Although it was just a cargo ship, in an era rampant with pirates, it was not entirely devoid of defensive armaments.
Boom!
The cargo ship Edmond and Valon piloted had a few small cannons at the stern. Once the Redbeard Pirates came within range, they fired in unison. Meanwhile, bursts of orange-red flames erupted from the pirate ship, indicating that they were firing as well.
In such severe weather, however, hitting a moving target at sea with cannons was essentially a matter of luck.
The Redbeard Pirates had a fearsome reputation. While the sailors aboard Edmond's ship picked up weapons to resist, their fear was palpable. The captain and other senior crew members pleaded with Edmond to abandon his plan, but their incessant arguments only annoyed him.
As the two ships drew closer, the captain resolved to order the crew to jettison the cargo and flee, ignoring Edmond's objections. However, before he could act, grappling hooks flew from the pirate ship, embedding themselves into the cargo ship's rails.
On the other side, pirates aboard the Redbeard vessel braced their feet against their deck, pulling the ropes with all their might, rapidly closing the gap between the ships.
Edmond realized a melee was imminent. He quickly instructed Valon to guard the bow while he held the stern.
As Valon moved along the corridor, the ship suddenly shuddered—both vessels collided. The pirates, having secured their grappling hooks to their masts, effectively tethered the ships together, making it impossible for them to separate quickly.
Cannons on both sides fell silent due to overheating and proximity issues, creating a brief lull. But this calm was short-lived; moments later, a cannon fired from the pirate ship.
Unlike smaller, less-equipped pirate bands, the Redbeard Pirates commanded a true warship. Measuring nearly 30 meters in length, its upper deck was about a third as wide as its length, and its raised bow and stern decks made boarding opposing ships effortless.
Not only were cannons mounted along its sides, but smaller, more agile cannons were also installed on its decks. It was these cannons that fired now, signaling the start of a fierce ranged assault.
Knives, axes, and bullets flew across the gap between the ships. Edmond and Valon crouched low to avoid the onslaught, but inexperienced sailors and rookie pirates fell in droves, their casualties far surpassing those from the earlier cannon exchanges.
As the ranged attacks subsided, ferocious pirates began boarding. Edmond charged into the fray, cutting down the first wave of attackers. Despite his skill, the pirates' overwhelming numbers, combined with the cargo ship crew's inferior combat abilities, allowed more and more pirates to board.
After felling another pirate, Edmond attempted to rally the crew's spirits. But before he could, a massive figure leaped toward him.
Edmond swiftly dodged, retreating just in time to see the deck where he had stood moments earlier smashed by a massive spiked mace.
"Reis, the First Mate!"
Pirates shouted in excitement, scattering to avoid the battlefield.
Edmond raised his sword defensively, recognizing the imposing figure as a formidable opponent of high rank. He knew that defeating Reis quickly could demoralize the pirates.
Valon, busy with his own skirmishes on the corridor, noticed the situation and tried to intervene.
Before either could act further, Reis grinned at Edmond and gestured toward the pirate ship's deck.
Edmond instinctively shifted his position.
Boom!
A cannon fired from the pirate ship's upper deck. The shell landed at Edmond's feet, throwing him off balance as the deck splintered under him. Jagged wooden shards tore into his body. Dazed by the blast, Edmond barely managed to raise his sword in time to block Reis's spiked mace.
The heavy weapon sent Edmond's blade flying, its sheer force throwing him across the deck. Though injured, Edmond's survival instincts kicked in, allowing him to roll away from Reis's follow-up attack.
Reis laughed heartily, ready to press his advantage. However, Valon intervened, firing a pistol to create an opening, then grabbed Edmond and dragged him toward the bow.
By the time Reis dispatched the sailors in his path, Edmond and Valon had disappeared.
At the bow, the situation was equally dire.
Pirates had overrun the area. Amid the chaos, the corpulent Haredin methodically moved among the fallen sailors, mercilessly finishing them off. The sound of his blade plunging in and out of bodies was, to him, the sweetest music, evident in his grotesque smile.
With no skilled fighters like Edmond present, only a few sailors remained standing at the bow.
Edmond's striking red hair and Valon's bald head made them easy targets. Haredin quickly spotted them and, with a sinister laugh, charged toward them.
Pale and bleeding, Edmond gritted his teeth. "The ship's lost. I'll hold him off. Valon, you—"
Before he could finish, Valon hoisted Edmond into a lifeboat and threw him overboard.
Edmond landed with a grunt, stunned, as Valon leaned over the ship's edge, wiping rainwater from his bald head. He gave Edmond a goofy smile. "You go first. I'll follow right after!"
Before Edmond could protest, Valon slashed the ropes securing the lifeboat, sending it plunging into the sea.
Turning back, Valon faced Haredin. The portly pirate was no match for Valon's skill and soon suffered a shoulder wound.
Seizing the momentum, Valon prepared another strike when a shadow loomed over him. Looking up, he saw a massive red-haired figure hurtling toward him—a bizarrely hairy man reflecting the lightning's metallic glow.
It was Barbarossa, his wild hair, beard, and chest fur the source of his grotesque appearance.
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