The Jackdaw had never been under such intense bombardment before. In less than five minutes, the hull was riddled with holes, and Zhang Heng had done his best to avoid most of the damage that could have caused the ship to sink.
They were still a third of the way to the warships at the port. As the distance between the two sides narrowed, the Jackdaw was under more and more intense fire.
"Captain! Captain!" Dufresne screamed from behind the mast. "We can't go on like this! The Jackdaw will fall apart before we even get close to them!"
"Then hurry up and bring some people to repair the damaged areas. We have no way out! Do you think they'll give us a chance to turn around and go back? " Zhang Heng asked as he held onto the helm. A cannonball had brushed past his arm, and the strong airflow had numbed half of his body.
He and Anne were now in the most dangerous position on the ship. The others could still hide, but Zhang Heng had nowhere to hide because he had to steer the ship.
All Zhang Heng could do was pray that the Lucky Rabbit's Foot was working.
"Even if we break through their defense line, the Jackdaw won't be able to run far in its current condition! We've already lost a topsail and a mainsail! "Dufresne smiled bitterly.
"Let's talk about this after we break through their defense line," Zhang Heng said. His words were quickly drowned out by the roar of a new round of cannons. Dufresne knew that this was the most dangerous moment, so he didn't say anything else. Gritting his teeth, he led the remaining sailors on the ship to repair the damage.
Everyone, including the cook Ramsey, became temporary carpenters, using whatever they could find to fill in the holes and cracks. However, no matter how hard they tried, the cracks and holes on the body of the ship continued to increase. A sense of helplessness rose in everyone's heart.
However, Zhang Heng's strategy of breaking through the downwind finally paid off. After a few rounds of heavy bombardment, the surface of the sea was now filled with smoke.
The Jackdaw dove into the smoke, making it difficult for the navy to aim at it.
Worden frowned. This was the best path for them to attack. The Jackdaw was already close enough to them, and the cannons would be able to maximize their damage output. Now that the Jackdaw was right in front of them, some of the ships would be unable to attack because of the angle of the cannons.
At this point, Worden had no other choice but to order his ships to continue attacking the Jackdaw. However, the pressure on the Jackdaw was much less than before.
At the same time, the battle on the beach had also entered a white-hot stage. Due to Jarvis's betrayal being exposed in advance, the Warrior's crew was unable to gain the upper hand even though they were prepared. After the initial chaos, they gradually fell into a passive state.
Under Black Prince Sam's command, the pirates launched a fearless assault on the Warrior's crew. Faced with such a huge disparity in numbers, the Warrior's crew was in trouble. All they could do was hope that the naval fleet on the other side would come to their rescue after dealing with the Jackdaw.
However, their hopes were destined to be dashed.
"Sir, the battle on the beach is about to end. I don't think the Warrior's crew can hold on for much longer." The adjutant put down the copper binoculars in his hand. "If the remaining pirates return to the ship, they might cause us trouble."
Worden rubbed his chin. "Inform Miranda and Braveheart to continue attacking the warship we lost. That ship is badly damaged. A few more hits and they'll be finished. The rest of you, start attacking the beach. Prioritize destroying the ships docked there."
"Roger that, sir."
Although they were surrounded by smoke, Zhang Heng could still sense that the navy's attacks had weakened significantly. However, the cannons did not stop firing. Zhang Heng guessed that something must have happened on the beach. The navy had diverted a considerable portion of their firepower to deal with the problem there. This was the best chance for the Jackdaw to escape.
Zhang Heng was now infinitely close to the ships on the other side. However, it would only get more dangerous. At such a close distance, even if the Jackdaw used the smoke as cover, it would be impossible for them to remain undetected.
In fact, Zhang Heng could already see the cannons on one of the armed ships. The enemy had noticed them as well. Without any hesitation, the captain ordered the cannons to open fire. In a moment of life and death like this, all skills were meaningless. At such a close distance, it was impossible to effectively evade the attack.
All Zhang Heng could do was to maintain the Jackdaw's maximum speed and sail out of the port without hesitation.
Dufresne and his crew finally managed to patch up a crack in the ship's deck. However, the next moment, the plank that was nailed to the deck exploded again. A cannonball flew into the cabin and smashed the head of a nearby pirate. Before anyone could react, more cannonballs tore open the cabin, and seawater gushed in.
Caught off guard, the pirates were thrown off balance. The back of Dufresne's head hit the wooden barrel beside him, and he fainted immediately. However, the feeling of suffocation caused by drowning forced him to open his eyes again.
The quartermaster struggled to get out of the water. He reached out to touch the bloody seawater on his face and looked around in a daze. He saw broken planks floating everywhere, and his injured companions wailing in pain. It was only when he shifted his gaze to the basin-sized hole on his left that he regained his senses. Shaking his head, he grabbed a plank not far from him and began to repair it again.
With Dufresne taking the lead, the sailors who weren't seriously injured also got to work.
They managed to plug the leaking holes in the shortest time possible, but the water level in the cabin did not decrease.
"There's another hole at the stern, but it's blocked by a wine cabinet. I can't reach it with my hands," said a sailor anxiously.
"Everyone, let's work together to move that cabinet!" As soon as Dufresne gave the order, someone immediately went to help him. However, after a few tries, they realized that the cabinet was stuck in place. They could not move it at all. The water level had already risen to their waists, and if this continued, the Jackdaw would not be far from sinking.
"Can you cut it open?" Dufresne asked a bald pirate beside him. He was the only carpenter still conscious on the ship.
"I can, but it'll take a lot of time," replied the bald carpenter after a moment of hesitation. "I'm afraid we don't have that much time."
Just when everyone was about to give up, a childish voice suddenly rang out. "Erm … Maybe I can try?"
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