On the enormous raft out at sea, Blackbeard took another deep swig of liquor, his eyes turning thoughtful. The raft was nearly out of booze. To him, the fighting had dragged on too long. Neither the battle to seize the warship, where Lafitte and the other two were fighting, nor Burgess's fight in the town had reached a conclusion.
It made him anxious. If he had been treating this as a bit of fun at first, that mood was gone now. He was growing impatient, and for some reason, he had a bad feeling. He just wanted the fighting over as soon as possible.
"Augur! Looks like they won't be finishing anytime soon. How about giving them a hand? I've been waiting long enough, and I get the feeling nothing good will come of dragging this out." Blackbeard turned to the expressionless "Soundless" Van Augur beside him and spoke in a low voice.
At Blackbeard's words, "Soundless" Van Augur looked toward the fierce fighting aboard the warship. Lafitte and Catarina Devon were both attacking relentlessly, while the Marine Vice Admirals were mainly on the defensive.
A sharp glint flashed in his eyes. "These Marine Vice Admirals aren't trading blows with Lafitte and the others. Even when Lafitte's side leaves an opening, they don't press the attack. It looks like the Marines are stalling for time."
"Stalling for time?" Blackbeard froze for a moment, then caught on. He narrowed his eyes at the battle unfolding aboard the warship. After a few breaths, he too noticed something wrong with the way the Marine Vice Admirals were fighting. Even Onigumo, a Vice Admiral known for his combat prowess, was holding his ground and blocking Lafitte's attacks. No matter how fast Lafitte was, surely Onigumo would at least try to attack.
"Zehahaha! Those Marines