Kurushima Yokuhisa turned his head.
What he saw made his breath stop.
Ships.
An entire sea filled with ships.
Forty-one of them.
And every single one was gigantic.
The flagship, the Wanli Sunshine, stretched nearly seventy meters from bow to stern. Even the triple-masted Western galleons that occasionally sailed these waters would look small beside it.
The smallest vessel in the fleet was still around twenty meters long. That alone already matched the size of Yokuhisa's own red-seal ships.
In simple terms, their smallest warship was equal to his flagship.
Yokuhisa sucked in a cold breath.
"What faction is that? How could anyone possess ships that large? Westerners?"
One of his subordinates stared helplessly across the waves.
"I cannot tell. I only saw them flying a multicolored flag."
"A multicolored flag?" Yokuhisa frowned. "Which nation uses such a banner?"
Silence followed.
Nobody knew.
"Send flag signals. Ask them to identify themselves."
Moments passed.
"They are ignoring us."
Yokuhisa felt a heavy weight settle in his chest.
Ignoring signals meant only one thing.
They had no interest in negotiation.
And in the pirate world, that meant blood.
There were no laws at sea.
Justice traveled only as far as cannon range.
Yokuhisa let out a harsh laugh.
"Their ships are large, but large ships are clumsy. I see no cannons. There is nothing to fear. If they want to fight, let them come."
The words had barely left his mouth when reality slapped him hard across the face.
Dozens of massive vessels surged forward.
Rows of hatch covers flipped open along their hulls. Dark gun ports revealed themselves one after another. From inside each port, a polished silver cannon barrel slid outward.
The sunlight reflected off the metal, almost dazzling.
Yokuhisa's eyes widened.
"Have they lost their minds? Are those cannons made from silver? And so many of them?"
A pirate beside him scratched his head in confusion.
"Can silver even be used to cast cannons? Would it not be too soft?"
"Idiot. This is not the time for metallurgy," another man snapped before turning toward Yokuhisa. "Kurushima-sama, their cannons greatly outnumber ours. We cannot win."
Yokuhisa sneered.
"You call yourselves warriors? Cannons are only frightening if they strike you."
The subordinate flushed with shame.
"You are correct, Kurushima-sama."
Yokuhisa raised his katana and pointed it toward the approaching fleet.
"We came to Zhoushan to establish our dominance. We will crush the Ming pirates and claim these seas. Do not cower simply because the enemy appears larger. Difficult battles are decided by courage."
He lowered his blade slightly and barked his final order.
"Prepare for boarding combat. Close the distance and carve them apart. Show them the spirit of Bushido."
Steel rasped as warriors drew their blades.
"Forget Liu Xiang's ships. Focus on these newcomers. Prepare for cannon engagement."
The ten red-seal ships shifted formation simultaneously, swinging their broadsides toward the approaching Gao Family Village fleet.
---
At the prow of the Wanli Sunshine, Li Daoxuan watched the maneuver with interest.
"Oh? A battle line formation."
He folded his arms, clearly amused.
"A T-crossing setup too. Not bad. It is only the early seventeenth century, yet pirates already understand the most efficient naval cannon tactics. Humanity truly never stops inventing ways to kill one another."
He paused briefly, then shook his head.
"Still, formations only matter when firepower is equal. If one side holds overwhelming range and strength, tactics alone cannot save them."
---
The Gao Family Village fleet fired first.
They did not even bother waiting for the enemy to enter traditional cannon range.
Each ship carried a forward-mounted cannon.
Forty-one ships meant forty-one cannons.
Kurushima's fleet possessed only two cannons per broadside per vessel. Their total firepower did not even match the opening volley.
The sea exploded with thunder.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
Yokuhisa blinked in disbelief.
"They fired from that distance? Impossible. No cannon can reach that far."
His doubt lasted less than a heartbeat.
Wood shattered. The hull beneath his feet trembled violently. The impact threw sailors off balance as splinters flew through the air. Screams followed.
Iron cannonballs smashed through multiple layers of planking as if punching through paper.
Yokuhisa roared in fury.
"Impossible. You incompetent fools."
Another wave of cannonballs rained down across the fleet. Most splashed harmlessly into the sea. Some flew wide. A few disappeared into the horizon.
But the small number that struck their targets was enough to destroy morale.
Then the explosive shells began to land.
One burst across a deck, turning a cluster of pirates into a storm of smoke, fire, and torn bodies.
The Kurushima pirates froze.
"Return fire!"
"What are the gunners doing? Fire back!"
"Kurushima-sama, it is still too far. Our cannons cannot reach them!"
"Then why can theirs reach us?"
"No one knows!"
"And their ships are too fast!"
"What kind of cursed speed is that?"
Panic began spreading across the decks.
They quickly realized something worse.
Running would not help.
The enemy ships moved at least twice as fast. Any retreat would turn into a slaughter during pursuit.
Yokuhisa forced himself to stay calm.
"Maintain fire while closing distance!"
The red-seal ships adjusted course diagonally, slowly tightening the range while keeping their broadsides angled for firing.
It was refined seamanship. Years of pirate warfare had taught them exactly how to dance with cannon arcs.
Unfortunately, the Gao Family Village sailors had not mastered this style yet. Several ships continued charging straight forward without maneuvering.
Shi Lang suddenly shouted from the command deck.
"Do not sail directly toward them. You will take unnecessary hits. Turn the helm. Match their course and run parallel."
The helmsman stared blankly, clearly lost.
Shi Lang cursed, rushed forward, shoved the man aside, and grabbed the rudder himself.
The Wanli Sunshine swung sharply across the waves. The bow that had been facing the enemy rotated until its broadside lined up perfectly.
The gunners did not need further instruction.
Ten cannons on one flank fired together.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
White smoke burst outward as ten cannonballs tore toward the red-seal ships.
At nearly the same moment, the Kurushima fleet fired back with their own broadsides.
Cannonballs screamed past one another midair.
One of the enemy shots struck the Wanli Sunshine with a heavy crash.
The sailors standing behind that section instinctively ducked. Several even prepared their final prayers.
Then something strange happened.
The cannonball struck the hull... and bounced.
It skipped off the ship's side, splashed into the sea, and disappeared beneath the waves.
The hull showed only a dent.
The composite pressure plating of the Wanli Sunshine, two hundred times thicker than standard wooden hull boards, absorbed the impact with a slight elastic rebound. The material combined strength with flexibility.
Against such construction, the Japanese Ōzutsu cannons simply lacked the penetrating power.
The sailors stared at the dented hull.
Then one of them muttered in disbelief.
"It bounced…"