"Which pirate crew is up ahead?"
As Petyr Dash raised his telescope, he asked the question.
Beside him, a sweating Marine frantically flipped through a thick stack of wanted posters.
"Found it! That skull insignia belongs to the Black Tiger Pirates! Their captain is 'Black Tiger' Calomon, with a bounty of 5.5 million Berries!"
"A bounty of 5.5 million Berries..."
Captain Dash hesitated, unsure of what to do.
However, his men reacted with excitement.
"Commander, let's go for it!"
"We haven't had any gains for months, this is the perfect chance to make a move!"
"Exactly! A small pirate ship like that is no match for our cannons!"
Dash was persuaded, it seemed like a low-risk battle. A few rounds of cannon fire would be enough to sink their ship, and the spoils and merits would be theirs for the taking.
If the pirate crew had a bounty over ten million Berries, he would have immediately ordered a retreat and pretended he hadn't seen them.
But this? This was manageable.
His decision was made.
"Relay my orders, accelerate! Chase them down!"
"All hands, prepare for battle! Bring out the cannons and load the ammunition!"
"Yes, sir!"
The Marines sprang into action, and even Jay wasn't an exception.
He gripped his flintlock tightly, checked it over, and prepared for combat.
But the real weapons of destruction were the cannons.
At the front of the warship, three thick and heavy cannon barrels locked onto their target.
Meanwhile, the gun ports along the sides of the ship swung open, revealing the dark muzzles within.
Inside the ship, Marines worked in a frenzy, prying open wooden crates filled with cannonballs, loading them in, and preparing to fire at any moment.
When dealing with large numbers of low-level pirates, the Marine's greatest advantage was its long-range artillery bombardment.
Their stronger, faster warships ensured they could chase down most pirate ships.
Their superior cannons, more numerous, longer-ranged, and more powerful, guaranteed absolute firepower superiority.
This was the Marine's ultimate weapon in sea battles.
Boarding combat?
That was only done as a last resort.
In less than ten minutes, the warship closed in within firing range.
The Black Tiger Pirates had tried to flee immediately, but the speed difference was too great.
They could do nothing but watch helplessly as the Marine closed in.
"Captain, we can't outrun them!"
"Then let's fight!"
"Yeah! These Marine guys aren't so tough, let's kill them all and make a name for ourselves!"
The crew's battle cries made Captain Calomon's blood boil.
Besides, he truly looked down on the Marines of the West Blue.
In his mind, they were nothing but weaklings.
Maybe this was his big break, his chance to rise to fame and get a higher bounty!
Fueled by ambition and arrogance, Calomon made the worst decision of his life.
"Turn the ship around! Charge straight at those Marine scum!"
"OHHHHH!!!"
On the Marine's warship, the pirates' strange maneuver didn't go unnoticed.
Many Marines stared in disbelief.
"Are they... sailing straight into us?"
"This is suicide!"
"Commander, they're in range! Do we open fire?"
Captain Dash, however, remained calm and calculating.
He shook his head. "Firing now might scare them off. Wait a little longer."
As the two ships drew closer, they could clearly see each other's faces.
The pirates were grinning savagely.
The Marines were either unimpressed or slightly tense.
Then
Dash suddenly gave the order.
"Fire!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The three cannons at the front of the warship fired first.
Two missed, sending water spraying into the air.
But one shot landed right on the pirate ship's deck, instantly killing over a dozen men.
"Charge! Full speed ahead!"
"More cannonballs incoming, dodge to the right!"
The pirate helmsman, surprisingly skilled, managed to evade the Marine's next volley of shots while maintaining speed.
But by now, the warship had adjusted its position and turned its broadside toward the enemy.
Then
Twelve cannons fired at once.
BOOM!
"Look out!"
Panicked pirates screamed.
The helmsman tried to steer away, but twelve cannonballs rained down, covering every direction.
There was no escape.
Eight cannonballs splashed into the sea, rocking the pirate ship violently.
Four hit their mark.
One shattered the mast.
One blew off the bow.
The deck was covered in blood and body parts.
Cannons might not be able to take down top-tier fighters, but most pirates were just ordinary men.
A direct hit? There was no dodging it.
Before the pirates could recover
Another round of cannon fire struck.
This time, more shells landed on the pirate ship.
The hull was badly damaged, the deck was on fire, and black smoke billowed into the sky.
The ship was sinking.
The surviving pirates panicked and jumped into the ocean, one after another, like dumplings being dropped into boiling water.
Then, sharks, drawn by the scent of blood, swarmed in.
One by one, the pirates vanished beneath the waves.
The Marines on the warship's deck never even had to fire their rifles.
The battle was already over.
Jay noticed some Marines actually sighing in relief, lowering their tightly gripped flintlocks.
These West Blue Marines weren't the best soldiers, but they could follow orders and fight easy battles.
Even with poor training, they at least knew how to load and fire cannons.
Accuracy didn't matter when you had overwhelming firepower.
As long as enough cannonballs were fired, some would hit their target.
And that was exactly what happened.
With their technological advantage, the Black Tiger Pirates were completely wiped out, by a group of 'useless' Marines.
"Move in! Secure the battlefield!"
"Retrieve all valuable loot! And make sure to capture some survivors!"
With zero casualties, Captain Dash was riding high on victory.
The other Marines were even more arrogant, swaggering like conquering heroes.
"Get down and stay still!"
"Hands on your heads!"
"Tie them up!"
The captured pirates were still in shock when they got punched in the face.
Hesitate for even a second?
That meant a beating.
No one saw anything wrong with it.
After all
Against pirates, you had to be ruthless.