Judging by their cannon accuracy and density of fire, these pirates were stronger than Skullsplitter's fleet.
Thirty medium-sized warships fired a salvo from a hundred and fifty cannons, delivering a density of fire that rivaled Rowan's fleet.
What was more, the pirate fleet had Zuluhed, the orc chieftain of the Dragonmaw Clan.
Had Rowan not recruited Archmage Rhonin for this return voyage, the journey would have been another bloodbath.
It just went to show that in wartime, the more reliable fighting strength you had, the better.
A hundred and eighty cannons fired in unison. Fire meteors streaked across the sky, and deep explosions thundered without end.
On Rowan's side, Rhonin's Arcane Shield neutralized roughly forty percent of the cannon fire. Although the remaining shots had a high hit rate, their warships were far harder to sink than the pirate vessels. After one exchange of fire, only a few ships in the fleet had suffered minor damage.
Captain Lau scowled, pointing his left hand at the enemy fleet as he cursed, "Greenskin, hurry! Kill that mage!"
"Shut your mouth!" The Sea Elemental spat a mouthful of seawater at Lau, blasting him into the sea.
Zuluhed had thought this naval battle would be an easy slaughter. A few elemental spells would be all it took for Lau's fleet, lying in ambush behind them, to wipe out every last Norwington Family warship.
Unfortunately, Zuluhed's luck could not have been worse.
On the vast, boundless sea, he had actually run into his lifelong nemesis-Rhonin.
Zuluhed had previously gone to great lengths to flee Southshore for Freehold, finally escaping the Kirin Tor's pursuit. After arriving in Freehold, he had met his former subordinate Kulrag. Following a discussion, the two had decided to rely on Freehold's pirates to carry out the next stage of their plan.