Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 7.
Time ticked by, second by second. Just as the clock neared 2:00 PM, two Marine warships appeared on the horizon.
Cross stood on the bow deck of one of the warships, peering through a monocular telescope at a pirate ship anchored near Grove 7's shore.
"It's 1:59:51, 52, 53… 2:00 PM. Time's up! Operation start!"
"Target confirmed, 1200 meters ahead: the pirate ship Blooddrop!"
"Fire—"
Cross gazed at the silver pocket watch in his hand. The moment the minute hand reached the predetermined time, he decisively issued the command to begin the operation.
Meanwhile, on the Blooddrop pirate ship, the lookout pirate, stationed in the main mast's crow's nest, spotted the approaching Marine warships.
His face instantly blanched, and he shouted in horror, "Damn it, the Marines are here—"
Boom!
Boom!
However, in the next second, the thunderous roars from the bow turrets of the two warships cut off the pirate's words. Four thick cannon barrels fired almost simultaneously. The scorching, black cannonballs tore out of their muzzles, soaring through the air, creating a violent friction with the atmosphere. They hurtled towards the Blooddrop pirate ship with a whistling sound.
Among the standard Marine warships, First-Class and Second-Class warships were equipped with triple-barreled bow turrets, while only Third-Class warships had double-barreled bow turrets.
However, all four cannonballs landed in the sea about a dozen meters from the pirate ship. They merely sent up high plumes of water and caused no damage to the ship itself.
"Close in! Don't stop firing!"
Cross showed no surprise at this sight. He continued to issue orders, explaining, "CP has confirmed that the stolen cargo has already been moved ashore to the warehouse. Don't worry about sinking the pirate ship!"
"Understood!" The surrounding Marines responded in unison.
Boom! Boom!
Boom! Boom!
The two warships advanced at full sail, rapidly approaching the pirate ship, their dual main cannons at the bow firing continuously.
In naval battles during the age of sailing battleships, cannon fire was never very accurate. Even with the Marines possessing superior artillery technology compared to pirates, hitting an enemy ship with the first volley from 800 meters out was almost impossible, unless by sheer luck.
Fortunately, the Marines' dual-barreled, large-caliber main cannons used breech-loading, which was simple to operate. Coupled with skilled gunners, the two Marine warships continuously bombarded the Blooddrop pirate ship as they sailed at high speed, launching volley after volley of cannonballs.
However, on the Blooddrop pirate ship, the pirates on duty were already in a panic due to the sudden Marine attack. By the time they scrambled to their respective gun positions, the muzzle-loading cannons proved too cumbersome to operate.
Before they could complete the tedious process of cleaning the barrel, loading the powder, ramming the powder, pouring in the primer… the pirate ship suddenly lurched, struck by a cannonball.
With a tremendous boom, the cannonball hit the Blooddrop pirate ship's broadside, exploding with a thunderous force. The powerful cannonball easily shattered the wooden hull. Under the intense shockwave unleashed by the ignited gunpowder, scorching flames, irregular shrapnel, and burning splinters formed a fan-shaped blast, engulfing the narrow ship compartment like a raging storm.
There was no escaping it; wooden ships feared these explosive cannonballs the most.
A large hole was blasted into the Blooddrop pirate ship's broadside, affecting two gun positions. At least a dozen pirates were injured or killed.
Furthermore, fierce flames erupted at the point where the Blooddrop pirate ship was hit, burning both outside and inside the ship. Thick smoke billowed, temporarily obscuring the firing lines for other gun positions.
Fortunately, this pirate ship was not small, measuring over sixty meters in length, larger than a Marine Third-Class warship but smaller than a Second-Class one. A single cannonball hit was still considered minor damage.
Boom, boom, boom, boom…
Immediately after, the Blooddrop pirate ship began to return fire. Its broadside cannons fired successively, launching seven or eight scattered cannonballs.
Unfortunately, muzzle-loading cannons were inherently inaccurate, and the launched cannonballs were dispersed. Coupled with the evasive maneuvers of the Marine warships, which had now closed the distance to four hundred meters, not a single shot landed.
But that wasn't the worst of it. The Blooddrop pirate ship had been caught off guard by the sudden Marine attack, making its counterattack rushed. Added to the short duration of the engagement, the anchor they had dropped hadn't been raised, nor had the ropes securing them to the shore been untied.
This left the Blooddrop pirate ship immobile, unable to maneuver and evade, forced to passively endure the bombardment.
At this moment, Cross also discovered the Blooddrop pirate ship's weakness.
"Warships split! Attack from the left and right sides, avoid their frontal firing arc!" Cross ordered in a low voice.
Moments later, the two warships separated, one to the left and one to the right, quickly opening up a hundred-meter gap. They began their assault from the Blooddrop pirate ship's bow and stern respectively.
Because the Blooddrop pirate ship was anchored, with its anchor down and ropes secured to the shore, not only was the ship unable to move, but its broadside cannon firing arcs were fixed, only able to fire directly forward.
After all, in the age of sailing battleships, they were equipped with inaccurate and slow-firing muzzle-loading cannons. Only through concentrated broadsides could enemy ships be destroyed. To change the firing direction, the ship itself had to move. Otherwise, sailing battleships wouldn't have been equipped with large numbers of cannons on both sides, it was to ensure flexible firing arcs and dense firepower.
Although the Blooddrop pirate ship also had cannons at its bow and stern, their numbers were scarce, and their power was too weak.
In this regard, Marine warships were much better. At the very least, their dual or triple-barreled bow turrets could traverse left and right. Coupled with large-caliber cannon barrels and breech-loading technology, their firepower and rate of fire were both formidable, ensuring they would never fall into the predicament the Blooddrop pirate ship faced.
At this moment, the pirates inside the Blooddrop also realized their danger. Although some pirates had scrambled to the bow and stern gun positions, before they could even fire, the two Marine warships began a new round of bombardment.
Boom!
Boom!
Amidst the deafening roar of cannons, four scorching black cannonballs soared out, cutting through the air with sharp, eerie shrieks, instantly striking the Blooddrop pirate ship.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
In an instant, four fireballs erupted on the sixty-meter-long pirate ship. The fierce explosions sent countless splinters flying, and raging fires immediately engulfed the vessel.
With just one volley, four cannonballs hitting at close range caused severe damage to the pirate ship.
"Aaahh—"
"My eyes—I can't see—"
"It hurts so much! Help me! Somebody, help me! Ship doctor! Where's the ship doctor?!"
"Put out the fire! Quickly, put out the fire! Don't let it reach the gunpowder barrels!"
"..."
At this moment, the pirates on the two cannon decks suffered heavy casualties. Some were burned by the flames, some had limbs severed by shrapnel, and others were mangled into bloody messes by flying splinters… various painful, miserable wails rose and fell.
The narrow ship compartments were a chaotic mess, strewn with blood, severed limbs, and torsos. This cruel scene, combined with the acrid smell of gunpowder and the strong scent of blood, was like a living hell.
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