The pirate ship at Black Reef Town's dock finally managed to set sail after a chaotic scramble. It headed straight for the flagship where William stood.
However, Guy's ship had only just begun moving, and its speed was no match for William's warship. Under William's command, his ship easily maneuvered to take the advantageous T-position. Through the lens of his spyglass, William could see the chaotic state of the enemy ship.
On the deck of his ship, Guy was shouting curses at the top of his lungs. The current trend in sailing warships was to place the majority of cannons along the sides of the vessel, allowing maximum firepower only when the ship was positioned broadside—forming the so-called "T-cross."
As expected, once William's flagship turned broadside and approached the enemy ship, a plume of smoke erupted from his cannons. Chain shots, consisting of two iron balls connected by a sturdy chain, spun through the air with a whistling sound as they flew toward Guy's ship.
Some of the chain shots struck the enemy's deck, tearing through the pirates scrambling to adjust the sails. From a distance, one could see the gruesome sight of severed limbs and blood spraying into the air. However, the majority of the shots targeted the enemy's masts and sails, leaving the masts swaying precariously and the sails riddled with holes, further slowing the ship's speed.
William gave no orders to switch to solid shot. Instead, he commanded his crew to prepare for boarding as the ship closed the distance.
Meanwhile, Guy's ship began returning fire, with cannonballs occasionally whizzing over William's deck. The newer recruits looked pale with fear, while the veteran pirates, though tense, continued their tasks with practiced efficiency.
The ship's seemingly sturdy bulwarks proved useless against solid cannonballs. One round cannonball slammed into the side, shattering the wooden planks and sending splinters flying in all directions. A weaker pirate standing behind the bulwark was struck directly, his upper body torn away by the impact, leaving him dead on the spot.
Nearby, several pirates were caught off guard and injured by the flying splinters. While the veteran pirates merely cursed under their breath and gritted their teeth as they pulled out the splinters, the inexperienced recruits panicked. One unfortunate recruit, with a splinter lodged in his eye socket, dropped his weapon and collapsed to the deck, screaming in agony.
A flash of steel silenced the screams.
William stood on the cannonball-ridden deck, holding a blood-stained blade. He made no effort to dodge the incoming projectiles. The recruit who had been screaming moments ago now lay headless at his feet. William's cold gaze swept over the nearby recruits, who had hesitated at the sound of the screams.
The recruits swallowed hard, avoiding the sight of the corpse. Instead, they turned their attention back to the enemy ship. Though William said nothing, his intention was clear.
While William was generally approachable and refrained from flaunting his authority as captain, he was merciless when it came to discipline.
Amid the cannon fire, the Morgan Pirates' warship gradually closed in on the enemy vessel. When the two ships were still some distance apart, William stepped onto the deck and leaped into the air. His coat billowed like wings, making him resemble a great bird as he soared toward the enemy ship.
Outwardly, William appeared calm, but internally, his body was coursing with heat. Steam surged within him, making him feel weightless and even providing a subtle upward thrust. After all, steam is less dense than air, and the rising heat further buoyed his movements.
Guy stared in stunned disbelief at the airborne William. It took him a moment to snap out of it and shout to his crew, "Shoot him down!"
As William approached the enemy ship, Guy ordered loudly, "Fire!"
Gunshots rang out like a string of firecrackers. But just as the bullets closed in, a sudden burst of steam erupted from William's side, propelling him sideways in mid-air. The bullets missed their mark.
Then, with two simultaneous explosions beneath his feet, steam burst forth, propelling William forward at high speed. Before the enemy pirates could reload, William landed on their deck with a resounding thud.
"One Piece:The True Codex"Boom!
Upon landing, William bent his knees slightly to absorb the impact. He straightened up and surveyed the panicked pirates around him, a cold smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
While William dealt with the enemy ship, the second Morgan Pirates' warship, commanded by Harden and Aramis, had already docked at the pier.
After leaving a portion of their crew to guard the ship, the two split up and led their respective teams into the town.
Though the East Blue was known as the weakest sea, it was still teeming with pirates. William had a clear vision for the future of his operations. If his plans succeeded, they would inevitably involve purging pirates from the area. Ironically, the larger pirate crews were easier to deal with, as their size made them more predictable. It was the smaller, scattered groups that posed a greater challenge, as they could hide and evade capture, draining resources and manpower.
To address this, William had been working on training and organizing his crew. He aimed to integrate the forces brought by Selkirk from the Grand Line with the remnants of Barbarossa's crew, using the latter as the backbone for smaller, more cohesive squads. This approach minimized conflicts arising from differences in background and experience among the crew.
Additionally, William was experimenting with a tactical system that allowed for both decentralized operations against minor targets and rapid assembly to counter major threats. The goal was to enable his crew to handle most situations independently, leaving William to focus on more critical challenges.
Though the process was fraught with difficulties, William was patient. He understood that laying a solid foundation now would pay off in the long run. While he could handle everything himself, he was the captain, not a babysitter. Micromanaging every detail would only exhaust him.
One example of this new structure was Aramis's squad, which consisted of four members: Aramis himself, the veteran Hatcheson, and two pirates brought by Selkirk from the Grand Line.
The squad moved stealthily toward a house from which the sound of a commotion could be heard. The front door had already been broken open, with the shattered lock dangling uselessly. Through the doorway, they could see part of the living room.
Several chairs had been overturned, and shards of broken porcelain littered the floor. From the water stains and a few scattered flowers, it was clear that the shards had once been a vase.
Hatcheson examined the footprints on the wet floor and whispered to his teammates, "Only footprints going in—none coming out. They're still inside."
After a brief, whispered discussion with Hatcheson, Aramis led one of the taller, lanky pirates around the side of the house, while Hatcheson and the shorter, stockier pirate carefully entered through the front.
Hatcheson and his companion stopped in front of a closed door. Pressing his ear to the wood, Hatcheson could faintly hear the muffled sound of a woman sobbing.
Signaling through the living room window, Hatcheson instructed Aramis to position himself outside the bedroom window.
Once Aramis was in place, Hatcheson shouted toward the door, "Listen up, people inside! We're from the Morgan Pirates. Our captain has ordered us to spare anyone who surrenders without resistance!"
As the occupants' attention shifted toward the door, Aramis smashed through the window and rolled into the room. At the same time, Hatcheson kicked the door open and burst in, pistol in one hand and sword in the other, with his companion close behind.
The room appeared to be a bedroom. Hatcheson immediately spotted an enemy pirate crouched against the wall near the door, clearly intending to ambush anyone who entered. However, the pirate had been distracted by Aramis's dramatic entrance through the window and was now aiming his gun at Aramis.
Without hesitation, Hatcheson fired his pistol, hitting the enemy in a vital spot. The pirate let out a scream before collapsing.
The stocky Morgan pirate entered the room and began scanning for other threats. His gaze fell on the large bed directly across from the door, and he froze, unable to tear his eyes away.
Another enemy pirate, who had been hiding behind the door, lunged at the stocky pirate with a raised blade.
Reacting swiftly, Aramis struck first, slicing through the attacker's wrist and causing the pirate's hand and weapon to fall to the floor. The severed hand landed with a thud, and the gun discharged accidentally, the sound startling the stocky Morgan pirate back to his senses. Snarling, he raised his own weapon and hacked at the screaming, disarmed enemy.
"What are you staring at?!" Hatcheson barked at the stocky pirate. He then glanced at the bed himself—and found it equally difficult to look away.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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