A considerable pile of stones had already accumulated by the dock, and everyone had left. A Da and Burton had already moved two cannons onto the deck. After asking how to adjust their angles, Vic began figuring them out.
The pirate ship was not yet within range, so Vic wanted to get the cannons figured out first and give the pirates a real thrashing.
By the time the pirate ship came within range, all the cannons on the ship had been moved onto the deck and lined up in a row, facing the distant sea.
Vic fired a cannon toward the pirate ship at a forty-five-degree angle. He missed, hitting the water beside the ship and sending up a splash. The pirates aboard got a huge fright; the shot had nearly hit their ship.
With A Da and Burton helping him load, Vic fired each cannon once. Every shot missed, and he made adjustments as he went.
The pirates were terrified. Although none of the shots had hit, they had all landed close. Their captain, Bradric, was extremely anxious. He was not afraid of a head-on fight, but he feared their ship would sink before they could get ashore.
Bradric shouted, "Get those sails up, now! The rest of you, grab some oars and row! Get us ashore quickly, or we'll all end up in the water if the ship gets hit!"
"And you lot, bring the cannons up and return fire!" he roared at several lackeys beside him. But before he had finished speaking, a cannonball blasted the ship's mainmast in two. The mast fell on two men, and blood seeped from the corners of their mouths. Their eyes rolled back, and they passed out.
Bradric jumped in fright. The mast had fallen right beside him and had nearly crushed him. He raged, "You idiots, don't sail in a straight line! Go faster! Stop moving the cannons, our ship's done for! We're going to take that cargo ship, so we can't damage it!"
"Yeah!!!" the lackeys shouted.
I'm the mighty Iron Fist Bradric, with a bounty of five million Beli! I answered the Pirate King's call and went to sea to find the One Piece. There's no way I can fall here! Once I get ashore, I'll kill the one firing those cannons with my own hands and show him how terrifying I am.
The shore drew closer and closer. Although the ship was not sailing in a straight line, several cannonballs still struck the deck, wounding several lackeys.
"Captain, I don't think this ship can hold out much longer. We should get ready to swim over," Bert, the ship's second-in-command, suggested.
"Swim over? Wouldn't that make us lambs to the slaughter? No way."
"Captain, how about this? We swim over and pretend to be captured. Both of us have bounties, so they won't kill us right away. Then we strike without warning. With our abilities, it won't be hard to fight our way out." He turned and glanced at the lackeys rowing the ship. "As for them, they'll have to fend for themselves," Bert said calmly.
Bert had originally been a bounty hunter. To find the One Piece, he had joined forces with Bradric, and they had gathered a group of men to form this pirate crew. He was not as strong as Bradric, so he could only settle for second place. His bounty had now reached three million Beli as well.
"Wait a little longer. We'll jump into the sea when the ship really can't hold out anymore. For now, let's get as far as we can," Bradric said after some thought.
When Vic saw that the ship was not sailing in a straight line, he knew it would be hard to sink it with the cannons, but he kept firing anyway, occasionally landing a hit. A short while later, the ship was already a hundred meters away.
Vic glanced at the few cannonballs left, then at the pirate ship less than a hundred meters away. A cold smile appeared on his face, and he went straight off the ship to the pile of stones.
He picked up a stone and hefted it, then spread his legs and hurled it at the pirate ship, punching a hole in its side.
The corners of Vic's mouth curled up. The result was pretty good. His throwing-knife practice had not been for nothing; he was far more accurate than the cannons. Things he held in his hand still gave him a better feel.
He told A Da and Burton to pick up stones for him while he rapidly threw them at the pirate ship. He looked every bit like a little Garp.
While Vic was throwing stones, the mayor arrived at the dock with the security team and saw that Vic had already blasted holes all over the pirate ship.
"Hahaha, well done, Vic! That pirate ship is already finished! You've grown so strong! Your parents would be delighted if they knew," Mayor Andre said with a laugh, though he was a little saddened afterward.
Orens had been his secretary and had worked with him for more than ten years. They had been very close, and he was also gratified to see how much Vic had grown.
Vic turned to look at the group behind him and smiled at the man in front. "Uncle Andre, you're here. That pirate ship can't hold out much longer. I reckon the pirates will jump into the sea and swim over. Have everyone spread out and guard the shore. We can't let a single one escape."
"All right, we'll do it your way. Everyone, spread out, draw your weapons, and guard the area. If any pirates resist, kill them on the spot," Andre agreed, then said coldly to the security team.
Vic watched Andre arrange the security team, then had A Da and Burton bring over the remaining cannonballs.
By then, the pirate ship was less than fifty meters from shore and battered to pieces. The pirates aboard had been stunned by the bombardment. There was a little monster on this island! Could they still survive if they went ashore? The pirates were growing uneasy.
Bradric and Bert exchanged a glance and nodded.
They now knew the people on the island were not easy to deal with and were preparing to appear weak before the enemy.
Vic picked up a cannonball, glanced at the pirate ship, and hurled it over. The cannonball exploded on impact with the hull. After three cannonballs, the ship came to a stop and slowly began to sink. The pirates all jumped into the sea and swam toward shore.
Just then, Rebecca arrived at the dock, moving so fast that Andre saw only a shadow before she reached Vic's side.
Andre was astonished. Rebecca was quite strong, as expected of her daughter.
After receiving word, Rebecca had grabbed their weapons and rushed over as fast as she could. Her chest was now rising and falling rapidly, and she was breathing lightly through her slightly parted lips.
Rebecca held Vic's sword out to him and said breathlessly, "Vic, here's your sword."
Then she turned to look at the sinking ship and pursed her lips slightly. "The ship's almost sunk. Why did you call me over? To watch the fun?"
Hearing Rebecca's words, Andre chimed in, "Rebecca, you can't put it that way. The best pirates are the ones dealt with at sea. Once they come ashore, they'll be harder to handle. With so many people in a melee, there are bound to be casualties. This is the best outcome, and it's all thanks to Vic."
Vic added, "How was I supposed to know this pirate crew was so weak? A few cannonballs and stones were enough to cripple them."
Vic had thought that pirates would all have some special moves to knock cannonballs down, like the Straw Hat Pirates, who would not let cannonballs get close to them.
The mouths of everyone nearby except Rebecca twitched. He was actually complaining that the pirates were too weak. How bizarre.
Actually, Vic and Rebecca could not be blamed for this. Having trained for so long, they also wanted to see what level they had reached and how they compared to pirates. It would have been a little test.
But Vic had been too cautious and had sunk their ship outright. Everyone on shore had guns, so the pirates could only surrender if they did not want to drown.
The pirates came ashore one by one and were held at gunpoint, tied up, and gathered together.
The pirates also looked at the people tying them up, their gazes falling especially on Vic, fear in their eyes. They had never heard of anyone throwing cannonballs barehanded. While they were at sea, they had all seen this boy firing cannons and throwing stones.
If Vic had known what they were thinking, he would surely have said that there was an old man in Foosha Village who did this all the time. Even the Pirate King had been helpless against him and could only flee everywhere. What Vic had done was nothing compared to that.
The mayor and the security team were all excited. Capturing so many pirates this time was a major accomplishment.
The mayor had Bradric and Bert brought before him. He looked at the tall, burly man wearing a captain's hat, then at the man beside him with a sword at his waist, and felt that both looked somewhat familiar.
Still uneasy about the two of them, he said solemnly to Rebecca, "Rebecca, go and take the sword from that man's waist."
He was afraid it would not be safe to send anyone else. Rebecca was much stronger than the others.
What no one saw was that the two men had drawn small knives with their hands behind their backs and were cutting through the ropes. They had prepared them in advance for this very moment.
One might ask how ropes could still bind people in the world of pirates, and why they needed knives to cut them. Couldn't they just snap the ropes?
They really couldn't. Whether someone could snap ropes depended on the circumstances; ropes really could bind people. When King Luffy first met Zoro, Zoro would have been shot dead while tied to a post if King Luffy had not blocked the bullets. He only escaped after getting his swords.
Did anyone think Bert could be stronger than Zoro? When Zoro first appeared, hadn't he dealt with pirates worth several million Beli as easily as if it were a game?
But back to the story.
Rebecca paid no attention to the group of tied-up pirates. Holding her sword in one hand, she strode over and stopped in front of the man.
The two exchanged a glance, each seeing the sharpness in the other's eyes, and knew the other was a swordsman.
Just then, Bert suddenly sprang into action. He forced apart the nearly severed ropes, swiftly drew the sword at his waist, and placed it on Rebecca's shoulder, its edge less than a centimeter from her neck.