The scorching cannonballs emitted piercing screeches as they carried immense kinetic energy, slamming into the disarrayed formation of Red Beard's fleet. Their decks, gun ports, and hulls instantaneously burst apart, leaving countless large and small holes. The hefty cast-iron cannonballs bounced violently on the ships, ruthlessly grinding anyone who dared block their path—be they mortals or Transcendents—into **Blood Mist**.
The 24-pound cannons equipped on those Fourth-rate Ships had a range of 1,350 meters at a firing angle of 4 degrees; when elevated to 8 degrees, they reached 2,250 meters. Within a short distance of 100 meters, 24-pound cannonballs could easily pierce through one-meter-thick oak hulls. The defenses of neither Third-rate Ships nor Second-rate Ships were of any use.
