Chapter 177
Shortly after Zhang Heng left the ship with his men, Anne received a warning from the watchman that a ship had appeared coming from the southwest .
She took over the bronze telescope and saw a 3-masted vessel . It, too, had apparently also taken notice of the Jackdaw . Instead of turning back in fear, she was steaming towards them at full speed with their black flag raised .
“That looks like someone wants a piece of the loot too,” scowled Dufresne while frowning .
As agreed, the Blizzard had already gone ahead to intercept the incoming pirate ship . Hutcheson even signaled to Anne with a thumbs up, telling her not to worry and to just leave the matter to him .
However, the skirmish between the two pirate ships ended quickly with the Blizzard retreating . Anne knew that the Blizzard was inadequate, but she didn’t expect them to be that useless . They hadn’t even begun buying time for the rest of them before they started cowering and fleeing for their lives .
All in all, the Blizzard only managed to buy them ten minutes . Now they were already on their way back .
Black Sam, who was on the Goddess’ Spear, looked on disapprovingly at their ally . How could he have made a pact with such a poor excuse of a pirate? His crew had only just started seizing the weapons and cross-checking the goods according to the list . However, this was not the time to hold anyone accountable . He had no choice but to order his crew to come to the Blizzard’s aid .
The newcomer’s firepower was similar to that of the Blizzard, and it shouldn’t be too tricky for the Quidah to fight against them . With the help of the Blizzard, they should both be able to take down the enemy .
The moment the Whydah Gall’s helmsman received the order, he immediately rushed to the scene of the battle . Since he did not see eye to eye with Hutcheson, he deliberately made a detour so that the latter would suffer just a little longer or better yet, let the newcomer sink the Blizzard, so they didn’t have to worry about Hutcheson’s portion of the loot .
Unfortunately, although the Blizzard was an incompetent fighter, she sure was very good at running . Once again, Hutcheson demonstrated his excellent skills at the helm, maneuvering the Blizzard so that she dodged every cannonball fired at her .
When Hutcheson saw the Quidah in the vicinity, he immediately fled toward her direction .
The Whydah Gall’s helmsman was so irritated by the cat and mouse game that he thought of getting rid of the Blizzard first . In the end, however, he managed to resist that desire and ordered the gunmen to be at their battle stations .
Although he was reluctant to admit it, the Blizzard did do one thing useful–leading the target straight into the Quidah’s arms . However, perhaps due to panic or some other reason, the Blizzard blocked the Quidah’s cannons, and the latter could not fire . In contrast, the pirate ship behind them was able to fire freely at their target .
Erik, the Quidah’s helmsman, cursed loudly as he instructed his crew to signal to Blizzard, telling them to move as far away as possible .
Thank goodness the Blizzard got the message, as their crew immediately circled around and made her way behind the Quidah . Erik wasn’t bothered to find faults with Hutcheson right now, nor did he pay attention to where the Blizzard was heading . After all, even without the Blizzard’s help, he was confident that they could defeat the enemy ship on their own .
Erik ordered his crew to return fire . With that first counterattack, the Quidah exhibited its legendary Caribbean reputation . The pirate ship that had just kicked Blizzard’s butt a minute ago was overwhelmed by the Quidah . Whether in terms of firepower or the quality of their personnel, the difference between them was so clear that you practically see it with your naked eye . It was only a matter of time before the newcomer would be subdued .
Erik was composed, just like all the other battles he had fought before . Once the Quidah opened fire, it was clear who the victorious one would be . The helmsman even had the opportunity around and spectate the Blizzard’s embarrassment . As soon as he saw the Blizzard’s opening the shutters of the cannons, however, the smile on his face was wiped away .
The helmsman sensed that something was amiss . He immediately shouted to the pirate who was manning the helm, screaming, “Hard to port! Double-time!!!”
It was too late, though, for in a split second, the Blizzard’s weak countenance took a 180-degree turn . Hutcheson’s incredible performance had everyone fooled . He was now in the best offensive position . With their ships so close together, his cannons would tear through the Quidah with ease .
This unexpected turn of events was a disaster for the Quidah . With their starboard side taking a hit from the devastating blow, everything on the ship tumbled and collided, and they were forced to stop their attack on the other pirate ship . This gave the latter an opportunity to counterattack .
The sudden change in circumstance caught everyone off guard, including the Jackdaw . Little did they know, however, that danger was quietly inching towards them .
The pirate on the crow’s nest had not forgotten Zhang Heng’s instructions and kept a watchful eye on the sea . All he could see though, was a vast expanse of ocean and the other ships . Even he himself started believing that he was a little too edgy . If another enemy did show up, it would take them at least half an hour to enter their firing range, more than enough time to prepare themselves for battle .
So, when the first enemy appeared and slit the throat of an unlucky pirate when everyone was still unaware, the first person to react was the pirate on the crow’s nest . Although distracted by the Blizzard’s sudden betrayal, he was first to notice any unusual activities down below, being way up high . He shouted at the top of his lungs, warning his crew that they were under attack . As soon as he did that, an arrow flew into his throat, and the poor guy dropped to the ground without saying another word .
Thanks to his warning, the pirates on deck were now aware of intruders on their ship . One look at the attacker’s wet clothes, and Anne knew right away where they came from . When the Blizzard went to intercept the pirate ship that arrived later, they passed the Jackdaw . These men must have jumped into the water then . They waited until the Quidah was under siege before attacking the Jackdaw .
The redhead was ecstatic . She was just lamenting about staying on the boat, not having anything to do . Now that a battle had presented itself at her doorstep, Anne licked her lips, drew her dagger, and welcomed it with open arms .
Led by the boatswain, the pirates on the Jackdaw quickly snapped out of their initial panic and jumped right into battle .
Dufresne was secretly grateful that Zhang Heng left all the good fighters on the ship . The thirty men that Zhang Heng had brought with him included the cook, carpenter, and doctor . Thanks to early detection by the pirate on the crow’s nest, the enemy only managed to kill around four men and did not cause any widespread panic .
After that, Anne quickly stabilized the situation . There were not many in this group of attackers, only around twenty or more of them . This was not because Hutcheson was reluctant to send more, but rather, he was worried that the more of them there were, the easier they would be discovered . Above all, he still had to fight the Quidah–the enemy that mattered most to him . By comparison, he did not care much for Zhang Heng or his Jackdaw .
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