With a wild scream from his mouth.
Facing the rapid three swords coming at him, Zack, who had "transformed," completely changed his previously agile attack style, directly ignoring the approaching longsword, and charged at Aiven like a whirlwind with his scimitar.
With a posture of hard power collision, it seemed he had turned into a second Black Bear Billy, determined to perish together with Aiven.
This irrational reaction for an experienced swordsman was performed by Zack with absolute ease. Clearly, the strange potion that empowered Blood Anchor Zack also came with side effects.
The "blade wave" surged forward.
Aiven, however, couldn't compete with Zack in a contest of fearlessness. He swiftly withdrew his sword, moving like a small boat riding the waves backward. Though appearing dangerously, he navigated with ease.
Both were "monsters" with physical qualities far beyond ordinary humans; the limited space on the deck no longer constrained them, darting and dashing like agile monkeys.
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
After a brief clash, they clambered one after another onto the horizontal beam of the main mast, the "sail boom," clashing noisily as if fighting on a narrow bridge, truly a "narrow road encounter"!
Up here, not only is it difficult for ordinary people to stand firm, let alone fight, due to the narrow footing and the constant sway of the beam as the ship drifts in the sea.
But how could Aiven not consider this chosen battlefield to his advantage?
Although the main mast's beam is quite broad, able to hold at least twenty people, Zack, with his increased strength, inevitably saw his agility and reaction diminished, with the narrow footing perfectly limiting his movement.
On the contrary, for Aiven, who excelled in White Sail Swordsmanship and was most skilled in ship combat skills, this battlefield was as custom-made for him, perfectly described as "like a fish in water."
The master-level White Sail Swordsmanship endowed Aiven not only the ability to use [Secret Technique] but also an extraordinary level of balance!
At this moment, the entire four-tiered "sail boom" of the main mast and the sail ropes had turned into Aiven's stage.
With a figure as agile as an ape, darting up and down, his attack range and angle were always unexpected. The longsword flashed like lightning continuously across Zack's body. In a short amount of time, the once imposing Blood Anchor Zack was already covered in wounds, bleeding profusely.
But Zack seemed to feel no pain; even though his body was riddled with sword wounds, his expression remained unchanged, still taunting:
"Gah gah gah, boy, are you tickling me? Don't run, come over obediently and let Uncle Zack twist your head off!"
In response, Aiven's sword glinted even more sharply. He preferred to silence opponents with his sword than with words. Moreover, the unique terrain created a "target" with limited movement, allowing him to unleash his swordsmanship to its fullest.
Even though Zack was almost in a position of absolute disadvantage, his obsession kept his hatred locked firmly on Aiven, never intending to leap off the main mast to find a more favorable battlefield.
Instead, he climbed along the rigging, continually pursuing Aiven upward.
Perhaps, in his now overly simplistic mind, he believed that as long as he could catch Aiven once, he would quickly end him.
Zack chased Aiven all the way to the topmost layer of the main mast, at the "sail boom" of the highest sail, at least six stories high from the deck.
Now, in his eyes, there was only the hatred-locked MAX target, Aiven, completely ignoring the screams and cries for help continually coming from the pirate side below the main mast.
"Ah——!"
"Captain, save me!"
"Bang——bang——"
Indeed, although Captain Joseph's combat skills were average, he was a competent teammate. After Aiven diverted Zack, whose mind was clearly unclear, he began gathering his subordinates to command the crew to divide and surround the remaining pirates, crushing them with superior forces.
If it weren't for the initial chaos wrought by Zack and Kururu, with his command ability, things wouldn't have been so perilous. Had Aiven not stepped in, the battle might have ended long ago, albeit with him as the loser.
Now, having seized this opportunity, how could he not clear his shame?
...
On the "sail boom," the two men gazed at each other, engaging in the "final" showdown.
With their hems fluttering in the sea breeze, they appeared like masters in a duel, but in reality, it was extremely perilous.
Because at sea, with the perpetual wind and waves, even ordinary people on the lowest deck would sway, much less at nearly twenty meters high on the top of the main sail where the swing is even greater.
Even for experts like Aiven and Zack, almost at the peak of Apprentice Knight, falling from here would result in irreparable injury.
At this moment.
A gust of sea breeze blew through, causing Zack to slip slightly underfoot, nearly losing his footing. He hurriedly grabbed a rope to steady himself.
"Hahaha, Blood Anchor, are you afraid of heights? You can go down if you're afraid; I won't laugh at you!"
"Boy, you're courting death!"
Even as a seasoned old pirate captain, Blood Anchor had never done something as crazy as dueling atop a mast, but he was equally confident in his Sessi Scimitar Technique and "Divine Blood," convinced that even in such a location, victory would be his.
After all, even in the brief time talking, the sword wounds on his body had already started to close, and maybe in a few more minutes, they would be completely healed.
"Drink—!"
The blood-red cloak fluttered as Zack stepped forward and swung his blade first.
Aiven was not intimidated and unleashed his swordsmanship to the fullest without hesitation. Regardless of whether the opponent had any hidden cards or that the data visualization indicated the data collection was complete, Aiven only wanted an intense, exhilarating battle.
The clash of blade and sword continued, as their physical abilities were equally matched, making a swift victory unlikely. Aiven also noticed the abnormality on Zack's body, with his wounds healing rapidly.
But on this special battlefield, Aiven held the advantage, leaving Zack no chance for a leisurely recovery.
The intense melee continued in the air for another two minutes. Below, the sounds of yelling and killing had gradually quieted down. Aiven, slightly out of breath, glanced at their position on the "sail boom" and thought to himself, "The winner is decided!"
He no longer hesitated.
"Swish—"
Aiven advanced aggressively, a fierce thrust forcing Zack to withdraw his blade to defend. Unexpectedly, this time, Aiven didn't change moves as flexibly as before. Instead, he pushed with his feet, pressing his longsword against Zack's scimitar and fiercely collided with him.
With a sudden slip, Blood Anchor Zack realized he had been unknowingly forced to the end of the "sail boom" by Aiven.
And below was the hard deck, twenty meters down.
"No—!"
Watching Zack fall, Aiven silently thought, "Sorry, I ended up using a move outside of swordsmanship."
But then again, in battle, the sword in hand is swordsmanship, the footwork is swordsmanship, and the wisdom in mind is also swordsmanship. Who can say the planet's gravity isn't a form of swordsmanship too, right?
"Boom!"
The loud noise startled everyone on the deck. The ship's crew, who had just finished their own battles, didn't have time to focus on the duelists but soon realized that the formidable and unstoppable Blood Anchor Zack had fallen from the mainmast, hitting the deck hard.
His limbs twitched in grotesque angles, blood spraying like a burst tomato.
Without a doubt, the victor was their own Aiven.
As Zack fell, Aiven followed suit, using the ropes to gracefully descend.
"Step, step, step... step, step, step..."
On the now silent deck, the sound of Aiven's boots drew the admiring eyes of all crew members.
From top to bottom, everyone on the Yellow Crane stood at attention, saluting Aiven without evasion, as he accepted it with composure.
This era wasn't one for modest gentlemen of past lives. Being the key player in this battle, he rightfully deserved the associated honors and spoils.
At this moment, Blood Anchor Zack lay broken and bloody, bones shattered with countless fractures, still struggling to rise. As Aiven walked to a spot three steps away and stared into his venomous, crazed eyes, he remained silent without speaking.
After a moment's thought, Aiven stepped back two more steps, drew a short firearm from his waist, and with one last look of horror and malice from Zack, fired a scorching lead bullet into his forehead.
"Boom—!"
At the moment Zack fell.
A thick, bloody mist rose from his body, quickly spreading to cover a three-meter radius on the deck, corroding everything under its cover with a sinister hissing sound, be it iron swords, ropes, or wooden boards.
"Ah! It's witchcraft!"
"Don't go near, run!"
The onlookers retreated far away in a rush, looking at the distant Aiven with more respect.
What they didn't know was that Aiven had also quietly wiped cold sweat from his brow, secretly grateful for Grandpa Leo's wise teachings, to always hold back on the battlefield even when at an advantage, and to be cautious of enemy counterattacks when delivering a finishing blow.
Once the sea breeze dispersed the blood mist, the sight of Zack's shriveled, contorted corpse left everyone nauseous. Was this ghastly figure really the once-unstoppable Blood Anchor Zack?
Aiven had some guesses. This guy must have gotten his hands on some mysterious potion that could activate human potential and had strange self-healing abilities.
But he didn't know that such potions, which spur body potential, shouldn't be used excessively. Zack's previous pale, emaciated body must have been related to these potions, not to mention the eerie and tragic way he met his end — truly wicked!
"Mr. Aiven, are you okay?" The towering Captain Joseph approached Aiven with respect and bowed, showing none of a captain's typical reserve.
"I'm fine... hiss!" Only when he relaxed did Aiven notice he wasn't unscathed. There were bloody scratches under his ribs and on his left arm, stinging painfully with sweat.
"I brought some healing ointment; I'll handle it myself. Captain Joseph, no need to worry about me. You have much work ahead."
Following Aiven's gaze to the chaotic Yellow Crane, and the nearby drifting Black Sail Blood Anchor without anyone at the helm, Captain Joseph didn't insist on attending to Aiven and merely invited him to rest in his cabin.
Soon after, Captain Joseph issued orders.
The crew of the Yellow Crane each took on their responsibilities: gathering the bodies of fallen comrades, cleaning the deck, repairing the ship, and dispatching personnel to tally the spoils on the Blood Anchor, all busy yet orderly.
By now, the sun had tilted, casting long shadows over the ships on the sea surface, drawing this naval battle to a close.