Not long after Zhang Heng and his men left the ship, Anne received a warning from the lookout that a ship had appeared in the southwest direction.
The red-haired girl took the copper binoculars and saw a three-masted sailboat. The sailboat also noticed them, but instead of being afraid, it sped up and rushed towards them. At the same time, a black flag was raised on the boat.
"Looks like he wants a piece of the action," Dufresne said with a frown.
As promised, the Austere Winter moved to intercept the pirate ship that had just arrived. When it passed by the Jackdaw, Hutchison signaled to Anne, telling her not to worry and to leave everything to him.
The Austere Winter lasted less than ten minutes before it turned around and ran back.
On the Goddess' Spear, Black Prince Sam furrowed his brows. He did not expect his ally to be so useless. They had just collected their weapons and were checking their inventory. But now was not the time to blame them. He ordered his men to send a message to the Quidah, asking it to help.
In terms of firepower, the Quidah was on par with the Austere Winter. It would not be difficult for the Quidah to deal with them, and with the Austere Winter's help, it should be enough to take them down.
The helmsman of the Quidah immediately led his men to the battlefield after receiving the order. However, he did not like Hutcheson very much, so he deliberately took a detour. He wanted the latter to suffer more. It would be best if the Austere Winter was sunk by the pirate ship that had just arrived. That way, they would be able to save their share of the spoils of war.
It was a pity that the Austere Winter was not good at fighting, but it was very good at escaping. Hutcheson once again displayed his outstanding steering skills, steering the Austere Winter through the rounds of cannon fire.
When he saw the Quidah not too far away, it was as if he had seen his savior. He immediately turned around and fled.
The helmsman of the Quidah was infuriated by this fellow. He couldn't help but think of killing him first. But in the end, he suppressed the desire in his heart and ordered the cannoneers to get into position and prepare for battle.
Although he did not want to admit it, strictly speaking, the Austere Winter did play a role. At least it managed to bring the target to the Quidah. However, perhaps it was due to panic or some other reason, the Austere Winter blocked the cannons of the Quidah, preventing it from firing its cannons. On the other hand, the pirate ship behind was able to attack without restraint.
The black helmsman cursed loudly as he signaled for Hutchison to get as far away from the ship as he could.
Fortunately, the Austere Winter was not that stupid. After receiving the signal, it immediately circled around to the back of the Quidah. The helmsman could not be bothered to complain anymore. In any case, he was confident that he could defeat the pirate ship in front of him even without the help of the Austere Winter. He did not care where the latter was going and ordered to return fire.
It was only the first round of attacks, but the Quidah had already displayed its might as the ruler of the Caribbean Sea. The pirate ship that had just beaten the Austere Winter to a pulp was now completely suppressed. Be it in terms of firepower or the quality of the crew, there was a visible gap between the two ships. If this went on, it was only a matter of time before the pirate ship was defeated.
The helmsman's expression was relaxed. Just like all the other battles he had experienced before, once the Quidah started firing, there was no suspense in the outcome. He even had the leisure to turn back to admire the pathetic state of the Austere Winter behind him. But when his gaze landed on the Austere Winter's open cannons, his expression changed.
An ominous feeling rose in the helmsman's heart. "Quick, full left rudder!" he yelled at the pirate at the helm.
But it was too late. In the next moment, the Austere Winter was no longer as weak as before, baring its fangs. Hutcheson's spectacular performance had fooled everyone, and he had also won himself the best position to attack. He was practically right next to the Quidah, and the dense cannonballs looked like they were going to tear the Quidah apart.
Caught off guard, the Quidah suffered a great loss. The starboard side suffered a devastating blow, and the pirates on the ship fell to the ground. The attack on the other pirate ship also stopped, and the latter did not hesitate to retaliate.
The sudden turn of events attracted everyone's attention, including those on the Jackdaw. Little did they know that danger was creeping up on them as well.
The pirate on the observation deck did not forget Zhang Heng's instructions. He remained vigilant, but all he could see was the vast sea. There were no other ships in sight. In fact, he felt that he was being a little too nervous. Even if there were enemies, it would take at least half an hour for them to be within range. That was more than enough time for them to get ready.
Hence, when the first enemy suddenly appeared from the side of the ship and slit the throat of an unlucky pirate, no one realized that they had been ambushed. The first to react was the pirate on the observation deck. Although he was also attracted by the sudden turn of the Austere, he was the first to notice the abnormality on the deck because he had been looking down from the high vantage point. He finally shouted out the word 'enemy attack', but he was shot in the neck by a blow dart, and fell to the side.
However, with his warning, the pirates on the deck also noticed the intruders. When Anne saw their wet clothes, she immediately knew where they came from. When the Austere Winter went to intercept the pirate ship that came after them, it passed by the Jackdaw. The intruders must have taken advantage of that moment to sneak into the water. However, they did not dare to attack immediately. Instead, they waited until the Quidah was surrounded before they launched their attack.
Anne was not surprised. Instead, she was delighted. She had nothing better to do on the ship, and now, a battle had come knocking on her door. Anne licked her lips, unsheathed her saber, and charged at the intruders.
With the boatswain leading the way, the Jackdaw's pirates quickly recovered from their initial panic and joined the battle. Dufresne was secretly glad that Zhang Heng had left all his elites on the ship. To make up for the lack of manpower, Zhang Heng had brought along a cook, a carpenter, and a doctor. On top of that, the pirates on the observation deck had discovered the ambush in time. Thus, the first wave of ambush only killed three to four of them.
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