Captain – Chapter 172 – Falling into the Trap

“Gunshot, it’s a gunshot! Find cover, prepare for the Mermaid’s cannon fire!”

The moment the gun sounded, Laurent’s heart sank. He roared his warning, quickly concealing himself behind the wooden wall connecting to the ship’s railing, pressing his body tightly against it.

The Mermaid’s sniper had opened fire, which meant Captain Roy had failed—meant the Orca would charge headlong into this legendary warship’s artillery.

Soon, the footsteps on the Orca’s deck completely vanished. Except for sailors and helmsmen who had to maintain their posts, everyone had found shelter.

Pairs of eyes gleamed in the shadows, watching the man still standing in the wind and rain, waiting for his orders.

What unsettled the crew was that the typically decisive one-eyed captain now seemed to have lost his soul, standing dazed, gazing at the skull flag that hung like a pitiful torn rag.

“Captain?”

Seeing Rex standing alone in the center of the empty deck, at a perfect position for a sniper’s kill shot, where his head could be pierced by a bullet at any moment, Laurent gritted his teeth and ran to the captain’s side, intending to lead him to safety, but was stopped by the captain’s raised hand.

Lightning illuminated Rex’s rain-soaked face. That countenance, which should have been fierce, was now filled with patience and gentleness, as if waiting for some fated reunion.

Since becoming First Mate, Laurent had never seen the captain reveal such an expression. This man had always been tough and domineering; facing mountains of blades and seas of fire, he could leap in with laughter; facing tenderness and affection, he had never shown a moment’s attachment.

So under such a stark contrast, even Laurent couldn’t help being momentarily entranced, briefly forgetting his purpose.

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In the moment the First Mate was distracted, another gunshot cut through the wind and rain, echoing beneath the night sky.

That shot completely severed the remaining flag ropes. Freed from restraint, the skull flag flew away, tumbling into the distance. The symbol of the Orca’s spirit and will was mercilessly swallowed by the storm, causing all crew members’ hearts to sink.

The Orca’s flag had only been shot down once before—during a major battle with the Mermaid.

In that battle, Captain Roy and the maturing Richi had crushed Rex’s Fighting Squad in one stroke, and the Orca’s flag had been shot down just like today, by that mysterious marksman’s two bullets, definitively announcing the Orca’s defeat.

Now, the two sides were enemies again, and their skull flag had once more been shot down. Everything seemed like a replay of that battle. They had survived then—would they be so lucky this time?

Hearty laughter suddenly spread across the Orca’s deck, completely sweeping away the crew’s anxiety. As they watched their captain facing the wind, rain, and warship while laughing heartily, the bodies hidden in the shadows gradually straightened, seemingly no longer afraid of potential bullets and cannon fire.

“Helmsman, hard to port!”

Hearing Rex’s vigorous call, the helmsman used all his strength to turn the wheel left. The Orca began veering right, successfully completing the turn when only dozens of meters from the Mermaid, positioning its already badly damaged port side toward the black cannon muzzles.

“Gentlemen, stay away from the port side, full speed ahead!” The one-eyed captain laughed arrogantly, his spirited demeanor almost overshadowing the storm.

“Did you hear that? Tighten all sails, full speed ahead!”

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Laurent seemed to understand something. He shouted urgently to the sailors while rushing to the starboard railing to look back: “Captain, the Constantine is less than a hundred meters behind us!”

“Don’t mind them, maintain speed…”

Before Rex could finish his command, the Mermaid’s cannons had already fired. However, due to the Orca’s early turn, or perhaps the “sluggishness” of the Mermaid’s gunners, this round of artillery almost entirely hit the warship’s port side near the stern.

Fire and black smoke rose intertwined. The Orca was damaged again. Amid the violent shaking, the warship’s speed greatly diminished. If it suffered one or two more bombardments of the same intensity, it might completely lose its mobility or even sink directly into the sea.

“Don’t panic, maintain speed, prepare to continue turning right!”

Rex’s voice rang in their ears. At this moment, even the dullest crew member understood what the previous scene meant. Gunners ran frantically to the lower deck, while fewer than thirty Fighting Squad members remained, gripping the curved blades at their waists.

This dangerous scene similarly unfolded before the eyes of everyone on the Constantine.

“Oh, just missed by a bit. What a pity.”

Looking at the nearly destroyed Orca, Arnold shook his head regretfully, then smiled at Solomon: “Captain, it seems the Ocean Goddess has heard our prayers, turning the Mermaid into that devil’s watery grave.”

“Arnold, do you really think Roy would lose?” The Black Emperor narrowed his eyes slightly, his tone suddenly filled with melancholy.

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That pirate captain, who compared to him was barely more than a child, had successfully defeated the Constantine by relying on the great legacy left by his old rival—Red Beard Ilias—completely driving Solomon’s party out of Yadris.

Thinking of this, even Solomon had to admit that Roy was indeed a captain of exceptional talent. In terms of speed of growth and later acquired honor, status, and wealth, he could even bridge a gap of over a decade to match the Night Curtain Captain of the Western Seas.

Yet such a powerful person, one whom he had invested his whole heart and soul in considering an archenemy, had died in a mutiny—in the most common, unremarkable kind of mutiny among pirates.

Although the masterminds behind this mutiny were all first-rate figures, even so, when learning they had truly killed that devil, Solomon’s heart was still filled with a sense of unreality.

“Captain, Roy was not a real devil after all. If even one of these traitors had stood by his side, he might have had a chance to win. Unfortunately, even that loyal dog Old John abandoned him, making his death inevitable.”

Arnold chuckled lightly: “As for that civilian ship… forgive my directness, but despite its strangely remarkable speed, it still couldn’t withstand the Mermaid’s attack.”

“You’re right. Though I’m somewhat disappointed not to have killed Roy with my own hands, let’s now focus on those homeless dogs on the Orca.”

The Black Emperor sneered: “The Mermaid must still be in chaos now. Being able to turn and fire is already their limit; catching up to the Orca would take considerable effort. Very well, let’s do them a favor and gain some trust while we’re at it. Helmsman, hard to port—let’s sink Rex’s broken ship!”

The crew roared in unison. Having easily repelled the Orca earlier had already revealed the opponent’s weakness of insufficient personnel. Now, hearing the captain’s tone, the battle on the Mermaid had concluded, and the tide had turned in their favor—naturally, they were extremely excited and fervent.

Destroying the Orca, sending those madmen who only knew how to charge into battle to the bottom of the sea, would certainly make the Constantine’s reputation even more fearsome than before!

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With such thoughts, the sailors worked even harder. Like the Orca, the Constantine also turned right when dozens of meters from the Mermaid. Gun ports opened in unison on the turning bow, and heavy cannons were pushed out.

The Constantine’s massive size meant turning required considerable time. The Black Emperor and his First Mate now stood at the bow, gazing toward the nearby Mermaid.

Seeing Old John waving to them, Arnold smiled slightly and walked a few steps toward the port side, arriving at the railing.

Just as he was about to feign an enthusiastic response to make the other side lower their guard, the false smile at the corner of his mouth suddenly froze, his pupils uncontrollably constricted.

In that crystal lens streaked with raindrops, besides Old John, another figure was reflected.

That person slowly emerged from the shadow cast by the spiral staircase, stepping into the rain illuminated by lightning, finally standing quietly beside Old John.

But that person was not Richi, Cassius, or anyone Arnold knew. It was a completely unfamiliar young man, and on his shoulder stood a black shadow grooming its disheveled feathers—none other than Captain Roy’s pet, the raven Alfie.

Who… are you?

As the gunshot sound approached from a distance, becoming clearly audible, in the final moment before life ended, when vitality had not yet left the shell, these three words were all that echoed in Arnold’s mind.