Chapter 225
Jackdaw no longer suffered the lack of staff after all the pirates sobered up . The ship’s cannons could finally be put to good use . As for its condition, most of the cracks and holes had been hastily patched up, and she could move normally again . Although not the best option, restoring it to its mint state would take ages, not to mention needing a dry dock . Right now, there weren’t any materials left to fix it . Any further repairs would have to wait until they returned to Nassau .
In the jerry-rigged state that the Jackdaw was in, they would certainly meet their end if they engaged in another battle . This time around, Harry was asked to attend the pre-battle meeting . Back then, when discussing the attack on the Spanish treasure ship back, Ramsay and Harry were asked to stay out of it . Later, it was discovered that Harry became very upset due to this . So he was pleasantly surprised when Zhang Heng allowed him to be a part of the coveted discussion, a closed-door meeting typically attended by the higher ranking staff of the ship . Naturally, this got Harry really excited, and though the captain forbode him from talking during the meeting, he was so happy that a silly grin couldn’t leave his face .
On the other spectrum of emotions, Billy was deeply guilty about what happened last night . He had gotten so drunk that he couldn’t help protect the ship and was genuinely disappointed in himself . Feeling dishonored, he insisted on giving up his helmsman post . However, after some persuasion, Zhang Heng and the rest of the crew managed to talk him out of it .
No doubt, Billy was the best candidate to be the helmsman on the whole of Jackdaw . Dufresne, although no slouch, preferred to work as quartermaster of the ship . Before last night’s incident, Billy had been always been a trustworthy crewman, taking his duties very seriously .
The crew wouldn’t simply deny all his contributions because of one accidental lapse of judgment . Of course, he would be punished accordingly for overindulging to the point where the ship’s security was compromised . For the next three voyages, his regular portion of loot would be cut in half . However, he was still allowed his bonus . Fortunately, after all the deductions and subtractions, he would still receive the same amount as the others, more or less . Even as they were talking, Billy was already well into his tasks again .
“Are you sure they will come after us?” asked Billy .
“I’m bloody sure they will . Previously, they sent two ships because they wanted to defeat us in one go . We only managed to shake them off because of the sudden storm . I have every reason to believe that the navy sank all pirate ships on Parrot Island last night . In other words, they would only need a ship or two to keep an eye on the remaining pirates there . This leaves the rest of them free to pursue us . After all, we have suffered a considerable amount of damage, and we are only half a day from Parrot Island . They can easily catch up to us if they depart now . ”
“What if they decide to come after us all of their ships? If that’s the case, we would be willingly walking into their trap,” said Dufresne .
“The possibility of it happening is extremely tiny . After crossing paths with the enemy, I see that their commander is extremely good at what he does . I think he should figure out that we would take the longer route back to Nassau if we wish to avoid them . So, the best option for them would be splitting up to cover more water . Our hull is severely damaged . We won’t last long if we engage in battle with them again . They know that one ship of theirs is enough to defeat us even if they all split up . I believe that the commander is willing to risk it to finish us off . ”
“Coral Island is two hundred nautical miles east of Parrot Island . It is in the same direction as Nassau . However, it is slightly to the north . We should stop here and wait a day . If my deductions are wrong and our enemies choose to stick together instead, they would head straight to Nassau . If that’s the case, they will pass by without noticing us, and our threat would be nullified . If I’m right, then one of their ships would definitely cross paths with us . By that time, we could take to take their ship and solve our water problem . ”
“What should we do? The hull is in real bad shape . I don’t think we will survive another high-intensity battle,” said Billy .
“This is why we need a small island . It’s similar to the strategy we used for the Spanish treasure ship . First, we dismount the cannons and move them to the island . After that, Jackdaw will lure the ship into the firing range of the on-shore cannons . We will attack them with everything that we’ve got! By luck, we can prevent our ship from taking further damage . ”
Zhang Heng had so much faith in his strategy only because he heard the game’s notification earlier . He leveled up his sailing skills from two to three, but in the heat of battle, he was so focused that he completely ignored it . Once the storm was over, he noticed that his level on his character panel had changed .
When he rammed his ship into the navy’s defensive line, the tremendous amount of pressure he was put under inadvertently awakened his potential . Thanks to that, his sailing skills received a massive boost . After he realized that it had been upgraded to Lv3, he found that maneuvering the Jackdaw was as easy as a swing of the arm . He was confident about using his ship to lure the enemy into his trap without receiving any damage .
The key to success for this plan was to make sure that Jackdaw could lure its target within their shooting range . Then, the cannoneers had to make sure that it was eliminated . It had to be done there and then . Once the enemy was out of range, it would be impossible for the crew to move the cannons back to the ship and continue pursuing them .
“Let survey the terrain first . We should figure out a way to solve this problem,” said Zhang Heng .
The nautical charts of the 18th century weren’t as accurate as their modern counterparts . Without the existence of the Global Positioning System, it would be an arduous task to accurately map out the entire terrain of the island . Everything was drawn by hand, and other than its name and a roughly estimated size, they got nothing useful out of it . Luckily, Jackdaw was very close to the island, and after half a day, they finally arrived . Zhang Heng, Anne, and the ship’s senior crew proceeded to explore the place .
“I finally know why they called this place Coral Island,” said Anne .
“The reef made up most of the island, more than its landmass,” Billy continued .
While on their way here, they noticed the most diverse coral reef they had ever laid eyes on under the water . With brilliant and kaleidoscopic colors, they blanketed the ocean floor . However, there were shallow reefs hidden around the area as well . This had Zhang Heng interested .
“Perhaps we have a way to make the target stay within our firing range after all,” Zhang Heng muttered .
“Are you planning to use the shallow reefs to force them into a particular spot? Sounds like it could work . That said, if we do that, our ship will be in danger as well . I don’t think we have the time to locate every shallow point . ”
“For that, we will have to rely on the draft of both ships . Our ship and our enemy’s ship are similar in size . However, once we dismount the cannons, our ship will be significantly lighter . But no . I want it even lighter! We will move all our food, drinking water, and anything heavy to the island . With that, Jackdaw will run well above the shoals, and we will cross safely!”
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