"The wind is picking up!"
On the once-calm sea, a light breeze began to blow, rapidly intensifying into a fierce gale.
A powerful current surged in from all directions. In the blink of an eye, the sea level rose by two or three meters.
The sails of the ships billowed out.
All the racers sprang into action.
"Hey, keep an eye on the current!"
"Hoist the yards!"
"It's coming! We have to get a good position!"
The roar of the wind and the crashing of the waves drowned out their voices—
WHOOSH!
The wind howled, and the waves lifted the heavy hull of the Empress, pushing it forward.
"Hey! What are those guys doing?"
"They're blocking the river!"
"What a bunch of dirty bastards!"
Up ahead, three sloops were lined up side-by-side, blocking the path. The pirates on board grinned, laughing maniacally.
"You're not getting past us, assholes!"
"We'll finish you right here!"
"You arrogant little shit! Time to die!"
"Wait a minute... that's strange. I don't see a single crewman on that ship. Did they get scared and run away?"
Inside the conning tower, Jin observed the situation. The demonic carrier was completely under his and Ai's control; it didn't need a crew. Wilson and the others were on standby in the ship's internal space, ready for deployment.
"Master, a ship is approaching, fifty meters astern," Ai reported.
"Ignore them. Take out the ones in front first."
BOOOOOOOOOM!
WHOOSH!
The ship behind them opened fire.
Cannonballs screamed through the air. The sound was deafening, the air thick with smoke.
On the shore, the pirates who had gathered to watch all gasped.
"This is insane!"
"He's caught between them! He's done for!"
"Even if he can withstand the attacks, the current will just smash his ship against the cliffs!"
No one was betting on the ship with the black dragon flag. Not only was it unknown, but its captain was a complete rookie...
Who would be foolish enough to back them?
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
Cannonballs crashed into the water, sending up massive plumes of spray. Two of them landed on the deck and were simply swallowed.
The first wave of attacks had been neutralized.
No one noticed that the bow of the Empress was narrowing, transforming into a razor-sharp blade as it was propelled forward by the wind and the current.
"HE'S SPEEDING UP!"
"WAIT, HE'S GOING TO RAM US!"
"HEY! IS HE CRAZY??"
"OPEN FIRE! STOP HIM!"
The pirates on the three ships opened fire with their rifles.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
A hail of bullets rained down.
But it was useless.
The wind was too strong. The already slow-moving flintlock rounds were blown right back at them, and several pirates were hit.
At the same time, Jin commanded, "—Fire spore interference shells!"
The demonic carrier sprayed out a massive, multi-colored cloud of gas. It was composed of mushroom spores.
The cloud completely obscured the view.
CRASH!
The demonic carrier slammed into the three sloops. The one in the middle was violently sliced in two, its hull splintering into a thousand pieces.
The pirates who fell into the water were sucked into the carrier's hull. The other two ships were swallowed by the massive "mouths" that had opened on the carrier's sides as it passed.
Thanks to the spore cloud, no one saw a thing.
When the cloud dissipated, the three ships were gone. All that remained were a few splintered pieces of wood, carried up the mountain by the current.
And the Empress, completely unscathed.
"He... HE TOOK THEM OUT!"
"What happened?"
"What just happened?"
"In an instant, all three ships were gone! Did he just smash them to pieces?"
"Damn... that was brutal!"
"So that's the confidence of a man who bets a hundred million on himself."
"Who the hell is that guy?"
On the shore, the pirates were in a state of shock.
The ship that had been chasing the Empress was also stunned, no longer daring to get any closer and maintaining a safe distance.
—————————
Inside the carrier's hull, a battle was raging.
Wilson was leading his men, cutting down the pirates who had been swallowed.
It wasn't that the carrier couldn't have dealt with them. But real combat was the best way to train the crew.
This was one of the reasons Jin had entered the race.
With the obstacles out of the way, the Empress smoothly ascended the current, climbing toward the summit. On the buildings lining the riverbanks, pirates and residents alike cheered.
Soon, the ships from the other rivers came into view.
There was the Fish-Man Willy's Flying Shark, with a massive, rounded ram at its bow, designed for smashing other ships.
There were the giants—Bobby and Pogo—on their two-man vessel, the Fisherman, one manning the sail and the other at the helm.
But the most eye-catching of all was Gasparde's Salamander.
Its massive hull was a full size larger than the other pirate ships. A straight, tall smokestack belched thick, black smoke. The billowing sail still bore the mark of the Marines, but a large, red "X" had been painted over it, giving it a sinister air.
"He's still in the race?" Gasparde stood at the prow, his gaze fixed on the black dragon flag. Needless' disappearance had him worried.
No one knew that he was the secret organizer of the "Race to the End of Death." It was just a little game he played to alleviate his boredom. And, as a bonus, it was a good way to recruit subordinates from among the "weaker" pirates.
Needless had been one of the winners of a previous race.
"Let's see what you've got," Gasparde said, his expression calm and confident.
"Look out! All the rivers are about to merge! Don't get hit!"
The rapidly ascending currents finally converged. The ships from the various rivers were now all in close proximity to one another.
According to the rules, they couldn't attack yet.
Not until...
The sea current crested the summit and became a hundred-meter-tall waterfall on the other side of the mountain, feeding into a wide river below.
The ships hung in the air for a moment, then plummeted down, crashing into the water with massive splashes.
The unlucky ones were smashed against the cliffs and rocks, their hulls splintering.
Those who made it through safely immediately sprang into action, either attacking the other ships with cannons or using various methods to speed down the river and out into the open sea.
The race had officially begun.
And it had become brutally intense.
The air was filled with smoke and cannon fire.
The Empress was now the clear target of everyone's aggression, a thorn in their side. A barrage of long-range attacks came hurtling toward it.
"Full speed ahead! Let's get out of here first! Once we're in the open sea, we can play with them."
Jin already had a plan. He wasn't afraid.
—————————
"WOOOOOOOOOOM..."
The demonic carrier let out a deep, soul-shaking roar, like the song of a whale from the depths of the ocean.
"What's that sound?"
"That's terrifying."
"Is it a Sea King?"
"It's giving me goosebumps."
The pirates were all stunned.
The demonic carrier's engine roared to life, steam surging as it unleashed a massive burst of power. The propeller spun, and the ship shot forward.
In the blink of an eye, it had overtaken a dozen other ships and was now in the lead, pulling farther and farther away until it was just a silhouette on the horizon.
"So fast!"
"Strange... what kind of ship is that?"
Gasparde's eyes turned cold. He hadn't even had time to react. The ship had just blown past him.
"So, someone worthy of my attention has finally arrived."
"Tell the engine room: full speed ahead. Don't let him get away—"
"YES, SIR!"
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