Boarding

"Kill!"

With the captain's order, Sig and the other combatants hurled weighted ropes toward the masts of the Navy warships.

Here, the difference in experience showed. Many seasoned fighters lacked Sig's raw strength, but their ropes, thrown with finesse, not only wrapped around the enemy masts but also snared several Navy soldiers, binding them tight!

When Sig swung a water-filled wine cask with deceptive ease, the spectacle was indeed impressive, but...

His rope flew straight and true, smashing a petty officer in a captain's coat flat on his back—though the cask shattered on impact.

Just as Sig felt awkward, cheers erupted around him.

"Nice one!"

"Great hit, hahaha..."

Sig quickly struck a "strong" pose, pretending it was intentional.

Then he helped pull the ropes taut. Since the Navy wasn't a merchant vessel and its soldiers weren't civilians, they had no fear of boarding actions, so they didn't go out of their way to prevent close contact.

But the power of their cannons was already on full display—the newly named Freedom Sword was riddled with holes, and many crew members were wounded.

The Navy warship, however, showed little damage. Underpowered cannonballs merely embedded themselves in its armored plating, and with several times as many enemy ships surrounding them, the priority now was to seize one of the Navy's vessels!

Seeing the distance close enough, a short combatant, likely a former pirate, screamed in a cracked voice: "Anyone with guts, follow me up the rope net!"

The rope net—the rigging hanging from the mast, used for climbing up and down.

Someone nearby, already anticipating his intent, helped spread the net taut. Sig didn't catch on at first.

Then, someone cut the ropes securing the net to the deck and, with a pistol shot, severed its connection to the sails—Sig guessed the shooter had Observation Haki!

With that support gone, the rope net, weighed down by the climbing crew, swung toward the opposite direction—straight at the Navy warship.

Many of the combatants clinging to it skillfully shifted their weight, amplifying the swing, and at the perfect moment, let go, charging through a hail of bullets and slashes onto the enemy deck—though several were struck down midair, plunging into the sea...

"Don't just stand there! While they're holding the line, charge!"

"Kill these Navy dogs, and we live!"

"Lackeys of the Celestial Dragons! Your pirate grandpas are here!"

The remaining combatants couldn't idle either. With the gap still too wide for a gangplank, they climbed the ropes directly—judging by their practiced inverted climbing stances, they were old pirates.

Some, like Sig, didn't need to climb upside down. With astonishing physical ability, they simply walked across the ropes as if on solid ground.

Sig had no experience with this, but the People of Fury granted him remarkable balance—not only preventing seasickness and adapting to the waves but also letting him tread such ropes with ease.

In a few strides, Sig was on the deck. Along the way, his heightened senses and faster reflexes let him knock aside several lead bullets with his sword.

Once aboard, Sig felt more confident. He swung his blade like a greatsword, cutting down several Navy soldiers!

Though called a "sword," the Bari Saber—wide at the top, narrow at the bottom, single-edged—was better used as a blade.

Given Sig's physique, he fell into the category of having minimal combat experience and lacking technique, so this "beginner weapon" suited him best. Give him a fine blade, and he'd only flail it wildly.

Sig also had no idea how to unleash those ranged slashes he'd heard about; he'd never bothered to ask for specifics.

But with brute force, a single swing from Sig could snap a standard Navy soldier's sword in two—whether the soldier himself was cut in half depended on how close he stood!

Why didn't Sig's sword break?

Though it wasn't a famous or great blade, Sig had swapped weapons several times while fighting his way out of Mary Geoise. The one he kept was always the finest available—far sturdier and sharper than a common Navy sword.

Without ranged slashes or any knowledge of sword or martial arts schools, Sig's performance wasn't flashy or attention-grabbing. But if one watched closely, his kill efficiency was high.

"We are the Navy! Drop your weapons!"

"You damned slaves! Surrender now!"

"The Celestial Dragons' slaves must be recovered!"

"We have orders! If capture isn't possible, kill on sight!"

To avoid being targeted, Sig deliberately roamed the deck, doing his best to avoid officers in coats and focus on "clearing the mooks" as fast as possible.

After all, Sig knew he wasn't a master of swordsmanship or martial arts. Against a real fighter, he'd likely be outmatched. Better to use his physical strength to clear the ranks—that was his greatest contribution!

Blood splashed across Sig's face and body again and again. What started as a hint of fear gradually turned to excitement. Sig didn't know if this was a change in his personality from being suppressed too long, or an effect of the Divine Path.

Sig noticed D'Artagnan was locked in combat with an officer from a neighboring ship, their duel spanning the entire deck of that vessel.

"Blond swordsman D'Artagnan? I never thought that after failing to hunt down the third head of the Hunting Great Axe, you'd become a Celestial Dragon's slave... and now a pirate? The famous pirate hunter, turned pirate—how ironic!" The commodore, his face wearing an infuriating smile echoed by the grinning guard of his sword, taunted.

"And the Navy stoops to being the Celestial Dragons' lapdogs? Do you know what happens in Mary Geoise every day?" D'Artagnan swung a furious slash.

The Smiling Commodore raised his hand, his entire blade turning black as he blocked the strike. "What happens in Mary Geoise? Justice! The Navy exists to protect justice!"

Duang—

D'Artagnan lunged forward, their blades clashing. On the forecastle, the entire warship's bow dipped three feet under the force, the massive jolt sending several Navy soldiers tumbling into the sea...

"If only a commodore's head could fetch a bounty from pirates," D'Artagnan said coldly, staring at his opponent through the crossed blades.