Small vessels naturally had an advantage in maneuverability, as anyone who had sailed the seas knew.
Under these conditions, they would only move faster. Large ships had no hope of catching them.
Major gave the order in a calm voice.
"Stop the ship. End the pursuit."
Glasses Man's eyes went wide when he heard that.
Only one thought remained in his mind: the mission was going to fail.
That bastard Nelson wouldn't listen to his excuses.
He would probably be in for hell when he returned.
His orders were to salvage the situation, no matter what.
The little girl had to be recovered. That order was absolute.
But if they stopped the ship now, how was he supposed to keep chasing her?
"Major, why are we stopping?"
"Don't you realize what will happen if we stop?"
Major stood before him, his manner frighteningly cold.
Major knew perfectly well that the Calm Belt was no place to fool around.
Getting in was easy. Getting out was hard, and everyone aboard could lose their lives.
"If we keep pursuing them, we'll enter the Calm Belt."
Glasses Man's temper flared.
But Glasses Man didn't care about any of that. All he knew was that the little girl was gone, and he would pay dearly for it.
"So what?"
"Get after them, now."
"Do you still not understand how serious this is?"
"If we lose her, how are you going to explain it to Nelson?"
Cold sweat streamed down Major's face.
He clenched his fists. A captain's duty wasn't to follow a madman to his death.
"I'll find a way to explain it to him."
"But I absolutely cannot let my men and my fleet perish at sea."
"That's my duty as captain."
"Whatever you say, this is as far as we go."
Meanwhile,