It had only been less than a day since the last battle, and the Jackdaw was already in the midst of preparing for another battle. However, none of the crew complained.
The main reason was that the pirates were too aggrieved in the previous battle. Most of them were in a state of confusion and didn't know what happened. They were caught by the Marines who suddenly appeared in front of them and beat them up. Their strength was obviously not weaker than the other party, but they couldn't fight back at all.
No one could accept such a method of defeat.
Therefore, when they heard that Zhang Heng was going to take revenge on the enemy and snatch enough food and water to bring them back to Nassau, they immediately regained their fighting spirit. On top of that, Zhang Heng had turned the tide several times before. The crew's trust and admiration for him had reached its peak. Now, no one would question his orders anymore.
All the sailors were mobilized, and they dismantled all the cannons on the ship as fast as they could, leaving only the stern cannon behind. Everything that could be dismantled, including food and water, was moved to the island. In the end, Zhang Heng only left twenty sailors behind. This was the minimum number of people that could keep the Jackdaw sailing normally.
The new Jackdaw's cabin was empty. Other than half a day's worth of food and water, there was nothing left. In exchange, the ship's waterline had been lowered significantly.
…
Their target came sooner than expected. Less than two hours after the Jackdaw left the island, the lookout spotted a dark shadow in the distance.
Zhang Heng's speculation was right. This time, the navy wanted to wipe them out in one fell swoop. However, Worden wasn't satisfied with the fact that they managed to destroy five pirate ships. Even when they had the upper hand, one pirate ship still managed to escape from under his nose. He couldn't accept it no matter how hard he tried.
As soon as the storm subsided, he sent his men to hunt down the Jackdaw.
This time, Zhang Heng met an old acquaintance near the Coral Island. It was one of the two armed ships that hunted him the first time. The Miranda was also the last ship that managed to survive until the end. However, due to the storm, they had no choice but to turn back.
Although Walden didn't say anything, Captain Ford couldn't help but take it to heart. This was the first time in all his years of being a pirate hunter that his prey had slipped away.
Therefore, he and his Miranda decided to join the hunt. Ford was eager to take down the Jackdaw to prove that he was still one of the best pirate hunters in the area.
However, because they were searching in different directions, Ford didn't have too much hope. What he didn't expect was that the Goddess of Luck would really bless him once again.
After spotting the Jackdaw, Ford immediately ordered his men to prepare for battle. This time, he swore that he would not let his prey escape.
At the same time, Zhang Heng saw the approaching Miranda. After a while, he put down the binoculars in his hand and said to the sailors on the ship, "Follow the plan."
After Miranda chased after the Jackdaw for a while, Ford noticed that the Jackdaw had begun to lower its topsail and speed up. It seemed like the Jackdaw was trying to escape. However, it didn't work. There was a hole in the Jackdaw's mainsail, probably from the previous battle. However, for some reason, it wasn't repaired.
This explained why they encountered the Jackdaw so early. According to Ford's calculations, they would need at least a day to catch up to the Jackdaw.
Now that the Jackdaw and the Jackdaw had met each other earlier than expected, Ford was pleasantly surprised. He didn't want to waste his brain cells trying to figure out what happened to the Jackdaw. As long as he could sink the Jackdaw, everything would be solved.
Since Ford dared to work as a pirate hunter, it was only natural that his Miranda was one of the fastest ships in the world. It was almost as fast as the Jackdaw. Now that the Jackdaw couldn't pick up speed, it was time for Miranda to shine.
Both parties began a new round of battle on the sea. The person manning the helm of the Jackdaw was quite strong. Ford had already noticed this when they fought at the harbor. This time, the Jackdaw performed just as well. However, there was a natural difference in speed between the two ships. Hence, the distance between the two ships was shrinking at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Ford stood at the bow of the Jackdaw. Now, even without the help of binoculars, he could see the busy figures on the deck of the Jackdaw. He could feel his blood boiling.
Like most pirate hunters, Ford was born in the navy. Later on, he was hired as a captain of a merchant ship for a period of time and earned quite a lot of money. However, unlike his peers who became pirate hunters because they were robbed, Ford had never been robbed by pirates when he was a captain of a merchant ship.
He became a pirate hunter purely because of the adventurous blood that flowed in his veins. Other than rewards and glory, what he was doing now reminded him of his childhood when he hunted in the woods with his father. The feeling of constantly fighting with his prey and enjoying the harvest was something he could never experience as a captain of a merchant ship.
Suddenly, the first mate beside him said, "Captain Ford, there's an island up ahead."
"Hmm?"
"Based on the nautical chart, it should be an uninhabited island called Coral Island," the first mate said hesitantly. "Do you think they escaped here on purpose?"
"For what reason?" Ford raised an eyebrow.
The first mate was speechless. After all, the pirates had just ambushed a Spanish treasure ship on Parrot Island. Instinctively, he was on high alert when he saw the island. However, after some thought, he realized that the Jackdaw didn't have the resources to set up an ambush. They had already destroyed five out of six pirate ships, and only the Jackdaw managed to escape. Even if they wanted to set up an ambush, they didn't have anyone to cooperate with them.
However, another problem occurred to the first mate. "This area is marked as dangerous on the nautical chart. There are many hidden reefs nearby. Could they be trying to lure us to run aground?"
Ford frowned. "That's possible … They don't have the time to explore this area. Unless they have someone on their ship who is very familiar with this area, they'll be risking more than us by recklessly entering the reefs. However, we don't have to try our luck with them. Tell the helmsman to follow them closely and only follow where they go. That way, if they run aground, they'll be the first to hit the reefs."
Ford paused for a moment, then snorted coldly. "They used a storm to shake us off the last time, and now they're trying to scare us off with reefs? Do they really think we're that cowardly? If we let them escape again, we'll be done with this line of work."
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