Chapter 227

Chapter 227 Victory

A cannonball aiming for Jackdaw flew past the gunwale and landed onto the water . The cannoneer on Miranda was so frustrated that he slapped the bow chaser . This was the fifth time he missed his target . It had never happened to him before . Not only did Jackdaw manage to dodge the attack, but as if taunting them, they also successfully hit Miranda with their chase gun .

Ford could feel that it was going to be a big challenge to deal with them this time . They were like mudskippers that always slipped away from their hands, no matter how hard they tried to grasp it . It was no wonder they were known as one of the best pirate crews in Nassau . They were bloody good at what they did . Even in this critical situation, they were still alive and kicking . However, certain things couldn’t be solved by courage alone—things like Jackdaw’s damage . They were also a lot faster, and the moment Miranda pulled up to them, they would be able to fire their side cannons .

By that time, Jackdaw would be greeted by death, whether they wanted it or not . That was why Ford wasn’t too worried when his cannoneer missed their target . The sailors on Miranda started to loosen up as well . Coral Island was different from Parrot Island . It was smaller, and there wasn’t a tall ridge running through it . The land was unobstructed except for a small forest in the middle . After circling half the island, the chief officer was confident that no other pirate ships were hiding there .

It appeared that Jackdaw and her crew had run out of options, and they were forced to sail into a hidden reef zone . Just like what Ford said, their ship would be safe from scraping the reefs as long as they followed right behind them . A couple of old and experienced sailors were on Miranda, and they had been through many battles with countless pirates . These were cunning and crafty old sea dogs . Defeating so many pirates was enough to prove that they were no ordinary folk . Their experience taught them to be extremely sensitive to any threats that approached them .

Until now, they didn’t notice anything fishy . Victory against Jackdaw was within their grasp . Just as Ford started drowning himself in joy, he felt his ship shudder violently . Many sailors were caught off guard and fell off balance .

“What’s going on?!” asked Ford .

“Captain, I think our ship hit a reef,” said the chief officer .

“Of course, I know we hit something! You don’t need to tell me that . I’m asking, how is it possible that we hit the hidden reef?!”

Ford lost all calm and had started shouting furiously . He then pointed at Jackdaw .

“They just passed this place as well! Why didn’t they hit the reef?!”

“About that…”

The chief officer was left speechless . The ship had started taking in water as they were arguing . Having hit a rather high shoal, it scraped open a large gash under the hull . The hole was too big to be fixed, and soon, Miranda started to list before finally stopping at 30 degrees . Just before they could do anything, they heard cannons being fired at them .

The pirates asked to stay on the island had been waiting for this moment for far too long . Miranda colliding with the reef was their signal to open fire .

Lady Fortuna must have missed her mark, and Ford wasn’t in luck today . Cannonballs rained on Miranda during the first round of attack . Their sailors stumbled again as their ship was pattered by the relentless firing from the shore . The chief officer was shouting orders, attempting to gather all available cannoneers to return fire . Unfortunately, Miranda was at an angle where the beach was out of reach of its cannons . At most, their shells could only reach the beach . They simply didn’t have the range to attack the enemies that were hiding in the woods, no matter how hard they tried .

At the same time, Ford shouted and ordered his men to adjust the mainsail with the hope of getting his ship away from the place . Unfortunately, it yielded no result . His bulging eyes were bloodshot, and the veins on his neck popped out . No matter how hard he screamed, he couldn’t stop Miranda from sinking .

“Captain . It’s time to abandon ship!” cried the chief officer desperately with tears in his eyes as he embraced Ford .

Ford was unable to accept that this was happening to him . The whole thing was puzzling . Only a few minutes ago, Miranda was slated for a sure win in this battle . Within the blink of an eye, everything changed dramatically . This was the second time Ford dealt with Zhang Heng . Supposedly, Jackdaw had lost all her advantage . However, today’s outcome was worse than in the previous battle . At that time, Ford had to retreat due to the weather, something he didn’t have control over . Now, he had no excuse . The haggard man was embarrassed and disgraced . They hadn’t even touched Jackdaw, and they had already started sinking .

How did Jackdaw pass the hidden reefs undamaged?

Where did the attack come from?

Who was working together with Jackdaw to attack them?

These were questions Ford couldn’t answer . It was indeed a peculiar battle . Disgraced and demoralized, the crew could take it no more, hence jumping into the sea one after another .

… . .

Ford had no recollection of being dragged down the ship by his chief officer all the way to the beach . By the time he regained consciousness, he was greeted by guns pointed at him . The survivors from Miranda were huddled together on the beach, trying to tell each other that everything was going to be okay . With their heads bowed, they were waiting for fate’s judgment .

Once the battle was over, Zhang Heng rowed to Coral Island on a small boat . Billy was so excited that he ran up to Zhang Heng when he spotted him .

“This is a tremendous victory for us! Other than a pirate getting hurt while capturing the sailors, everyone else is fine . However, we spent a lot of ammunition to complete this mission . I tried my best to ask our men to conserve it, but it seems many grudges are buried within their hearts . Luckily, they managed to stop in time . The Miranda is still intact . I have sent someone of our men to see what they have on board . ”

“Great . ”

Looking at a dejected Ford, Zhang Heng wasn’t surprised by the outcome . The Miranda’s fate was sealed the moment she took the bait and decided to pursue Jackdaw . The fighting part wasn’t that complicated . The complicated part was getting Miranda to take the bait . Now that victory was claimed, Jackdaw’s food and water problem were solved .

Zhang Heng was also surprised that he managed to capture Miranda’s captain and chief officer . In other words, he could extract valuable information about Worden’s plan, the number of ships they had, the direction they were heading, and the rendezvous point . This could greatly help in their safe return to Nassau .

“Look for a quiet place . I want to interrogate them . ”

“Understood . ”