Captain – Chapter 170 – The Plan Begins

“Ben, have the port side gunners prepare. Fire immediately upon my command.”

Standing at the stern, watching the two warships now less than five hundred meters from the Mermaid, Caine gave orders to the bosun beside him.

By this point, crew members from the Osprey had taken over everything, and command authority over the Mermaid’s original sailors had been completely transferred to Ben’s hands.

“First Mate, do you intend to sink the Osprey?” Ben asked with a frown.

Whether it was transferring personnel from the Osprey earlier or readying the cannons aimed at that twin-masted civilian vessel, everything seemed to be preparation for sinking it.

Caine narrowed his eyes, gazing at the distant, continuously flashing cannon fire: “Yes, I want the Black Emperor to believe the captain has lost. That way, the Constantine will lower its guard against us, allowing us to strike first.”

Hearing this, Ben couldn’t help but remind him: “But this alone is unlikely to eliminate their suspicions. After all, someone who could become a captain and carve out territory in the Eastern Seas is certainly not easy to deal with.”

This bosun had once been a bandit chief within Auran territory. He knew well that to become a leader and establish one’s enterprise, skill and ability alone were insufficient—one also needed a clever mind and a more cautious approach than the most cunning beast.

“I understand your concern, but I’m not naive enough to think one move will decide the battle. This is merely one part of my plan.”

Caine didn’t turn around. He said coolly: “And your role in this plan is simply to relay my orders, nothing more.”

“Yes, I’ll inform them immediately.”

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Hearing the young man’s explanation, Ben suddenly remembered the other’s former position and realized his concerns were unnecessary. He respectfully acknowledged and was about to leave.

“Also…”

Caine stopped the bosun, turning his head slightly: “Throw all those bodies into the sea, between the Mermaid and the Osprey.”

Discarding the bodies to float on the sea surface was, of course, to make this deception more convincing.

“First Mate, what about… that young man?”

During the handover with Old John, Ben had briefly learned about everything that had happened on the Mermaid. Knowing the special bond between the captain and that young man leaning against the railing, seemingly peacefully asleep, he asked after some consideration.

Caine knew the bosun was referring to Roy’s former mate, the Blood-Eyed Butcher Richi Quake, and his death was the final straw that broke through the girl’s emotional defenses.

After a brief silence, the First Mate said softly: “No, place him somewhere safe from cannon fire. How to dispose of his remains should be the captain’s decision.”

“Understood.” Ben left to carry out his orders.

Listening to the receding footsteps, Caine turned back to continue watching the Orca and Constantine gradually distancing from each other, though his thoughts drifted elsewhere.

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Perhaps for the captain, the shock of Richi’s death was similar to when Elizabeth left him forever?

Thinking silently, his resolve to accompany the girl strengthened. Caine took a deep breath, his hands gradually tightening on the railing as he watched that massive ship called the “Emperor of the Sea.” In his azure eyes, a storm seemed to be gathering.

The Constantine’s firepower was incredibly strong, far surpassing ordinary warships. Even within the Auran Navy, only superships beyond the three-masted regulations, like the Pilgrimage, could defeat it in a positional battle.

Besides firepower, the Constantine’s defense was terrifyingly strong. Even after experiencing the Orca’s ram attack and artillery barrage, its hull had only suffered some inconsequential cracks, still requiring two to three more rounds of cannon fire to be penetrated.

Facing such a fortress-like warship with both offense and defense, even if the Orca and Mermaid could reach an agreement and form a pincer attack, winning through artillery combat would be challenging.

The best approach would be to exploit its excessive weight disadvantage, directly crippling its mobility with intense cannon fire during its turning maneuver, then boarding from bow and stern, relying on the numerical advantage of what now amounted to three ships’ worth of crew for close combat.

Using deception to make the Black Emperor believe the winner of the fateful battle on the Mermaid was Richi, then seizing the opportunity when it turned to pursue the Orca to complete the encirclement and gain artillery advantage—this was Caine’s plan.

But this plan wasn’t as easy to implement as it appeared.

How to completely gain Solomon’s trust, how to inform Rex of the truth and have the Orca cooperate with the Mermaid to form an encirclement without causing friendly fire or even more serious consequences due to miscommunication—these were all issues that needed consideration, even seemingly almost impossible to resolve.

“First Mate, how are the preparations going?”

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A cold voice came from behind. Caine turned to see Victor approaching with a rifle on his back, and responded calmly: “All is ready. When the Orca and Constantine come closer, I’ll order the sinking of the Osprey to begin our plan. The only remaining question is…”

“Can you truly guarantee that you can inform Captain Rex without arousing the Black Emperor’s suspicion?”

“Of course, I can make Solomon believe it even more deeply.”

Having obtained the answer he wanted, the marksman walked toward the main mast without looking back, leaving only a cold remark.

Watching Victor’s receding figure until he climbed the mast and disappeared into the darkness of the crow’s nest, Caine turned his gaze away and walked toward the center of the deck.

In fact, even without the Orca’s assistance, relying on the Mermaid’s terrifying speed in storms, Caine was confident of victory in this war, though the cost might be great.

But earlier, while formulating his strategy, that sniper had expressionlessly approached him and offered another option—the plan currently in progress.

And Victor’s guarantee was the question Caine had just asked for reconfirmation.

“Four hundred meters!”

Victor’s icy voice came from the crow’s nest. Caine waited silently, while Ben, having delivered all orders, now stood beside him awaiting commands.

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“Three hundred meters!”

Caine continued waiting, though his hands hanging at his sides gradually tightened.

“Two hundred meters!”

When the sniper reported the distance between the Orca and Mermaid for the third time, the First Mate’s eyes finally lit up. He commanded loudly: “Fire!”

“Fire!”

With Ben’s roar and the sailors’ successive relays, this command quickly spread throughout the entire warship.

The Mermaid’s port cannons completed the first round of firing in an extremely short time. The explosion’s flames engulfed the Osprey, which had been gradually pushed away by the waves after the grappling hooks were cut.

“Crack!”

With a piercing breaking sound, the twin-masted civilian ship split in two. Broken planks and floating bodies intertwined, creating a hellish scene of carnage.