Captain – Chapter 571 – Tactics

“How do we play it?”

Under the influence of that inexplicable understanding, facing the youth’s proposal, Caine didn’t consider it at all, but asked directly.

“Very simple. We join forces and take that ship.”

Hearing this somewhat redundant proposal, Caine couldn’t help but furrow his brow slightly. But before he could say anything, Richi raised his hand and cut him off in advance.

“Don’t say anything like ‘of course’—the relationship between you and me isn’t close enough for that. The reason we have the opportunity to discuss these things here…”

“Is mostly because of her.”

Richi tilted his face up slightly, his eyes squinting from the rainwater splashing off his hat brim: “By a twist of fate, we have this common goal.”

“For you, making promises and fulfilling them is the most natural thing, and in your eyes, I might even be more trustworthy because of Roy’s connection?”

“But I’m telling you, that’s wrong.”

“Because we are pirates.”

Following the youth who approached, brushed past his shoulder, and then stood with his back to him, Caine remained silent for a long time, unsure whether he was deep in thought or had already acquiesced.

“I’ve been erasing those marks related to her from myself, just as she wanted to step out of Enzo’s shadow. Facts prove I’ve done well.”

Watching the dragon quietly eating, the youth said calmly: “I’ll be direct, First Mate. After the Far North incident, I can no longer be counted as her follower. My coming on this journey—she’s only a small part of the reason.”

Standing behind Caine, listening to Richi’s declaration to him, or perhaps equally to that devil girl, Vivian’s blood-colored pupils moved slightly, and certain emotions finally dissipated completely.

Those miscellaneous thoughts that had been entangling her heart now seemed quite unnecessary.

Rеαd оո ΚаtRеаⅾingCαfе

“So you don’t need to, and shouldn’t see me as that kind of… good person? Or partner. We’d better follow pirate rules.”

Turning his face slightly, the youth said calmly: “To conduct a fair trade.”

“Relatively ‘fair.'”

After listening, Caine took a deep breath, feeling that after today, his understanding of the word ‘pirate’ might deepen somewhat, though he didn’t know whether it would be for better or worse.

“Then what are the conditions?”

Hearing this, feeling that the other party was finally getting the idea, Richi turned around lightly, spreading his arms slightly with a smile: “You saw the scene earlier too. That ship isn’t easy to deal with, especially with those strange things on it.”

“With just me and my people, it’s unrealistic to think we can swallow it whole. So I provide the ship and crew, you provide the strength and… that dragon, to take down the ship as intact as possible.”

“Of course, I won’t use ‘revenge’ as an excuse to make you suffer losses for nothing.”

Slowly lowering his arms, the youth smiled slyly, like a black merchant calculating a good deal: “After everything’s over, the Nightmare King and the remaining people on it belong to me. As for you… I think you’ll need that blade.”

“If you want to follow in the footsteps of Captain Roy.”

After speaking, as if knowing the young man would definitely agree, Richi extended a hand to him, asking with a grin: “So, pleasant cooperation?”

After a moment, Caine finally dispelled that feeling of being deceived that lingered in his heart, extended his hand expressionlessly, and shook hands with the youth.

“Pleasant cooperation.”

Amid thunder and torrential rain, the warship that had been heading toward a dead end changed course due to the two men’s will, switching directions to head north where risk and opportunity coexisted.

Reаd оn ΚаtRеаԁіոɡСаfе

Water ghosts hurried back and forth on deck, some carrying ammunition, others sharpening blades and pincers, and some even diving into the sea to scout ahead.

“So what’s the tactic?”

Watching the two men standing shoulder to shoulder at the bow, quietly observing the wind and rain, Vivian, who had finished directing the water ghosts, approached and stopped behind them, asking with some dissatisfaction.

But clearly, this question wasn’t meant to get an answer, but rather the beginning of a scolding, a preemptive strike: “The specific condition of the Taranhof was thoroughly checked a few days ago. You can’t be unaware of it.”

“Not to mention cannons and ammunition—just the ship itself being able to move is already a miracle. I even doubt whether it can survive one round of fire from the other side.”

“In this situation, you’re still planning to stand here like stakes for a whole day? I advise you to think carefully about how to approach that ship first.”

“After all, boarding combat is all we can rely on.”

Under the girl’s continuous bombardment, the two men had no choice but to break their dignified pose.

Richi turned around with a bitter smile: “Don’t be anxious. Since I took over this ship, except for that unavoidable close-quarters fight with that snake, I haven’t had many other opportunities. What you said before…”

Feeling the Blood Craver’s “ready to devour” gaze, the youth coughed lightly and sheepishly withdrew the doubts that had reached his lips, putting on a serious expression: “After discussion, we unanimously believe this operation doesn’t need tactics.”

Seeing Vivian look at him, Caine nodded slightly in support, thinking that if those few casual remarks earlier could be considered pre-battle planning.

“Doesn’t need tactics?”

Hearing the girl’s slightly mocking repetition, Richi chuckled and nodded: “Right. When we see that ship, we’ll charge at it directly like hungry wolves.”

“And then get directly blasted to pieces by their cannon fire?”

Despite having sufficient trust in the youth, after hearing his fanciful plan, Vivian still couldn’t help giving him a rare eye roll.

Rеаⅾ οn KаtRеαԁіոɡCαfe

This broken ship could no longer fight cannon battles, so getting as close as possible to the Nightmare King and trying to get the water ghosts onto the enemy ship was their only chance of victory.

But charging straight at them like this, they’d probably be blown apart from several hundred meters away.

Even if most of the water ghosts could survive the bombardment without needing to find “parts” in the sea to reassemble, how would they swim across that distance? How would they catch up with the enemy? You had to know that legendary captain would never be foolish enough to wait for them.

Once they lost their warship, even without external enemies, they couldn’t escape the Death Silence Triangle.

Therefore, in the girl’s view, to win this battle, they could only use the dragon and water ghosts to launch simultaneous surprise attacks from high altitude and deep sea respectively.

And keeping the Taranhof to directly ram that ship would give them better odds of success.

“Yes, we need to be shot to pieces.”

Facing the Blood Craver’s doubts, Richi’s lips curved into a mysterious arc: “You’re not a pirate of this world after all, so you don’t understand how sinister and cautious that old bastard is, not to mention he has that scheming dwarf beside him.”

Hearing that last sentence, Caine beside the youth unconsciously glanced at him.

Catching this from the corner of his eye, Richi’s smile disappeared, and he glared back coldly while saying: “Facing those two, any conspiracy is like a joke.”

“Moreover, we can’t be certain whether that blade capable of controlling the sea will detect underwater movements, so we can’t risk possible exposure.”

“Additionally, I have reason to suspect that old bastard knows of our existence, knows about this ship, and these water ghosts born of resentment with low intelligence.”

“Because obviously, he’s one of Captain Edward’s people.”

The devil’s followers were inexhaustible, and Talin Dempsey, as his strongest proxy in the present world, knowing about the ice sea incident wouldn’t be surprising.

Rеaԁ oո KαtReаdіոɡСαfе

Hearing this, the girl finally confirmed that the person before her hadn’t made that decision out of pure madness, so she temporarily suppressed the irritation in her heart.

“So you’ve decided to charge ahead recklessly, knowing you’ll be sunk but still ramming into them?”

“But you should know, even if this could catch them off guard, it couldn’t possibly help us gain enough distance to get our people aboard.”

“Once the Taranhof sinks and we haven’t approached them…”

“We’re doomed to lose.”

After hearing her warning, Richi still showed no emotion, only smiled and said “I know,” not forgetting to add: “In fact, we can’t win anyway.”

“If he and his ‘little pet’ weren’t here.”

Seeing the youth look toward Caine, Vivian sighed, not wanting to hear more of his lengthy discourse. She stepped forward between the two men, crossing her arms and leaning on the ship’s rail.

Looking at the fog-shrouded waters ahead, she remained silent for a moment before reporting a distance.

“Ten nautical miles.”

Ten more nautical miles forward, and they would see that warship that had slowed its pace and lingered at the boundary. No one knew what kind of scene would unfold then.

Would it be a crushing defeat, or perhaps…

But before Vivian’s thoughts could settle, she heard the youth beside her speak softly.

“Then fair winds, First Mate.”