"Captain, we've struck gold! That ship looks like an unarmed cruise liner!"
One of the pirates peered through his spyglass and laughed. From what he could see, the Chris only had a few guns—maybe two cannons at most. To them, it might as well have been defenseless.
"Hahaha! Boys, stop firing!"
Captain Doran grinned savagely. His face twisted with cruelty—he'd been hunted by the navy for days and was in a foul mood.
"Don't hurt our generous patrons. Once we board, keep it clean—don't kill anyone. Grab the loot, and you can do whatever you want after that."
At Doran's command, the pirate ship ceased its cannon fire.
At that moment, Jack fired the Chris's first shot. The cannonball splashed harmlessly into the water just short of the pirate ship, sending up a spray.
The pirates burst into laughter.
"What kind of joke is their gunner trying to pull?"
"He missed from this close?!"
"Maybe he saw our captain and pissed himself! Hahaha!"
On the Chris, however, the two crew members on deck didn't even frown. They didn't believe for a second that Jack had actually missed.
They trusted his aim more than Jack trusted himself.
---
Now, the pirate ship prepared to ram and board the Chris, preparing for close combat.
But Jack merely smirked, a cruel gleam in his eye.
"Come on then, pirates. Taste the wrath of my cannons."
"Kadun," Jack turned to his comrade with a wicked grin,
"Let's make a bet. I'll sink that ship with a single shot. Loser washes the winner's socks for a month."
Kadun mentally ran the numbers. Sure, Jack could hit the pirate ship. But sink it with one shot? Not unless he'd secretly powered up his cannonball.
As far as Kadun knew, Jack's experimental explosives hadn't succeeded yet.
That meant he had a 90% chance of winning the bet.
Still…
"No bet, Jack. I believe you."
"Tch. Coward," Jack scoffed with mock contempt.
"Enough you two! You still have time to bicker while that ship's turning to ram us?"
Karina couldn't take their nonsense anymore.
"Relax, Miss Karina," Jack said confidently.
"My aim's true. One shot—and I'll send them to heaven."
He adjusted the cannon's angle, eyes narrowing as he gauged the sea and wind. Ten seconds later, he muttered to himself:
"Now."
He brought a lit torch to the fuse. The gunpowder hissed, sparkling as it burned. The sharp scent of sulfur filled the air.
FWOOSH!
The cannonball screamed through the air in a shrill arc, like it was about to miss and land in the sea again.
The pirates kept laughing. Based on their experience, the shot was going to splash harmlessly.
Another waste of powder from a toothless dog.
But Doran suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
His smile froze.
Something was wrong.
"No… this is bad!"
Too late.
The cannonball slammed into the lower deck of the pirate ship—
Right where they'd stored all their cannons… and bombs.
"RUN!"
Someone screamed.
But there was no time.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A chain of massive explosions ripped through the pirate ship. Jack's shot had ignited their entire weapons cache.
A brilliant fireball engulfed the sea, lighting up the ocean in a blaze of destruction.
Below deck, pirates were vaporized before they even realized what happened.
The pirate ship cracked apart. If it weren't for the ocean, it would have been reduced to ash. The sea extinguished some of the flames, preventing a total disintegration.
The shockwaves rippled across the water, sending powerful waves lapping against the Chris. Wooden shards flew through the air. The blast had turned debris into deadly shrapnel, cutting down any pirates not already incinerated.
The ship groaned, its hull fractured. Half of it was already gone, the rest teetering on collapse. Survivors flailed in the water, clutching charred planks to stay afloat.
The remaining half of the ship still burned violently, flames licking upward, consuming everything in reach. Pirates couldn't stand the heat and began diving into the sea.
Jack stood in silence, admiring his handiwork.
Who cared if the cannon's range was short? Or if firepower was limited?
In battle, brains beat brawn.
And he'd sunk a pirate ship with a single shot.
Kadun watched Jack and thanked his luck for not taking that bet.
Would this flashy bastard have made such a bet if he wasn't completely sure of the outcome?
---
"Look at the water. Some of the pirates survived. Should we finish them off?"
Karina had her eyes on the sea. Some of the survivors were swimming toward the Chris. One in particular was dragging someone else at an astonishing speed.
"Jack, someone's coming fast—take the shot!"
Jack didn't reply. He calmly raised his gun and fired.
A spray of blood. The fast swimmer vanished beneath the surface.
More shots rang out.
The sea turned red.
One by one, the pirates died.
In this world, even a drowning dog got beaten.
Mercy had no place here.
These pirates had all taken lives—no one lost sleep over theirs.
Karina kept watching the waves. She didn't believe that quick swimmer had been taken out so easily. It wasn't about doubting Jack—only a cautious pirate would survive such a blast in the first place.
Now, thanks to Jack's sniping, a few more corpses floated in the sea—and a few less scum lived in the world.
With one final shot, the waters ahead of the Chris fell still.
No signs of life.
Maybe the remaining pirates realized charging forward meant certain death and swam off elsewhere.
Still wary, Jack extended his Observation Haki across the sea's surface.
Nothing. No enemies remained.
He finally lowered his weapon.
Looking at his two comrades, who acted like this was all just another day, Jack let out a bitter breath.
Maybe now he understood a little of what Weiss had always felt.
---
At the back of the Chris, chained to the anchor, a small figure clung to the iron links.
On their back was a large, burly man, unconscious.
Blood still dripped steadily from the smaller figure's shoulder as they climbed—gritting their teeth against the pain.
---
Currently at chapter 480 on Ko-Fi
https:// ko-fi.com/sami27