Marvin's forehead began to sweat before Lanny could finish his sentence. When he finished the last word, the farmer's son's face turned as white as a sheet.
He did not expect that to be the problem. No matter how he looked at it, the odds of survival for the people on the small boat were slim. That was why he chose to join the pirates and become a cook on the Sea Lion in exchange for a chance to live.
But he did not expect that they would be rescued miraculously. If he had known, he would have stayed on the ship and sunbathed comfortably on his father's farm.
What was worse was the series of troubles that followed after these people's survival. The fact that the four of them had become pirates was exposed, which cut off the possibility of them returning to the civilized world. Unless the queen granted them amnesty, they would have to bear the identity of pirates forever.
Of course, these were all things that he had to worry about in the future. Right now, there was something more serious waiting for him.
After Lanny finished speaking, the group of British sailors who were in charge of guarding the ship became serious. One by one, they raised their muskets, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.
It was at this moment that someone pulled the trigger.
The farmer's son's heart suddenly shrank when he heard the gunshot. His mind went blank, thinking that he was going to die this time. When he opened his eyes, however, he found that there was no wound on his body.
Instead, Lanny, who had exposed his identity earlier, lowered his head and stared blankly at the bloodstain on his chest. He could not believe it.
The beast had awakened from its slumber.
No one knew when the black-bearded man below the deck had opened his eyes. Like a lion, his whole body exuded an oppressive aura. He put away the smoking gun in his hand and said in a unique deep voice, "The battle has begun. Let's hunt together!"
The guards on the deck could not believe what they saw. They had taken control of the entire ship and taken away the crew's weapons. Where did the bullet come from?
It was not until two and a half seconds later that someone realized what had happened, but it was too late. The deck under their feet suddenly opened up, and several sailors who were standing on it fell straight down. Before they could hit the ground, their throats were slit. Then, groups of pirates, armed to the teeth, emerged from below, brandishing their weapons. The rest of the sailors were beheaded before they could even turn their guns around.
Because of Marvin's accident, the battle started half a minute earlier than expected.
Most of the sixty unarmed British sailors who were in charge of moving the items had come to the Sea Lion, but there were still about ten of them standing on the deck. Seeing that something was wrong, the ten of them immediately fled back to the Scarborough.
However, the others were not so lucky. Currently, the armed forces of the British Navy on the Sea Lion consisted of more than 20 people who had boarded the ship earlier. These people were also the first to be killed. In just one encounter, they were all either dead or injured.
After Owen cut down a British sailor, he tossed the clothes and weapons to Zhang Heng. At the same time, the pirates lit up the grenades in their hands. Unlike the handheld grenades of later generations, the grenades of the 17th and 18th centuries were shaped like pomegranates, which was where the name came from. At this time, the grenade was basically an iron shell, loaded with gunpowder, lead pellets, or metal pieces. However, it was quite lethal when thrown into the crowd. The sailors on the Scarborough wanted to help, but the explosion caused a large number of casualties.
Many of the new sailors who were trying to escape pushed and shoved each other out of fear and unfortunately fell into the water from the gangplank.
The gunner on the Scarborough asked the chief officer, "Sir, should we fire the cannon? If we fire now, it will only take a few minutes to sink the ship."
However, the chief officer was a little hesitant, mainly because he felt sorry for the porcelain on the ship. Before he could speak, Burnett, who was beside him, spoke first, "No, our men are not back yet. How can we fire the cannon now? If we do that, how can we expect these people to fight for us in the future?"
His words were not without reason. Originally, the morale of the sailors at the bottom of each ship was a headache due to the Admiralty's delay in paying their wages. The Scarborough was no exception. If they really opened fire at this time, even though only a small portion of the crew would be sacrificed, the more serious thing was that the rest of the crew would be bitterly disappointed.
Most importantly, there were more than six hundred people on the Scarborough, and they had an absolute advantage in terms of numbers. Although they were ambushed by the pirates, the losses were not too severe. If they really fought, they would not lose no matter how they looked at it. However, while he was hesitating, the pirates on the other side had already charged towards them.
Elmer, the captain, was also in an unprecedented state today. Although he was not injured, he was shocked by the explosion just now, and the red wine in his hand spilled all over his body. When he came to his senses, he was furious. He ordered his men to pick up his saber and said, "What are you waiting for? Kill those lawless pirates and take back our porcelain!"
Since the captain had spoken, the others no longer had any objections. The chief officer immediately began to deploy the gunners to fire at the opposite side. However, the pirates were more cunning than expected. They did not kill all the sailors who boarded the ship, but mixed in with them and charged towards them.
The gunners aimed for a long time but did not have the chance to fire. Instead, it did not take long for the enemy and their own people to get in front of them. At this time, the difference between a newbie and a veteran became apparent.
The newbie could not help but start shooting indiscriminately under the immense pressure. As a result, the bullets flew everywhere, and most of them were lost. A small number of them landed on their own people. On the other hand, the pirates did not take many hits.
The man with the black beard took the lead and cut down a sailor in front of him. He then picked up the corpse and used it as a shield. He rushed to the front of the gunners and pulled out the machete from his waist at an incredible speed, piercing through the enemy's chest. The tip of the machete protruded from the latter's back and twisted it twice. Blood spurted out and splattered all over his body, making him look like a demon king from hell.
After witnessing this scene with their own eyes, a few people nearby even lost the courage to hold their guns. They turned around and fled.
This was a battle of life and death, and Zhang Heng did not hold back. He waved the saber in his hand at the enemy in front of him. Unlike the bearded man, his swordsmanship looked lighter. Zhang Heng had tried to incorporate karate footwork into his movements, and now he had finally achieved some results. He focused on dodging, waiting for an opportunity to shake off the opponent's weapon. However, just as the blade was about to slice through the target's throat, it was blocked by another saber.
"Your opponent is me," Burnett said proudly. He was very confident in his swordsmanship. When he was in London, he used his family's connections to visit many famous masters. He believed that he would not lose to anyone.
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