OPTC Chapter 215 Blow Them Up!
"A black flag—that has to be a pirate flag, right?" Zhang Da Ye looked up and asked. "Can you see the emblem clearly?"
Rui Meng Meng raised the telescope for a closer look. "It's a skull with two horns, and the nose is red."
Red nose? Zhang Da Ye immediately thought of the great Lord Buggy. But he shouldn't be messing around on the Grand Line. Besides, Buggy's symbol didn't have horns.
Zhang Da Ye turned to Shark Chili, who shook his head. The info was too little to judge. It might just be some small, unknown pirate crew that didn't even have a bounty poster at Sabaody.
"Forget it then. Probably not anyone important. Prepare for battle! Non-combatants, hide!" Zhang Da Ye shouted.
Artoria turned the wheel, steering their ship directly toward the pirate vessel.
Rui Meng Meng locked her eyes on the enemy ship, ready to report its course at any moment.
Ye Yan waved his hand, and the Eight-Flag Spirits floated into position behind him.
Perona and Tom obediently ran into the cabin, peeking their little heads out to watch in secret.
Shark Chili said, "Why don't I go take a look? For a small-time crew like that, I could wipe them out with a Shark Giant."
"No way. I've been wanting to try out a proper cannon battle. We've got so many cannonballs, it'd be a shame not to use them. Besides…" Zhang Da Ye suddenly reached into the cabin and dragged Tom out. "What are you hiding for? Artilleryman Tom, prepare for combat!"
Tom quickly changed into a sailor's uniform, snapped a salute, and rolled out a cannon from the cabin.
"Hmm… actually, I meant the ones mounted on the ship's hull." The Amber had five cannons on each side and one at the bow. Zhang Da Ye had long wanted to test their power. Now he finally had a moving target.
"I'll do it. I've always wanted to try an old-style cannon like these." Ye Yan volunteered eagerly. Experiences like this were priceless material for him.
"Good. Brook, go with Ye Yan and guide him. You've been a pirate long enough, you should know how cannons work."
"Yohohoho~ With pleasure." Brook tipped his hat like a gentleman and followed Ye Yan to the armory. When he wasn't being perverted, he really was quite classy.
Together with the Flag Spirits, the two of them easily managed the five cannons.
Zhang Da Ye climbed up the mast into the lookout, snatched Rui Meng Meng's spot, and tested the microphone with two breaths. The mic was linked to loudspeakers all over the ship so everyone could hear in an emergency.
"Helmsman and navigator, take note! Enemy ship entering range—secure the T-crossing!"
"T-crossing? What's that?" Artoria asked in confusion.
"Didn't expect Boss Da Ye to know that one, though he used it a bit wrong," Shark Chili explained. "In naval battles, a T-crossing is when our fleet positions broadside across the enemy's line of advance. Since most cannons are mounted on the sides, it maximizes firepower against their lead ship."
"But since we don't exactly have a fleet, what Boss Da Ye really means is just to align our broadside with their bow to maximize cannon coverage. It's hard to pull off unless we're much faster or the enemy is slow to react."
Artoria nodded. "I see. So basically, make sure as many cannons as possible are pointed at the enemy—ideally straight at their bow."
"Exactly." Shark Chili confirmed.
"Then…" Artoria spun the wheel with lightning speed, the Amber cutting a graceful arc across the sea until her left side was perfectly aligned with the pirate ship's bow.
Rui Meng Meng quickly jumped down to help adjust the sails for maximum power.
"Beautiful!" Zhang Da Ye praised, then bellowed, "Port side ready—half broadside, fire!"
The cannons on the left side turned and, moments later, erupted with fire. Five heavy cannonballs flew through the air.
"Boss Da Ye!" Shark Chili shouted up. "Don't throw out orders you don't understand! We've only got five cannons and no turrets. How can you call for a half broadside?!"
"Uh…" Zhang Da Ye froze. He had just thought the line sounded cool. Awkwardly, he cleared his throat. "Fine, forget that. Brothers, blow them up!"
Tom glanced at his own cannon. It was on the wrong side. Straining, he pushed it from starboard to port, got it into position, lit a match—then the ship turned.
The five cannonballs splashed around the pirate ship, raising tall water plumes.
The enemy wasn't foolish enough to sit still and be hit. They adjusted course, and Artoria matched their moves.
That, however, spelled trouble for Tom. His cannon hadn't been braced properly, and its wheels rolled backward, flattening him just as he struck his match, leaving two wheel marks across his body.
Tom lay on the deck, dazed.
The pirate ship, strangely, didn't return fire. Instead, it tried slowly approaching the Amber.
Zhang Da Ye didn't care why. He ordered Brook and Ye Yan to keep firing as soon as the cannons were reloaded.
Boom, boom, boom—another round thundered out. By Zhang Da Ye's eye, this volley was dead on. With the enemy's speed, two or three shots were sure to hit no matter how they turned.
But just before impact, a pink beam of light swept across three of the cannonballs.
They froze mid-air, as though time itself had paused. Only when the enemy ship sailed past did they resume moving.
"What kind of power is that? Did it freeze the cannonballs?" Shark Chili exclaimed.
Artoria shook her head. "No, not completely frozen. Their speed was slowed so much that the human eye could hardly notice they were still moving."
That strange ability made Zhang Da Ye think of someone—Silver Fox Foxy. His Slow-Slow Beam could drastically slow down anything it touched, until the effect wore off.
Basically, a clown of a man with an insanely strong ability.
Another volley came, but once again the Slow Beam neutralized the shots. The distance between the ships closed rapidly. At last, Tom—flattened twice already—managed to fire his first shot of the day.
Still, the enemy ship didn't fire back. Instead, a man stepped up to the rail with a loudspeaker, preparing to shout. "Hey, hey, you over there, listen up—"
Boom!
Tom's cannonball slammed right into the loudspeaker, blasting the man flat along with it.
"Captain!" the pirates screamed in panic.
Through his telescope, Zhang Da Ye saw the figure lying on deck—a man with a long red nose, head cracked open like a split log. "Well I'll be damned, it really is that guy. Nice shot, Tom!"
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