"We're done for, Boss! Just like last time, there's no way we can shake them off!"
Bessie, watching the gradually approaching ship, shouted anxiously at Drake.
"Fuck! That damned beard's ship is just too unfair! How come he can move so fast on this sea?"
Drake said with a face full of indignation (dissatisfaction, feeling wronged/unfairly treated).
"Because his ship is a Noble Phantasm, just like my flag. A Noble Phantasm ship's performance is better than our regular ship."
Lin Qi also took out his own Noble Phantasm while explaining.
"Oh~, is it that Servant thing you were talking about, all that jumbled stuff?"
Drake, recalling Lin Qi's popular science (simplified explanation) from yesterday, wore an "I understand" expression.
However, just how much Drake actually understood from Lin Qi's fragmented explanations, we don't know.
But Drake was clearly quite aware of the current situation. After glancing around, she decisively gave the order:
"Bambi! You take the helm, tell the lads to find a suitable direction to escape! The rest of you, give that persistent bastard a taste of our cannonballs!"
"Got it!"
Bambi scurried over, taking the helm from Drake after she let go.
Freed from her position, Drake, holding onto the front railing, leaped down onto the deck in one smooth motion. She quickly made her way to the side in a few steps and looked at the warship, much larger than her Golden Hind.
After a quick visual estimate.
This speed... they'd be caught up with before long!
"Tch! If only we could get a strong wind, a storm would be best!"
Drake clicked her tongue.
The enemy's ship was much larger than theirs, so logically, it should be more cumbersome. She didn't know how the other party managed it, to be able to move this fast.
But it was also related to the current weather. There happened to be little wind right now. Otherwise, even if the enemy's ship was strange, Drake was confident her Golden Hind wouldn't lose to any other ship in the realm of speed!
Hearing Drake's words, Lin Qi looked up at the sky.
Although there were clouds, with the bright sun like this, it didn't look like a storm was coming, right?
"Boss! Our cannonballs are all being deflected! Completely ineffective!"
Amidst the roaring cannon fire and the pungent smell of gunpowder, a pirate frantically reported to Drake.
Small black dots, propelled by the power of gunpowder, arced across the sky. Although they hit the enemy ship, no matter where they struck, they were deflected, failing to cause any damage.
"Ahh, I can see that!"
Drake wasn't blind; something this obvious was clear at a glance.
"Damn, that Noble Phantasm ship is just too awesome, isn't it? Not only is it fast, but its defense is this outrageous too?"
Drake bit her lip, actually feeling a bit envious.
Her Golden Hind wasn't this powerful!
If she got the chance in the future, she absolutely had to make the Golden Hind this powerful too—no, even more powerful than that damned beard's ship!
What Drake was thinking, Lin Qi had no way of knowing. But Lin Qi noticed the seniors hadn't used a single one of the modified cannonballs he made, so he hurriedly reminded them:
"Use the cannonballs I drew Runes on! Those are more powerful!"
"Runes? You mean these?"
A pirate, who had thought Lin Qi was just scribbling on the cannonballs, picked up a Rune-etched cannonball at his feet and showed it to Lin Qi.
"Yes! Use them, quickly!"
The pirate didn't doubt him. He hurriedly loaded the cannonball into the cannon, covered his ears, and fired it.
The cannonball once again arced across the sky with a "whoosh," accurately hitting the enemy ship.
"BOOM!"
Different from before when they were deflected instantly, this cannonball, the moment it hit, erupted into violent flames, setting a certain black-bearded fellow—who hadn't dodged and was showing off on the deck—running all over the deck.
You could tell he was screaming and cursing, but the distance was too great to hear anything.
But it was easy to guess he was cursing pretty badly.
"Woo-hoo! Awesome! Well done!"
Drake, who had been watching that cannonball closely, cheered, raising her arm in vindication.
The other pirates, seeing it had finally worked, also cheered and celebrated.
"Damn, little newbie, you're not playing fair! How come you never brought out such a good thing for us to use before!"
Some pirates who loved firing cannons, their hands itching after seeing the effect, couldn't help but complain.
"Is it possible the cannonballs were just sitting there the whole time?"
In response, Lin Qi silently pointed at the pile of Rune cannonballs that had been ignored.
That pirate gave an embarrassed laugh.
Could he say that the brothers, seeing the cannonballs were painted with some incomprehensible scribbles, had all subconsciously skipped over them?
"Charge, charge, charge! With such satisfying cannonballs, I'm gonna blast them like crazy!"
Pirates with initiative were already carrying several cannonballs over to their respective cannons.
"Fuck! Save some for me!"
Pirates a step slower cursed and rushed to grab the cannonballs.
This made Lin Qi, who wanted to say "they're limited, use them sparingly," silently close his mouth.
Right at that moment.
"Look out! Cannonballs from the other side are coming!"
"Take cover!"
A panicked shout pierced through the noisy deck, reaching the ears of everyone with normal hearing.
Before he even finished speaking, the pirates standing in more exposed positions all expertly took cover behind the nearest cover.
"Whoosh—"
Accompanied by the whistling wind, several solid cannonballs slammed into the Golden Hind, producing a grating, shuddering sound.
Everyone on the ship felt the deck shake beneath their feet.
When the commotion died down, everyone cautiously peeked out from their cover.
They were surprised to find that their own Golden Hind hadn't suffered any damage from the cannonade either!
Only a few planks showed slight signs of cracking.
"Boss! Our Golden Hind has gotten weird too!"
Bessie exclaimed upon seeing this.
"Don't act so pathetic! If their ship can block cannonballs, why can't ours?"
Although she scolded him, Drake also looked at her beloved ship with glee.
She could more or less guess it was the result of Lin Qi's efforts drawing the Runes, so she didn't get too cocky and continued directing her crew.
"Quick! Don't stop! Keep bombarding theirs! Don't give them a chance to hit us!"
"Oh—!" ×N
The pirates responded in unison and began firing their cannons nonstop.
At the same time, Drake also drew her pistol, preparing for battle.
The Rune cannonballs Lin Qi made were indeed effective, but the effect wasn't massive, and besides, they were limited in number. Sinking the enemy warship was clearly impossible.
The two sides began blasting away at each other, the sound of cannon fire rising and falling across the sea like firecrackers on New Year's.
Cannonballs were flung at the other ship as if they were free.
Strangely, the attacks from both sides had minimal effect.
The Rune cannonballs were powerful, but after all, they were etched onto metal cannonballs, so the threat to Blackbeard's ship wasn't great.
Conversely, the enemy's cannonballs, under the defense of the Runes and Lin Qi occasionally activating his Noble Phantasm, also posed basically no threat.
There was a feeling that both sides were engaged in futile efforts.
Before long, the Golden Hind's cannonball reserves were the first to run low.
"Report, Boss! We're almost out of cannonballs. Should we keep fighting?"
"... Forget it. Since they can't hurt us anyway, let's save the remaining cannonballs."
Drake, looking at the increasingly close enemy ship, also gave up on using the cannons further.
Thus, the cannon fire from the Golden Hind ceased first.
Seeing this, Blackbeard's Queen Anne's Revenge also stopped its useless efforts and ceased its cannonade.
With the ceasefire, the ships were much closer now. Blackbeard, who had been holding in his anger, stood at the very front of his warship.
He roared at Lin Qi and the others:
"Which bastard fired that shot in the first place?! Get your ass out here!!"
His beard and hair partly singed, looking thoroughly disheveled, Edward Teach was so angry his chest puffed up like a bellows, glaring at the members of the Golden Hind with fire in his eyes.
If it was just the first time like this, Blackbeard wouldn't be this angry.
But this wasn't the first time!
He'd only encountered Drake twice, and both times the opener was exactly the same.
Both times, a cannonball came from who-knows-where and hit him right on the head.
If he weren't a Servant, with his strong physical attributes, he would have been taken out instantly!!
And it happened twice!
Twice!
Later, there was even that inexplicable cannonball that burned his beard and hair.
Making him lose face in front of Mary and Anne again!
—Not that he really cared about that.
Hearing Blackbeard's roar, a certain Golden Hind's first gunner whistled innocently, his eyes darting around, as he nonchalantly retreated behind the others.
If he remembered correctly, the three cannonballs that had hit Blackbeard were all fired by him...
Sure, it made him look good, but it was better not to claim this kind of spotlight.
...