Back in the Jackdaw's cabin, everyone huddled together nervously.
It had been a minute and a half since Harry dove into the water. An ordinary person could only hold their breath for 30 to 40 seconds underwater. People like them, who lived by the sea and lived by the sea, could hold their breath for two to three minutes after some training. Considering Harry's oxygen consumption, he should be reaching his limit by now.
However, there was no response from the bottom of the water. After another seven to eight seconds, the water level finally stopped rising. This meant that Harry had successfully plugged the hole and saved the Jackdaw from sinking.
The crew high-fived each other, but Harry was nowhere to be seen after a while.
Dufresne's expression changed. He didn't even have time to take off his shirt and dove into the water. When he saw Harry struggling underwater, he quickly plugged the hole in the bottom of the ship. Just as he was about to go back in, a fishing net tangled his calf.
Harry tried everything he could, but he couldn't break free. Gradually, his strength grew weaker, and his struggles became more and more powerless.
His brain went blank due to the lack of oxygen. Am I going to die here today? If I knew this would happen, I wouldn't have tried so hard. But now that I think about it, I have no choice. If the Jackdaw sinks, I won't be able to escape …
Harry felt the world go dark in front of him. His arms and legs stopped moving, and his memory stopped at this moment. Suddenly, he felt a hand slapping his cheek, and someone was pressing hard on his chest.
Harry spat out a mouthful of seawater. Finally, he regained his senses and began to breathe greedily. Then, he found himself being lifted up by the crowd, and everyone was chanting his name.
Is this what it feels like to be a hero? Harry scratched his head. Hmm, it feels pretty good.
But before he could enjoy it for more than a few seconds, he was thrown back into the water.
Harry wasn't the only one who was thrown into the water. The person who threw him was just as confused.
All of a sudden, the Jackdaw shook violently, and everyone in the cabin lost their balance. At the same time, the repaired parts of the ship were showing signs of cracking again.
Dufresne arranged for two of his men to pump out the water in the cabin, while the rest of them continued to repair the cracks and holes. Once the situation was stabilized, Dufresne rushed to the deck.
Dufresne was shocked when he saw the scene outside.
He didn't expect that after staying in the cabin for less than 20 minutes, the sea had completely changed. The sea was surging and the wind was howling, accompanied by lightning from time to time.
It was only a few steps away, but the quartermaster had to walk for half a minute. He even slipped twice in the process. When he finally reached the rudder, he asked Anne, "Where's the captain?"
The wind and thunder were too loud for Anne to hear what Dufresne was saying. It was only when the quartermaster repeated himself that Anne pointed at the main mast behind her. Dufresne saw a blurry silhouette on top of the mast. He did not associate the sudden appearance of the storm with Zhang Heng. Seeing him standing on top of the mast, he thought that he was just pulling in the sails.
Dufresne asked Annie, "What about the Navy?"
As if answering his question, a cannonball landed about ten meters away from the Jackdaw. On the left side of the Jackdaw, an armed ship was also sinking in the storm.
The captain gave the order to attack, but in the current situation, even the experienced cannoneers found it difficult to aim accurately. Often, just as they adjusted the angle of the cannons, a huge wave would come crashing down, and all their previous efforts would be in vain.
The other armed ship that was lagging behind the Jackdaw was in trouble. The storm came too suddenly, and the sailors on the ship couldn't react fast enough. They retracted the sails too late, and the mast was blown off into the sea. Left with no choice, the captain ordered the ship to return to the port of Parrot Island to avoid the storm. Now that the Jackdaw had one less pursuer, the pressure on the ship was greatly reduced.
However, Dufresne's mood didn't improve.
Although part of the problem was solved, the extreme weather was still a huge challenge for the heavily damaged Jackdaw. Most importantly, Anne was the one steering the Jackdaw right now.
Ever since the red-haired girl boarded the ship, her combat prowess had won over everyone. However, Dufresne and the others knew her background and identity very well. They knew that she had no sailing experience before she came to Nassau, which meant that she had no experience steering a ship. In fact, all she did was hold onto the rudder and follow Zhang Heng's instructions to steer the ship in a straight line.
Dufresne's heart skipped a beat. He was afraid that a huge wave would turn the Jackdaw upside down.
Strangely enough, the Jackdaw had been sailing for a long time, and they had encountered quite a few huge waves. However, most of them came from the front. None of them came from the side.
Dufresne didn't dare to gamble on his luck. He quickly took over the rudder from Annie's hands.
The armed ship on the left was still relentlessly chasing after them. However, as the wind and waves grew stronger, the people on the ship started to hesitate.
The people on the ship knew that the Jackdaw was at its weakest. One more round, no, a few more cannonballs would be enough to destroy the pirate ship. That was why they refused to let go. They were not willing to let go of the juicy meat that was already in their mouths.
However, they were just pirate hunters, not real marines. Although Worden had given them the order to destroy the Jackdaw, they didn't want to risk their lives for it.
Right now, the danger they were in was beyond what they could handle. The storm didn't look like it was going to stop anytime soon. Even if they managed to destroy the Jackdaw, there was a high chance that their ship would be destroyed in the storm.
Despite their reluctance, the armed ship had no choice but to turn back after chasing for a few more minutes.
At this point, the Jackdaw had finally shaken off their pursuers.
However, they still had their biggest enemy — the unpredictable nature. Dufresne didn't dare to let his guard down. After another half an hour, the wind and waves finally began to subside. Only then did the situation take a turn for the better.
Throughout the entire process, the Jackdaw managed to escape unscathed.
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