Chapter 419 -419-Annihilating the Inferno Pirates
The Golden Merry was so powerful not merely because it carried more than a thousand cannons. Its hull was extraordinarily sturdy, and the addition of a reinforced ram gave it almost nightmarish strength in close-range naval combat. With the enhancement from John’s passive skill, its speed had become terrifying as well, giving it maneuverability that stood at the absolute peak among all warships.
With John commanding it, the Golden Merry became even more monstrous. It possessed lightning-like speed, the crushing force of an elephant, and the agility of a cobra. It was terrifying in virtually every respect, without a single obvious weakness.
At John’s command, the Golden Merry displayed a speed that left everyone stunned.
Like a nimble venomous serpent, it broke away from the battle line and surged toward the flagship of the Inferno Pirates’ chief leader at lightning speed.
The enemy’s large warship was enormous, almost like a mountain, but before the Golden Merry it amounted to little more than a hill before a towering peak.
The Golden Merry charged straight toward the chief leader’s flagship at terrifying speed.
The Inferno Pirates’ flagship attempted to adjust its course, only to discover that it moved far too slowly. Compared with the Golden Merry, it was like an old man nearing the end of his life—aged, sluggish, and powerless.
In the next instant, the Golden Merry tore into the Inferno Pirates’ formation like a pair of razor-sharp scissors, ripping a massive opening through their battle line with ease.
At the same moment the two ships collided, the soldiers aboard the Golden Merry had already followed John’s instructions and raised countless muskets toward the flagship.
The pirates, still dazed from the impact, had not even recovered when a storm of gunfire erupted. Countless pirates were struck in vital areas and killed on the spot.
The horrifying force of the Golden Merry’s collision was something the enemy had never anticipated. In only moments, the flagship was smashed aside and nearly overturned by the impact.
Many pirates were thrown straight into the sea before they could even react.
They struggled desperately in the water, while the soldiers aboard the Golden Merry immediately turned their muskets downward and unleashed another barrage upon them.
When the third leader of the Inferno Pirates saw their flagship being smashed aside, he cried out in horror,
"Boss! Are you all right?!"
The adjutant beside him hurriedly warned,
"Third Leader, we’re positioned directly beside the enemy battleship! They may take this opportunity to fire on us. We should withdraw immediately!"
Cold sweat instantly broke out across the third leader’s body.
"That’s right! Retreat! Withdraw immediately!"
At this moment, the Golden Merry’s angle of approach revealed an astonishing level of experience and precision.
While ramming the flagship, its broadside had already been brought to bear on another large warship.
What John did not know was that the large warship he had targeted happened to be commanded by the Inferno Pirates’ third leader.
Just as John prepared to angle the Golden Merry for another ramming attack, the broadside cannons began to roar.
At his command, countless guns unleashed their fire, sending a torrent of cannonballs directly toward the third leader’s warship.
Hearing the explosions, the third leader suddenly looked up.
Countless cannonballs were raining down toward him.
Terror immediately appeared on his face as he silently prayed that none of them would hit.
Unfortunately, his prayers were useless.
One cannonball struck the deck with perfect accuracy and smashed straight through it.
Then another shell followed.
By sheer disastrous coincidence, this one struck the warship’s powder magazine!
Everyone knew what happened when a warship’s powder magazine was hit.
At best, the vessel would lose its ability to fight.
At worst, everyone aboard would be wiped out.
In the next instant, the powder magazine detonated.
Boom!!!
The explosion ripped through countless compartments.
With the powder magazine at the center of the blast, the massive warship was actually torn into two sections. Seawater immediately poured through the broken hull, dragging both halves downward.
The third leader’s warship was finished.
"No!"
The second leader had first watched the Inferno Pirates’ flagship get rammed aside, leaving the chief leader’s fate unknown.
Then he saw the third leader’s warship blown apart and sunk.
His heart instantly turned colder than ice.
"It’s over."
"The chief leader and third leader are both finished."
"The Inferno Pirates are finished too!"
"Return to the main island..."
"No! We can’t!"
"The enemy fleet won’t let a single warship on this battlefield escape."
"What do I do...?"
"What can I possibly do?!"
The second leader forced himself to remain calm, desperately searching for a way to survive this crisis.
Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind.
"I can escape quietly in a small boat."
"Once I get away, I’ll go to the Gortar Pirates and ask them to avenge the Inferno Pirates!"
The second leader immediately made up his mind.
"That’s right."
"No matter what happens, once the enemy takes our main island, they’ll have to stop to reorganize and loot the resources."
"No one knows where these people came from. We don’t even know whether they’re pirates or members of the Naval Corps."
"The other pirate crews will never acknowledge them."
"When that happens, we can unite the major pirate crews and launch a counterattack."
"They’ll either be forced to retreat..."
"Or they’ll have to face every pirate faction in these waters."
"Either way, they’ll die!"
Having figured out his escape plan, the second leader wasted no more time.
He secretly lowered a small boat into the water and slipped away amid the chaos.
Meanwhile, John had first rammed the Inferno Pirates’ flagship and then sunk the third leader’s warship.
With two leaders taken out in rapid succession, the blow to the Inferno Pirates was nearly catastrophic.
The surviving warships had completely lost their will to fight.
All they wanted was to escape.
In an instant, dozens of warships scattered in every direction, fleeing for their lives.
John immediately changed tactics and led his fleet in pursuit.
He possessed an overwhelming advantage in speed.
Whenever he caught up to an enemy vessel, he either rammed it directly or moved into firing range and blasted it apart.
The Inferno Pirates suffered devastating losses.
One warship after another was sunk or smashed aside.
By the time John pursued them all the way back to the Inferno Pirates’ main island, only one large warship remained ahead of him.
That vessel had witnessed almost the entire pursuit, watching John destroy one allied warship after another behind them.
The crew finally broke.
Before long, a white flag of surrender rose above the ship.
John saw the white flag and gave an order.
"Tell them to stop."
"If they refuse, kill them all."
The Golden Merry immediately sent out the signal.
The large warship ahead obediently slowed to a halt.
"Have them lead us to the main island."
"We’re going to take possession of the Inferno Pirates’ resources," John told his men.
With all three leaders gone, the Inferno Pirates had been left completely leaderless.
And now, with one of their large warships surrendered and guiding the way...
John’s fleet sailed straight into the harbor of the main island without resistance.
He ordered the former pirates of the Gale Pirates to go ashore first as cannon fodder, test the defenses, and seize control of the coastal artillery.