Chapter 564: Boarding Battle, Bombarding the Island Reefs
The wind had indeed changed, and it changed almost in an instant.
The warships that had just set out under Sengoku's orders to intercept the pirates were sailing with a tailwind one moment, but the next, a sudden strong crosswind blew in, throwing their course into chaos.
The Marines were never as familiar with the climate of these waters as the pirates. Among the 43 pirate crews under the Whitebeard Pirates who had come to support, there were plenty of excellent navigators. Relying on their knowledge of the local weather patterns, the pirates had furled their sails early and adjusted their course in advance, so they were the least affected.
While the wind shift disrupted the Marines' heading, the pirates adjusted their own ships to catch the wind. The moment the wind picked up, they unfurled their sails again and moved immediately, quickly overtaking the Marine warships and seizing the T-position first.
The so-called T-position is crucial in naval combat. Generally speaking, a ship has the most cannons lined up along its broadside. If a fleet can form a line abreast before the enemy, using their broadside cannons to attack, they can maximize their firepower. In this situation, the enemy ships, due to their positioning, can only form a line ahead, meaning only their bow cannons can fire. Moreover, because the ships block each other's line of sight, the vessels in the rear cannot fire at all.
The Marine warships were indeed sturdy and heavily armed, but some pirate ships were not far behind. As long as they were willing to spend the money to buy cannons, they could make up for quality with quantity.
Among the 43 pirate crews that came to support this time, there were many ships renowned for their cannon firepower. They rode the wind, formed a line, and opened fire on the Marine warships!
Boom! Boom! Boom! The continuous roar of cannons echoed. Tall columns of water shot up around the Marine warships that had fallen behind. This was just a test volley; most of the cannonballs landed in the sea. But one unlucky warship had its mast hit by a pirate cannonball. The lookout on top was instantly turned into a mess of flesh and blood the moment the shell exploded. The top of the mast was blown off and collapsed, burning the Marine flag along with it.
But it wasn't over. The second volley came, and this time, the accuracy was much higher than the test shot. Fireballs erupted on the Marine warships as they were struck by cannonballs.
Shrapnel flew everywhere. On the stricken warships, unlucky Marine soldiers were caught in the explosions, either blown overboard into the sea or sent flying into the air, screaming in agony.
However, the sturdiness of the Marine warships was not to be underestimated. Such attacks were not enough to sink them. Although the pirates had seized the initiative by being prepared, it didn't mean the Marines had no means to fight back.
On one warship caught in the middle of the fleet, a Marine Rear Admiral leaped into the air and kicked a cannonball flying toward the deck, sending it hurtling away to explode on the sea surface nearby.
One after another, even though the pirate ships kept firing continuously, as more high-ranking Marine officers joined the fight, the damage to the warships began to decrease.
Only the cannonballs that couldn't be intercepted would hit the warships and cause explosions.
At the same time, the Marine fleet was desperately turning. They also adjusted their ships to catch the wind, trying to bring their broadsides parallel to the pirate ships.
Both the left and right flanks of the fleet that were intercepting the pirates did the same. The fleet carved an arc of foam on the sea. While turning, they also opened the gunports on the side facing the pirate ships, pushing out rows of cannons, waiting for the order to attack.
However, the Marine fleet soon realized something was wrong. As they turned, the pirate fleet kept closing in on them. By the time the Marine fleet completed their turn and was parallel to the pirate ships, the two sides were already very close!
"Charge!!"
A thunderous roar erupted. Countless pirates swung across on ropes, leaping onto the Marine warships!
The Marines had completely misjudged. These pirates had never intended to fight a cannon duel from the start. They knew very well that their ship cannons could never match the Marine warships—whether in quantity or power, and even their gunners' skills were inferior to the well-trained Marine soldiers. To foolishly engage in a cannon battle under these circumstances would be utterly idiotic.
So they used their most familiar tactic: boarding!
Wave after wave of ferocious-looking pirates jumped onto the Marine warships, startling the soldiers on board.
"Quick! Open fire!" On one warship, the Marine Rear Admiral in command drew his sword and gave the order.
The next moment, the Marine soldiers on deck, holding rifles, fired at the pirates leaping over.
Bang, bang, bang! A volley of gunfire rang out. Some pirates still in midair were hit by bullets, blood splattering as they screamed and fell into the sea. But the other pirates ignored their fallen comrades. Biting their knives, they swung over, landed on the deck, and immediately charged into the crowd of Marine soldiers. With a fierce slash, a Marine soldier fell into a pool of blood.
Although Marine soldiers were required to learn swordsmanship during training, to be honest, due to Marine tactics, they mostly used guns in battle and rarely experienced such close-quarters combat.
The pirates, on the other hand, were the opposite. They seldom used guns and were more accustomed to fighting hand-to-hand with enemies. Moreover, these pirate crews were all famous in the New World, with rich combat experience.
So, when the pirates boarded the ships, chaos began to spread among the Marine soldiers. Although they drew their swords to resist, the sight of the pirates' murderous expressions immediately put them on the back foot. The fearless pirates, even the ordinary ones, could often take on several Marine soldiers at once, while the average Marine soldier couldn't do the same.
Only the higher-ranking officers could counterattack calmly, but the pirates also had powerful fighters who specifically targeted these officers.
Once the boarding battle began, the pirates immediately gained the upper hand. A large number of pirates howled and yelled, jumping onto the warships and cutting down Marine soldiers one after another.
Boom! Boom! Boom! The Marine soldiers in the lower decks finally managed to fire their cannons at the pirate ships right beside them. However, although the pirates screamed in pain from the explosions, the pirate ships didn't back down either. They fired back at the Marine warships, targeting their gunports.
This kind of mutual bombardment could only be described as face-to-face slugging. It was a contest of who could hold out longer, who would flinch first!
The scene was incredibly brutal. Both sides' ships were bombarded. Blood and limbs flew everywhere mixed with debris. A Marine soldier was hit by a cannonball, his entire abdomen blown apart. On the other side, the pirate who fired the cannon licked the blood dripping from his forehead to his lips and let out a sinister grin...
Although the Marine soldiers mobilized this time were all elite from headquarters, they had never experienced such a bloody battle. So, it was these low-ranking soldiers who broke first.
The pirates also suffered heavy casualties, but with their strong mental fortitude, they suppressed the Marines in the fight.
Far away on the other side of the battlefield, Sengoku and the others watched through binoculars and couldn't help but sigh.
They knew that the Marines had lost the first round. The intercepting fleet was suppressed, and the pirates would soon press forward in force.
Through his binoculars, Sengoku carefully identified the pirate flags: "Vista of the Flower Swords... Curiel of the Blast... Namur... Atmos... No, of the 43 pirate crews under Whitebeard, less than half have arrived. Where are the rest?"
After thinking for a moment, Sengoku understood and immediately gave orders: "Notify all front-line fleets to prepare for battle! As planned, the rear fleet will aim at the Edd War island reefs and prepare to bombard the islands! Even if we don't know what the other hidden pirate crews are planning, we can force them out no matter what!"
Vice Admiral Garp was sitting at a table behind Sengoku, drinking tea. Hearing this, he couldn't help but laugh: "Sengoku, you're not thinking of just blowing Whitebeard to bits on the island, are you?"
"If it's possible, then of course!" Sengoku said seriously.
"Hmph!" Garp also turned serious and said, "Don't underestimate Whitebeard. He's the strongest man in the world. He's injured now, but he's like an enraged monster. Underestimating him will cost you..."
"..." Sengoku was silent for a moment and said nothing more. He just said to the adjutant beside him, "Notify the Seven Warlords... and Doflamingo. If the other pirate crews show up, it's their turn to act..."
"Ah... yes!" The adjutant was stunned for a moment but quickly snapped to attention and saluted before going to relay the order.
Tsuru was also on this flagship. She had been standing with her arms crossed, watching the battle ahead. After hearing Sengoku's words, she couldn't help but turn her head and glance at him. Although she said nothing, the dissatisfaction in her eyes was obvious.
After Doflamingo was stripped of his Warlord title, Vice Admiral Tsuru had also set out again to pursue him. Although Doflamingo had sought refuge with Kaido of the Beasts, he didn't stay with the Beast Pirates. Instead, he ran rampant across the New World, scheming about something unknown, which gave Tsuru opportunities to chase him.
But after this war broke out, for some reason, the World Government sent people to contact Doflamingo again and promised that if he fought for the Marines, they would temporarily call off Tsuru's pursuit of him.
This result made Vice Admiral Tsuru very dissatisfied. In her view, Doflamingo was the most dangerous of the Seven Warlords.
He was a man of innate evil...
Regardless, Sengoku's orders were still relayed to the entire Marine fleet. The hundreds of warships in the front advanced toward the pirates, while the rest of the fleet surrounding the Edd War island reefs raised their bow cannons, aiming them at the Edd War islands.
With a series of commands, a tremendous roar suddenly shook the heavens and the earth. It was the resonance of hundreds of cannons firing at the same time, making the entire sea seem to tremble.
The next second, countless flames erupted on the Edd War island reefs...