Actually, things hadn't been that complicated.
At the time, Miss Gongsun Qing was appearing in a movie as the leading lady for the first time in her life. Standing atop a tall mast, she waved her sword and sang, convinced she'd reached the peak of her acting career. She looked down at the scene on the ship's deck. A crowd of extras playing soldiers in the Aoduo Empire's navy scattered in terror under her imposing presence, while her pirate companions beat them back step by step.
In that moment, she felt as though she'd arrived at the Yagemi Awards, about to lift the Best Actress trophy.
The actors performing opposite her, the onlookers along the shore, even the crew nearby—all of them were an audience applauding and cheering for her.
Miss Gongsun Qing was riding high. Still, she hadn't forgotten that, according to the script, the pirate queen at the peak of her life was about to be struck by a navy sniper, and the situation would instantly take a turn for the worse.
...Wait, that plot didn't seem very logical. When she'd read the script, Gongsun Qing had told the director that boarding actions were common, and a captain might certainly lead the charge to raise morale. But in the middle of such a chaotic battle, wouldn't a captain climbing to the highest point to rally the troops make herself a perfect target? That was a classic case of more risk than reward. What kind of commander would be that stupid?
Of course, if the commander's personal prowess was so overwhelming that nobody could match her, that would be another matter. But judging by the situation so far, that clearly wasn't the case.
So what was the point of having the pirate captain stand on the mast? Where was