A Pirate's Spring Awakening

Once a sailing ship is underway, as long as it avoids storms and doesn't sail into the Calm Belt, the captain's job becomes remarkably easy.

Bellamy just needed to sit at the helm and occasionally adjust the course. The more tedious tasks naturally fell to his first mate and the boatswain.

"This is pretty relaxing."

They'd been at sea for a full day and night. Drake had taken the night watch, and after checking the course with the navigator in the morning, it was clear the voyage was proceeding smoothly. The ship hadn't deviated from its intended route at all.

"Steering a ship isn't so hard after all." Bellamy brewed himself a cup of tea and settled into his chair, letting out a lazy yawn.

Honestly, sailing on the vast, open ocean was an incredibly boring affair. Imagine staring at the same unchanging scenery for days and nights on end – anyone would get drowsy after a while. If it weren't for his desire to quickly familiarize himself with the captain's duties, Bellamy would have handed the helm over long ago and gone to the deck to practice his Body-Forging Fist.

"I definitely need to build a ship that can sail itself someday."

As far as he knew, the technology of this world was perfectly capable of creating such a vessel. However, a ship like that would require a mechanic to maintain the equipment.

"Should I use a steam engine or a diesel engine? Wait, I don't think this world even has diesel."

Just as Bellamy was muttering about what kind of engine to install on his future ship, a frantic alarm bell rang out from the deck.

"Pirates approaching!"

It was common to encounter pirates on shipping lanes. Merchant ships usually responded by paying a protection fee or trying to outrun them. The Portgas Trading Company was a long-established merchant house with its own armed forces, so ordinary small-time pirates wouldn't dare to cause trouble.

However, this time, the company's president had been kidnapped along with his ship, causing the Portgas Trading Company's reputation to plummet. The fact that pirates dared to try and rob them on their very first day at sea proved that the company was indeed at a critical juncture. No wonder Chardin had come begging Bellamy for help, regardless of the cost.

The approaching pirate ship was a narrow, single-masted sailing vessel. This type of ship was relatively small and unsuitable for carrying cargo. However, it was several knots faster than typical small sailing ships, making it the preferred choice for most small-time pirate crews.

The small sailing ship Bellamy was on had three masts and was about a dozen meters longer and five meters wider than the pirate ship. The hold below deck was hollow and could carry a lot of cargo, making it a typical merchant ship design.

The trading company had modified it by adding a cannon to the bow and two ballistae on each side. Discounting Bellamy's crew, the Portgas Trading Company's own guards were more or less capable of handling ordinary small-time pirates.

Therefore, upon discovering that a group of insignificant pirates was approaching, no one was particularly nervous. Under the boatswain's command, the crew members took up their weapons and moved to their respective positions, ready to fight back.

This showed just how little respect Chardin commanded within the company. The crew members didn't even bother to consult her before taking action. Moreover, they seemed to have a lot of resentment towards Bellamy and his crew.

It was only natural that they had resentment. If they didn't, Bellamy would have been surprised. Anyone would be resentful being lorded over by a notorious pirate, especially the employees of a merchant company.

"Interesting. Go tell Ross not to interfere."

He wanted to see how these crew members usually dealt with pirates. Why tell Ross not to interfere? Because if Ross made a move, the fight would be over before it began.

Bellamy sat in the captain's cabin, eagerly anticipating the battle.

In naval warfare, wind direction, speed, cannon accuracy, and range were the most crucial factors. Wind direction affected a ship's sailing speed, turning speed, and ability to pursue or escape.

Speed was self-explanatory. A ship that was several knots faster could come and go as it pleased, putting it in an inherently advantageous position.

Cannon range could compensate for a lack of speed, but a longer range often meant lower accuracy. There were certainly cannons that could shoot far and accurately, but such things wouldn't be found on a merchant ship.

Therefore, a ship that was fast, with cannons that could shoot far and accurately, was a terrifying presence on the open sea.

Typical naval battles started with a few haphazard shots to test the waters. Only when both sides were close could the cannons' full power be unleashed. However, given the pirate ship's speed, once they entered the cannons' effective range, it often meant that boarding action was imminent.

Bellamy chose to spectate, letting the crew members act freely. Chardin immediately became anxious.

"Mr. Bellamy, our current speed is only 7 knots. That pirate ship is already faster than us, and now they have the wind advantage. They'll be on us in no time."

Having the wind advantage meant they were sailing with the wind at their backs. A sailing ship with the wind behind it would naturally be much faster. Their speed was already at a disadvantage, and now they were downwind. Escape was impossible.

A boarding battle was inevitable.

To steal as much cargo as possible, pirates usually wouldn't damage the main structure of a merchant ship. The pirate ship would choose to get close to the merchant ship and then use various grappling hooks and ropes to secure it for boarding.

What the Portgas Trading Company was about to face was an unavoidable close-quarters fight. Bellamy was very much looking forward to it.

"Don't worry, don't worry. My people are already preparing."

Ross was on the deck, and if there were any significant losses, Muret and Mia wouldn't be able to resist stepping in. That was enough. He had no need to deal with some nameless, small-time pirate crew himself.

"Captain, do you need my help?" Drake, who had been resting, came to inquire after hearing the commotion.

"No need."

"Drake, sit." Bellamy pointed to the chair beside him. "Stay here and watch how the trading company deals with pirates."

"I'm quite interested in seeing this."

Ignoring the anxious woman beside him, Bellamy personally brewed a cup of tea for his first mate.

Drake had no interest in such small-time pirates either, but since it was a battle, he felt it was his duty as first mate to observe.

"This busy shipping lane usually has Navy patrols."

The implication was that ships sailing on this route shouldn't normally encounter pirates. It seemed Drake had a low opinion of the Navy presence here. Bellamy chuckled inwardly. If Drake knew that the Navy officer stationed here was an arms dealer, he probably wouldn't be so surprised.

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