NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 140:
The poison Otto released was incredibly potent.
It was like the great pirate era had returned.
The spectacle was a sight to behold, as more than half of the pirate captains operating in the Gurling Archipelago had set sail.
The head of this long procession, led by Pirate Lord Avery’s pirate ship.
*Boom!* *Bang!*
A pirate ship’s guns roared with fire, raining shells down on another nearby ship.
*Boom!*
*CRAAASSSH!*
The pirate ship’s bow was shattered by a shell that had caught them off guard, sending splinters of wood flying in all directions.
“Oliver, that son of a bitch!”
Captain Michael of The [Snakefish Pirates] was furious when Captain Oliver of The [Octopus Pirates] suddenly opened fire.
“What the hell are you all waiting for? Shoot them! Shoot! Fire on that bastard, Oliver, and all his cronies!”
The [Snakefish Pirates] also hastily turned their bow and fired their cannons at the [Octopus Pirates]’s vessel.
*Swoosh!* *Boom!* *Boom!*
*Bang!* *Crash!* *Bang!*
The battle between the Snakefish Pirates and the Octopus Pirates at the end of the procession spread like a plague.
*Open Fire!* *Shoot!*
“Okay, let’s see who dies first!”
“Shoot the ones in front of us!”
The pirates, blinded by greed, fought amongst themselves, firing their ships indiscriminately to eliminate any competition.
And that was the nature of pirates.
Pirates distinguished between friends and foes based solely on “Interest”, not by Trust or Loyalty.
Like the saying “birds of a feather flock together,” the captains under Avery’s command had a particularly strong inclination for such behavior.
Normally, the pirate lord’s tactfulness kept them from causing too much friction, but that was only because of forced compliance.
When the stakes were as high as they are now, they were a people who could stab each other in the back at any time.
Especially when the treasure of Pirate King Bardo is at stake… Further detailed explanation is superfluous.
“Holy Shit!”
“Damn it! Fuck!”
Meanwhile, Avery noticed that his men were following him and realized that something was wrong.
‘Did the information leaked, or did this moderator bastard set me up?’
As clever as Avery was, it was impossible to tell exactly what was going on right now.
It could have gone either way, which is why he couldn’t pinpoint anything right now.
“Keuhmm!”
Avery was troubled.
‘If this is a trap… My journey ends here. Perhaps the Pirate King’s treasure is a poisoned chalice.’
His instincts were warning him.
Dangerous.
It’s likely a trap.
But….
‘I’m already old. At this rate, I won’t last five years, let alone ten. This may be my last chance to fulfill my lifelong desire.’
A strong power that he has longed for his whole life.
It was a moment that proved that the most effective way to move people is to give them what they want.
‘I don’t know who is behind this, but… Okay, I’ll take the bait. Do you think you’ll be able to hunt this Avery down, regardless of how you trap me?’
Ultimately, Avery decided to go ahead with the voyage.
Avery knew it was dangerous, but his thirst for power wouldn’t deter him.
“Speed up! Sail Faster!”
“Faster! Faster!”
The voices of Avery and Johnson the parrot echoed high into the sky.
And so the race to Skull Island continued without stopping for the pirates of the Gurling Archipelago.
*Whiiiirrrlll!!*
Avery and the other pirate captains led their respective ships into the whirlpool.
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A sea bathed in a red sunset.
The distant Skull Island was bathed in a reddish color, adding to the eeriness of the scene, and the sea looked like it was stained with blood.
The first to arrive was, of course, Avery.
*Whiiiirrrlll!!*
*Splasssh!*
Avery’s pirate ship broke the surface of the water and began to make its way toward Skull Island at a terrifying pace.
*Splash!* *SPLASH!* *Splash!*
One by one, the other pirate ships burst into existence, chasing after Avery and sailing full speed toward Skull Island.
“A skull-shaped island…!”
As soon as Avery saw Skull Island, he was filled with delight.
“The place where Pirate King Bardo’s treasure is buried! It’s true! It’s true!”
Avery has spent the last 20 years searching for the treasure of the Pirate King Bardo, and in the process has learned of the existence of Skull Island.
It’s no wonder Avery’s heart was pounding when he saw Skull Island in reality.
“Pick up the speed, Faster, FASTER!”
“Higher! Higher!”
Regrettably, circumstances were not kind to Avery’s urgency.
*Swooosh!* *Boom!* *Boom!*
*Bang!* *Bang!* *BOOM!!*
A flying shell hits the back of Avery’s pirate ship, the [Serpent’s Tongue].
“How dare you, Thomas!!!”
Avery was furious as his subordinate struck him in the back of the head.
“Kekkeke! How long did you think I was going to be licking your ass, damn you and your shit, shoot them!”
“3, 2, 1!”
“Fire!”
Captain Thomas didn’t hesitate to fire another shell at Avery.
But Captain Thomas wasn’t safe, either.
*Boom!* *Crash!*
The other captain behind him opened fire on Thomas’s pirate ship.
Treachery upon treachery.
The pirates, who had been working under Pirate Lord Avery, pointed their cannons at each other.
In the waters off [Skull Island], where the treasure of the pirate king Bardo is said to be buried.
Dozens of pirate groups, both large and small, began firing cannons at each other in a frenzy.
Thus began the naval war.
*BOOOOOM!*
The [Red Goddess], the fastest warship in the world, sliced through the pirate ships with terrifying speed, raining shells down on them.
Trusting in her immense maneuverability, he plunged into the heart of the enemy.
“Faster! More! Don’t angle! Stir! They’re our enemies! Take them all down!”
Bravely, Drake stood at the bow, his father Captain William’s sword raised high in the air, commanding his crew.
There was no sign of the old Drake as he commanded the [Red Goddess] with his red hair flying.
Drake who went into battle was never a pirate catching pirates.
Nor was it a vengeful spirit.
There was no bloodless, tearless, cruel avenger, slowly driven to madness by years of continuous vengeance.
He was just a captain in charge of a ship, a commander of a warship, and a outstanding naval admiral!
“Red Goddess!”
Avery’s eyes widened at the sight of William’s pirate ship, the Red Goddess.
“Today, I’m going to take you all down, and I’m going to blow up your ships, fire up our cannons, and blow them all to smithereens!”
Avery’s pirate ship, the [Serpent’s Tongue], turned its bow to face the attackers as it discharged its cannons.
“I’m sending you to be with your father!”
Avery’s first target was none other than Drake.
Of course, the Red Goddess was the fastest pirate ship in the world, so hitting her wasn’t exactly easy.
But it didn’t matter.
For Avery was a pirate lord, and his pirate ship, the Serpent’s Tongue, was equipped with a dozen of those expensive cannons.
Low hit rate?
Avery wasn’t too concerned about that.
Quantity over quality.
If he kept firing enough rounds, he’d eventually hit at least one or two.
“Prepare to fire!”
“Ready!”
“3, 2….”
At that moment.
*WHOOOOOOSSSSHHHH!!*
*RUMBLE!* *SPLASH!* *SPLASH!* *RUMBLE!* *SPLASH!*
Massive warships surged above the surface of the water, splitting through the sea.
*SPLLAAAAASSSSSSHHHHH!!!*
The huge warships are so big, they created huge waves.
“T-That is…”
Avery’s eyes grew so wide they threatened to pop out of his head.
Twelve warships.
They were painted black and decorated with golden trimmings….
“Pirate King Bardo’s Black… Fleet….”
The legendary fleet of 200 years ago, called the Invincible Fleet, was unmistakable.
The largest of them all, the flagship [Tyrant], was a behemoth of a vessel with a staggering number of 74 cannon turret¹, a literal tyrant of the seas.
*Clunk!*
All twelve warships, led by the flagship <Tyrant>, turned their cannon turrets in unison and began to pressure their opponents.
The cannons were glowing red with heat.
Which means….
Three, two, one.
*Fire!*
*WHOOSH!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BANG!* *BOOM!* *SPLASH!* *BOOM!* *SPLASH!* *CRASH!*
A baptism of artillery fire rained down on those pirate ships.
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On the bow of the flagship <Tyrant>.
His cloak was flapping from the shockwaves of the cannons.
Pressing his fingers deep into his pirate hat, Otto slowly raised his head.
The blond hair peeking through the hat glistened like gold.
His field of vision was hazy.
A barrage of twelve warships, including the flagship <Tyrant>.
The steam emitted from the magic cannons covered the sea in a misty haze.
Otto waited in silence for the plumes of steam to dissipate, like a kite blowing in the wind.
As the steam cleared, the devastated sea slowly began to reveal itself.
*Boooom!*
Finally, the returning [Red Goddess] has rejoined the Invincible Fleet.
*Thud!*
Leaping into the [Red Goddess], Otto held out a pirate sword in the form of a Cutlass to Drake.
This was the second artifact, after Bardo’s Hat, that allowed him to command the Pirate King’s fleet.
“…This.”
“I, Otto de Scuderia, King of the Kingdom of Lota, hereby grant command of the entire naval fleet to Drake, effective immediately.”
“…..!”
“Take care of the fleet.”
Trading ships with Drake, Otto steered the Red Goddess out into the middle of the sea with Camille, Kairos, and his men.
And then it happened.
*Boom!* *Bang!*
One of the pirate ships, which was sinking under the bombardment, fired a shell at the [Red Goddess].
As if in a last ditch effort….
*CRAAASSHH!*
The [Red Goddess]’s bow ornament was shattered into pieces by a single cannonball that narrowly passed by.
“That’s pretty damn shitty.”
Otto frowned.
That nasty bastard ship, which fired its cannon even as it was sinking, was like a demon trying to grab a decent man by the ankles and drag him to hell.
*Flash!*
A brilliant golden flash.
*SWIISSSH!*
Otto sliced the sinking pirate ship in two.
*CRASH!*
The pirate ship with its two halves quickly sank below the ocean’s depths.
“……!”
“……!”
“……!”
All who witnessed the unbelievable sight were stunned.
The idea of slicing a big pirate ship in two with a single sword seemed like a crazy thing to do.
“W-What the hell….”
Camille looked at Otto and muttered in disbelief.
*OOoooohhh!*
In Otto’s hands, the Golden Greatsword, the lifelong companion of Argonne, emanated a cypheran aura.
The golden blade stretched to nearly 20 meters.
And Kairos is….
“Keuuuhh!!”
Suddenly, he grabbed the back of his neck and collapsed.
** ** **
TL/N:
1. The main difference between a cannon turret and a ship cannon is that a cannon turret is a rotatable weapon mount that can be aimed and fired in some degree of azimuth, while a ship cannon is a large-calibre gun that is mounted on a ship and can be fired manually or automatically. A cannon turret is generally used for naval warfare, while a ship cannon is used for both naval and land warfare (Otto’s New Warship has a Rotating Cannon compare to other pirate ship weapon)