Extraordinary

An hour later, when the Silver Wing heard the rumbling cannon fire from the distant horizon and saw the signal flares exploding in the sky, it had already crossed the Chaotic Rock Islands and arrived at the battlefield.

Crackling--

"Help--!"

"..."

Amidst the raging inferno, the once powerful Navy's Fifth-Rate Warship, the Warrior, had completely turned into burning firewood. Shouts, pleas for help, and screams echoed through the heavens!

Countless sailors on the warships, without any lifeboats, were forced to jump overboard to escape.

Before the Silver Wing could even move forward to rescue the wounded in the water, the Warrior, its ammunition depot ignited by the fire, suffered a tragic detonation with a massive roar!

"BOOM--!!!"

Then, the entire battlefield fell silent for a moment.

Evan's mouth hung open. A warship that he had been chatting with cheerfully just yesterday was destroyed before his very eyes. This shock was far beyond anything comparable to the petty skirmishes with the Blood Anchor, and it was even more than what the written battle reports could ever describe.

"Target pirate ship, all hands to battle stations, open the cannons, seize the windward side, invincible!"

"Invincible! Invincible!"

The scene before them deeply enraged everyone on the Silver Wing. Disputes were internal matters, but for audacious pirates to openly sink a warship and slaughter Navy personnel was unforgivable. Feeling a sense of shared misfortune, the red-eyed officers and crew of the Silver Wing swore to avenge their comrades!

Gell's order to seize the windward position also revealed his determination to fight to the bitter end without leaving any room for retreat.

When in the windward position, attempting to flee would only lead them directly into the pirates' cannons, making escape impossible.

"Gagon!! You tell me why there's a second warship? Is this the prey you predicted?!"

Grabbing the Native Old Wizard by his collar and throwing him to the ground, One-Eyed Beck's face contorted. The excitement from just unlocking the Oceanic Secret Treasure was instantly replaced by fury.

As the Captain, he couldn't possibly admit that he had been so immersed in the joy of his dream coming true that he completely failed to consider the meaning behind the Warrior's signal flares.

This blame could only fall on Gagon.

No one would be happy when their plan was unexpectedly interrupted, but he also knew that anger wouldn't solve anything. Moreover, with the help of the Oceanic Secret Treasure, the Shipwreck Lament, his casualties in the battle against the Warrior weren't that significant, and he might not lose.

Picking up the Shipwreck statue, which had already begun to emit visible black mist, One-Eyed Beck rushed into the captain's cabin. Before closing the door, he fiercely roared at his Pirate Executives, "Hold them off for half an hour! Anyone who dares to retreat, I'll sink them to the bottom of the sea to feed the fish!"

The Pirate Executives' faces turned bitter. Although they had used trickery to lure the Warrior into their trap, it was still a Fifth-Rate Warship!

Even without boarding and close combat, their pirate ships had sustained considerable damage from the bombardment.

With their ships and crews in a weakened state, they were being asked to engage another Fifth-Rate Ship in a head-on battle. What was the difference between that and seeking death?

However, One-Eyed Beck's brutality and ferocity overwhelmed their fear of the Navy. They hardened their hearts and ordered the gunners to fire back, then hastily weighed anchor, preparing to trade space for time. As long as they could hold out until the Captain emerged, everything should be fine... right?

Whoosh--

Splash, splash--

The sails filled with wind, and the ship's bow cut through the waves.

In a chase, the two ships left the Chaotic Rock Islands and sailed towards the deep sea. As they passed the wreckage of the Warrior, the Silver Wing lowered all the lifeboats on board. As for how many survivors were still on the Warrior, that could only be asked of the Goddess.

"Boom!..."

The chase lasted only twenty minutes. Although the pirate ship was fortunate enough to sever the Silver Wing's foremast with chain shot, successfully slowing it down, it was subsequently hit in the stern rudder by a cannonball from the Silver Wing, completely losing its chance to escape.

Boom--

Boom--

Boom--

After three rounds of full cannon volleys, with both scatter shot and chain shot, ensuring the pirate ship was completely immobilized and its deck crew heavily damaged, the Silver Wing approached the pirate ship at an optimal angle.

While filled with righteous anger, the Navy personnel had not forgotten their primary target: One-Eyed Beck's head.

"Drop anchor! We'll fight them!"

Driven to desperation, the pirates showed no lack of courage in their final stand. They dropped anchor to secure their ship, and all the pirates surged out of the cabins.

Before the Silver Wing could even launch its attack, they, led by their Pirate Executives, let out fierce war cries and used ropes to initiate a boarding battle.

"Kill!"

"Fight the damned Navy!"

"..."

The sailors on the Silver Wing naturally refused to back down. Some engaged the pirates on deck, while others leaped directly onto the pirate ship.

One side was pirates, the other was the Navy. At this moment, there was not a single coward or shirker among them. In an instant, both ships transformed into a battlefield of blood and iron.

Gell, as the strongest combatant on the Silver Wing, scanned the surroundings and, not finding the One-Eyed Beck, who was rumored to possess Knight-level strength, handed over command of the battle on the Silver Wing to the First Mate.

"Boom--"

His feet landed heavily, and he crashed onto the opposing pirate ship like a cannonball, heading straight for the captain's cabin. Although he didn't know what scheme One-Eyed Beck had, the best course of action at this moment was to prevent him from succeeding.

At this time, Evan certainly couldn't just stand by. Having been in the military for so long, this was his first encounter with pirates, and he was eager to put his recently honed skills to the test.

Without a word, he activated "Sword Form: Drifting Skiff"!

His figure blurred, moving with his sword, transforming into a dazzling silver light. The sword light weaved across the deck of the Silver Wing. With every flash, blood splattered, and pirate after pirate fell beneath his blade.

If Gell dominated the second-tier class at the peak of Formal Knights, Evan was confident he had now reached the pinnacle of Apprentice Knights, possessing his own dominance over the first-tier class.

If he had to go through so much trouble to deal with these ordinary pirates, wouldn't his eight years of Extraordinary swordsmanship have been for nothing?

Using his musket in coordination, he easily slew a Pirate Executive who clearly bore signs of Extraordinary power, and the situation on the Silver Wing gradually stabilized.

The Extraordinary Power among this wave of pirates was clearly much stronger than that of the Blood Anchor previously, but after Evan single-handedly killed three Pirate Executives, the combat power comparison between the Navy and the pirates had shifted to an overwhelming advantage.

The pirates were already fewer in number than the Navy, and one side had just gone through a battle while the other was well-rested. Unless the battle of high-end forces reversed, the outcome was already decided.

Pfft--

"H...huff...ah!"

Gradually, even the pirates' screams began to thin out. The Navy sailors had already realized that these guys were just expendable pawns; the real target, One-Eyed Beck, had never appeared from the beginning.

Evan gave Gary a look, signaling him to hold the line here.

He grabbed a rope and swung onto the pirate ship. Even if Uncle Gell didn't need his help, witnessing a battle between Knights was valuable experience.

"Block him! Don't let him into the captain's cabin!"

"Go! All of you, go!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The remaining pirates, burdened with the heavy responsibility of guarding the captain, endured their fear of facing a Formal Knight and swarmed forward, blocking Gell's path to the captain's cabin.

They even brought out a large number of muskets, employing a three-stage volley to prevent Gell from getting closer.

Even though Gell was already an Extraordinary human, his physical qualities far exceeding the limits of ordinary people, it didn't mean he could ignore bullets, especially not at close range with continuous musket fire.

As he shifted his footwork, constantly moving and dodging, time ticked by second by second.

At this moment, Gell also realized that One-Eyed Beck was likely in trouble, and his subordinates were buying him time. But the longer the delay, the greater the variables. Since they hadn't chosen to flee, they must believe they still had a chance to turn the tables.

He dared not delay any longer.

He dodged back, and in two steps, he reached the bow of the ship. He swung his sword and severed the relatively smallest foremast, then grabbed the mast with both hands and shouted.

"Haa!"

The strength, more than four times that of a human limit, was far from simple as represented by numerical stacking. The size difference was like an ant wielding chopsticks as he fiercely swept the mast.

"Rumble!"

What does it feel like to be hit on the head by a battering ram?

These pirates would tell you: it feels like flying!

Their screams were choked in their throats. The mast, accompanied by wind and thunder, was swept away. After just two swings, the path paved with blood and pulp was completely opened.

A small number of pirates were blown into the sea, while more were reduced to a bloody paste, forever merged with the deck.

There were no longer any obstacles between Gell and the captain's cabin.

Like a brave and fearless ironclad knight from the cavalry era hundreds of years ago, Gell, holding the long mast like a knight holding his lance, charged towards the enemy's heart – the "captain's cabin."

Striding forward, each step he took on the deck made the oak planks emit a loud roar, as if what was running wasn't a person, but a war elephant.

"Bang—! Crash!"

Evan had just boarded the pirate ship when he heard this deafening sound from the stern.

He looked up and saw that the captain's cabin behind him had exploded into a pile of debris.

Two figures, along with shattered ship planks, entangled as they plunged into the sea.

It was just a fleeting glance, but his Data Vision had already captured the two figures. One, tall and wearing a uniform, was naturally Gell. The other "grotesque" fellow was undoubtedly One-Eyed Beck.

However, Evan was somewhat astonished: "Is this guy still human?"

More than half of his bare upper body had transformed into the shell of a crab or lobster, while the other half remained human, but it was covered in various seabed parasites, barnacles, tube worms, bryozoans, mussels, and algae. It looked like a shipwreck plank that had been submerged for years, appearing bizarre and disgusting.

Most terrifyingly, his left eye, which was already blind, had its eyepatch fall off. From the empty eye socket, a cluster of black, slender tentacles writhed like living things, resembling the ghostly hand of a water ghost extending from the seabed.

Even from a distance, Evan felt his nostrils fill with the rotten, foul smell of the sea.

"Is this the real Extraordinary world?"

Suddenly witnessing such a grotesque sight, Evan's worldview was violently shaken, causing him to momentarily lose focus. He didn't notice a figure, old and shriveled, adorned with bone ornaments, slowly emerging from the hatchway leading to the lower deck behind him.