wrapped the propellant, encased in flannel, and a 6-pound cannonball, into the breech one after the other. Another gunner held the rammer and pounded forcefully into the breech to compact the ammunition.
"Extend the gun barrel!"
They immediately grasped the pulley chains, hand over hand, pulling the pulley chains to bring the gun carriage snug against the side of the ship. Once the gun barrel extended outside the gunport, they let the pulley chains fall neatly, coiling them up.
The gun captain began to prime the gun. He picked up the gunner's pricker and inserted it into the barrel from the top rear of the gun, piercing the flannel-wrapped powder charge inside the barrel. Then, using a conical tube, he carefully poured finely ground powder into the powder chamber and vent, meticulously tamping down the powder with a bent rod.
At the same time, another gunner shielded the powder from the sea breeze with his palm to prevent it from blowing away. After loading the powder, the gun captain hung the conical tube on his back.
The gunner responsible for firing ignited the slow-burning match cord on the linstock, occasionally blowing gently to prevent it from extinguishing. The loader, holding the next packet of powder for the next shot, stood by the cannon, waiting.
Drawing closer and closer to the pirate ship, the seven warships led by the Hope seemed as though they were wound up, awaiting the moment to engage.
...
While the navy officers and soldiers prepared nervously for battle, their opponents, the pirate fleet, were not in good shape. They had believed the navy's main force had left the harbor, but their intelligence was wrong, and they had walked right into the enemy's trap.
Jaden grabbed the collar of his deputy responsible for contacting informants and shouted angrily, his eyes bloodshot, "Damn it, what the hell is going on? You tell me what's going on!"
"I... I... I don't know! Boss, the message brought by the fish hawk clearly said the navy had left Frand Port."
The deputy leader cried as he tried to defend himself.
"Smack!" Jaden viciously slapped him, leaving the deputy leader dizzy and groaning on the deck.
One of his men asked, "Boss, should we do as before? Give the slaves some drugs to speed up and turn away from here?"
Several times in the past, they had almost been caught by the Alden Navy, relying on this mysterious drug to suddenly burst with immense endurance and strength, rowing desperately to escape.
After many experiments, they could precisely control the dosage, allowing the slaves to gain strength but not enough to break free from their chains.
The words of his subordinate brought Jaden back to his senses. Now, should they fight or flee? After thinking for a few seconds with a furrowed brow, he made a decision and loudly commanded:
"All hands, take the secret medicine. We will fight the Blue Stripes to the death!"
Yes, he decided to stay and fight against the Alden Navy. The Eel Pirate Gang was no longer the small group of barely a hundred people chased around the world by the navy in the past.
To truly unify the Northwest Bay, they had to establish their reputation and become the second Edward. This was a hurdle Jaden had to cross when facing the Alden Navy.
If they continued to evade the navy, they would become a laughingstock and weaken their authority among their subordinates.
The subordinate raised his fist into the air and shouted, "Boss, count us in! We're with you!"
The pirate gang was composed of fierce and ruthless characters. After continuous absorption of several groups of peers, enhanced by the mysterious drugs obtained by the leader, they had developed a strong and unshakable confidence. They had long been dissatisfied with the leader's strategy of avoiding the Blue Stripes.
"Kill all the Blue Stripes, loot Frand Port!"
"I'll tear them apart alive!"
Through their own means of communication, Jaden's orders quickly spread to the other ships. On each ship's deck, the pirates' wild shouts grew louder and more intense.
The pirates took out the pills distributed to them beforehand and swallowed them in one gulp.
Soon, the shouts on the deck became even more frenzied and loud. Pirates responsible for supervising the rowing slaves walked back and forth in the cabin, vigorously pulling on the oarsmen they deemed not working hard enough.
The two fleets rapidly approached...
(End of the Chapter)