OPTC Chapter 316: An Unexpected Sea Battle
Things don't always go as planned. No one can truly anticipate every outcome—and that included Zhang Da Ye and Ye Yan.
Even though they had earned the guards' trust, gathered detailed intelligence on the area's layout, headcount, and routines, and even located the prisoners' roster and the key storage room with the help of the Flag Demons, something still went wrong the next day.
They had finalized their plan and even revised it. Once the supply ship arrived, everything would have gone into motion. But fate had other ideas.
The drunken squad captain from the watchtower had offered to let them stay inside, but Zhang Da Ye declined—too risky. If something happened later, he didn't want suspicion to fall on them. Besides, the soldiers' quarters didn't look any better than sleeping on the Amber.
That night, Zhang Da Ye took the first watch, Ye Yan the second, and Brook relieved him at 4 a.m. so Ye Yan could stay alert during the day.
Brook said he only needed five hours of sleep anyway. He joked that sleep wasn't even necessary for him—he couldn't die suddenly anymore—but he wanted to keep a few human habits out of nostalgia.
Early the next morning, the Flag Demons were sent out to scout the surrounding seas for signs of the supply ship. The sharp-eyed Jin Erpeng led the task.
By noon, the kitchen was filled with the smell of lunch, and everyone was looking forward to eating when Ye Yan suddenly received Jin Erpeng's telepathic message.
"Ships are approaching—five from the southwest, ten from the northwest," Ye Yan relayed. "They're all heading this way, but it doesn't look like they're just transport ships."
Zhang Da Ye frowned. "Could the transport ships have been targeted by pirates?"
Ye Yan checked again with Jin Erpeng and replied, "Doesn't look like it was planned. But those ten pirate ships are changing course—they're moving in for a grab."
"So bold? Those transport ships belong to the World Government, right? There are pirates in East Blue daring to make a move?" Zhang Da Ye asked. "Whose flag is it?"
"The flag shows a skull with a dumb-looking grin and two red hourglasses on the sides…"
…
A few kilometers away, aboard the flagship of the ten-ship pirate fleet.
"Captain Krieg, we're approaching the Bridge Kingdom," said the strategist Aidiman. "But the new Fleet Admiral and Admirals have just taken office. Are we really striking now?"
Standing proudly at the bow, Krieg—over two meters tall, muscular, with short grayish-purple hair—grinned arrogantly.
"What's that got to do with us? Are we supposed to cower like the rest of those worms? Of course not! This is our chance to expand my fleet and become the strongest pirate crew in East Blue! Then... we'll head for the Grand Line!"
His voice carried across the deck. Krieg was in his thirties now—no longer young—but his ambition still burned bright. First, he'd dominate East Blue. Then, the Grand Line.
He'd heard that the Grand Line was a deadly place, so he'd set a smaller goal first—recruit another four thousand men.
But that was easier said than done. It had taken him years just to build his current fleet of ten ships and over a thousand men. Recruiting four thousand more could take decades. Would he even be able to lift his diamond-tipped spear twenty years from now?
Recently, though, fortune had smiled on him. He'd heard of the Bridge Kingdom—a place holding thousands of prisoners, many of them former pirates.
Perfect. A ready-made army just waiting to be freed. Once he liberated them, most would surely join him.
As for the consequences? Once his fleet was formed, he'd crush any navy that came after him. A new Fleet Admiral? A new Admiral? They rarely even visited East Blue. What was there to fear?
With that thought, Krieg decided to strike.
"Captain Krieg! Five ships sighted ahead, heading the same way as us!" the lookout shouted.
"What?" Krieg barked. "Who are they?"
The lookout peered through his scope. "World Government ships, sir. Judging by their draft and load—they're full transport ships!"
Krieg's grin widened. "Transport ships, huh? Recruiting a lot of people, are they? Good. We'll need extra ships anyway."
Aidiman looked uneasy. "Captain, you mean… attack them? Those are World Government ships."
"So what? They'll be fighting at the Bridge anyway. Better to strike now before they can join forces. And if we're taking their people, might as well take their ships too!"
Krieg tore off his coat, revealing golden armor that gleamed in the sun. "Gin! Prepare for battle! Take the ships—leave no survivors!"
"Yes, Captain Krieg!" replied a young man with a striped bandana before running off to relay orders. He was also the one leading the first wave of attack.
Aidiman watched in awe. Gin was young but terrifyingly strong. His twin iron-headed tonfas could smash a man to pulp. And he was utterly loyal—he'd obey any order, no matter how cruel. That was how he'd earned his title: "The Demon."
Krieg turned to another subordinate. "Pearl! Prepare the defensive batteries."
"Leave it to me, Captain!" Pearl replied confidently.
Known as "Iron Wall," Pearl carried massive shields on his front and back, with smaller ones on his knees, elbows, and hands. Each shield's core was set with a fire pearl that ignited flames when enraged. His defenses were so strong that even naval cannonfire couldn't pierce them.
With his near-impenetrable defense and decent offensive power, Pearl's status in the crew was second only to Krieg and Gin. Putting him in charge of defense was the smart move.
At Krieg's command, the fleet sprang into action—helmsmen turning the ships, gunners loading cannons, and others grabbing grappling hooks, rifles, and swords in preparation for boarding.
From afar, they looked surprisingly organized. Krieg's years of discipline had paid off.
Meanwhile, the lookouts aboard the five transport ships had also spotted the approaching fleet—and panic spread quickly.
If it had been five navy warships against ten pirate ships, that would've been fine. The navy could hold their own with better firepower and discipline.
But these were transport ships, packed with supplies and barely armed. Even if they outgunned five pirate ships, they couldn't take on ten.
Without hesitation, the commanding officer ordered a retreat.
When Krieg saw the transport ships turn tail, he laughed. "Running, are they? Perfect. After them!"
So began the chase—one side fleeing, the other relentlessly pursuing.
The transport commander quickly realized their ships were slower. Reinforcements wouldn't arrive in time. "Those maniacs! Do they have a death wish attacking us? Aren't they afraid of the World Government's wrath?"
Normally, pirates this large avoided direct conflict with government vessels. Smaller pirate crews were easy pickings, which was why transport ships could travel so boldly without escorts. But today… they'd met a madman.
As the pirates closed in, the first cannonfire thundered across the sea.
The transport ships returned fire, but poor angles and positioning made the exchange ineffective.
Their aim was miserable—half their shots missed, and a few that would've hit were blocked by Pearl's massive shields, proving his reputation wasn't exaggerated.
Krieg's men, on the other hand, fired mostly for intimidation. They didn't want to damage ships they planned to steal.
The transport commander briefly considered dumping cargo to speed up but realized it was too late. The ships were too heavy, and time had run out. All they could do was fight.
Soon, the pirates were close enough to fire grappling hooks. One, two, three—ropes snagged onto masts and railings.
Gunfire and screams filled the air. Men dropped on both sides.
Bullets clanged off Krieg's armor, scattering sparks. He didn't flinch, just stared ahead with a scornful grin. As long as he stood tall at the bow, morale on his side surged. Then, promising generous rewards for each enemy killed, he sealed the fight's outcome.
"Generous rewards bring brave men," they said—and they were right. Pirates bit knives between their teeth and swung across on ropes. Some made it. Others were shot mid-air or had their ropes cut, falling screaming into the sea.
Once the pirate ships closed in fully, Gin led the charge—leaping over the railing with his iron tonfas spinning. Two pirate ships boxed in one transport vessel, cutting down soldiers left and right.
Gunfire, the clash of steel, screams, laughter, and curses merged into a single chaotic roar. The soldiers, bloodied and terrified, fought like cornered beasts.
The pirates had the advantage—more numbers and two powerful warriors in Gin and Pearl.
Gin's tonfas crushed bones with every strike; even a glancing blow left men crippled. Sometimes he licked the blood spattered on his face, grinning like a demon risen from hell—terrifying the soldiers before killing them.
Pearl charged through bullets and blades alike, smashing heads with his shields. Some clever pirates even hid behind him, using him as a moving wall.
It didn't take long for the pirates to completely overwhelm the defenders. When the time was right, Krieg vaulted onto the transport ship himself, his diamond gauntlets gleaming, and punched the commanding officer into unconsciousness—ending the battle decisively.
"OOOHHHH!!!" The pirates roared victoriously, weapons raised high, cheering like madmen.
When they finished looting, their excitement only grew—the haul from these ships rivaled that of raiding several villages combined.
"Alright, clean up the ships!" Krieg barked, his voice steady. "Fix any damage, distribute food evenly across all vessels. Aidiman, assign men to each captured ship until we reorganize after the recruitment!"
"Yes, Captain!"
"One more thing," Krieg added with a sinister smile. "Copy the World Government flags and hang them on our ships."
Unlike most pirates, Krieg didn't care about symbols. To him, a flag was just a tool—he'd fly a merchant's or navy's banner without hesitation if it helped him get close to a target.
Aidiman grinned knowingly. He'd painted plenty of flags before.
The orders spread quickly. Pirates bustled about, laughing as they carried supplies, repaired hulls, or dumped corpses into the sea.
They chattered about how much loot they'd get, how they'd celebrate tonight—completely unaware that their little stunt had just ruined someone else's carefully planned mission… and interrupted their lunch.
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