"Go through those two reefs?"
The helmsman looked in the direction Roger pointed, his face turning pale with fright.
The distance between those two reefs seemed even narrower than the hull of the sea serpent.
Moreover, the current below was swift; one careless bump would mean the ship's destruction and everyone's death!
"Brother... this... this is too dangerous!"
The helmsman's voice was trembling.
"Execute the order!" Roger's tone was beyond doubt.
"Do as he says!" Barbossa roared from the side.
He had already witnessed Roger's abilities, and though his heart was pounding, he chose to trust him unconditionally.
The helmsman gritted his teeth and could only exert all his strength to turn the helm.
The bow of the sea serpent turned, accurately rushing towards that narrow gap.
Everyone held their breath, clutching tightly to anything they could grab.
The reefs on both sides of the ship sped past, their sharp edges almost scraping the hull, and one could even hear the grating sound of wood being scratched.
"We made it! We made it through!"
When the ship successfully passed through the gap and entered a relatively open stretch of water, a suppressed cheer erupted on the deck.
But this was just the beginning.
Over the next few hours, Roger, like the most brilliant chess player, commanded the sea serpent, this chess piece, to maneuver and shift across the deadly chessboard of Razor Reef.
He always found seemingly impossible routes, utilizing the strength of every undercurrent, skillfully avoiding all fatal traps.
The crew members went from being initially terrified to becoming numb, and finally, only deep shock and admiration remained.
They no longer tried to understand why.
They simply mechanically executed every one of Roger's commands.
In their hearts, Roger was no longer a man; he was the God of the Sea.
Finally, at dusk.
The sea serpent stopped in a bay surrounded by three massive rocks.
It was extremely secluded; the situation inside was completely invisible from the outside.
"Alright, we've arrived." Roger let out a long breath.
"The shipwreck is here?" Barbossa asked excitedly.
"No." Roger shook his head,
"The shipwreck is still about two nautical miles from here; we need to use a small boat to get there."
"This is just our hiding spot for the ship."
Barbossa suddenly understood, admiring Roger's caution even more.
Just as they were about to lower the small boat, the pirate in the crow's nest suddenly let out a terrified shriek.
"Captain! A ship!"
"It's a Spanish patrol ship! They're heading our way!"
What?
Everyone's faces changed drastically.
Barbossa scrambled up the mast in one swift movement, picked up his spyglass, and looked.
Indeed!
At the entrance of the bay, a two-masted patrol ship flying the Spanish flag was steadily approaching.
It seemed they were just on a routine patrol and hadn't yet discovered the sea serpent hiding in the bay.
But if they came any closer, they would definitely be exposed.
"Damn! That kid was right!"
Barbossa cursed, slid down the mast, and paced anxiously like an ant on a hot pan.
"What do we do? If they block us here, we'll be trapped like turtles in a jar!"
This patrol ship was larger than the sea serpent, and its cannons were at least double theirs.
Once battle began, they had no chance of winning.
"Don't panic." Roger remained calm.
"We are in the dark, they are in the light; the advantage is on our side."
He glanced at the surrounding terrain, and a bold plan quickly formed in his mind.
"Captain, follow my command; we'll fight them."
"Fight? How do we fight?"
"We have fewer cannons, and our ship is smaller!"
Barbossa was somewhat anxious.
"If we have fewer cannons, we'll find a way to make every shot hit the most critical spot."
"If the ship is small, it has the advantages of being small."
A glint of wisdom flashed in Roger's eyes.
"This battle, we'll fight with our brains."
He walked over to Barbossa, lowered his voice, and quickly explained his plan.
The more Barbossa listened, the wider his eyes grew.
"This... can this work? It's too risky!"
Roger said nothing.
Barbossa looked at Roger's confident eyes, then at the spanish warship getting closer outside the bay, and abruptly gritted his teeth.
"Let's do it! We'll go with your plan!"
Soon, under Roger's command, the pirates on the sea serpent began to busy themselves quietly.
They concentrated all the ship's cannons on the starboard side and replaced the cannonballs with chain-shot specifically designed to destroy sails and rigging.
Then, the sea serpent quietly sailed out of its hiding bay, actively heading towards the Spanish patrol ship.
"Sir! Pirate ship spotted!"
The spanish warship quickly spotted them too.
"A single-masted sailboat? Foolish creatures!"
The Spanish captain sneered and ordered.
"Full speed ahead, prepare for boarding! I'll hang the heads of these pirates from the mast!"
The spanish warship immediately accelerated, rushing towards the sea serpent.
As the two ships drew closer, just as the spanish warship was preparing to adjust its angle to attack with its broadside cannons, Roger suddenly gave an order.
"Hard to starboard! Full speed ahead!"
"Target, the waterway behind it!"
The sea serpent made a sharp turn, abandoning a head-on confrontation with the enemy ship, and instead rushed towards an even narrower, reef-strewn waterway beside it.
"They're trying to escape! Chase them!"
The Spanish captain ordered disdainfully.
The spanish warship, relying on its sturdy hull, also plunged into that waterway.
But once inside, the Spanish captain realized something was wrong.
This waterway was too narrow; their massive ship couldn't turn flexibly here at all.
Yet, the small pirate ship, like a slippery loach, weaved freely among the reefs.
"Oh no! We've fallen into a trap!"
The Spanish captain's face changed dramatically.
But it was already too late.
Just then, the sea serpent, which had been fleeing ahead, suddenly performed an astonishing maneuver that none of the Spanish sailors understood.
In the narrow waterway, it suddenly swung its stern, its bow almost scraping a reef, forcefully turning its hull sideways.
Then, it aimed its starboard side, with all its concentrated firepower, at the bow of the spanish warship!
"Fire!" Roger roared.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Several chain-shots whistled out, and at extremely close range, accurately covered the entire bow of the spanish warship.
Masts snapped, sails were torn to shreds, and rigging flew everywhere.
The spanish warship instantly lost power and direction, like a bull with its head cut off, crashing head-on into a nearby reef.
"Rumble!"
With a loud crash, the ship violently shook, and countless Spanish sailors were thrown into the sea.
The pirates on the deck watched this scene, all stunned.
They... won?
With a small ship, almost unscathed, they crippled a warship more powerful than their own?
What kind of tactic was this?
Everyone looked at the young man standing at the bow, calmly directing everything, with eyes full of reverence as if he were a god.