"What happened?"
The sudden collision caused the ship to tremble slightly. Dominic shouted loudly.
"Did the ship get hit by something?" Leo walked to the side and looked down, but there was nothing there.
"The ship, the ship is leaking! Seawater is pouring into the cabin," a pirate shouted from the stairs.
"Old Josen, where's the hole? How big is it? Can it be fixed?"
Dominic quickly walked over and asked anxiously.
Josen looked at the hole and replied, "The hole is on the starboard side of the fourth compartment. It won't affect the ship's buoyancy. I'll have someone move the cargo and repair it. Also, we must stop the sails and can't move forward anymore."
"You go handle it,"
Dominic said quickly, then shouted, "Lower the sails."
The pirates immediately began to act. Some were moving cargo, some were lowering the sails, and the shipwrights were responsible for repairs.
This pirate ship had watertight compartments, meaning the bottom of the ship was divided layer by layer. If one area flooded, the water would not enter other areas, and the ship could still maintain buoyancy.
After moving the cargo, the hole could be repaired.
Watertight compartments are basically a must-have for many ships in the world of One Piece, to guard against attacks from marine creatures.
This is not a very modern technology; it already appeared in China's Tang Dynasty and became more common in the Song Dynasty.
Watertight compartments not only prevent sinking due to leaks but also reinforce the ship's bottom, improve lateral strength, and enhance its ability to withstand water pressure on the sides.
...
"So tough."
In the distance, a figure shook its head, feeling a slight pain in its head. It was Xia Qiu.
This ship was tougher than he had expected.
Seeing this pirate ship, Xia Qiu felt an urge to devour the pirates. He wanted to obtain more Reinforcement Energy.
But most of them were on the ship. To eat them, the first thing he had to do was sink the ship.
The ship was about thirty-five meters long, with a sturdy hull weighing about a hundred tons. It would be difficult for him to destroy it directly.
However, if he aimed at a plank near the waterline and smashed it, allowing seawater to flood in, that was possible.
He was eighteen meters long and weighed about fifty tons. After three reinforcements, his strength was not inferior to that of a thirty-meter-long sea fish.
It's worth noting that in ancient times, blue whales sinking sailing ships was not uncommon. Many wooden sailing ships had been capsized and smashed by blue whales.
And Xia Qiu also had a huge ramming horn, which could concentrate his strength on a single point. Smashing a plank was not difficult.
So Xia Qiu took advantage of the situation, But it was tougher than he had imagined. Even with his acceleration, he only managed to create a hole the size of a washbasin.
And from their reaction, this hole didn't seem to cause them too much trouble.
"One more time."
Xia Qiu swam past the bottom of the ship, swam into the distance, shook his body, and accelerated again.
Splash.
Xia Qiu turned into a black shadow and continued to charge towards the pirate ship.
"Boss, what is that?"
On the ship, Leo frowned, looking at the distant water surface.
"What?"
Dominic looked in the direction Leo was pointing, his eyes narrowing. "Such a big sea fish? Was that what hit us just now?"
As they spoke, Xia Qiu had already arrived and rammed again. With a thump, the ship shook violently.
His protruding skull hit the side plank, shattering it and creating a large hole, through which seawater poured in.
"We've been hit again! Josen, what's the situation?" Dominic shouted loudly.
"The nineteenth compartment is damaged. I've already arranged for shipwrights to repair it, but we'll have to discard some cargo."
Josen's head appeared at the stairs, his expression grim.
"Then throw some cargo overboard," Dominic shouted.
"Boss, we can't let that fish keep hitting us," Leo said from the side.
"I know."
Dominic shouted, "Johansen, prepare the cannons and attack the sea fish. Leo, you and the others attack with harpoons and crossbows."
"Yes."
Johansen and Leo immediately sprang into action.
Dominic raised his telescope and scanned the sea, but he couldn't find any trace of the sea fish.
...
"What happened? Why did the Dominic Pirates stop?" On a merchant ship in the distance, everyone was confused.
"They look like they're in a panic."
Joezer held up a telescope and looked at the ship, where people were frantically busy. He frowned and said, "They're still throwing cargo overboard."
"Is it leaking?"
The captain raised an eyebrow, picked up his telescope, and looked. "The sails are down too. It must be a leak in the hull."
"Hahaha, they're finally getting what they deserve." Kafur burst into laughter.
"Bad deeds are met with bad retribution. They'd better drown here," Marcel clenched his fist.
"Normally, there are watertight compartments. Ordinary leaks shouldn't be a problem. Besides, they have a wooden boat. Even if the ship sinks, they'll be fine," Joezer said from the side.
"And we need to be careful."
The captain put down his telescope and said, "Once their pirate ship sinks, they might come after us and try to steal our ship. Let's stay away from them."
Everyone quickly followed the captain's orders, raising the sails, turning the rudder, and changing course.
Marcel, meanwhile, took Joezer's telescope and continued to observe the distance.
...
"To the side, port side," a pirate on the pirate ship shouted. Dominic immediately ran to the port side and looked into the distance.
Bang.
A huge dark shadow collided with the pirate ship.
"Damn it, where's the gunner? Johansen, what are you doing? Shoot it!"
Dominic roared in anger.
Leo and several pirates raised their harpoon guns, aimed at the water, and pulled the triggers.
Puff, puff, puff.
The harpoons shot into the water, hitting a black fish, but it was completely unharmed.
"An attack like this won't even tickle me."
Underwater, Xia Qiu let out a cold snort, submerged himself, and swam towards the distance, preparing for his fourth attack.
Xia Qiu had already created two holes in the starboard side of the hull, one at the front and one at the back.
He then created a hole on the port side, offset from the starboard side. He planned to create one more hole. With four holes, he didn't believe the ship wouldn't sink.
Xia Qiu turned his body, pulled away, and charged at the ship again.
Bang, bang, bang.
The sound of cannons roared, and three cannonballs were fired, landing on the water around Xia Qiu.
The three cannonballs missed Xia Qiu. Another three cannons adjusted their aim in time and targeted him.
Three more cannon shots rang out.
Xia Qiu suddenly accelerated, dodging two cannonballs and being hit by one.
However, the force of the cannonball, weakened by the seawater, couldn't harm Xia Qiu at all.
Whoosh.
Xia Qiu's speed didn't decrease much, and he charged straight towards the pirate ship.
"Damn it, the cannons can't even hurt him!"
Dominic's face turned grim as he saw the dark shadow emerge completely unharmed. In anger, he slammed his hand against the ship's side.
The cannons continued to fire, but Xia Qiu had already closed in on the ship and rammed it.
Boom.
The ship shuddered violently, and another hole appeared.
Seawater poured in, and the pirate ship began to slowly sink.
Water poured in through the four holes, increasing the ship's weight. Furthermore, the holes were staggered front and back on opposite sides, damaging four compartments. There was no large area of the hull that could provide sufficient buoyancy.
"Boss, four compartments are compromised and can't hold anymore," Old Josen ran onto the deck and shouted.
"Can't it be repaired?" Dominic asked furiously.
Old Josen's face was troubled. "There's too little time. With four holes compromised, the ship is sinking too fast. It's very difficult for us to repair it against the water pressure."
"How much longer until the ship sinks?" Dominic asked with a cold face.
Old Josen replied, "Two minutes at most. And that's assuming only these four holes are compromised."
"Bastard!"
Dominic's face contorted, and he roared, "Launch the small boats on the other side of the ship. Abandon the big ship."
"But the two small boats can only take fourteen people," Leo said from the side. "And the fish are still below."
"Then fourteen people will go."
Dominic snorted coldly. "Let the remaining pirates and the pirate ship act as bait. We'll leave from the back and get out of here."
"Okay."
Leo nodded and arranged for people to lower the small boats.
"Boss, I..." Old Josen looked at Dominic, a hint of anticipation in his eyes.
"You're still useful, you can leave with me."
Dominic said coldly. Old Josen was the best shipwright, with extensive experience. If he left now, he might need him again in the future.
"Thank you, boss," Old Josen said gratefully.
Dominic pointed to a pirate and said, "Go find Johansen. I'll leave two spots for you and him."
"Yes."
The pirate, given a chance to survive, excitedly ran towards the ship's cabin to find Johansen.
Dominic looked at the tilting pirate ship, his eyes fierce, and quickly walked towards the small boats.
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Translation by: randomtranslator.com
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