Chapter 226

Chapter 226 Crossing Paths

The previous battle ended less than a day ago, and now, Jackdaw was already preparing for the next fight . None of the the crew complained, though . The pirates were in deep frustration about the previous battle . Most were drunk silly, and they didn’t know what happened to them . All they knew was that the navy suddenly appeared and started attacking nonstop . Having so many pirates around, the navy and pirate hunters should have had a challenging enemy, but unfortunately, the obscene amount alcohol the pirates consumed rendered them useless .

No one could accept losing such a lopsided battle . That was why everyone snapped out from their misery the moment Zhang Heng said he wanted to attack one of the enemy ships . They were reignited by the prospect of taking all their food and water before returning to Nassau . After witnessing what Zhang Heng had done for them and the ship, Jackdaw’s pirates now had absolute trust and faith in him . They would forge a path ahead even if it meant death awaited them .

Without wasting any time, the pirates doubled their efforts and dismounted all the cannons from the ship in the shortest time possible . Only the chase gun was left on board . Other than the artillery, they moved their entire supply of food and water to the island as well . Some even went around the cabins to dismount everything that could lighten the ship . When everything was done, Zhang Heng kept twenty men with him to operate the vessel .

There was practically nothing left on board, save for some food rations that could last them half a day . In exchange for amenities, the ship’s draft had reduced significantly and was now literally sitting on the very surface of the water .

…… . .

The target came into sight faster than anticipated . Jackdaw had only departed the island for less than two hours, and already, the watchers spotted a ship from afar heading for them full speed ahead . Zhang Heng’s deductions were right . The navy would leave no stone unturned, making sure that not a single pirate would leave this place alive . Destroying five ships wasn’t enough for Worden . Though they had the upper hand, Jackdaw still managed to escape . Such a humiliating outcome was unacceptable for the likes of Worden .

When the storm was over, Worden instantly sent some men to pursue Jackdaw . Zhang Heng knew these people . They were the two armored ships that came after him earlier, one of them being Miranda . It was the ship that persevered till the very end, not letting up until they were forced to turn around after the storm got worse .

Although Worden didn’t say anything about losing the target, Ford found this an unacceptable outcome as captain . This was his first time letting his prey slip away ever since becoming a pirate hunter . Accordingly, he quickly volunteered to join the hunting team . Ford intended to sink Jackdaw as proof that he was the best pirate hunter around these waters .

However, when he was told that every ship had to choose a different direction, Ford didn’t have much hope that he would cross paths with Jackdaw again . To his surprise, the goddess Fortuna had once again showered her blessings upon him . They had stumbled upon the one that got away . The moment Ford spotted Jackdaw, he quickly ordered his men into a combat-ready status . This time, he swore he would never let his prey escape his sight anymore .

At the same time, Zhang Heng also saw Miranda charging towards them . Putting down his monocular in hand, he declared with confidence, “Let’s stick to the plan . ”

After the chase ensued fo a while, Ford noticed that Jackdaw had released their topsail to increase speed . However, that seemed ineffective as there were holes in the fabric . Ford figured their topsail might have been damaged during their previous battle, and wondered why they didn’t fix it . Anyhow, this explained why Miranda caught up with Jackdaw a lot faster than expected . According to Ford’s calculations, he estimated that he would need at least a full day to catch up with them .

This early encounter gave Ford a pleasant surprise . He wasn’t interested in knowing what had happened to Jackdaw . All he wanted to do right now was to destroy them . Since Ford became captain, his Miranda was one of the fastest ships around this area, almost as fast as Jackdaw . Now that it was in a bad shape, it was time for Miranda to shine .

The invincible Jackdaw was now running away from it, and they had become the hunted . Ford instantly noticed the prowess of Jackdaw’s helmsman when they escaped the navy earlier . Just like that time, Jackdaw didn’t disappoint . Only that now, there was a huge difference in speed . Soon, Miranda would catch up with Jackdaw .

Standing at the bow, he could spot Jackdaw’s pirates working nonstop with the naked eye . His blood started boiling with excitement . Like most pirate hunters, Ford used to be in the navy . Not too long after joining the force, he was hired as captain for a merchant ship . Through that, he managed to earn himself a handsome amount of money . Most pirate hunters who chose that line of work had been robbed by pirates before . Their resentment and grudges towards the sea bandits turned them to pirate hunting . They hoped to end the menace for good . Ford was different, though . He had never been plundered by pirates before .

Ford chose the life of a pirate hunter simply because he craved adventure . Other than the bountiful reward and glory that came along with the job, becoming a pirate hunter reminded him of hunting with his father in the woods when he was still a kid . He always enjoyed a good fight with his prey . Words could never descibe the satisfaction gained after killing his victim . All that money aside, this wasn’t something he could experience being a merchant ship captain .

“Captain Ford, there’s an island dead ahead!” said the chief officer .

“Eh?”

“According to the charts, it’s Coral Island . ”

The chief officer then paused before continuing .

“Do you think they fled here on purpose?”

“For what?”

The chief officer didn’t know the answer to the question . After the pirates used Parrot Island to ambush the Spanish treasure ship, the chief officer became cautious whenever he saw an island . However, after putting some thought into it, the he realized that Jackdaw couldn’t afford to ambush them . Five out of six pirate ships were destroyed in this operation, with Jackdaw the only survivor . Even if they wanted to ambush them, they had no allies for support .

“On the charts, I see that this area has been marked high-risk . There are many shallow reefs around the entire pleace . Could they, perhaps, intend to lure us there, and run us aground? We’ll be stranded if we hit the shoals . ”

“Regarding this… well, I don’t think they had time to explore this area . Unless someone on their ship is familiar with this place, it will be even riskier for them if they run into those reefs . However, it appears we won’t have to test our luck . Have the helmsman follow them closely . We will move directly behind, following their path . If there’s anything to hit, they’ll hit it before us . ”

Ford paused a while then harrumphed,

“Previously, they tried to use the storm to make us retreat . This time, they use hidden reefs to scare us off! Do they really think that we are a bunch of cowards? I will quit pirate hunting if they manage to flee from us again!”