Chapter 323
Having now tasted the sea's terror to the marrow of our bones, we were racing back to Shiratsuki at full speed. Rather than gazing up at the night sky and enjoying its beauty as we had on the way there, Iris and I were leaning back in the bridge chairs and staring intently at footage recorded by Shiratsuki.
"The last part really wasn't just my imagination, after all."
We were watching the scene of the whale being pierced. When we paused the footage at the instant it was pierced and enlarged the image, a three-pronged spearhead that appeared to be metal came into view. It really was a harpoon, not a trick of my eyes.
Who had made such an enormous harpoon, and what was using it? We had no idea. What we did know was that the waters were dangerous, and that anyone exploring them would have to be prepared to fight whatever wielded that harpoon.
"That harpoon is very sturdily made! I think it was crafted by a proper artisan."
"An artisan capable of making a giant harpoon, huh? By ordinary reasoning, it would be the work of a giant. The most likely possibility would be the Ocean Giants I heard about from Prince Lysandros of the Sky Giants."
I recalled what I had heard from the two Sky Giants who had given me the white feather hair during our journey through the sky. Their stories had included a type of giant called the Ocean Giants, who lived in the sea. I thought those people might be capable of using that harpoon.
A weapon was, fundamentally, a tool used for hunting or combat. To use a tool, one needed the physical traits to wield it and the intelligence to master it. Some wild monsters possessed several martial Skills, but for the most part, they merely treated naturally possessed parts such as claws and tails as weapons. They did not actually use tools.
Like the Sky Giants, who rode sheep while clad in arms, the Ocean Giants could easily have built an advanced civilization as well. Fixating on that theory would be a problem, but it was safe to regard them as our leading candidate.
"Personally, I'm curious where that harpoon was made. Did they acquire it from other giants on land, or is there some way to forge metal underwater...? If the latter is possible, I'd love to learn how it's done!"
Oh? I hadn't thought of that possibility. The technology to forge metal underwater. If it really existed, it would be fascinating. Whether we could use it at our base was another matter, but it might provide us with some kind of hint.
"Hm, has the sun risen?"
"It's so bright... But it's beautiful."
It seemed dawn had broken while we repeatedly watched the footage. We players would soon have to log out, but the pirates we had supported were probably about to get moving. Heh heh heh. I was already looking forward to seeing what would happen before we logged in again!
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After Izaam and the others safely returned to their base and logged out, the 'Austin Gang' had set all their ships sailing for the first time in a while. They had four ships, one of which was the black ship Toji and the others had captured. After being given the ship, they had quickly brought it home, refitted it, and made it usable as one of their fleet.
Although their number of ships had increased, some of the pirates had been killed by the assassins, so the number of crewmen per ship had decreased considerably. Even so, they had secured enough people to handle navigation and naval combat. They could do so because they had originally possessed such a large number of members.
"Captain! Ships ahead! Merchant ships! There are four!"
"Can you tell whose ships they are?"
"Let's see... We've hit the jackpot! It's the 'Phoenix Trading Company'!"
When the pirates heard 'Phoenix Trading Company,' their eyes gleamed and savage smiles spread across their faces. James, the gang's leader, had already drawn his beloved saber. Their fighting spirit had risen to its absolute peak because of their anger toward the 'Phoenix Trading Company.'
The 'Phoenix Trading Company' had used the 'Austin Gang' in its bid to seize control of Twentino's economy. The moment the gang became inconvenient to them, they betrayed it and sent assassins from their own organization, nearly wiping it out. There was no way that could be forgiven, but if the pirates had merely survived, they probably would have fled, desperate to avoid any further involvement.
But they still had enough people left, and Izaam had even provided them with support. They still possessed the power to exact revenge, and their target was right before them. Ignoring the Phoenix Trading Company was not an option.
"Let's go, lads! Kill every last one of those Phoenix Trading Company bastards! Seize all their cargo or dump it into the sea! Show them our rage!"
"Ooooooh!"
"Set every sail! Stir up the wind and increase our speed! Take them down one ship at a time! Archers, prepare your flaming arrows! Everyone else, get ready to board!"
The pirates began moving according to Richard's orders, raising a war cry as they did. As veteran pirates, they moved without the slightest hesitation, and their ships increased speed as they closed in on the merchant fleet. The merchant ships seemed to notice the pirates' approach and hurriedly increased their own speed, but cargo ships laden with goods had no chance of outrunning warships. The distance between them rapidly shrank.
Realizing that combat was unavoidable, the merchant ships began gathering their archers at the stern and waiting for the pirate ships to enter range. Since they were large merchant ships, they had more archers than the pirates. The sailors were unaccustomed to combat, but they knew the basics of using a bow. If all they had to do was rain arrows down without taking careful aim, that was more than enough.
"Fire!"
Their misfortune was that the pirates had been given excellent long-range hunting bows made by Centaurs, even if they were mass-produced. At James's command, the arrows flew straight toward the merchant ships from outside the range of their archers. The direct hits caused numerous casualties, and the pine-resin-coated arrowheads were aflame. Even the arrows that missed inflicted major damage by setting the sails and hulls on fire.
The burning sails were especially damaging, widening the already considerable gap in speed. The black smoke rising from the flames also blocked their view, leaving them no chance to counterattack. By working desperately to extinguish the flames with magic and expensive fire-extinguishing agents, every ship managed to put them out before burning down completely.
But while that was happening, the pirate ships and merchant ships closed to a distance where their crews could distinguish one another's faces. The real hell was about to begin.
"Throw the grappling hooks and haul them closer! Prepare the gangplanks! Archers, provide cover so they can't interfere! Ed!"
"Leave it to me, bro! Hup!"
Following his older brother Richard's orders, Edward ran across the deck to build up momentum, then leaped from the ship's edge with a hand axe in each hand. Without falling into the sea, Edward slammed the axes into the merchant ship's side to anchor himself, then used his arm strength and powerful spring to vault upward and climb onto its deck.
"A pirate's coming! Repel him!"
"Board them while covering Ed! Cut your way in!"
"Kill! Kill the enemyyyyy!"
The merchant ship's guards moved to intercept Edward, but he was absurdly strong while wearing the combat gauntlets. They had been hired merely to show the other trading companies that they were taking precautions, and they stood no chance against him. One after another, they were beaten to death.
If a skilled player had been aboard, the massacre would not have been so one-sided. However, high-level players were still gathering to exterminate the pirates. Even those in the city often refrained from taking guard quests so they could synchronize the timing of their departure. And it was Conrad and the others who had created that situation. In other words, this massacre had been engineered to happen.
"Die!"
"Gyaaah!"
"Why do these guys have such good weapons!?"
Edward's strength was fearsome, but the other pirates had also been enhanced by the weapons and armor Izaam had provided. Their cutlasses were sturdy enough to snap cheap swords and sharp enough to slash through guards and sailors alike, painting the decks bright red with blood.
Even when the pirates were counterattacked, they simply recovered with their abundant supply of potions, leaving the merchant crews utterly helpless. Their morale collapsed almost immediately, and they could do nothing but flee around the cramped decks.
"Eek! It's over!"
"H-help me! I don't want to die!"
"If you don't want to die, bring me the captain! I won't kill the one who brings him to me! Hurry up!"
James's intimidating roar chilled the sailors to the bone, but it also gave them a faint glimmer of hope. If they could bring the captain, they could escape this hell. They rushed at the captains who had been directing them, each trying to reach one first.
The captains and some of the sailors were forced to fight their own allies who had given in to the threat, while the guards had no choice but to take on the numerically superior pirates by themselves. Once things had reached that point, there was nothing they could do. All the guards were killed, and the captains and several sailors were captured alive by the traitors.
"Well, captains! How are you feeling?"
"You vile pirates! If you're going to kill me, get it over with!"
The four captains were dragged before James with their hands bound behind their backs. Three trembled in terror at the sight of James, who made no attempt to hide his sadistic pleasure, while one shouted defiantly. Just seeing them like that made James and the pirates feel their pride swell. It reminded them that they were the ones doing the taking.
"Hey, hey, aren't you going to answer my question? What a narrow-minded bastard... Ah, so that's why your own men betrayed you, huh? What a pathetic loser!"
"Gahahaha!"
"Tch...!"
Insulted by James and mocked by the pirates, the captains glared at the traitors who had captured them, their faces twisted with rage. Under the pirates' watch, the traitors were being forced to carry the ship's cargo to the pirate ships, but unlike the captains, they were not restrained. For the moment, the promise not to kill them was being honored.
After laughing to his heart's content, James jerked his chin to signal his men. Four pirates then brought a dagger each and planted them in front of the restrained captains.
"I'm in a good mood right now. So I'll give you a chance to survive."
"...A chance?"
"You see the daggers in front of you? Use them to cut your own ropes, then kill one another. I'll let only the last survivor live."
"Wha—!?"
The sole path to survival James had offered them was to win a battle royale against their comrades. While the four captains stood speechless, the pirates began gambling on which one would win. The captains were forced to realize that this was neither a joke nor an empty threat.
Of the four captains, the most frightened was the first to act. He lunged for the dagger in front of him and desperately worked his arms to cut through his bonds. The other captains hurriedly did the same, but they could not make up for their delayed start. The first captain to move succeeded in freeing himself while the others remained bound.
"Uuugh... Aaaaaahhhhh!"
"Wha—stop—Gyaaaaaaah!?"
With bloodshot eyes and a wordless scream, the freed captain pounced on the struggling colleague beside them and stabbed that colleague repeatedly. The first captain eliminated from the battle royale was the one who had been the most defiant.
The pirates who had bet on the first eliminated captain hurled curses, while those who had bet on the captain who made the first kill applauded and cheered the victor. In the meantime, the other two also escaped their restraints, turning the battle royale into a three-way fight. The pirates' spectacle had only just begun.