Captain – Chapter 139 – Harbinger of the Storm

The sound of turning pages suddenly stopped.

Caine looked at the captain’s back, frowning slightly as he asked: “Get you aboard the Mermaid?”

Even without looking at the documents in his hand, the young man knew how great the disparity was between their vessels.

With the Osprey’s firepower alone, they could hardly even break through the Mermaid’s hull. Under such circumstances, attempting to defeat the enemy on the vast ocean was simply a pipe dream.

In his view, if they wanted to win, they would need to set the battlefield in Yadris, or in a port filled with ships, using the advantages of timing and terrain to launch a real surprise attack with the manpower they had recently recruited.

But from the young woman’s tone, she seemed to have no such thoughts at all.

“Caine, the brat won’t be foolish enough to actively give us an opportunity for close combat. A pirate’s true battlefield is always the sea. As long as the Mermaid is in open waters, he can remain undefeated.”

Roy turned around, gazing into those azure eyes, raising the crystal glass in her hand: “Abandoning the ocean is equivalent to abandoning our chance of certain victory. Facing others, he might possibly come ashore, but facing me, he will absolutely not risk taking even the slightest risk.”

“So, this war will be a naval battle, and can only be a naval battle.”

Recalling the information about the Mermaid he had just glanced through, Caine’s brow furrowed even more: “But the problem is, the Mermaid is a three-masted large warship that meets military vessel specifications. For the sake of mobility, its firepower has been reduced, but even so, it’s still equipped with exactly seventy-two cannons ranging from twelve to thirty-two pounders.”

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“Captain, if we engage in frontal combat, before we can break through its firing network, the Osprey would be blown to pieces.”

Roy looked at the amber liquid in her glass and said softly: “Yes, mere recklessness would get us crushed, but if we create an information gap, everything would be different.”

“They don’t know that Old John is my man. That is the key to turning the tables.”

The young woman gently swirled her wine glass, looking up at Caine: “All the secret letters Old John sent previously contained not a single piece of false intelligence. The brat only needs to contact crew members stationed in Yadris to easily verify this.”

“First Mate, as the former commander of the Auran Navy, you must know that among a large amount of true intelligence, just a little seemingly insignificant embellishment can sometimes directly change the course of a war.”

Hearing this, Caine relaxed his tightly furrowed brow and asked with interest: “Captain, you mean… that falsified intelligence has already been sent?”

“Yes, just now.”

Roy walked back to the table, sat down beside the young man, wearing a composed smile: “In that intelligence report containing most of our information, we just slightly increased the threat of the Osprey and our crew, nothing more.”

“In their eyes, the Osprey will become a merchant ship with some combat capability, or perhaps a decommissioned small warship, but not a civilian vessel with just a few cannons. And among our three hundred or so crew members, there might be quite a few skilled fighters, or perhaps marksmen with decent aim—it doesn’t matter either way.”

The captain drained her glass in one gulp, saying with complete indifference: “As long as they misjudge the Osprey’s specifications, we will have a chance to approach them. It’s the same principle as flying a Federation flag to rob Federation ships.”

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“But if we get too close, we’ll still be discovered. Even if we successfully endure one round of cannon fire, I fear not many effective forces would remain on the ship.”

Caine pinched his chin, hesitantly saying: “Given the Osprey’s size, it can carry at most one hundred and fifty crew members to sea. After severe casualties, the hope of winning through boarding combat isn’t great.”

“Having hope is already good enough, Caine. Besides, the ultimate goal of this operation is to get me aboard the Mermaid.”

Roy waved her hand casually: “I’ve told you before, pirates aren’t naval forces; they don’t have such strong resolve. Even the Mermaid’s crew is the same. We don’t need to completely eliminate those people. As long as we take care of some…”

Frowning slightly, the captain shook her head lightly: “No, as long as we deal with the brat, we win this war.”

Seeing the concern in the young man’s expression, Roy clicked her tongue, saying somewhat impatiently: “Besides, once I get back on the Mermaid, among those fellows, there will definitely be some who will stand by my side, whether due to so-called loyalty or simply out of fear.”

“Captain, if everything really goes according to your plan, then perhaps there is indeed a chance of victory. But even if we win, I fear barely one in ten of the Osprey’s crew would survive. The casualty rate would be…”

Roy raised her hand to stop the first mate’s statement, saying indifferently: “Does that matter? Please, we’re not the navy. We don’t need to care about battle losses.”

Seemingly not expecting the captain to say this, Caine was momentarily stunned, then fell silent.

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Seeing this, the captain sighed helplessly: “I know you’re not used to this style of warfare, but the problem is, we only have this one path to take now. Moreover, they’ve taken our money; it’s only natural they fight for us.”

“I know, but I feel that before this war begins, the crew has the right to know the details.”

Roy thought expressionlessly for a moment, then suddenly chuckled: “If they knew they were taking such a wreck to attack the Mermaid, they would probably have already fled with a month’s wages. Then what about the Mermaid? What about our battle plan?”

“Caine, sometimes knowing nothing isn’t a bad thing. At least that way, their courage won’t be extinguished.”

“But that’s deception, isn’t it?” The first mate sighed softly, his tone somewhat heavy.

“I know it’s hard for you to accept…”

Roy wanted to persuade him, but then seemed to recall something, paused for a moment, and changed her approach: “Alright, alright, you’re impossible. Find a place, gather the crew, and tell them what you want to say.”

The captain’s sudden change of heart surprised Caine: “You agree?”

Roy had never been so easily persuaded to change her mind.

Her unusually abnormal behavior today made Caine feel somewhat inexplicably doubtful, as if regardless of the crew’s final reaction, it wouldn’t have the slightest impact on her.

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“Yes, yes, I agree. But whether through coercion or enticement, whatever method you use, at least leave me with one hundred people, understand?”

Hearing the young woman’s request, Caine temporarily suppressed his doubts and nodded slightly: “Understood.”

“Alright, there’s no rush for those matters. Before the Mermaid enters the waters near Yadris, Old John will send intelligence over. Let’s first…”

Having discussed business, Roy turned her attention to the table full of delicacies, but before the words “have dinner” could leave her mouth, they were interrupted by a sudden clap of thunder.

“Rumble…”

Even through the tightly closed glass window, the thunder was still deafening, and closely following it was a blinding flash of lightning that made their faces appear ghastly pale.

Roy looked through the glass at the night sky, void of stars and moon, with only dark clouds and lightning remaining. Her dark golden pupils revealed no emotion.

Dark clouds gathering, thunder and lightning flashing.

For the sea, that was the harbinger of a storm.