Chapter 4: Why Are We So Unlucky?
The four large ships under Pika's command quickly gathered into a line, advancing side by side. Within half a minute, four more large ships approached from the right—these belonged to the Beast Pirates.
The eight pirate ships converged, communicated via Den Den Mushi, and then began advancing forward.
Half a nautical mile away, seven pirate ships had also completed their formation. These were all ships of the Big Mom Pirates, their hulls brightly colored, with cabins mostly shaped like cakes. Strangely enough, each ship's bow was a 'living thing'—note, a living thing rather than a living creature. These figureheads possessed self-awareness and could even speak. This was a result of Charlotte Linlin's Devil Fruit ability.
Both sides had completed their formations and were rapidly closing in on each other. At this rate, within five minutes, they would begin boarding combat.
Although Su Xiao was experiencing naval combat for the first time, in his impression, shouldn't pirate ships exchange cannon fire before closing in?
Just as this thought crossed his mind, several muffled booms sounded from afar, and three cannonballs came whistling through the air with a piercing roar.
Su Xiao looked up at the three pitch-black cannonballs. Their speed wasn't particularly fast. They arced through the air and flew over the Spade Ship.
Su Xiao watched the three cannonballs splash into the sea. He finally understood why the cannon fire on both sides wasn't more intense—with this level of accuracy, it was a complete waste of ammunition.
Both sides were probably aware of this, so they were rapidly closing the distance. Within two minutes, they had narrowed the gap to about 100 meters.
On Su Xiao's ship, aside from the gunners, the rest of the pirates had gathered together. The pirate leader from before stood at the front of the group.
"Young Master has placed great expectations on us..."
Hearing the first sentence, Su Xiao knew this was a pre-battle pep talk. Boarding combat was brutal; a morale boost was necessary.
This minor leader had decent oratory skills, at least managing to stir up the pirates' spirits. As for how many would actually fight to the death, the answer was all of them. The pre-battle speech was just to strengthen their resolve.
This was naval combat. There was no option to flee. Everywhere you looked was the vast ocean. Where would you run? Either be captured after being defeated, or defeat the enemy. There was no other choice.
"ROAR!!"
The pirates let out a fierce battle cry. Just then, a cannonball fell from the sky.
Boom!
The entire Spade Ship tilted slightly. Explosive flames engulfed a small portion of the deck, and fire blazed fiercely.
When the flames subsided somewhat, a large crater was revealed on the deck, surrounded by bloodstained wooden splinters. Severed limbs and shredded flesh were scattered everywhere, the stench of blood choking.
The pirates, who had been brimming with fighting spirit moments ago, were now sprawled on the deck. They staggered to their feet, dazed, and looked toward the enemy ships. Some had bits of flesh stuck to their faces.
Cheers erupted from the enemy ships. They hadn't expected such accuracy. That single cannonball had killed at least a dozen Don Quixote faction pirates.
Just as they were cheering, a cannonball landed on their own ship. Their joy turned to sorrow.
The cheers turned into screams. When the two sides were 80 meters apart, all ships slowed down. At this range, cannon fire was still fairly reliable, and both sides began firing at random.
The roar of cannons was unceasing. Su Xiao hid behind the ship's railing. Although the cannon fire couldn't harm him, being shelled was hardly a pleasant experience.
Explosions sounded from behind, sending wooden splinters flying. Su Xiao looked toward the source of the noise and immediately realized something was wrong.
About ten meters away from Su Xiao, the nearly meter-thick main mast was slowly toppling. The sail on the mast was blazing with fire. This was the Spade Ship's main mast.
A broken main mast essentially meant the large sailing ship had lost its power. As for rowing? Don't be ridiculous. Who had time to row in the middle of a naval battle?
The Spade Ship's broken mast immediately drew the attention of both allies and enemies. The seven nearby allied ships quickly moved aside, knowing that the Spade Ship, with its broken mast, was about to be bombarded by enemy fire.
As for the enemy ships, they were like sharks that had caught the scent of blood, rapidly converging on the Spade Ship.
With a crack, the thick mast crashed down, one end plunging into the sea. The other end lay across the center of the ship, rendering it completely immobile.
A completely broken main mast wasn't the worst-case scenario. This situation—half-broken and half-intact—was the most desperate. It meant the Spade Ship had lost all maneuverability.
The pirates on board were stunned. They couldn't understand why they were so unlucky today. First, the hull was hit, soaking the gunpowder in the rain. Then, the deck took a direct hit. And now, to make matters worse, the main mast had snapped.
Even the veteran pirates turned pale. They had witnessed what happened when a main mast broke during naval combat. Enemy cannonballs would rain down like a storm.
Four ships from the Big Mom Pirates were approaching the Spade Ship. Before that, two ships had already engaged in boarding combat—Pika's ship and Spero's ship.
A booming sound came from that direction, likely the two of them clashing.
Under normal circumstances, Su Xiao would have gone to watch the excitement. But not now. His ship was surrounded. A barrage of cannonballs came flying in. Explosions rang out continuously on the Spade Ship. The ship wasn't that large, and several explosions nearly hit Su Xiao.
Boom!
A cannonball exploded just three meters away from Su Xiao. Thick black smoke rose, and within the smoke, a faint blue glow could be seen.
An energy shield materialized in front of Su Xiao. He hadn't chosen a side yet, but the current situation was forcing his hand. Fortunately, this was the choice he had carefully considered.
Su Xiao ejected the magazine from D·Assassination. All 12 rounds were loaded normally. He inserted the magazine back and chambered a round.
Su Xiao gripped the pistol with both hands, his shooting stance standard. His finger rested on the trigger. He selected a target—a gunner hiding inside the enemy ship's hull. The only way to shoot him was through a 20-centimeter observation port.
Inside a pure white pirate ship, over a dozen pirates were frantically loading cannonballs. They were inside the hull, and as long as they weren't directly hit by a cannonball, they were basically safe.
"Hurry it up!"
A gunner reeking of gunpowder shouted. A cigarette dangled from his mouth, and his expression was somewhat smug. He was the one who had blown off the enemy ship's main mast—no small feat.
The busy pirates cast envious glances his way. Everyone knew this guy's gunnery skills were mediocre at best.
Suddenly, red and white fluid splattered. A skull, stained with blood, burst open. A small cigarette butt flew high into the air before landing on the damp wooden deck and extinguishing.
A pirate who was about to load a cannonball was splattered with blood all over his face. He looked at the headless corpse slowly collapsing and thought to himself, *That guy was really unlucky.*
But the next moment, he felt a heavy blow to his head, and then everything went dark.
A cannonball landed on the wooden deck, but it made no sound at all. It rolled silently down the slope to the other side, an eerie sight.
"There's—"
A pirate was about to shout, but his head instantly exploded, and his body fell silently to the ground.
The gunners sitting behind the cannons were filled with terror. They all noticed one thing: everyone who had been shot in the head was near an observation port.
Realizing this, they immediately lunged backward, but it was too late.
Heads silently burst open, one after another. Bodies fell, one by one. Not a single sound was made throughout the entire process. This was one of D·Assassination's abilities: upon hitting an enemy's head, it created a three-meter-diameter zone of silence.
The surviving pirates lay flat on the ground, staring in terror at the dozen or so observation ports.
(PS: Recommending a friend's book, title: *Dragon Ball: The Legend of the Shepherd God*, a new book by the author of *Dragon Ball: The Strongest Myth*.)